poetry in a multi-genre program

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Poetry in a Multi-Genre Program:

a Note from Annie Finch

As a poet who has centered my thoughts exclusively on poetry for many years, I was surprised when I arrived at Stonecoast to discover how radically my understanding of poetry was furthered by encounters with writers in other genres.

Whether it is a cross-genre writer exploring the boundaries between lyric fiction and prose poetry in literary publishing, a panel of faculty in poetry and other genres scanning the rhythms of the King James Bible in James Baldwin, a reading of a faculty short story about what happens when someone lists a telephone under the name of William Butler Yeats, or nonfiction students sharing the insights learned by organizing an essay according to the shape of a villanelle, it is clear to me now that writers in the other genres contribute irreplaceable depth and complexity to a Stonecoast education in poetry.

One moment where I am especially reminded of the importance of poetry not only among other poets, but within the wider human community, is the session on "Stonecoast Off the Page " held each residency. Here, members of the Stonecoast community share favorite poems by poets such as Neruda, Shakespeare, Yeats, Clifton, and Millay, reciting them by heart to enthusiastic applause.