The Nobility of Labor: The Work of Poetry and the Poetry of Work with Zia Pollis

Note: There will be no session on July 4th.

In this workshop, we will be using poetry to render a type of alchemy upon work and the labors of the body. Toil, craft, sweat, blood, and boredom can be a fertile substrate from which fruits of imagination may grow. This workshop will highlight working class experiences, writing about resource (material, natural, financial, spiritual), and embodied practices of poetry-making through working with our hands/feet/legs/lungs/arms and more. In our reading, we will be exploring poets who accomplish this in various ways, including Martín Espada and Ross Gay among others, as well as writing one poem per week to integrate and engage with our explorations.

Course Outline

Send out reading/listening/viewing packet before first session, 1–2 writing prompts based off readings, instructions to write 1 poem for the upcoming week, with specification on who will be workshopped and when.

• Week 1
  • Group Introduction
  • Brief discussion of readings/video/audio material highlighting aspects related to writing prompts
  • Workshopping designated students
  • Talk about next week’s writing prompt and materials

• Week 2
  • Brief discussion of readings/video/audio material highlighting aspects related to writing prompts
  • Workshopping designated students
  • Talk about next week’s writing prompt and materials

• Week 3
  • Brief discussion of readings/video/audio material highlighting aspects related to writing prompts
  • Workshopping designated students
  • Talk about next week’s writing prompt and materials

• Week 4
  • Brief discussion of readings/video/audio material highlighting aspects related to writing prompts
  • Workshopping designated students
  • Concluding remarks

Capacity: 12