READING
& WRITING THE
LYRIC
with
Diane di Prima
LYRIC POETRY SINCE
WORLD WAR
TWO
Why is it
so hard to write a good love poem?
Do you
still think of poetry as a burst of ecstatic song?
In some circles, the
lyric
poem has fallen out of fashion, and yet for many of us
it is what comes to mind when we speak of the
poem. "Lyric" of course refers to the lyre—the stringed instrument
which the Greek poets (& others) used in performance, so included
is a sense
of poetry as Song. In the three classes held in 2009, we will read and
discuss
poems written from the middle of the 20th century to the present. We
will also
listen to poets reading their own work for the pleasure and insight it
affords.
At times this may lead us to look further at the some of the
difficulties and
methods of getting the poem onto the page.
This is the fifth
year of
summer workshops on the Lyric Poem, but this group of 3 classes is
complete in
itself. You need not have attended any previous years. The three
seven-hour
sessions will be held on June 14, June 28 and July 26, and will include
time
for our own writing and a pot-luck lunch. The fee of $400 includes
amazing
handouts of poems—both well-known and obscure. A deposit of $100 is
required
with registration.
Call Diane at (415) 841-0717 for more information.
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