Big Fire Poetry: Session Three. Emily Dickinson

Session Three: Emily Dickinson

Charles Olson once referred to William Blake as a “big fire” poet, which I take to mean someone who not only wrote consistently excellent poetry, but brought new visions, new methodologies, new ideas to poetry. That is, a major poet or “Big Fire” poet changes the field in which she or he works. This class offers 7 sessions (mostly at 2-week intervals) on such poets, beginning with an overview of the entire course.
Poets studied will include William Blake, Emily Dickinson, William Morris, Christina Rosetti, Ezra Pound, William Carlos Williams, and H.D. (Hilda Doolittle). A second version of this course, to be offered in late spring/summer 2025, will concern the works of Charles Olson, Robert Duncan, Louis Zukofsky, Barbara Guest, Frank O’Hara, Ron Silliman, Susan Howe, Harryette Mullen, Lyn Hejinian, and Myung Mi Kim.
The course will be taught by Charles Alexander, poet/artist/essayist, who has lectured on these poets at many conferences that have occurred in the USA, Mexico, China, Canada, and the United Kingdom. His own work exists in 7 books of poetry and 13 shorter chapbooks of poetry. He has taught courses on poetry in colleges and universities, and independently, for more than 40 years. For those interested, the last session of this course will be a writing workshop. The sessions on various poets will consist of lecture, readings, and discussion, with some film/video showings.

EACH SESSION: $30, or $175 for all sessions
1. January 17, 5pm until 7pm: Course Overview
2. February 1, 5pm until 7pm: William Blake, the Prophetic Books; Blake as Poet, Printer/Engraver/Visual Artist
3. February 7, 5pm until 7pm: Emily Dickinson, Loading and Living With
4. February 28, 5pm until 7pmn: Printing, Poetry & Goblins: William Morris, Christina Rosetti
5. March 7, 5pm until 7pm: To America, Making it New: Ezra Pound & William Carlos Williams
6. April 4, 5pm until 7pm: Seeing Through Things: H.D., Trilogy & Helen in Egypt
7. April 11, 5pm until 7:30pm: Writing Workshop: Influence, Impact, Transformation