Please see details for your upcoming assignments due below. For in-class writing activities, you may view prompts here.

Upcoming Assignments

FINAL CRAFT ESSAY – A craft essay is an essay that discusses matters of creative construction that may include reflections on writing strategies, genre elements, and contextual influences. For this final assignment, you will write a craft essay (1000-1500 words) exploring your mastery of one key literary element or craft concept discussed in class (i.e. imagery, rhythm & sound, character, revision, etc). You may support your ideas with insights from the assigned readings as well as your previous writing in this course and, through these examples, interpret what you have learned. You will create a compelling argument for whatever you decide to write for this, supported by evidence and analysis of the work completed in class this semester.

Sample Craft Essays: “Learning the Poetic Line” by Rebecca Hazelton; “Beyond the backdrop: Mastering setting in fiction” by Sarah Van Arsdale; Why You Should Aim for 100 Rejections a Year” by Kim Liao

Submit your final essay as a Microsoft Word file (.doc, .docx) to the Dropbox Folder below no latter than Tuesday, May 23rd at 11:59pm. No late submissions will be accepted.

• • FINAL CRAFT ESSAY SUBMISSION LINK

Past Due Assignments

• Poetry First Revisions Submission Link

DUE MONDAY, MAR. 13th

• POETRY PEER REVIEW COMMENTS – Review your notes on your group submissions and comment on your group members’ drafts  (100-150 words for each) in the appropriate group Dropbox folder here —> ENG 221 Poetry Workshop Folders. To earn full credit, your comments should include at least one piece of critical feedback. Questions to consider:
  • Describe one part of the poem that you can praise specifically.
  • What universal truth does the poem express about human nature, experiences, problems, or relationships? What details reflect this theme?
  • Who is the speaker of the poem? What is the tone or mood of the poem? How is it achieved?
  • Does the poem draw on the five senses to recreate an experience? Does the writer paint clear, specific, see-able images using concrete details? How do these images add to the effect of the poem?
  • How does the poet use rhythm to add meaning to and establish the overall mood of the poem? Does the poet pay attention to the sounds of words? Does the poem include alliteration, onomatopoeia, repetition, and/or rhyme? How do these sound devices add to the effect of the poem?
  • Are there predominant usages of figurative language (simile, metaphor, personification, symbolism, etc.)? What is the effect? Discuss any words which seem especially well-chosen.
  • How does the poet use lines and space in the poem? Does the writer create a pattern or meaning with the words that end lines? Does the poem include some enjambments? How does the poet use stanzas to emphasize ideas?

DUE MONDAY MAR. 6th

• POETRY SUBMISSION FIRST DRAFT – Submit the first draft of ONE poem from your poetry manuscript as a Microsoft Word (.doc,.docx) file to the appropriate group Dropbox folder at the link below. Be sure to sign in to your CUNY Dropbox account using your CUNY Login (firstname.lastname##@login.cuny.edu) at dropbox.cuny.edu.
  • ENG 221 Poetry Workshop Folders

DUE MONDAY FEB. 27th

• Submit your availability for group conferences on the week of March 6th at the link below. As discussed in class, we will NOT meet during our regularly scheduled class times this week. Instead, I will meet with you in small groups to discuss the first drafts of your poems. Please select ALL TIMES you are available to meet.
  • Poetry Workshop Sign-up Sheet

DUE TUESDAY FEB. 21st

Classes follow a Monday schedule

• BLOG #3: A POEM IN FORM – Post your response to the course blog on the academic commons and comment on at least TWO of your classmates’ posts. Choose a poetic form that has very specific rules. A sonnet, for example, requires 14 lines of 10 syllables each that follow a particular rhyme scheme. Then, try writing a poem using the constraints of the form you’ve chosen. The conventions will force you to approach language from new, exciting angles, which can lead you to create more innovative, interesting work. Be sure to indicate in which form you are writing in the title of your post. Some of my personal favorites include the Bop, Ekphrasis, Erasure poems, and Haiku among others. That said, you are welcome to choose any form that resonates with you from the list above. (Sample poem: “Our Little Sacrifices: Little Women Blackout Poem” by Violet Doolittle(Fall 2021))
  • Additional Resources: List of 168 Poetic Forms for Poets

How To Add Documents and Images to or Post. CLICK HERE for step-by-step instructions.

DUE MONDAY FEB. 13th

• BLOG #2: WRITING PLACE & MEMORY – Select ONE of the following prompts and post your response (250 – 500 words) to the course blog on the academic commons. Then, comment on at least TWO of your classmates’ posts.
  • Visit a place you’ve never been before and write for ten minutes about what you observe. Try to use all five senses and write down your perceptions.
  • Follow a person for thirty minutes and describe him or her, his or her words and actions.
  • Write about a specific childhood memory. What do you see, hear, smell, taste, touch?

DUE MONDAY FEB. 6th

• Accept author invitation to the CUNY Academic Commons
• BLOG #1: LITERACY NARRATIVE – Post your response to the course blog on the academic commons and comment on at least TWO of your classmates’ posts. For this assignment, you will write a short narrative essay (250 – 500 words) in which you discuss a memorable moment in your life where literacy changed your perspective on a social issue of your choice. Loosely defined, a social issue is an issue that has been recognized by the general public as a problem that is preventing society from functioning at an optimal level and can be rectified or alleviated through the joint action of citizens and/or community resources. In your response, focus on a personal experience where reading and/or writing about this issue altered your attitude toward the subject. Use the questions below to guide you in the development of your essay, but feel free to get creative and express your own unique voice. Be sure to include an original title for your work. (Sample blog: “A Discourse, From a Girl Who Does Whatever the Fuck She Wants” by Lily Choi (Fall 2021))

• • Was there a book or other text (article, blog, social media post, hashtag, advertisement etc) that most influenced your current attitudes about this social issue?
  • Did you engage in a discussion board or social media forum that affected the way you view this issue?
  • Was there some literacy event (i.e. poetry reading, open mic) or activity (i.e. reading or writing assignment) that influenced your perspective on this issue?

DUE MONDAY JAN. 30th

• Review syllabus and course blog
• Sign-up for CUNY Academic Commons at https://commons.gc.cuny.edu
• Complete Pre-Course Survey: forms.gle/h4pM9zmZxi8LYBAX8

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