The topic is presented through workshops in which students discuss the critical reading of poetry and techniques involved in its writing. It is essentially based around:
• what poetry offers that is different from other writing;
• the initial stages of poetry’s creation and its subsequent editing;
• significant aspects of poetic form, metre and technique; and
• how we can apply close reading to poetry and discuss it in a meaningful manner.
Technical aspects include the use of figurative language (metaphor, simile, metonymy, synecdoche, etc.), as well as tone, line breaks, and more. These cross over into a consideration of poetry as performance, such as its use of sound and rhythm, which is not unusual given that poetry has its roots in an oral tradition of delivery. Students will also discuss various significant aspects of form, such as open and closed poetry, haiku, ghazal, sonnet, sestina, and free verse.
