Poetics of Community Engagement May Term 2014 Poetry Prompt Two (2) In The Rhetorician as an Agent of Social Change,

Ellen Cushman tells us that activism starts with some kind of identification with people outside the university, an identification that often can flourish in a context where both the scholar and people assess and redraw lines of power structures between them (246). In light of her argument for a dynamic activism emphasizing self-reflective criticism, how can we begin to understand and explore ways of identifying and participating with the LASC community (e.g. within the LASC, around it, and beyond to those whom it serves) without engaging in altruistic or otherwise inappropriate approaches? Heres one option for answering these questions. In the spirit of Hull and James, we can enact identities in relation to space, place, and landscape through multimodalities and multimedia (Geographies of Hope 81). Rather than focusing on the LASC community, in which we have only just begun to participate, we can start with ourselves. We can write about the places and institutions that shape and are shaped by *our+ lives (qt. Aitken 80). Look back at Jamals poem My Neighborhood on page 83 in Geographies of Hope. Hull and James describe it as a thoughtful dialogue (85) that reflect*s+ on place in relation to *Jamal+ himself (84). This fundamental process of connecting place and identity through poetry is one way we, too, can enact an authentic self-reflective and self-critical approach to our connections to placesour neighborhoods, schools, dorm rooms, etc. By practicing this process ourselves, we can put into words how our places make us and in turn how we make them. We can learn how it feels and what we think about the complexities involved with identity in relation to space, place, and landscape, and we can carry this fresh perspective into our reflections on our work with the LASC, connecting self-reflectively with the community. The Prompt Write a poem in which you follow a more complex form than that modeled by Jamal in Hull and James (83). Follow the steps below: Step One: Prior to writing your poem, think of space that you consider as having a profound influence on you. You can choose a room at home, your dorm room, your neighborhood, etc., but whatever you choose the place must be one you seriously consider essential to your identity. Step Two: Create a bank of phrases and words in response to these questions about your lived space: What place has most defined or shaped me? How have I shaped that place? What are the objectsthe everyday thingsthat define and shape that lived space? What objects are NOT part of the lived space? What do I wish was NOT part of the space?

What are the eventsboth unusual and ordinarythat define and shape that lived space? What privileges have I enjoyed through that lived space? What limitation have I faced because of that lived space? On whom did or do I depend as confidants, friends, teachers, etc.? Why? What have been the assessments that diminish and dismiss me based on that lived space? What objects, words spoken, or actions do I associate with these assessments? What outsiders have entered my space as well-meaning altruists intent on helping me? What happened? What did or do I think of them? Why? Step Three: From your bank of phrases and words, draw out the key images and actions that seem to most vividly describe the lived space according to the same pattern used by Jamal: I hear I see I feel I smell I taste I know You can write as many sights, smells, etc. as you like, each in separate lines. Remember to follow the guidelines for poetry that we developed in class, and please dont waste time worrying about end rhymes. They are not necessary for this poem. Step Four: Erase the pattern above and leave only your description (as we did in class a few days ago with the Door to Spring exercise. This time, though, give your poem its own title. As you decide on a title, you may revise your descriptions as you see fit. Its a good idea to craft a title that refers in some way to the category (e.g. My Neighborhood or My Room at Home) or the specific name of your lived space. Step Five: Post your poem to your blog.