POETRY ON THE FLY – JOEL LEWIS

SATURDAYS AT NOON: 5 SESSIONS BEGIN OCTOBER 9th

Although the contemporary trend in poetry tends towards book-length projects and beyond, what is a poet to do when she lives on the fringes of a far-away “up & coming” neighborhood, shares an apartment with 5 other people (three of which are in a band) and juggles a series of poorly paying and widely scattered teaching jobs? This workshop focuses on the art of writing where you happen to be and taking advantage of a few snatched moments in a coffee bar or on a seat in a slowly moving “G” train. Working paradigms include Frank O’Hara ‘s Lunch Poems, written during the noon sup on a stationary store’s chained typewriter (instructor will explain this piece of equipment to those under 30), Philip Whalen’s poetry of notebooks compressed into viable worlds, Paul Blackburn’s subway poems and his open-form Journals project & Joan Kyger’s in-the-moment poetics. Requirements for class are: a notebook, some form of writing device and a Metro Card with some money on it. Joel Lewis travels to work via ferry, light rail subway, bus and goat cart to his social work gig on Staten Island — always with a roller ball pen & Moleskine® notebook at his ready. He is considered the sole member of the 4th generation of New York School Poets, while serving as the poetic conscious for the state of New Jersey. With that in mind, his most recent book is Learning From New Jersey (Talisman House).