Contemporary American Poetry (CAP)
History:
CAP was founded in 1996 by St. Albans English teacher Malcolm Lester, with the help of department chairman Paul Piazza. The formation of the course was a response to a St. Albans student's critique that poetry was being undertaught and marginalized at St. Albans. Two sections of the class were offered during the fall 1996 semester. This fall marks the tenth year the course has been offered.
Poetry great Robert Frost
Course Description:
CAP chronicles the evolution of American Poetry from World War II to the present day. The course studies the various poetic genres since 1945; it explores poetic techniques and terms to give the students a strong understanding of this literary form.
Also, CAP looks at the historical
events, art movements, and cultural shifts that have influenced
contemporary American poetry. In addition to analyzing the poems of
prominent modern poets, students will explore the poets' lives in order to
see what shaped and influenced the poets.
Langston Hughes, the Poet Laureate of Harlem (pictured right)
Visiting Poets:
CAP studies prominent anthologized poets; it also studies prominent living poets. Visiting poets are a main focus of the class. Since its inception, CAP has welcomed many poets--and one short-story writer--into its classroom, including:- Michael
Brosnan
- Kenneth Carroll
- Geraldine Connolly
- Tina Daub
- Susan Davis
- Donna Denize
- Marcel Gauthier
- Brian Gilmore
- James Hoch
- Reuben Jackson
- Matthew Klam
- Lyn Lifshin
- Men Without Drums
- E. Ethelbert Miller
- Miles Moore
- Linda Pastan
- Richard Peabody
- Lisa Pegram
- DJ Renegade
- Jane Shore
- Silvana Straw
- Henry Taylor
- Lori Tsang
Course Components
1. READING: This course meets four days a week. The 2005 D period class does not meet on Mondays, but meets Tuesday through Friday. You should expect to read 2-3 poems or an article/essay each night after class, with a heavier reading load over the weekend. CAP is a cross between your standard STA/NCS reading course and writing course.
2. WRITTEN RESPONSES: With most of the poems and poets, you will complete a response worksheet which poses anywhere from 5-20 questions for you to answer. These will be turned in and graded. On certain occassions you will be asked to type these responses; most often you will be allowed to handwrite them (please make them legible). You will usually have 1-2 nights for these worksheets.
3. DISCUSSIONS: Discussions are an integral part of the class. You are expected to contribute to them. Class participation is a part of your grade.
4. JOURNAL/LOG WRITING: This aspect of the course is not the same as the reading responses. You will write in your log/journal two to three times a week, both in class and out of class, on assigned topics. Some of the topics pertain to the poetry, but most do not. You will also have "free writes" in which you have carte blanche to write about what you want. The log writing is more informal than paper writing, yet it is no less important. The logs will be looked at for level of expressiveness, development of ideas, and clarity. They will be turned in every two weeks (roughly), and I will provide written comments on your entries and a grade (one grade for the batch of entries, not one grade per entry).
5. QUIZZES: You are expected to read the material and to keep up with the workload, regardless of how many college trips you're taking or your other commitments. If you do the work on a regular basis, you should pass the quizzes. Some quizzes will be announced; however, you should also expect "snap, crackle, pop" quizzes.
6. TESTS: You may have at least one test during the first quarter and one test during the second quarter. The tests will cover ALL of the material--poets and poems from the canon (Frost, etc.), as well as visiting poets and their poems.
7. PAPERS: You may have a formal paper or two. The bulk of the writing, however--and you will be writing virtually every day--will consist of worksheets and log entries.
8. VISITING POETS: (For more on this, see above) Take advantage of the
opportunity to see and hear some of the best poets in the area--and
country. You will study each poet prior to the visit, and after the
appearance you will write a thorough response in your log. When the poets are in
the house, the CAP "no cut" policy is in full effect. Plan accordingly. If
you miss a particular poet, you will not have another opportunity to see
him/her and you will lose out on a number of fronts (personal enjoyment,
as well as missing out on testing material). 
9. ROAD TRIPS: While CAP trips are not as monumental as my 1990 pilgrimage to Frost's Farm in the photo here, our road trips are fun and educational nonetheless. We have taken trips to the Library of Congress and the Martin Luther King Jr. Library in the past for poetry readings. Whether we take a field trip this year depends on your level of motivation, scholarship, and maturity.
10. CAP MUSIC HOUSE: Each student gives a 10-15 minute presentation on his/her favorite song. Details can be found on the CAP website. CAP Music House is conducted on Fridays. A "draft" will be conducted which will determine the order of presentations (two people present every Friday).
11. LOCAL POETRY READINGS: You are required to attend one poetry reading during the semester, after which you will write and turn in a typed response to it. You will receive extra credit for attending more than one reading.
12. FINAL EXAM: You may have a final paper, but you will not have a final exam.
13. TEXTBOOKS: You will need The Bell Jar , a novel by Sylvia Plath. Also, we will use small books of poetry written by the visiting poets. These will be available in the bookstore prior to the appearances by those poets (no need to get the books now). CAP relies largely on handouts, visiting poets, poems on tapes, and videos. While these are different, of course, from a textbook, you are still required to know the material, regardless of the forum or medium.