Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

My name is Karah, and this is my fifth year teaching writing at PCC. As an instructor, I believe that writing is a skill anyone can improve with practice, and that's true for poetry as well as composition. I absolutely love teaching poetry.

In this course, we'll read and analyze work by (primarily) contemporary poets and focus on the process of writing poems—drafting, getting feedback, and reflecting on our efforts. You'll also practice sharing your work and giving helpful feedback to your peers through writing workshops. At the end of the term, you'll turn in a portfolio of your poems and participate in a poetry reading with your classmates.

Here's a link to our syllabus-in-progress, if you want a better idea of what to expect in this course or you want to read about our effort-based contract grading system. I'll probably make slight changes to the syllabus before the term starts, but it'll give you a solid idea of the framework of the course regardless. You're also welcome to reach out via email with questions!

You'll need some type of word processor (Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Pages, etc.) to complete your writing assignments. You'll also need reliable Internet access and some kind of device (computer, phone, tablet) to participate in discussions and turn in assignments on D2L.