Author: Al Filreis
Patti Smith improvises a poem-legend, 1975
Patti Smith performed an improvised poem live at Gerde’s Folk City, in Martin Scorsese’s Rolling Thunder Revue, October 23, 1975. Patti wrote about the performance on her substack, May 13, 2021: “I was living...
Introduction to week 5 in 2024 (9/29/24)
Here is a copy of the announcement Al has just sent around to all ModPo people. If you are reading this and wonder why you didn’t receive it by email, please write to modpo@writing.upenn.edu...
Teachers: you can use the ModPo method of collaborative close reading in your classrooms!
Are you a teacher searching for a way of enable full participation of your students in the sometimes daunting work of reading and discussing a poem? It might seem obvious, especially in a post...
ModPo team travels to Montreal – join us!
Many ModPo people know that each year the ModPo team travels to a city where we can meet in person with ModPo participants and also with local poets who convene with us in the...
Overviews and introductions to ModPo all in one view
We’ve organized various introductory videos about ModPo—overviews of the course and our approach—into one easy view. Click HERE and have a look!
Erica Hunt, “Reader we were meant to meet”
Here is the text of a meta-pedagogical poem we often discuss in ModPo. It is available as part of the ModPoPLUS syllabus.
Al Filreis & Lisa New discuss Wallace Stevens
I talked with Lisa New about two poems by Stevens — “The Empreror of Ice Cream” and “The Motive for Metaphor.” This discussion is featured with others’ responses to these poems in a new...
Announcing: ModPo TAs & special poet-guests for ModPo 2024
Today I have the true great pleasure of announcing to you the group of ModPo TAs who will re-joining us for the upcoming annual “symposium mode” of ModPo (August 31 – November 11). Some...