Reading List

Algarin/Holman, ed., Aloud! Voices from the Nuyorican Poets Café (Henry Holt:1994)

Glazner, Gary, ed. Poetry Slam: The Competitive Art of Performance Poetry (Manic D Press: 2000)

Hale, Thomas A., recounted by Nouhou Malio, The Epic of Askia Mohammed ( Indiana: 1996)

levy/Golden, The Buddhist Third Class Junkmail Oracle: The Art and Poetry of d. a. levy (Seven Stories Press: 1999)

Auden/Pearson, ed.,Viking Portable Poets of the English Language (Viking: 1975).

Blum/Holman/Pellington, The United States of Poetry (anthology, Abrams: 1996; CD, Mouth Almighty/Mercury Records: 1996, 2 VHS tapes, KQED: 1996).

Boland, Eavan, Object Lessons: The Life of the Woman and the Poet in Our Time (Norton: 1995).

Goldberg, RoseLee, Performance Art: From Futurism to the Present (Abrams: 1988).

Jali Kunda: Griots of West Africa & Beyond (CD & Book, Ellipsis Arts: 1996).

Phillips, U. Utah, & Ani DiFranco The Past Didn’t Go Anywhere (CD, Righteous Babe: 1997).

Rothenberg/Joris, ed., Poems for the Millennium, Vol. 1-2 (California: 97-98).

9/4	The Oral Roots of Poetry (Poetry is Music). Alhaji Papa Bunka Susso and Alhassan P. Susso: Introduction to an Oral Tradition. The Voice as First Book. How do we learn anything? Read the poem!
9/11	Griot: the Job of Poetry. The difference between a reading, a performance, a play. Hale 19-58. Notley: what’s an epic? Imitation from reading list.
9/18	Your own epic. Origins of griot/tes. Hale 59-113.
9/25	Manifesto vs Epic vs Poem. O’Hara/Olson.
10/2	Slam: The Art of Competitive Poetry. Gary Glazner. Memorized poem.
10/9	READING WEEK
10/16	Investigative Poetics: Ed Sanders’ 1968.
10/23	Mid-term Performance/text Title and description of Final Project due. Hale 113-145.
Saturday, Oct 28	Poetry SlamJam 2000 an allday poem at Elizabeth Irwin HS, Charlton between 6th Av & Varick, Manhattan. You will participate how?
10/30	d.a. levy: who is the voice of Cleveland? Political poetry; headline poem.
11/6	Cry Out! Askia Mohammed and the epic tradition.
11/13	Alice Notley. Ani DiFranco. Staceyann Chin. Hale 193-244.
11/20	In Class Performance.
11/27	Small Houses papers due. Concert with Alhaji and Alhassan.
12/4	The Reemergence of the Oral Tradition in the Digital Age: CyperPoetics and the return of performance via MP3 and Player. The Web ain’t nuttin but a poem. The United Sates of Poetry. Napsterism, Pro/Con.
12/11	Your Life as performance.
Paper	One paper of at least five pages is due 11/27. Pick a poem of Alice Notley’s and devise a performance for it.

An in-class performance involving at least two of the following: group performance, music, video, film, costume/light/props, painting/sculpture, Internet. Other media available upon request. Title and description of Final Project is due at Mid-terms (Oct. 23).

Use the core anthologies, Aloud and Slam. Write imitations of each week’s poets. Write poems in/of class. And, of course, write your own poems/plays/perfs, record them on audio/video tape and film, send em up on the Net, etc. There will be at least one intercollegiate slam. You are required to participate. If you don’t make the team you will be a reporter or a cheerleader or heckleleader.

I am happy to look at all your writings. Hand in extra work for extra credit.