Last fall I led a seminar on the poetry and prose of John Donne here at the University of Mary Washington. As part of my preparation for the seminar, I began my “Donne a Day” podcast series in the summer. As part of the culmination of the seminar, I recorded student readings of Donne’s work for later distribution as podcasts.
“Later” sometimes means “much later” with me, unfortunately, but here just before the academic year ends, I begin daily distribution of my students’ readings. I’ll begin with Anna de Socio’s reading of one of Donne’s most famous lyrics, “The Sun Rising.”
I wish now I had thought to have students talk just a little about why they picked the poem they did, but that’ll have to wait for the feature set of Donne Seminar 2.0. Good to have something to look forward to.
If you’d like to see something more of the class’s work, take a look at our seminar wiki. I’ll have more to say in future blog entries about how that little gem came about, and how what it became was what it needed to be for this class, not simply what I had envisioned. One of the things that fuels my passion for wikis is that they are uncanny reflectors of the group that produces them. I should mention that the students in this seminar were an inspiring bunch to be among. I had a wonderful time, and learned a ton from them. Sometimes I was so inspired by them that I couldn’t sleep at night–no kidding. Thanks, folks.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (1.3MB)
Sunrise is the best time for poetry. Donne and I have that much in common. Scallops: High tide is at six in the morning./I creep from the marital bed/switch on the computer to catch them/flatfooting it to the shore.//Third tide after the storm/they’re kicking me in the shins,/looking all round earth and heaven/with their myriad blue-stalked eyes/they beg me to save them and keep them/from seagulls and passing jeeps.//My gloating and arranging/hot butter and thick wine sauce/dismemberment notwithstanding/will make them famous forever:/in lines raying out to the ends of the earth/ their colour will be remembered,/their sweetness, and talking the walk.