Poetry of Rock & Roll: Springsteen Edition
6-weeks | Registration opens 2/14/2026 9:00 AM EST
Bruce Springsteen is one of America’s greatest singer-songwriters, and one of its most powerful storytellers. In this course, you will explore more than 20 of Springsteen’s most vivid and powerful songs—many unfamiliar to casual fans—as works of poetry. Although song lyrics are often referred to as poetic, poetic form is not typically applied to song writing, so in these sessions you will experience and discuss Springsteen’s application of poetic techniques–metaphor, allegory, allusion and rhyme–to create emotion, connection and meaning to deliver his message. No musical background is required—just curiosity and a love of good stories. Together, we’ll listen, read, and discuss what Springsteen can teach us about the American experience and ourselves.
- Nils Linnecken will join the class each week via Zoom.
Skip Weisman
Skip Weisman grew up a 30-minute drive north on “Highway 9” from Springsteen's Freehold, NJ hometown. Forty-nine years after being introduced to Springsteen’s “Born to Run” album, Skip has attended 109 live Springsteen performances, with and without the E Street Band, in 10 countries across two continents, including three on the 2025 tour. Skip moved to Dutchess County in 1994 to bring the Hudson Valley Renegades professional baseball team to the community. He served as team president/CEO for eight seasons through 2001. From 2002-2023, Skip was a business coach and professional keynote speaker/workshop presenter specializing in leadership and workplace communication.
Nils Linnecken
Nils Linnecken has attended 36 Springsteen shows with Skip in Europe and the United States. On the most recent Springsteen Tour, he surpassed Skip's 106 live Springsteen performances by a few, and loves to share his strong opinions about Bruce's songs and their meanings. He lives in his hometown of Hamburg, Germany, with his wife, Maria, and three children, and owns and operates a tax consultancy with his sister.