Week 1 – Proto Modernists
An introduction to the development of a truly American poetry. Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson
Week 2 – Kindling Modernism
The influence of Whitman and Dickinson shows itself in other emerging American poets. William Carlos Williams, Cid Corman, Rae Armantout and Lorine Niedecker
Week 3 – Distinction Emerges
A look at the lasting legacy of the Harlem Renaissance and the resiliency of the Beats.
Langston Hughes, Gwendolyn Brooks, Allen Ginsburg, Jack Kerouac
Week 4 – Post Modernity and the New York School of Poets
A look at the East Coast influence on American Poetry; Frank O’Hara, John Ashbery, Anne Waldeman