This class is almost over. Monday is the second to last time we will meet as a class. Before you return to the work you’ve done this term and revise it, I want to provide you with two serious prompts.
POETRY
Here is a poem by Eric Ekstrand. Frankly, it draws from Williams’ poetry in its rich, vital language, it’s dedication to imagery, and it’s attitude that each living thing is passing away. It also tries to articulate wisdom about life and what it is. Write a poem about your own town that models this vibrancy and this distilled reflection on what happens within it. Notice he does not allow each section to follow one to the next narratively, but each part hangs together nevertheless. There are several other poems on the page — feel free to look at them.
FICTION
George Saunders’ “Victory Lap” is a short story that should only take you 45 minutes to read at the most. What I think would be good for you all to see is the wildness and freeness of the voices Saunders crafted for the three people in his story, their three points of view being immediately distinguishable. What would happen if you allowed voice to be so rich and over the top with slang and “id” in a story? What if you told an intense story of conflict, even simple conflict, in such voices of your own design (I think Ed does this in his way)? Try it, or try to bring that kind of detail to what you write.
Here is a link to the Wiki about William Carlos Williams. It’s a pretty great link, offering audio versions of his poems, quotes from his letters, and most importantly, some of his most famous poems. I’m posting this because I see a lot of you not necessarily devoting yourself to the kind of richness of language, metaphor and imagery that a poem requires. Williams was responsible for galvanizing the everyday thingness of life in American poetry — thingness being what Aristotle warned each writer to have in his work too. Do this.
The poem I meant for Brandi to read is called, “The Locust Tree in Flower”
11:15 Alyssa
11:30 Jessica
11:45 Kevin
12:00 Marquita
12:15 Justin
12:30 Danielle
1:15 Bri Clark
1:30 Jason Truppa
1:45 Laura
2:00 Kayla
2:15 Dean
2:30 Brigid
2:45 Ed
3:00 Brandi
Wednesday 11/2
2:00 Phil
2:15 Anthony
2:30 Stephanie
3:00 Samantha
Remember to send me any document you want us to go over by midnight Sunday night/Monday morning, 11/30. I’ll print it, but bring your own copy if you like.
My office is in J-104.
Your fiction professor Nathan Long has recorded an essay at the NPR affiliate WHYY for the show “This I Believe” that should air in a couple of weeks. I’ll try to keep you posted. The show’s site looks kind of great, please feel free to browse and listen to other clips.
If you’d like to talk to Tim Seibles informally in the creative writing lounge (C-104), please come by tomorrow, Wednesday, from 4:15-5:15. If you can only come for 15 minutes toward the middle or end, that’s great, please do so. We’d love to have him meet you all.
Also, here is an index of some of the most deft, contemporary and inventive sestinas around.
Remember, Tim Seibles reads at 8PM next Wednesday in Alton Auditorium. I’m happy to pay the way in of any student who wants to go: just give me a head’s up in class the next few days.
If you haven’t gone to a reading yet, there’s one Nov. 4th 8PM in Alton Auditorium — Tim Seibles. I think you’ll love him and I’m willing to pay your way in if you let me know in advance.
If this reading does not suit your schedule in any way, I have come up with an alternative assignment. E-mail me if you feel you’re going to need this alternative assignment. It requires a little bit of writing, but can be done any time.