The Language of Loss [6-weeks, $250 Suggested]

***This class has already begun, but interested students can still audit this course asynchronously.

Instructor: Hollis | Mondays March 14-April 18 | 7:00-9:00 PM ET

When T.S. Eliot famously began The Waste Land with “April is the cruelest month,” he echoed the feelings of a lot of the poets writing in the early twentieth century. They had experienced the first world war and a flu pandemic that not only resulted in more deaths than the war, but also had similarly profound effects on the health, both mental and physical, or the entire planet. Indeed, many of the poets of the time began to despise April, distrusting the seeming false hope spring always seemed to promise. For authors of the early twentieth century, spring signaled the pain of things coming back to life after experiencing deep and abiding loss.

In this class, we will explore a variety of poetry that focuses on loss. We will look at the modernist poets, including Eliot, Mina Loy, Langston Hughes, and Edna St. Vincent Millay, who tried to figure out how to endure in the face of such loss. We will also explore the work of contemporary poets, such as Mary Oliver, Lucille Clifton, Joy Harjo, Seamus Heaney, and Derek Walcott. We will examine the different ways these authors (and many others) experience loss, whether it be loss of a loved one, loss of one’s identity, or loss of the planet.

We depend on a mix of direct student donations and supplemental donations to make all classes pay-what-you-can. Please pick the pricing tier that corresponds with your needs and that you are able to pay now. If you would like to pay in installments, make your first payment now and make a note on your check-out form. If you would like to donate more later in the term, you can always come back and use the “Make a One Time Donation” button! To use a full scholarship, just pick the $3 tier to cover site/processor fees.

If at any point up to 48 hours before your first class session you realize you will be unable to take the class, we will work with you to reallocate your funds to a future class, to another student’s scholarship, or refund it. After classes begin, we are only able to make partial refunds and adjustments.