Elgportraet han (Alces alces).jpg Portrait of a male moose (Alces alces), photo taken at Smålandet Markaryds Älgsafari in Småland, Sweden Malene Thyssen (User Malene) Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Elgportraet han (Alces alces).jpg

Encounters with the Wild in Contemporary Poetry

8-weeks | Available (Membership Required)

3/14/2025-5/9/2025
9:30 AM-10:45 AM EST on Fri
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Encounters with the Wild in Contemporary Poetry

8-weeks | Available (Membership Required)

In this class we’ll look at poems in which human observers are confronted with
representatives of undomesticated nature. Subjects range from bear, giraffe and moose
to porcupine, hedgehog, sparrow, snake, earthworm, leech and more. Poets convey the
varied responses evoked by these encounters (e.g., wonder, admiration, amazement,
disgust, fear) sometimes emphasizing the otherness of non-human nature, sometimes
focusing on a sense of kinship. Readings will include works by a wide variety of
contemporary poets: Elizabeth Bishop, Billy Collins, Charles Tomlinson, Gwen Head,
Thomas Lux, Ted Hughes, Kay Ryan, Maxine Kumin, Matthew Spireng and more.

Judith Saunders

Judith Saunders is Professor of English (Emeritus) at Marist College where she taught courses in literature, composition and creative wiriting.  A specialist in American literature, she has pursued particular interests in contemporary poetry and interdisciplinary studies (with emphasis on the intersection between literary art and evolutionary biology).  Her published commentary includes articles and books on a number of contemporary posts (e.g., Gwendolyn Brooks, Howard Moss, Reg Saner, Elizabeth Bishop, May Swenson, Charles Tomlinson, Billy Collins).