Poetry
 
 I have included this small extra section with a few activities for generating and working with poetry here, because I feel that even in a prose writing class, they can be useful. Poetry can free the mind to work in different ways that can then be used to enrich prose.

Remembering Room

Choose and circle one of these places:

kindergarten classroom   First Grade Classroom
Childhood bedroom   a funeral home “visiting room”
any “holy” room    A room in a house where you don’t live anymore
Grandparents’ kitchen   Hospital room
A church at Christmas   A synagogue at Yom Kippur
 

Remembering the Details:
Imagine yourself in the room you picked and answer these questions based on your imaginary visit.

How old are you?
What are you sitting on?
What time of day is it?
What is the season?
How did you know that?
What can you see?
What can you smell?
What can you hear?
What can you reach out and touch?
Is there anything you can taste?
Are you cold or warm?
Are you alone?  If not, who is with you?
What feelings do you have?  How do you experience them?
 

Write a poem using at least three of the details you have imagined/remembered.  Use more if you want, so that I can really see you in the room.  (Unless a rhyme is really nagging at you, don’t rhyme.)