The Poet and the Machine

Post-structuralist. Post-modern. Post-colonial. Post-human? (Going to post that on my socials!). As technology becomes increasing more interwoven into our labor, our recreation, and our culture, how does it affect our words and our art? In this class we will explore poets and writers of experimental prose who write about, fret about, dream about, and utilize 20th and 21st technology into their work. We will start with anxieties of emerging middle class home appliances in the 1920s to home computing and this called the internet during Y2K to the debate over AI today. Students will write both analytically and creatively, meet with the professor at least once during the semester, engage in collaborative work, and take turns leading class discussion. The semester will culminate in research leading to an analytical, interdisciplinary, or creative project. Nota Bene: Students will not be allowed to use AI in their writing; however, we will be discussion AI in class. Readings will include Jon Bois, Shayla Lawz, Franny Choi, Jillian Weise, Lillian-Yvonne Bertram, and Margaret Rhee