Political Poetry

Since the 19th century, the idea of “art for art’s sake” has led many poets and critics to declare that poetry and politics don’t mix. Yet throughout history, many major poets—such as Catullus and Dante, Milton and Whitman, Owen and Brooks—have written great, politically engaged poems. Examine important short works by these poets, and consider what we can learn from their artistic triumphs and missteps.

Joshua Mehigan’s book, The Optimist

, was one of five finalists for the 2005 Los Angeles Times Book Prize in Poetry and winner of the Hollis Summers Prize. His poems have appeared in numerous anthologies, as well as in The New York Times, The New York Sun and Poetry.

Meeting Times: Sunday 2pm-5pm Oct 5, 19 & 26, Nov 2, 9 & 16
Sessions: 6
Instructor: Joshua Mehigan
Location: Lexington Avenue at 92nd Street Directions
Code: TP3LS02-02
Price: $350.00