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Chelsea Wallis (back to camera) and Adam Giannelli listen to Rebekah Silverman read one of her poems.
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Students Learn from Each Other about Creative Writing
Text and photographs by Debra Pillivant
JANUARY 19, 2001--"I started writing poetry in the 8th grade. I love writing poetry. You might as well do something you love," says Nabilah Talib, a first-year student from Chicago.
Two students shared their passion for Chekov as they sat in a booth outside Wilder 215, waiting for the door to be unlocked. Others, including Talib, trudged up the stairs and found a spot to lean against in the hall. They began to strip off outer layers–hat, scarf, mittens, coats. Three, four, then 12 gathered. It was a full class for the Friday-afternoon session of Oberlin's Winter Term Poetry Workshop.
Erin Hurley, a first—year student from Brooklyn Heights, Ohio, said she signed up for the workshop because "you have to have three Winter Term projects, so you might as well start right away. I've always written poetry but never had anyone help me with the technical aspects of it."
This is the third year for the Winter Term creative-writing workshops," says Martha Collins, professor of creative writing and director of the Creative Writing Program. "We started them in 1999 as part of a program to open creative-writing courses to more students who were not creative-writing majors. Our model was the language departments' intensive Russian and intensive Latin courses that are taught by a supervised student. This also goes along with the College's attempt to offer courses with smaller class sizes to first-year students."
Three senior-creative writing majors are teaching three workshops this Winter Term. Abby Geni, from Evanston, Illinois, is teaching fiction, and Adam Giannelli, from Shaker Heights, Ohio, is teaching poetry. The workshops are for first-year students only. Christopher DeWeese, from Port Townsend, Washington, is teaching a poetry and prose workshop that is open to any student not majoring in creative writing.
It's Giannelli's class waiting in Wilder. As Giannelli unlocks the door, students and outerwear shuffle in. The class is quiet as he returns the students' previous assignment.
All eyes are lowered.
Giannelli's first poet declines to read her poem. It's OK, no pressure here. Giannelli reads it for her.
The first comment from a fellow poet is "I really liked it." Giannelli asks for another opinion. More vague comments until someone asks the poet why her second line is so long. Another chimes in with a question about the use of a comma, another asks about grammar.
Three poems later, the poets have begun to read their own work. They are making eye contact with each other. They are asking questions about imagery and emotions.
Many have not experienced the workshop environment until now. Melissa Novack, a first-year student from Hooksett, New Hampshire, says, "I like the honesty about your work."
"I didn't come in with a big background in poetry so it's . . . challenging. I thought it would be a big deal, but it's not intimidating," says Wallis Adams, a first-year student from Ojai, California.
Giannelli's relaxing too. He begins comparing one poem to another. As a discussion begins to form around style, grammar, and punctuation, Giannelli becomes more animated. His shy smile broadens, and his hands make great circles in the air for emphasis. Giannelli loves poetry.
Teaching this workshop is Giannelli's Winter Term project. "I like this, but I don't know if it will make me want to pursue a career in teaching. Right now, I really don't have any idea what I want to do when I graduate," says Adam.
To quote a young poet, "You might as well do something you love."
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| Erin Hurley, Nabilah Talib, and Mary Bethea listen to a poem. |
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