Hive Center for the Book Arts

Pushing us forward and pulling us back, ever in tension with syntax and sentence, the line is the foundational unit for all poems. This is true for sonnets, free-verse poems, and even prose poems. But what types of lines are there, exactly, and how can we break them to build the poems we wish to write? In this course, we’ll encounter a trove of gorgeous lines and line endings by poets such as Joanna Klink, Carl Phillips, Richie Hofmann, Russell Edson, and Lucie Brock-Broido. All the while, James Longenbach’s The Art of the Poetic Line will illuminate our classroom discussions, and assist us in our efforts to apply all newfound knowledge to our own poems. Expect to write, collaborate, and fall in love with the casting and breaking of lines.

All levels of poetry writing experience welcomed and encouraged.