Spring 2023, CairoLab
Writing lab: Cairo Poetics (The City as a Poem)
Course details
- Cycle
- Spring 2023, Cairo
- Length
- 11 weeks
- Format
- In person
- Taught in
- English / Arabic
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About the course
"Welcome to the Poetry Lab! This course delves into the intersection of poetry and urban studies, examining the ways in which poets have employed the city as a wellspring of inspiration and as a locus of artistic expression. Over the duration of the semester, we will explore the diverse cultural, social, and political histories of Cairo through a series of discussions, workshops, and excursions. Participants will have the chance to engage with the works of established urban poets, as well as to craft their own original poems inspired by the city. While our primary focus will be Cairo, we will also explore the unique character and poetry of other urban environments. We will also contemplate the role of digital media in contemporary urban poetry, investigating the ways in which poets use social media, websites, and other online platforms to publish their work and interact with audiences.
By the end, participants will collaborate to create a digital collective of poems and art inspired by Cairo, which will be exhibited at the end of the semester and showcased during a poetry night. The course will be primarily delivered in English and Arabic, so a basic knowledge of both languages is necessary although it is sufficient if you excel in one of them over the other. Join us on a journey to uncover Cairo's hidden depths, open to aspiring writers of all levels and backgrounds.”
Who teaches it
Asmaa Abdellatif is a MA student at Cairo University. Her research sits at the intersection of poetry, technology, and cultural studies. In addition to her studies, Asmaa works as a writer and communications manager. With a fierce passion for the written word, she delves deep into the human experience, exploring the complexities of love, loss, and the search for meaning. Her work has been featured in different literary magazines including the Digital Poet, Bayt Al Fann, and WordSpill. When Asmaa is not working, she is exploring arts or penning her next verse. A true wanderer, Asmaa's soul is constantly seeking new ways to express herself and connect with the world around her.
From the fellow Note: The selection of poems to be analyzed will be flexible according to the discussions in every class.
Course work: Throughout the course, participants will be expected to start working on their own individual works of art (poems, digital art, paintings, photography..etc) in order to be collected and compiled in a digital anthology by the end of the course.
Course flow
Sessions without a date
- Letters to a Young PoetRilke. The first letter.
In class
- ActivityCourse overview
- DiscussionOpen discussion
- ExerciseGroup Activity
- ExerciseWriting exercise
- https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2016/oct/06/cities-poetry-urban-language-national-poetry-dayReading.
- How to Read a Poem: And Fall in Love with PoetryEdward Hirsch. Book.
- The CITYGhayath Almadhoun.
In class
- ActivityA General intro into poetry as a literary genre: In 2023, what is poetry? And where to find it? How to read a poem? Introduction to urban poetry
- ExerciseWriting exercise
In class
- ActivityReflection and digestion
- PresentationParticipant presentations
- ExerciseWriting exercise
In class
- Field visitField Visit (To be determined with participants) - Looking into history
- The Poet and the CityW. H. Auden. Book.
- The Production of SpaceIntroduction. Book by Henri Lefebvre.
- https://www.shorouknews.com/columns/view.aspx?cdate=22012021&id=de4e8e5a-e9a8-41d5-816a-05b9b54abcc2Reading.
In class
- PresentationParticipants Presentations
- DiscussionDeconstructing the city: how do we read space?
- ActivityDigesting history
- HarlemLangston Hughes. Media.
- Hona AlqaheraFilm. Media.
In class
- DiscussionDiscussion of the ways in which urban poetry can engage with social and political issues. Who lives in Cairo?
- ActivityAnalysis of examples of urban poetry that address issues of inequality, injustice, and resistance
- ExerciseWriting exercise: creating urban poetry that addresses a specific social or political issues
- Cleaning out the Ghettos
- Better than Berlin
- In the inner cityLucille Clifton.
In class
- DiscussionDiscussion on Gentrification
- ActivityExamples of how gentrification is dealt with in poetry
- ExerciseWriting exercise
- Cairo: Memoirs of a City TransformedOptional. Ahdaf Soueif. Book.
In class
- Field visitField Visit (TBD with participants) - A look into the present and the future of Cairo
In class
- ActivityReading and analyzing poetry from other cities (Primary focus is on cosmopolitan, war-torn, and postcolonial cities)
In class
- ActivityA look into digital media and urban poetry after the internet revolution
In class
- PresentationFinal presentations and exhibitions
- ActivityIndividual Poetry readings
- DiscussionCourse reflections and open discussions
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