English 111: INTRODUCTION

Experimental Writing Seminar
(How to Do Things with Words)

Charles Bernstein
Spring 2009

Spring 2009 syllabus will be posted in December. Dates on this syllabus do not apply to Spring 2009!

SYLLABUS

Class Listserve:
info/sub page
list archive
posts to eng111@mailman.ssc.upenn.edu

This is a nontraditional "poetry immersion" workshop. The workshop will be useful for those wanting to explore new possibilities for writing and art, whether or not they have a commitment to writing poetry. The workshop will be structured around a series of writing experiments, intensive readings, art gallery visits, and the production of individual chapbooks or web sites for each participant, and performance of participants' works. There may also be some visits from visiting poets. The emphasis in the workshop will be on new and innovative approaches to composition and form, including digital, sound, and performance, rather than on works emphasizing narrative or story telling. Each week, participants will discuss the writing they have done as well as the assigned reading. Permission of the instructor is required. Send a brief email stating why you wish to attend the workshop (writing samples not required) to charles.bernstein at english.upenn.edu.

The emphasis in the lab will be on new and innovative approaches to composition and form rather than on works emphasizing narrative or story telling.

Required Books at Penn Book Center
Raymond Queneau, Exercises in Style
Cecilia Vicuna -- see April 16 for details

As much as possible, all work for the class should be posted on our web listserve. If at all possible, I would like to avoid paper submissions, with the exception of visual or sculptural or performance work, which will be presented in the workshop. If it is possible for you to present your work in HTML, audio, or other digital formats, all the better; in that case, simply send the link (or attachment) to the list or send me the work as an attachment and I will upload to our Eng111 website.

You are asked to make at least one submission each week and to present this (or part of it) in the workshop. All work is due by Wednesday at 9am (though supplements are always welcome). Comments on the list on the work submitted is encouraged. As a final project, due the last week of class, compile a chapbook ms or web collection of your work; I expect we will also do a group project, such as a magazine.

You are always welcome to supplement or add writing or art projects of your own to the list of assigned experiments, as well as to pick alternative experiments from the full experiments list or translation projects.

While not required, the poetry readings and related activities at the Kelly Writers House, which is part of the Center for Programs in Contemporary Witting, are recommended. These readings, and others in the area, especially the Temple University Creative Writing Program readings, form an natural extension of the class. Readings specifically related to English 111 are included in the syllabus. Announcements and discussions of these events will take place in class and on the class listserv.

Grading Criteria
Thirteen weekly writing assignment: 33.3333%
Class participation: 31.8235%
Attendance and participation at local arts events: incalculable
Final presentation/manuscript: 18.03505%
Grading is weighted toward internal response of the student to the reading, assigned exercises, class discussion, and feedback on work; so that the student is evaluated in terms of her or his own progress within the course, adjusting for the experience, skill, and talent on entering the class.

Poetry on the Web
Check out the Electronic Poetry Center & PennSound.
Reading and listening assignments from the web are listed in the syllabus. Ubuweb is another important source we will use.

The Listserve
The first thing to do it to subscribe to the list. With your email and password, you will have access to the list web archive. When subscribing, you can also choose the "digest function" — you will then get all the posts together once each day. You can also set other subscription options. To get to the options page, after you have subscribed, go to the information page and type your email into the last fill-in box at the bottom of the page ("Unsubscribe or edit options"). You can select "disable" mail delivery (first option) if you prefer to read the list on the web interface only (and avoid getting any emails from the class list). You can also get to the options page by using the link provided in the "welcome" message when you subscribed.
        Posts can be sent in any format and you can send attachments and links. Note, that the archive will only display plain text and will convert any images into attachments; so, if possible, it is better to have the workshop mail directed to your email account.