Fridays

11:00 am – 12:30 pm

In-person at 

The Stockbridge Library

46 Main Street

Stockbridge, MA 01262

 3/18, 3/25, 4/1, 4/8, 4/22 & 4/29 (no class 4/15)

Six Sessions

This course is offered in-person at the Stockbridge Library in Stockbridge, Mass.

To many, it seems natural to turn to poetry in their darkest or most joyous hours, but strong feelings are always flowing underground. We dig the narrow shaft of a poem to hoist a shimmering bucket. This class is for people who want to read poetry with more confidence and pleasure. We will read poems by great poets such as Robert Frost, John Keats, and Emily Dickinson and also excellent contemporary poets. We’ll study the way poets use traditional forms such as the sonnet and villanelle to harness their passions. Members of the group will also have the chance to write their own poems and, if they like, to read them in class.

LIMITED REGISTRATION: 15

Don Barkin received his A.B. from Harvard College and his M.A. in English literature from Cambridge University. He’s taught undergraduate seminars in poetry and prose writing at Yale for several years and at Wesleyan's Graduate Liberal Studies Program. He has published three books of poems that have also appeared in national magazines. He is a former schoolteacher and newspaper reporter.

A Primer for Poetry Syllabus .pdf

Primer Poems.pdf

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