The nature, form, and purpose of poetry was called radically into question in the last century, and yet even now this art form remains a paradigm for what it means to make for the sake of beauty. 

In this master class, we will consider an account of poetry grounded in the four essential M's (making, memory, metaphor, and meter) to see what it discloses about the function of the art in general. We shall then study and savor a handful of poems that bring particular clarity to each of these essential qualities. Preparation includes reading the final chapter of The Fortunes of Poetry in an Age of Unmaking; a small anthology of poems will be distributed for consideration during the class itself.