Who’s afraid of traditional rhyme? Poets have long known that rhyme is an effective tool that can enhance the overall meaning and impact of a poem. When used well, rhyme not only brings together unexpected words, but can also make a poem more ear-pleasing and creates a kind of expectation and aural satisfaction. Moreover, rhyme helps fix poetry into the mind of readers, and therefore renders it more memorable. By examining not only traditional rhyme, but also slant rhyme, internal rhyme as well as experimental types of rhyme, we’ll consider what makes a rhyme successful rather than sing-songy, learn how to implement slant rhyme and internal rhyme, and consider when it’s best to avoid rhyme altogether. We’ll examine poets such as Robert Frost, Sylvia Plath, John Berryman, Donald Justice, Elizabeth Bishop, and Susan Howe, and craft our poems using everything from traditional to experimental rhyme schemes.
NO SET MEETING TIME: This workshop will take place over Wet Ink, which is an asynchronous creative writing platform. The instructor will post a lesson and assignment at the beginning of each week, and participants can log in and read the lessons/post assignments/comment on other classmates’ work at their convenience. Shortly before the start date, participants will receive an invite from Wet Ink to create their login info, learn how to use the platform, and access the class. Please check your spam if you don’t see it.