Maria Negroni, Sarah
Lawrence College
Faculty Biography
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| When once asked, "What do you consider a poet?" Jean Cocteau replied: "Someone who writes without being a writer." Is there a better definition for someone who indefatigably questions the forms we use to structure history, politics and even our own identities? Poetry, it could be argued, is an epistemology, albeit a very particular one, since it entails unlearning. Its goal is neither to ratify concepts nor to look for certainties; but rather, to create a space for doubt and questions, for tolerance and imagination. That is why it is such a subversive art in itself, regardless of the subject matter it deals with. This course will explore these notions, while encouraging the simultaneous crafting of poems. We will focus primarily on the student's writing, helping her or him to address fundamental issues concerning the creative process. How do we write poetry? What makes a poem "work"? Where do we search for "inspiration"? How do we "become" poets? We will also discuss some of the key issues of poetics in works written by some of the most influential Spanish and Latin American poets of this century (Octavio Paz, Rosario Castellanos, Jorge Luis Borges, Ana Cristina Cesar, Alejandra Pizarnik, Vicente Huidobro, to name just a few), and will then compare these texts with those written by some North American and European poets. Special attention will be paid to reading and revision work according to individual needs. Advanced. For students seriously interested in reading and writing poetry, who have completed the three levels of Spanish language or equivalent and who are willing to take imaginative risks and give concerned and attentive responses to the work of others. |