Description
Though pro wrestling is ridiculed by some as fake, or trashy, it continues to capture the attention of audiences all over the world. Poetry, on the other hand, carries a public reputation as an esoteric art, one that is just as likely to frustrate and alienate readers as it is to inspire them. What does the performance art of professional wrestling, an art form where people engage in combative (and collaborative) choreography while wearing tights or other ridiculous attire, have to teach writers about the creation of self and winning over audiences?
In this class, we’ll use wrestlers, their matches, and poems to better understand how to use artifice to develop our poetic voice, perspective, and relationship with our audience. By embracing the performance involved in making poetry, we will strengthen our practice, and, hopefully, make it more delightful for ourselves and our readers.
