The Prose Poem
The Prose Poem
Learn to write at the intersection of prose and poetry in this workshop devoted to the imaginative and innovative possibilities in writing poetry without line breaks.
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What you can learn.
About This Course
The Prose Poem is either a profound paradox or an absurdist joke—in your tiny handheld mirror is an even smaller figure repeating a question as if it were a riddle: “A poetry freed from the definition of poetry, and a prose free of the necessities of fiction,” quips Russell Edson, or if we go back far enough, Baudelaire: “What is beautiful is bizarre.” In this creative writing class, we’ll question the deliberations of poetry without line breaks. We’ll consider prosaic description, fictional narrative, storytelling and memoir, only to abjure each in turn. Students will read several contemporary collections in this hybrid literary form and participate in workshop to develop, write, and revise five new prose poems. This course is generative: students will leave with an understanding of how their poems might relate to the larger questions of this tradition.
Fall 2026 Schedule
No meeting November 11.
Enrollment limited to 15 students; early enrollment advised. Visitors not permitted. Internet access required. Materials required.
This course is held via a combination of required video teleconference meetings and asynchronous instruction on Canvas. Instructors use Zoom to offer live class meetings at the designated class meeting time – please check the meeting schedule below for exact dates. Students must be present at the course meeting time as each student’s final grade may include scores for participation. Please inform your instructor if you will miss a class meeting. You are responsible for any class information you missed. We suggest you arrange with a fellow classmate to share their notes when feasible.