For our last class at McCutcheon, we talked about the importance of revision in the writing process. Looking back over everything we've talked about this year and everything we've read, we decided that most poets probably rewrite their work a fair amount before publishing, and discussed questions of revision: is this line break working for me? Could I use stronger language here? More powerful words? More unique imagery?

Recently at McCutcheon we read Audre Lorde's poem "Hanging Fire," and talked about how Lorde creates a strong, easily imaginable character and voice while still being vague about some details, such as the narrator's gender. This led to a discussion of narrative tension and mystery in storytelling. The student poets then wrote their own narrative poems, full of secrets and mysteries of their own.

Ms. Koerer's Class

Hiding in the Rain
by Simone

This week we read Carl Sandburg's class "I Am the Grass" and talked about personification. Why do we personify the objects in our lives? What kinds of stories could the things around us tell? What would it be like to have a memory that stretched far longer than just one human life? The students imagined their ways into the voices of inanimate objects, and shared what they saw.

Ms. Askounis's Class

I am the Light
by Jeffrey D.

One poem plus two classrooms plus 50 super smart students equals great discussions this week! We read Mary Cornish's poem "Numbers" and talked about how she found inspiration in something as simple as math, and how she used the numbers to structure her poem. The poet-mathematicians then wrote their own number poems. Enjoy!

Ms. Koerner's Class

Numbers
by Hung P.

Ten is a group that
five and five have made.

Nine can only be multiplied
by number one.

Eight minus eight
is no friends at all.

From Cubism to Surrealism to Dada Tone Poems, we're getting weirder each week! This week we read Gertrude Stein's "Identity A Poem" and discussed her use of sound, alliteration, repetition, and rhythm to make a poem that makes little sense, but sounds amazing! The poets then brainstormed lists of alliterative words and used them to write their own wildly alliterative tone poems. Enjoy!

Ms. Koerner's Class

Strawberry
by Jeremy W.

This week we read Hans Arp's poem "The Domestic Stones (Fragment)," and talked about Surrealism, Sigmund Freud, and the subconscious mind in images and dreams. We discussed how Freud's ideas influenced many Surrealists, including Salvador Dali, and examined Dali's painting "The Persistence of Memory." The students then broke out of their own cages of meaning to write splendid surrealist poems.

Ms. Askounis's Class

I'm a Chicken
by Michael A.

Continuing our discussion from last week about details and how to capture truth on the page, this week at McCutcheon we talked about Cubism. We read Wallace Stevens' poem "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird" and looked at Jean Metzinger's painting "Le Gouter (Teatime)," and then compared the two works and discussed the reasons an artist or poet might want to try to show something from different angles or in different situations. The students then wrote cubist poems of their own, proving they are far too complex to be captured in a mere stanza.

This week we read Frank O'Hara's poem "Today" and examined the way he uses details to "make a poem a surprise." We talked about how the tiny, seemingly insignificant details of our days make each one interesting, and how in the end it's the details we carry with us. The students wrote their own "Today" poems, looking for the surprising details in their own days.

Ms. Askounis's Class

Poem
by Qua'Vyana F.

Early morning 6:00 AM
ponytails, lamp, radio
hair, flatirons, hair style
toothbrush, facewash, shower

This week at McCutcheon we read William Shakespeare's poem "Sonnet 130" and talked about how Shakespeare takes a cliché and turns it on its head to surprise the reader into paying attention. The poets then chose common clichés and turned them upside-down to help us see things in new and surprising ways.

Ms. Koerner's Class

Mix Match
by Tamia L.

This week at McCutcheon we reviewed elements of poetry such as imagery, sensory details, simile, and metaphor, and looked at the ways Natalie Goldberg uses all these elements in her poem Remember This Place to create a strong picture of her memories of New Mexico. The poets then chose memories of their own to bring to life on the page. Enjoy!

Ms. Koerner's Class

So Beautiful, So Normal, So Mine
by Joy E.