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Poets on Teaching: A Sourcebook
In response to a lack of source works for wide-ranging approaches to teaching poetry, award-winning poet Joshua Marie Wilkinson has gathered ninety-nine micro-essays for poets, critics, and scholars who teach and for students who wish to learn about the many ways poets think about how a poem comes alive from within—and beyond—a classroom. Not narrowly concerned with how to read poetry or how to write poetry, by virtue of their central concern with teaching poetry, the essays in this fresh and innovative volume address both reading and writing and give teachers and students useful tools for the classroom and beyond. Divided into four sections—“Reflections / Poetics,” “Exercises / Praxis,” “New Approaches to Poetry Courses and Methodology,” and “Talks / Directives”— Poets on Teaching provides practical, intelligent advice. “Reflections / Poetics” encompasses the most expansive approaches to teaching poetry, where poets reflect variously on what teachers can cultivate in their classrooms. “Exercises / Praxis” consists of hands-on approaches to reading and, especially, writing poems. “New Approaches to Poetry Courses and Methodology” features essays on rethinking specific courses, offering new ideas for course design and pedagogy. “Talks / Directives” contains a series of more informal and conversational discussions geared toward becoming a stronger reader, writer, teacher, and student of poetry. Poets on Teaching will be required reading for new and experienced teachers alike. Kazim Ali, Rae Armantrout, Hadara Bar-Nadav, Dan Beachy-Quick, Bruce Beasley, Claire Becker, Jaswinder Bolina, Jenny Boully, Joel Brouwer, Lily Brown, Laynie Browne, Stephen Burt, Julie Carr, Joshua Clover, Matthew Cooperman, Oliver de la Paz, Linh Dinh, Ben Doller, Sandra Doller, Julie Doxsee, Lisa Fishman, Graham Foust, John Gallaher, Forrest Gander, C. S. Giscombe, Peter Gizzi, Lara Glenum, Kenneth Goldsmith, Johannes Göransson, Noah Eli Gordon, Arielle Greenberg, Richard Greenfield, Sarah Gridley, Anthony Hawley, Terrance Hayes, Eric Hayot, Brian Henry, Brenda Hillman, Jen Hofer, Paul Hoover, Christine Hume, Brenda Iijima, Lisa Jarnot, Kent Johnson, Bhanu Kapil, Karla Kelsey, Aaron Kunin, Quraysh Ali Lansana, Dorothea Lasky, Sueyeun Juliette Lee, Ada Limón, Timothy Liu, Sabrina Orah Mark, Dawn Lundy Martin, Kristi Maxwell, Joyelle McSweeney, Christina Mengert, Albert Mobilio, K. Silem Mohammad, Fred Moten, Jennifer Moxley, Laura Mullen, Sawako Nakayasu, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Hoa Nguyen, Jena Osman, D. A. Powell, Kristin Prevallet, Bin Ramke, Jed Rasula, Srikanth Reddy, Barbara Jane Reyes, Boyer Rickel, Elizabeth Robinson, Martha Ronk, Emily Rosko, Prageeta Sharma, Evie Shockley, Eleni Sikelianos, Richard Siken, Ron Silliman, Tracy K. Smith, Juliana Spahr, Sasha Steensen, Peter Streckfus, Cole Swensen, Michael Theune, Tony Trigilio, Spring Ulmer, Karen Volkman, Catherine Wagner, G. C. Waldrep, Mark Wallace, Tyrone Williams, Mark Yakich, Jake Adam York, Stephanie Young, Timothy Yu, Matthew Zapruder, Andrew Zawacki, and Rachel Zucker
321 pages, Paperback
First published August 28, 2010
6 people are currently reading
139 people want to read
About the author
Joshua Marie Wilkinson
31 books70 followersJoshua Marie Wilkinson is the author or editor of fifteen books, the most recent of which is his debut novel, Trouble Finds You (Fonograf 2023).
He lives in Portland, Oregon, in the United States, with the writer Lisa Wells, where they serve as series editors, with Mark Levine, of the Kuhl House Poets series for University of Iowa Press.
His work has appeared in Poetry, Tin House, The Believer, Iowa Review, A Public Space, and many others. After many years in academia, he now works as a psychotherapist.
He lives in Portland, Oregon, in the United States, with the writer Lisa Wells, where they serve as series editors, with Mark Levine, of the Kuhl House Poets series for University of Iowa Press.
His work has appeared in Poetry, Tin House, The Believer, Iowa Review, A Public Space, and many others. After many years in academia, he now works as a psychotherapist.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 24, 2021
Some gems in here. Lots of turned down pages. Some ideas. And Sabrina Orah Mark, you are a national treasure.
January 6, 2017
So relieved to finally finish a book I started reading six years ago! Meant for college teachers, but I got several good ideas I've used with success in 11th and 12th grade English classes. See "Open the Door" for a similar text aimed at K-12 teachers.
December 7, 2020
Many of us have probably been asked, “How can you teach someone to write poetry?” and obviously, the answer is you can’t.”
Eleni Sikelianos, “Sidelong and Uncodificable”
Eleni notes this on page 12 of a 323 page book entitled Poets on Teaching: A Sourcebook, and she’s fairly accurate. I admire Joshua Marie Wilkinson’s hubris in asking poets to write a short piece on the relationship between poetry and pedagogy; I despise Joshua Marie Wilkinson’s inability to cull the responses. Wilkinson allows some pretentious, self-absorbed idiots access to the lectern. Mercifully, they only have enough time to establish they are assholes with nothing of value to contribute to the ongoing conversation.
In public school, there’s a quick way to hone your teaching craft or realize you’re in the wrong profession: Cut your teeth for three years in a junior high setting (students aged 13-14). After the trauma and challenge and soul-searching, after you develop a thick skin to deflect criticisms of your appearance, personality, verbal quirks, you will be ready for whatever high school or college students bring to the class. You’ll be dynamic, patient. The problem with many of these essays is an obvious lack of experience in real classrooms. They whine about the soul-draining dregs of teaching undergraduate rather than graduate students. Imagine if the authors of the following teaching manifestos were placed in front of a group of excited 13 year olds whose brains are in a perpetual smoky haze due to the hormones raging through their systems:
I set the parameters, pace, and tenor of the course, can usually provide background material, avenues to interpretation, point to related reading, or play devil’s advocate when someone is too sure of herself, cheerleader when she’s shy—but I haven’t got ANSWERS and shouldn’t be solicited for them…I am no more EXPERT than they; the poem eludes me, if it’s working and I’m doing my work, for it’s comprised of elements I do not and cannot KNOW: it’s a alterity that, greater than the sum of its parts…, only masquerades as familiar because it’s made of words.
Andrew Zawacki, “Learned Ignorance”
Or
I hope to create a nonteleological, process-driven environment of mutual respect for one another’s risks, to arm students of all backgrounds and levels of proficiency with the analytical eyes necessary to improving their writing through peer discourse, and to inspire students to question themselves, me, each other, and our notions of what a poem is, what literature is for, and what makes it interesting at all.
Sandra Doller, “A Po Pedagogy”
I guarantee you: Neither Zawacki and Doller would make it past Christmas. Tell a 13 year old you’re not giving him answers because one cannot “KNOW” a poem. Hell, try to survive the first week with the name Zawacki. And I’m happy to note, Ms. Doller, every junior high class is a “nonteleological, process-driven environment,” but not naturally one of “mutual respect.” That’s where pedagogical skills come into play. And don’t worry: They’ll question each other and they’ll question you on their notions of what constitutes poetry. I guarantee it.
The real problem with so many of these essays is asking people about “teaching” when, in essence, they have never taught. They have stood in classes, been cool or reserved or critical—but a majority of them simply never taught. Teaching is a messy business which requires a great deal of content knowledge, empathy, patience, and improvisational skills. There are a few poets who have mastered teaching within this collection, and their insight is worth the price of admission. The underlying problem is so many of these believe teaching is a “natural talent” when it is, like any other skill or craft, the product of careful practice and patience. Worse, some are disgruntled with the education process, blaming poor results on unmotivated students or soulless college administration requirements. Don’t you know? In the classroom the one responsible for instruction is the teacher. The solution is not fixing a broken public school system bringing unmotivated students to your class or opening up the curriculum to embrace your every whim—no: The solution is developing the skills to reach the students where they are and moving/inspiring them to attain the level you set.
When someone outside your field explains your field to you, it’s generally amusing, baffling, and incomplete. As a teacher, I did not find much useful pedagogy in these pages. However, in writing about wrestling with teaching poetry, these authors reveal the complexity of their craft. That's the value of Wilkinson’s collection: A deeper understanding and appreciation of the complexity of writing and reading poetry. At the junior high and high school levels, we often teach it wrong. We know how to motivate junior high and high school students but possess a limited understanding of poetry. We either avoid addressing poetry in the classroom (sadly, a common circumstance), or we “teach it” incorrectly: Giving students the recipe for a haiku or sonnet and focusing on their form or reducing a great poem to a flowery, wandering essay with a hidden point.
In the end, these essays prove a viable two-way street wherein a practicing teacher better understands poetry and a practicing poet better understands teaching. After all, poets are generally experts at detecting bullshit. They are aware some of their colleagues are bullshitting in these pages, projecting themselves as erudite yet suave masters of the craft dispensing pearls of wisdom to swine. I was flabbergasted by Forrest Gander’s essay “The Box,” initially assuming he was serious: Forrest Gander describes entering his class in a sumo outfit and stuffing his body into a tiny transparent cube. Other poets would grin at my shock, pat me on the back. “Cool your jets there, Teach. He’s making a point about poetry, not pedagogy.”
Trust me, these essays run the gamut. Some of these authors are pretentious assholes who do not deserve any spotlight—pass them by. There aren’t enough of them to spoil the entire work. Concentrate on the poets with something to share. Listen to them as they describe their challenges and troubles. You’ll come to a better understanding of who they are and that, to quote a poet they seem reluctant to acknowledge anymore, will make all the difference.
Eleni Sikelianos, “Sidelong and Uncodificable”
Eleni notes this on page 12 of a 323 page book entitled Poets on Teaching: A Sourcebook, and she’s fairly accurate. I admire Joshua Marie Wilkinson’s hubris in asking poets to write a short piece on the relationship between poetry and pedagogy; I despise Joshua Marie Wilkinson’s inability to cull the responses. Wilkinson allows some pretentious, self-absorbed idiots access to the lectern. Mercifully, they only have enough time to establish they are assholes with nothing of value to contribute to the ongoing conversation.
In public school, there’s a quick way to hone your teaching craft or realize you’re in the wrong profession: Cut your teeth for three years in a junior high setting (students aged 13-14). After the trauma and challenge and soul-searching, after you develop a thick skin to deflect criticisms of your appearance, personality, verbal quirks, you will be ready for whatever high school or college students bring to the class. You’ll be dynamic, patient. The problem with many of these essays is an obvious lack of experience in real classrooms. They whine about the soul-draining dregs of teaching undergraduate rather than graduate students. Imagine if the authors of the following teaching manifestos were placed in front of a group of excited 13 year olds whose brains are in a perpetual smoky haze due to the hormones raging through their systems:
I set the parameters, pace, and tenor of the course, can usually provide background material, avenues to interpretation, point to related reading, or play devil’s advocate when someone is too sure of herself, cheerleader when she’s shy—but I haven’t got ANSWERS and shouldn’t be solicited for them…I am no more EXPERT than they; the poem eludes me, if it’s working and I’m doing my work, for it’s comprised of elements I do not and cannot KNOW: it’s a alterity that, greater than the sum of its parts…, only masquerades as familiar because it’s made of words.
Andrew Zawacki, “Learned Ignorance”
Or
I hope to create a nonteleological, process-driven environment of mutual respect for one another’s risks, to arm students of all backgrounds and levels of proficiency with the analytical eyes necessary to improving their writing through peer discourse, and to inspire students to question themselves, me, each other, and our notions of what a poem is, what literature is for, and what makes it interesting at all.
Sandra Doller, “A Po Pedagogy”
I guarantee you: Neither Zawacki and Doller would make it past Christmas. Tell a 13 year old you’re not giving him answers because one cannot “KNOW” a poem. Hell, try to survive the first week with the name Zawacki. And I’m happy to note, Ms. Doller, every junior high class is a “nonteleological, process-driven environment,” but not naturally one of “mutual respect.” That’s where pedagogical skills come into play. And don’t worry: They’ll question each other and they’ll question you on their notions of what constitutes poetry. I guarantee it.
The real problem with so many of these essays is asking people about “teaching” when, in essence, they have never taught. They have stood in classes, been cool or reserved or critical—but a majority of them simply never taught. Teaching is a messy business which requires a great deal of content knowledge, empathy, patience, and improvisational skills. There are a few poets who have mastered teaching within this collection, and their insight is worth the price of admission. The underlying problem is so many of these believe teaching is a “natural talent” when it is, like any other skill or craft, the product of careful practice and patience. Worse, some are disgruntled with the education process, blaming poor results on unmotivated students or soulless college administration requirements. Don’t you know? In the classroom the one responsible for instruction is the teacher. The solution is not fixing a broken public school system bringing unmotivated students to your class or opening up the curriculum to embrace your every whim—no: The solution is developing the skills to reach the students where they are and moving/inspiring them to attain the level you set.
When someone outside your field explains your field to you, it’s generally amusing, baffling, and incomplete. As a teacher, I did not find much useful pedagogy in these pages. However, in writing about wrestling with teaching poetry, these authors reveal the complexity of their craft. That's the value of Wilkinson’s collection: A deeper understanding and appreciation of the complexity of writing and reading poetry. At the junior high and high school levels, we often teach it wrong. We know how to motivate junior high and high school students but possess a limited understanding of poetry. We either avoid addressing poetry in the classroom (sadly, a common circumstance), or we “teach it” incorrectly: Giving students the recipe for a haiku or sonnet and focusing on their form or reducing a great poem to a flowery, wandering essay with a hidden point.
In the end, these essays prove a viable two-way street wherein a practicing teacher better understands poetry and a practicing poet better understands teaching. After all, poets are generally experts at detecting bullshit. They are aware some of their colleagues are bullshitting in these pages, projecting themselves as erudite yet suave masters of the craft dispensing pearls of wisdom to swine. I was flabbergasted by Forrest Gander’s essay “The Box,” initially assuming he was serious: Forrest Gander describes entering his class in a sumo outfit and stuffing his body into a tiny transparent cube. Other poets would grin at my shock, pat me on the back. “Cool your jets there, Teach. He’s making a point about poetry, not pedagogy.”
Trust me, these essays run the gamut. Some of these authors are pretentious assholes who do not deserve any spotlight—pass them by. There aren’t enough of them to spoil the entire work. Concentrate on the poets with something to share. Listen to them as they describe their challenges and troubles. You’ll come to a better understanding of who they are and that, to quote a poet they seem reluctant to acknowledge anymore, will make all the difference.
Read
May 5, 2022This is another book that is very focused on academia for - you guessed it - the teaching practicum course I just finished, which is why I'm not going to give it a rating.
Read
October 12, 2010My review is here: http://galatearesurrection15.blogspot...
October 21, 2010
Love it and the diversity of philosophies, strategies.
May 5, 2011
Great book!
October 3, 2013
Some exercises were helpful, others were just an exercise for kicks.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews