Poetics of Protest Live Course

“When power leads men towards arrogance, poetry reminds him of his limitations. When power narrows the areas of man’s concern, poetry reminds him of the richness and diversity of existence. When power corrupts, poetry cleanses.” – President John F. Kennedy, groundbreaking ceremony, Robert Frost Library, Amherst College, 1963

During these times of social political upheaval, reading and writing poetry can help us process much of our unrest, frustration, and anger, and help restore a sense of agency and hope. A proverbial poetic light at the end of the tunnel. During the first session we’ll read several historical as well as contemporary poets of protest and ask/discuss:

• Is protest an inherent part of any writing, to some degree?
• Do our ethnicities, race, genders, sexualities, etc., automatically (fairly or unfairly?) define us as political/protest writers?
• Can our work be timely as well timeless; how so?
• How do we navigate/negotiate between autobiography, politics, and craft?
• If good art answers questions, but great art keeps asking questions, then what socio- political questions are you asking (or not asking) of yourself, of your reader, and of our times through your poems?

What defines a successful political poem of protest with regard to the various craft-based strategies and techniques of the poets we’ll read. With this newfound understanding, you will write poems of protest which will be workshopped during the second session.