Class Description
This intermediate seminar will feature a survey of contemporary poems not structured as verse. In what scenario would a poet choose to write in prose? Where does the fine line fall between "flash fiction" and "prose poetry"? Contemporary writers discussed will include Robert Hass (famous for "A Story About the Body"), Carolyn Forché ("The Colonel"), and others, as well as predecessors in the form such as William Carlos Williams and Gertrude Stein. Since every culture has its own concept of the division between poetry and prose, we will also look at historical and contemporary writers from other countries who exhibit a more fluid definition of form (Alejandra Pizarnik, Jorge Luis Borges).
Writers will have the opportunity to develop their poetic and prosaic skills at once. Fiction writers can challenge themselves to work in a short, lyrical form that breaks away from narrative, while poets can experiment outside of the structural elements of verse.
Thanks to the excellent literary citizenship of our donors, scholarships are available for all GrubStreet classes. To apply, click the gray "APPLY FOR SCHOLARSHIP" button. In order to be considered for a scholarship, you must complete your application at least one week before the start date of a class. Please await our scholarship committee's decision before registering for the class. We cannot hold spots in classes, so the sooner you apply, the better. Scholarships cannot be applied retroactively.
For more detailed information about GrubStreet scholarships, including how to contribute to scholarship funds for other students, click here.
This class will take place using Zoom videoconferencing. About 15 minutes before your class is scheduled to begin, you'll receive an email from your instructor with a link to join the class meeting!
Zoom Participation:
Students are not required to turn their camera on, but are encouraged to participate any way they feel comfortable through functions such as the live chat, emoji reactions, and unmuting the microphone. Learn more about using Zoom here.
Zoom Accessibility:
We ask that instructors enable closed captioning and send a transcript of the session after class. You can also enable closed captioning at any time during the meeting. If your instructor forgets to send the transcript, just send ’em an email!