I'm really excited about this new module. It provides a break from the kind of narrative and argumentive essay-writing we focused on in the first two modules.

In some ways, it's more difficult and challenging because the door is wide open and you'll have to make independent and individual decisions. In other words, the prompt is open-ended.

The assignment is due nine days from today, on Thursday, Oct. 1 at noon. An ungraded draft is due one week from today, on Tuesday, Sept. 29 at noon. Upload to Populi.

This assignment has two parts:

1) Your visual poem (jpg or pdf)

2) A single paragraph that explains or comments on the decisions you made in constructing your visual poem (100 words minimum). If you need or want more space than a single paragraph, go for it.

Draft due Tuesday, Sept 29, upload to Populi, deadline noon.

Final due Thursday, Oct 1, upload to Populi, deadline noon.

Ok. So what precisely is a visual poem? Sometimes the term "concrete poetry" is used to mean essentially the same thing. The quick answer is that it's writing with a pronounced visual dimension. Think of a so-called regular poem. What does it look like? Generally, it will be justified on the left margin, the lines will vary slightly in length, and it will be grouped in segments called stanzas. Here's an example of a "standard" poem:

________________________________

BLK History Month

BY NIKKI GIOVANNI

If Black History Month is not

viable then wind does not

carry the seeds and drop them

on fertile ground

rain does not

dampen the land

and encourage the seeds

to root

sun does not

warm the earth

and kiss the seedlings

and tell them plain:

You’re As Good As Anybody Else

You’ve Got A Place Here, Too

____________________________________________

While this poem does have a visual dimension (all text does),

it doesn't rely on anything except words and punctuation. You could make this a visual poem by adding a layer of color or image or changing the size and font of certain words. Here's an example of a visual poem: