Week of February 28: Miguel Pinero’s Poetry

 

Announcements:

• Our first written assignment of the semester is now posted on the assignments page! Due date is Monday March 14 @ 11:59 PM EST. ((Yes, I’m aware that it’s a Monday…) Download the PDF and start working on it! Upload at the Submissions Page when done
• See the FAQ page for quick answers to common questions about the course.
• Also on the FAQ page is a 15 minute audio tour of the website
• See the books page for required texts you’ll need to buy or borrow for the course
• Book Alert: You’ll need Miguel Piñero’s book Outlaw next! Be sure to get it now so you’ll have it in time! I WILL NOT be posting PDF files from Outlaw. Get the book or consult the reserve copy in Lehman’s library.
• See the Student Support Resources page for links to Lehman offices that can offer small cash grants for emergencies, housing assistance, child care, help for veterans, counseling for feeling overwhelmed, food assistance, and more.
• Had to miss class? Archived audio from the Thursday night section is posted on the Archive page (Same password as everything else)

Note that there are two different course sections: day and evening. Scroll down for details for your section

Highlights from February 22 and 24 classes

• FINISHED discussion of poems in Pedro Pietri’s book Puerto Rican Obituary with a focus on the title poem
• ANNOUNCED/DISTRIBUTED first written assignment. See the assignments page
• See my lecture notes on Pietri on the Lecture Notes page
• Zoom recording (audio) of Thursday night’s class is on the Zoom archives page
• Zoom music: Eddie & Charlie Palmieri’s “Harlem River Drive” (YouTube) and “Broken Home” (YouTube)

What to do for the week of March 3rd & 5th

NOTE: You need the book Outlaw for this and next week’s assignments. PDFs of assigned books will not be posted!

Day class: FOR TUESDAY MARCH 3

READ the “Introduction to the poetry of Miguel Piñero” essay at the beginning of the book Outlaw: the Collected Works of Miguel Piñero.

Watch Piñero read “Seeking the Cause” from the video embedded via YouTube. Pay attention to his phrasing and how he reads. Try to imagine him reading the title poem and the rest of his poems as you read them as a way to understanding them.

READ the following poems from Miguel Piñero’s Outlaw:

• “La Bodega Sold Dreams”
• “A Lower East Side Poem”
• “The Lower East Side is Taking” (p. 65!)
• “Seeking the Cause”

Day class: FOR THURSDAY MARCH 5

• “Kill, Kill, Kill”
• “Bastard Streets”
• “This is Not the Place Where I Was Born”
• “Running Scared”
• + one more poem of your choice

Night class: FOR THURSDAY MARCH 5

Same reading assignment as the day section, listed above. Start with the “Introduction to the poetry of Miguel Piñero” essay then read the poems

BOTH class sections:

START working on the fist written assignment

RESPOND to the questions at the bottom of this post and DISCUSS them with classmates and myself using the comment field on this post. (Scroll all the way to the bottom after the sharing buttons to see the comment field.).

WATCH Piñero read “Running Scared” below:

It’s not a lot of reading, however, you must read the poems slowly and carefully and choose 2 of them to read more than once. Take notes on key points that you think are significant, funny, interesting, or do a nice job of telling the story of the city. As with Pietri, while reading the intro at the beginning of the book with Piñero’s bio, look for cues from his life story that show how he approached his writing.

If you keep up with the weekly reading and take good notes, then you’ll be well prepared for the midterm and final exam and get much more out of the class!

OPTIONAL–LISTEN to my lecture on Miguel Piñero’s poetry, embedded below via Soundcloud.

Questions to think about as you read:

• Think in terms of Form, Content, and Context
• Based on Piñero’s biographical story, how do/don’t his stories match the life he’s living?
• How does Piñero’s work differ from Pietri’s in form or content?
• What language does he use and what effect does that have on his poetry?
• What audiences do you think Piñero is writing for?
• How do the characters in Piñero’s descriptions of “Loisaida” (Lower East Side) differ from Pietri’s characters in El Barrio?
• How does Piñero describe the neighborhoods and places that appear in his poems?

Highlight or underline key points in the text. Write down notes as you read. Write down questions of things you don’t understand for us to answer in class.

What’s next?

“The Drama of Miguel Piñero” at the front of Outlaw and then Piñero’s play Short Eyes (pages 193-215).

Comments on posts:

You’ll notice the “Let’s Talk” button is below. Here’s how it’ll work: you can use this to discuss points raised here.  A few points:

• Your first comment will have to be approved by me: after that, you can comment without approval
• Comments section will only be open to enrolled students
• You have to leave your name (enter as first name and last initial only) so a) I can make sure only people in the class are commenting and b) you get credit for the comment
• Remember to be respectful, especially when responding to classmates
• The comments section closes 14 days after a post goes live

To ‘participate’ in the class, I’d like to see everyone 1) post a substantive comment of their own based on either the reading or my lecture using some of the questions raised or conversation prompts, and 2) to respond thoughtfully to someone else’s comment—not just agree/disagree, but add on evidence or ask a follow-up question. You can also ask a question–for me or others–but that doesn’t count toward your comment and reply needed for the grade. It’s fine with me if conversation continues in a thread as long as it does, but two responses showing a clear engagement with the reading will count for being ‘present.’ Does that make sense? You have 14 days to write those two comments for credit.

Week of February 21: Pedro Pietri continued

Pedro Pietri reading at the Poetry Project

Expect a new post here every week for both class sections: usually going live Friday morning

Announcements:

• If you’re new to the class, welcome! Be sure to carefully review class policies on the syllabus.
• See the FAQ page for quick answers to common questions about the course.
• Also on the FAQ page is a 15 minute audio tour of the website
• See the books page for required texts you’ll need to buy or borrow for the course
• Book Alert: You’ll need Miguel Piñero’s book Outlaw next! Be sure to get it now so you’ll have it in time! I WILL NOT be posting PDF files from Outlaw. Get the book or consult the reserve copy in Lehman’s library.
• I’ve collected several support resources the college has available for students on the Student Support Resources page. There you’ll find links to Lehman offices that can offer small cash grants for emergencies, housing assistance, child care, help for veterans, counseling for feeling overwhelmed, food assistance, and more. I’ll be adding to the list and it’s public so you can share it with friends/classmates in other classes
• Archived audio from the Thursday night section is posted on the Archive page (Same password as everything else)

Event announcement: Conference on the legacy of Haki Madhubuti on Sat. 2/19 mentioned in class will be held online here

Note that there are two different course sections: day and evening. Scroll down for details for your section

Highlights from February 15 and 17 classes

• FINISHED Juan Flores’s essay “The Structuring of Puerto Rican Identity” (PDF file)
• FINISHED discussion of the interview with Pedro Pietri and connections on context to “Puerto Rican Obituary”
• Zoom music: Haki Madhubuti’s “The Great Wait” (YouTube) and “Rise, Vision, Comin'” (YouTube)

Day Section: do this for Tuesday 2/22

• READ The interview with Pedro Pietri: (PDF on the Readings page)
• (RE)READ Pedro Pietri’s poem “Puerto Rican Obituary” from the book Puerto Rican Obituary (PDF on the Readings page. The title of the book is taken from the first poem)
• POST a discussion board comment at the bottom of this page (scroll all the way to the bottom)

Day Section: do this for Thursday 2/24

• READ Pietri’s poems “Love Poem for My People,” “Unemployed,” “OD,” “The Broken English Dream,”  from the same PDF file as “Puerto Rican Obituary”

THURSDAY NIGHT SECTION: do this for 2/24

• READ Pedro Pietri’s poem “Puerto Rican Obituary” from the book Puerto Rican Obituary (PDF on the Readings page. The title of the book is taken from the first poem)
• READ “Love Poem for My People,” “Unemployed,” “OD,” “The Broken English Dream,”  from the same PDF file
• POST a discussion board comment at the bottom of this page (scroll all the way to the bottom)

BOTH CLASS SECTIONS

RESPOND to the questions at the bottom of this post and DISCUSS them with classmates and myself using the comment field on this post. (Scroll all the way to the bottom after the sharing buttons to see the comment field.)

Watch Pietri read “Puerto Rican Obituary” here

Take notes on the following points as you read:

• Think in terms of form / content/ context as you read
• What does the poem’s form or structure tell us about the writing?
  • What language does he use and how does that reflect the city he’s describing?
  • What’s the tone of the poem: happy, sad, hopeful, cautious–or something else?
• What contexts can we use to help us understand the poems?
  • What clues from Pietri’s life (from the interview) help us to understand what he’s writing about?
  • Do you see any of the points Pietri makes in the interview reflected in the writing? Make note of a few examples.
  • Does the time period it was written in tell us anything? Do the points Juan Flores or Miguel Algarín raise in their essays give us any insight?
• What is the content of the poems: that is, what is each one about?
  • How does Pietri’s writing describe city life for the people he’s writing about?
  • Why the title “Puerto Rican Obituary?”
• Do points from the interview and poems reflect Flores’s “4 moments”? Make notes of points that do. Highlight/underline and mark specific passages in the poems.
• What connections do you see between the poem, Juan Flores’s essay, and the interview?
• How are points from his personal outlook on religion, death, and the ambivalence toward the American Dream reflected in the poems?

Discussion questions:

• Why title the poem “Puerto Rican Obituary?” What does he mean by this?
• What does Pietri’s attitude seem to be toward the American Dream and assimilation, based on the poems?
• Do you see any parts from the interview with Pietri reflected in the poems?

Highlight or underline key points in the text. Write down notes as you read. Write down questions of things you don’t understand for us to answer in the Zoom meets.

OPTIONAL: LISTEN to my 30-minute lecture on Pietri’s “Puerto Rican Obituary” poem, embedded below via Soundcloud.

What’s Next?

We move on to Miguel Piñero’s poetry in the book Outlaw and then read his play Short Eyes from the same book. Details and questions follow in next week’s update.

Comments on posts:

You’ll notice the “Let’s Talk” button is below. Here’s how it’ll work: you can use this to discuss points raised here.  A few points:

• Your first comment will have to be approved by me: after that, you can comment without approval
• Comments section will only be open to enrolled students
• You have to leave your name (enter as first name and last initial only) so a) I can make sure only people in the class are commenting and b) you get credit for the comment
• Remember to be respectful, especially when responding to classmates
• The comments section closes 14 days after a post goes live

To ‘participate’ in the class, I’d like to see everyone 1) post a substantive comment of their own based on either the reading or my lecture using some of the questions raised or conversation prompts, and 2) to respond thoughtfully to someone else’s comment—not just agree/disagree, but add on evidence or ask a follow-up question. You can also ask a question–for me or others–but that doesn’t count toward your comment and reply needed for the grade. It’s fine with me if conversation continues in a thread as long as it does, but two responses showing a clear engagement with the reading will count for being ‘present.’ Does that make sense? You have 14 days to write those two comments for credit.

Week of February 14: Juan Flores and Pedro Pietri

Pedro Pietri reading at the Poetry Project

Expect a new post here every week for both class sections: usually going live Friday morning

Announcements:

• If you’re new to the class, welcome! Be sure to carefully review class policies on the syllabus.
• See the FAQ page for quick answers to common questions about the course.
• Also on the FAQ page is a 15 minute audio tour of the website
• See the books page for required texts you’ll need to buy or borrow for the course
• Book Alert: You’ll need Miguel Piñero’s book Outlaw next! Be sure to get it now so you’ll have it in time! I WILL NOT be posting PDF files from Outlaw. Get the book or consult the reserve copy in Lehman’s library.
• I’ve collected several support resources the college has available for students on the Student Support Resources page. There you’ll find links to Lehman offices that can offer small cash grants for emergencies, housing assistance, child care, help for veterans, counseling for feeling overwhelmed, food assistance, and more. I’ll be adding to the list and it’s public so you can share it with friends/classmates in other classes
• Archived audio from the Thursday night section will be posted on the Archive page (Same password as everything else)

Note that there are two different course sections: day and evening. Scroll down for details for your section

Highlights from Thursday February 10 classes

• Note: no day section class on Tuesday 2/8
• Discussed Juan Flores’s essay “The Structuring of Puerto Rican Identity” (PDF file)
• Reviewed some points on how I analyze texts for this class and in general. The presentation is on the Lecture Notes page.

Day Section: do this for Tuesday 2/15

• RE-READ the section of Juan Flores’s essay with the “4 moments”–we’ll finish that
• READ The interview with Pedro Pietri: (PDF on the Readings page)
• POST a discussion board comment at the bottom of this page (scroll all the way to the bottom)

Day Section: do this for Thursday 2/17

• READ the Interview with Pedro Pietri (PDF on the Readings page. Password hint: what year is it?) Focus on clues the interview tells us about his poetry. Use this as context for “Puerto Rican Obituary”
• READ Pietri’s poem “Puerto Rican Obituary” (PDF on the Readings page from the book of the same title. It’s the first poem in the book.) “Love Poem for My People,” “Unemployed,” “OD,” “The Broken English Dream,”  from the same PDF file

THURSDAY NIGHT SECTION 2/17

• REVIEW Juan Flores’s “4 moments” from last week’s essay
• READ the Interview with Pedro Pietri (PDF on the Readings page. Password hint: what year is it?) Focus on clues the interview tells us about his poetry. Use this as context for “Puerto Rican Obituary”
• READ Pedro Pietri’s poem “Puerto Rican Obituary” from the book Puerto Rican Obituary (PDF on the Readings page. The title of the book is taken from the first poem)
• POST a discussion board comment at the bottom of this page (scroll all the way to the bottom)

BOTH CLASS SECTIONS

RESPOND to the questions at the bottom of this post and DISCUSS them with classmates and myself using the comment field on this post. (Scroll all the way to the bottom after the sharing buttons to see the comment field.)

Watch Pietri read “Puerto Rican Obituary” here

Take notes on the following points as you read:

• Think in terms of form / content/ context as you read
• What does the poem’s form or structure tell us about the writing?
  • What language does he use and how does that reflect the city he’s describing?
  • What’s the tone of the poem: happy, sad, hopeful, cautious–or something else?
• What contexts can we use to help us understand the poems?
  • What clues from Pietri’s life (from the interview) help us to understand what he’s writing about?
  • Do you see any of the points Pietri makes in the interview reflected in the writing? Make note of a few examples.
  • Does the time period it was written in tell us anything? Do the points Juan Flores or Miguel Algarín raise in their essays give us any insight?
• What is the content of the poems: that is, what is each one about?
  • How does Pietri’s writing describe city life for the people he’s writing about?
  • Why the title “Puerto Rican Obituary?”
• Do points from the interview and poems reflect Flores’s “4 moments”? Make notes of points that do. Highlight/underline and mark specific passages in the poems.
• What connections do you see between the poem, Juan Flores’s essay, and the interview?
• How are points from his personal outlook on religion, death, and the ambivalence toward the American Dream reflected in the poems?

Discussion questions:

• Why title the poem “Puerto Rican Obituary?” What does he mean by this?
• What does Pietri’s attitude seem to be toward the American Dream and assimilation, based on the poems?
• Do you see any parts from the interview with Pietri reflected in the poems?

Highlight or underline key points in the text. Write down notes as you read. Write down questions of things you don’t understand for us to answer in the Zoom meets.

OPTIONAL: LISTEN to my 30-minute lecture on Pietri’s “Puerto Rican Obituary” poem, embedded below via Soundcloud.

What’s Next?

We finish discussing Pietri’s poetry next week. Then we’ll move on to Miguel Piñero’s poetry in the book Outlaw and read his play Short Eyes from the same book. Details and questions follow in next week’s update.

Comments on posts:

You’ll notice the “Let’s Talk” button is below. Here’s how it’ll work: you can use this to discuss points raised here.  A few points:

• Your first comment will have to be approved by me: after that, you can comment without approval
• Comments section will only be open to enrolled students
• You have to leave your name (enter as first name and last initial only) so a) I can make sure only people in the class are commenting and b) you get credit for the comment
• Remember to be respectful, especially when responding to classmates
• The comments section closes 14 days after a post goes live

To ‘participate’ in the class, I’d like to see everyone 1) post a substantive comment of their own based on either the reading or my lecture using some of the questions raised or conversation prompts, and 2) to respond thoughtfully to someone else’s comment—not just agree/disagree, but add on evidence or ask a follow-up question. You can also ask a question–for me or others–but that doesn’t count toward your comment and reply needed for the grade. It’s fine with me if conversation continues in a thread as long as it does, but two responses showing a clear engagement with the reading will count for being ‘present.’ Does that make sense? You have 14 days to write those two comments for credit.

Week of February 10: Juan Flores

Hi everyone,

First a few housekeeping things before we get to the assignment itself.

 Course announcements:

• You might find it helpful to subscribe to new posts for this site: use the e-mail sign-up form on the main page.
• If you’re new to the class, welcome! Be sure to carefully review class policies on the syllabus.

Expect a new post here every week with full details on what to do. Posts will usually go live on Fridays. Note that there are two sections–which largely follow the same schedule except the Thursday night online meets only once a week.

Audio tour of this website

If you missed the first class session, listening to this 15 minute tour of the site and reading the syllabus should get you up to speed. Also see the FAQ page for more info. This lecture is optional: if you were in class last week or can grasp the website, you can skip it.

 College announcements:

• I’ve collected several support resources the college had available for students on the Student Support Resources page. There you’ll find links to Lehman offices that can offer small cash grants for emergencies, housing assistance, child care, help for veterans, counseling for feeling overwhelmed, food assistance, and more. I’ll be adding to the list and it’s public so you can share it with friends/classmates in other classes

Highlights from first week of classes: February 1st and 3rd

• Reviewed syllabus and course policies
• Tour of the course website and how to do comments
• Reviewed Mortimer Adler’s “How to Mark a Book” essay (PDF on the Readings page)
• Reviewed my Ways of Analysis presentation: PDF on the Lecture Notes page

What to do for the week of February 7:

Note that BOTH class sections only meet on Thursday February 10. CUNY classes follow a Friday schedule on Tuesday February 8.

READ Juan Flores’s “The Structuring of Puerto Rican Identity in the US”, from his book Divided Borders. The PDF is on the Readings page. (Password hint: what year is it?).

RESPOND to the questions at the bottom of this post and DISCUSS them with classmates and myself

(OPTIONAL) LISTEN to my 30-minute intro lecture on Flores, embedded below via Soundcloud

Things to think about while reading and write comments about:

• How does Flores’s essay begin to define Nuyorican identity and carve out a specific space for them in the city landscape?
• What are the four points of contact or “four moments” that Flores identifies in his essay?
• How do these “moments” explain how we interact with cities?
• Do you notice any similarities or connections with your own family’s experience or those of friends?

Highlight or underline key points in the text. Write down notes as you read. Write down questions of things you don’t understand for us to answer in class.

What’s Next?

We’ll finish Juan Flores’s essay and connect it to the interview with Pedro Pietri (also on the Readings page) Details and questions follow in next week’s update.

Comments on posts:

You’ll notice the “Let’s Talk” button is below. Here’s how it’ll work: you can use this to discuss points raised here.  A few points:

• Your first comment will have to be approved by me: after that, you can comment without approval
• Comments section will only be open to enrolled students
• You have to leave your name (enter as first name and last initial only) so a) I can make sure only people in the class are commenting and b) you get credit for the comment
• Remember to be respectful, especially when responding to classmates
• The comments section closes 14 days after a post goes live

To ‘participate’ in the class, I’d like to see everyone 1) post a substantive comment of their own based on either the reading or my lecture using some of the questions raised or conversation prompts, and 2) to respond thoughtfully to someone else’s comment—not just agree/disagree, but add on evidence or ask a follow-up question. You can also ask a question–for me or others–but that doesn’t count toward your comment and reply needed for the grade. It’s fine with me if conversation continues in a thread as long as it does, but two responses showing a clear engagement with the reading will count for being ‘present.’ Does that make sense? You have two weeks to write those two comments for credit. You need comments on any 8 different weeks’ posts for full credit for that part of the course.