Class

The Art of the Everyday

Poetry cultivates a terrain where nothing is ordinary or unimportant—from a piece of trash on the street to a fly on the windowsill to a shopper selecting a can of beans, mundanity has been a major inspiration and subject matter of poets across the globe.

In this class, we will experiment with language in ways that dissect, deviate, and reproduce “meaning”. We will embark on a generative journey into new modes of discovery and reception.

Through writing exercises, readings, and class discussions, we'll try out new techniques, develop strange imagery and syntax, and build mysterious worlds in our poems. We will cultivate both the tools and intuition to carve magic from the mundane, to transform the trivial into the wondrous.

We will read York School Poets’ urban meanderings, Sawako Nakayasu’s fervent attention to ants, and Renee Gladman’s brilliant, humorous meditations that all start from “I began the day…” Each week, the teaching artist will give written feedback to each student on up to two poems—whether inspired by in-class prompts or independently developed.

Please bring a picture that you accidentally took from your album or a photo that you consider to be “meaningless” on the first day of class.

All classes listed on the Loft website take place in Central Time.

Instructions for Accessing This Online Class

In order to access live class meetings, you must have the Zoom application downloaded to your computer. You will also need a WiFi/Internet connection throughout the duration of your scheduled meeting and a computer with audio and video capability. The information to join your Zoom classroom will be provided in your confirmation email upon registration. Please check spam folders if you do not see this email upon registration. For more information on how to use Zoom, please see our training manual here.

Some classes use a supplemental Google Classroom page. Should your teaching artist use Google Classroom, you will be invited to join the classroom via email at least 24 hours in advance of your class (check spam folders if you are not seeing this invitation). Please note that Google Classroom requires a Gmail address to access the Classroom. If you do not have a Gmail account, the email invitation will be sent to the email address we have on file and will prompt you to create a free account or enter an existing account to join the classroom. If we are unable to send an email invitation to your non-gmail account, you will be contacted by a staff member to provide a Gmail address. If you do not have a Gmail account, you can create a free account here. Should you have concerns about this, please contact a Loft staff member at [email protected] or 612-379-8999. For more information on how to use Google Classroom, please see our training manual here.