Focuses on the essential elements of poetry writing. Students learn the basics of diction, figuration, meter, lineation, rhyme, rhythm, and voice. Students explore the power of oral and written verse as an individual and communal act. What is at stake in choosing to write poetry? How does poetry express the truth of reality? How do poems imagine and create new political and social worlds? Coursework involves a combination of written assignments, peer workshops, and public readings.