About this course: Why just write poems when you can write better ones? This course is built on the notion that the most exciting writing begins after the first draft. It is specifically for folks who believe that writing poems just to express oneself is like using the Internet just for email. After all, poetry can change the way you and your readers think of the world and its inhabitants; it can break new ground for language; turn a blank sheet of paper into a teeming concert of voices and music. Though any of us may have the potential to make that happen, having an understanding of how several tools of poetic composition can be used (and audaciously “mis-used”) gives you more ways to try (and if we do this right, we might surprise ourselves most of all). We'll cover key poetic terms and devices by studying poems by a handful of modern and contemporary poets and then get a chance to try our own hand at writing new poem drafts from a select number of prompts. Throughout the course you will have the opportunity to workshop your poem drafts and get feedback on your work, working towards a more polished poem.

Created by: California Institute of the Arts

Taught by: Douglas Kearney, Faculty, MFA in Writing Program
Critical Studies

Commitment	4-5 hours of lessons and assessments
Language	English
How To Pass	Pass all graded assignments to complete the course.
User Ratings	4.7 stars Average User Rating 4.7See what learners said

Syllabus

WEEK 1

Introduction and the Poetic Line

Poetry orchestrates its music, arguments, tensions, and environment via arrangements of language into lines and stanzas. This week we’ll address the importance of the line break, perhaps the most conspicuous, signature tool in the poet’s toolkit. Do you break ...

8 videos, 4 readings

Graded: On the Line

WEEK 2

Abstraction and Image

Abstraction doesn’t mean “deep,” and image doesn’t mean “picture.” Images are typically understood as anything you can literally touch/taste/see/hear/smell, and abstractions are those things for which we have symbols (a clock for “time,” a heart for “love”) bu...

5 videos, 1 reading

Graded: Abstraction & Image

WEEK 3

Metaphor and Other Formulas of Difference

Most of us think of simile and metaphor, personification and other similar figures of speech as being about similarities between objects, concepts, and entities. But the juice in these formulas comes from how different the two things being compared seem to be....

5 videos, 1 reading

Graded: Metaphor

Graded: First Workshop

WEEK 4

Rhyme

This week we’ll explore how rhyme leverages patterns of sameness and how we can estrange similarity for compelling poetic effects. We’ll check out examples of “rhyme”—sonic, visual, conceptual—from outside of poetry too.

5 videos, 1 reading

Graded: Rhyme

WEEK 5

Rhythm

All spoken language has rhythm, the trick is working the rhythm in such a way that drives your poem toward the effects you’re after. Maybe you want a fluid, seductive, propulsive rhythm. Perhaps something that halts or stutters. We’ll use traditional western c...

6 videos, 1 reading

Graded: Rhythm

Graded: Second Workshop

WEEK 6

Sharpened Poetry: Revision Strategies

When you revise a poem, you are not trying to dull the emotional flash of your first draft. You must, instead, intensify it. In this, our final week, we’ll discuss the difference between revision and editing, the art of reading your own work critically, and th...

11 videos, 1 reading

Graded: Final Workshop

FAQs

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Coursework

Each course is like an interactive textbook, featuring pre-recorded videos, quizzes and projects.

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Creators

California Institute of the Arts

CalArts has earned an international reputation as the leading college of the visual and performing arts in the United States. Offering rigorous undergraduate and graduate degree programs through six schools—Art, Critical Studies, Dance, Film/Video, Music, and Theater—CalArts has championed creative excellence, critical reflection, and the development of new forms and expressions.

Ratings and Reviews

Rated 4.7 out of 5 of 465 ratings

Absolutely LOVED this course!

I wish all of my professors passed on knowledge like you did!!! It was theoretical and it was fun, it was practical and stimulating! I definitely wanna keep on writing, so thanks!

I enjoyed the experience of learning the step by step of making poem with Coursera. I love the workshop and the prompts given too...

I originally took this course at Coppin State University in 2001. I missed a week and decided to withdraw. Glad I decided to retake this course.

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Sharpened Visions: A Poetry Workshop

Sharpened Visions: A Poetry Workshop

Sharpened Visions: A Poetry Workshop