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his area program allows talented undergraduate writers to pursue serious study of the craft of poetry writing within the context of the English major. The Poetry Writing Area Program encourages its participants to shape a curriculum that nurtures and inspires each student's particular work and developing aesthetic. In addition to taking upper-level English literature courses, students in the Poetry Writing Area Program will take at least 12 hours of upper-level poetry writing courses (300, 400, and 500-level) or independent studies, and two 3-hour seminars designed especially for students in the Program. A thesis is not required for the degree in Poetry Writing, but students may elect to complete a creative thesis as a two-semester Independent Study, in their fourth year. Eligible students may participate in the Distinguished Majors Program.

The Poetry Writing Area Program is a two-year course of study. Students usually apply in the spring semester of their second year. After the student is admitted, she or he must declare a major in English, though the requirements for the Poetry Writing program differ from the requirements for a standard major.

Committed to the conviction that close reading and creative writing are inextricably and essentially linked, the program requires its students to complete 30 hours of upper-level course work in English, in addition to the ENLT-M department prerequisite. Specific requirements are:

  • ENGL 383 and either 381 or 382.

  • 12 hours of upper-level poetry writing courses or independent studies in ENWR.

  • Two Poetry Writing Area Program seminars* on various topics of interest to students of poetry writing (restricted to students in the Area Program).

  • Shakespeare (ENRN 321, 322, or 323, or a 400-level seminar on Shakespeare), or one pre-1800 course in English at the 300-level or above.

  • 3 hours of course work in English at the 300-level or above.

A prosody or other poetic forms class, when offered, is also recommended.

* The Poetry Writing Seminars: These 400-level seminars (ENPW 481/482) will be offered on various aspects of interest to the student of poetry writing. They are readings courses for writers, designed to foster intimate experiences of texts, creative work, reciprocal conversation about and discovery of mutual interests, enlargement of students' understanding of language and its capacities, and collegial community among students in the poetry writing program. Topics might include "The Poetic Sequence in Contemporary American Poetry," "Dramatic Monologue: The Mask in Verse," "Negative Capability and Its Heirs," "Terrorizing and Creating Reality: Language & the Surrealist Poets," "Order and Disorder: The Lyric Impulse," "Brilliant Corners: Jazz & Poetry," or "Poets' Prose." Or these seminars might focus on a particular poet or poets.

The Creative Thesis: Poetry Writing Area Program students may elect to write a creative thesis in the fourth year, to be completed over the course of two semesters in collaboration with a faculty advisor. This thesis will consist both of creative work -- a group of poems -- and of an accompanying prose essay about the student's project: its influences, developing aesthetic, significance, ramifications. Those students who wish to complete a Distinguished Majors project may do so if they meet the requirements of that program.

How to Apply: Applications for rising third-year majors interested in the poetry writing area program are due in Professor Lisa Russ Spaar's office at a date determined each spring. To apply, students should submit no more than ten pages of original poetry and one letter of recommendation from a professor who knows well the student's work and potential for success in a small, focused program of study. Students should include a local telephone number and e-mail address with their submissions. Current second-years who wish to apply must have their applications in to the creative writing office by 5pm on March 16th, 2007. Students will be notified via email by March 23, 2007.

For Further Information: Contact Program Director Lisa Russ Spaar in Bryan Hall 403, or by phone at (434)924-6625, or by e-mail at lrs9e@virginia.edu.