PYX 140 The Art and Business of Poetry (1 Credit)

A required gateway course for the poetry concentration, this interactive workshop-based course offers a sampling of the diverse components of the concentration. Each daily session features faculty members and professionals from the community with particular expertise in the areas of writing poetry, printing/presenting poetry, writing about poetry, translating poetry and teaching poetry. Students complete a creative exercise and reflection for each day of the course. S/U only. Enrollment limited to 20 with priority to declared concentrators.

Interterm, Variable

PYX 202/ BKX 202 The Chapbook in Practice: Publishing (2 Credits)

Offered as BKX 202 and PYX 202. This course focuses on various professional practice aspects of publishing, including manuscript submissions, selection, poetry craft and literary citizenship, through Nine Syllables Press, in partnership with the Boutelle-Day Poetry Center. Students learn about the publishing industry and contemporary US poetry landscape. Students have the opportunity to directly participate in reading and selecting manuscripts for a chapbook to be published by Nine Syllables Press. Preference given to Poetry and Book Studies concentrators. Recommended prerequisites: ENG 112 or BKX 140. Cannot be taken S/U. Enrollment limited to 15. Instructor permission required. (E)

Fall

PYX 203/ BKX 203 The Chapbook in Practice: Design (2 Credits)

Offered as BKX 203 and PYX 203. This course focuses on various professional practice aspects of publishing, including manuscript selection, book design and production, and product marketing and distribution, through Nine Syllables Press, in partnership with the Boutelle-Day Poetry Center. Students learn about the publishing industry and contemporary US poetry landscape. Students have the opportunity to learn about and practice designing professional chapbook interiors and covers, producing and marketing chapbooks for a selected manuscript from Nine Syllables Press. Cannot be taken S/U. Priority given to BKX and PYX concentrators. Enrollment limited to 15. Instructor permission required. (E)

Spring

PYX 301/ ENG 301 Advanced Poetry Writing: A Capstone (4 Credits)

Offered as PYX 301 and ENG 301. Conceived as the culmination of an undergraduate poet’s work, this course features a rigorous immersion in creative generation and revision. Student poets write a chapbook manuscript with thematic or stylistic cohesion (rather than disparate poems, as in prior workshop settings). For Poetry Concentrators, this course counts as the required Capstone; for English majors in the Creative Writing track, the course counts as an advanced workshop and may count toward the fulfillment of the "capstone experience" requirement. Poetry Concentrators must be enrolled in or have completed the other course requirements for the Concentration. Prerequisite: ENG 295 recommended but not required. Enrollment limited to 12. Juniors and seniors only. Writing sample and instructor permission required.

Spring

PYX 400 Poetry Concentration Capstone Special Studies (1-4 Credits)

May be taken in place of PYX 300 in years when 300 is not offered.

Fall, Spring