HSS 403 DIGITAL POETRY Summer 2008 Prof. Chris Funkhouser (funkhouser [at] adm [dot] njit [dot] .edu) Office Hours on WebCT chat by appointment

NOTE TO STUDENTS:

Digital poetry is a genre based in literary, visual, and sonically based arts that has proliferated in the past five decades. This course investigates the different activities taken up by poets who integrate computer technology in their works. You will discuss and evaluate virtues of the dynamics presented in an array of works produced by poets and programmers. Poems that include algorithmic programming, graphical artistry, videography, and hypertext designs are introduced and explored, in order to build an understanding of the values of these disparate forms of expression and deliberate on the creative potential of this new genre.

The course will focus on the issues of developing reading strategies for the materials presented, how to build an understanding of its content, and how technology plays a role in the formation of expression. How do we read this poetry, created in an age when the written word has become so mediated, where written texts and artistic forms so commonly intervene with each other, when the craft has been so transmuted through technology? Negotiating a series or coordination of texts is a predominant feature of electronic work, and understanding the significant aspects of these acts plays a critical role in digital literature on multiple levels. Creation of digital poetry in principal combines the activity and effort of both creator and audience, who must often thoughtfully participate in the textual activity and thereby experience the poem on visceral and cognitive levels through the use of technology. Not only is the reader of the poem participating in textual and intertextual negotiation but also negotiation with hardware and software to produce results.

Be prepared to experience and analyze course content as deeply as possible.

Please note that the syllabus is subject to change. I will post notice of any changes made to WebCT.

Determination of Grades: All work will be evaluated on a scale of 1.0 to 10.0; this scale roughly equates to: 10 = A; 9 = B+; 8 = B; 7 = C+; 6 = C; 5 =D; < 4=F

NOTE: The computer that you use to view these works needs to have a browser supports frames, Java, Javascript, the Flash/shockwave plugin, and possibly other tools. In order to fortify your postings and summaries (and final paper, if you opt to do one), you will need to know how to use the computer’s screen capture function in order to include images/illustrations; if you do not know how to “grab” images from the screen, please contact me.

Required reading: Prehistoric Digital Poetry: An Archaeology of Forms, 1959-1995.

for 7/7-8: self-introductions (WebCT)

for 7/9: "Introduction: Evolving Circuits of Digital Poetry" (pp. 1-30, members of group 1 initiate discussion)" and "Techniques Enabled: (Pro)Fusions after Poetry Computerized" (221-255, members of group 2 initiate discussion);

for 7/11: "Origination: Text Generation" (31-84, members of group 3 initiate discussion) and "Visual and Kinetic Digital Poems" (85-150, members of group 4 initiate discussion);

for 7/13: "Hypertext and Hypermedia" (151-198, members of group 1 initiate discussion) and "Alternative Arrangements for Digital Poetry" (199-220, members of group 2 initiate discussion).

optional reading: Jorge Luiz Antonio “Digital Poetry”; Sandy Baldwin, "Foreword," and C.T. Funkhouser, "A Chronology of Works in Digital Poetry, 1959-1995" (in textbook).

WebCT contributions and summary

Use WWW to conduct independent research on topics of interest related to reading material.

Reading: t.b.a.

for 7/15 (members of group 3 initiate discussion):

Jim Andrews, "Stir Fry Texts"
http://collection.eliterature.org/1/works/andrews__stir_fry_texts.html

Jim Andrews, "On Lionel" [read/click through all of the narrative, and watch the video]
http://collection.eliterature.org/1/works/andrews__on_lionel_kearns/en/index.htm

for 7/16 (members of group 4 initiate discussion):

Millie Niss with Martha Deed, "Oulipoems" [view all except "Morningside Vector Space"]
http://collection.eliterature.org/1/works/niss__oulipoems.html

for 7/17 (members of group 1 initiate discussion):

geniwaite, "Generative Poetry" [view all]
http://collection.eliterature.org/1/works/geniwate__generative_poetry.html

for 7/18 (members of group 2 initiate discussion):

Loss Pequeño Glazier, "White-Faced Bromeliads on 20 Hectares"
http://collection.eliterature.org/1/works/glazier__white-faced_bromeliads_on_20_hectares.html

Jim Carpenter, Erika [generate multiple poems and write review of the tool]
http://etc.wharton.upenn.edu:8080/Etc3beta/Erika.jsp

for 7/19 (members of group 3 initiate discussion):

TRAVESTY GENERATOR: http://www.eskimo.com/~rstarr/poormfa/travesty.html; also read explanation of the work: http://www.eskimo.com/~rstarr/poormfa/explaintravesty.html ASSIGNMENT: choose an input text to run through TRAVESTY, selecting different parameters for the same text (i.e., vary the order and characters of output); copy your favorite examples of output; PLEASE NOTE: the more text you put into the input box, the more extensive (and interesting) the output will be. CREATE SEVERAL TRAVESTY TEXTS, USING DIFFERENT INPUT TEXTS. Post to WebCT Discussion Board and discuss.

for 7/20 (members of group 4 initiate discussion):

Florian Cramer, "Combinatory Poetry and Literature in the Internet"
http://userpage.fu-berlin.de/~cantsin/homepage/writings/net_literature/permutations/kassel_2000/combinatory_poetry.html.

Florian Cramer, Permutations [Explore page; make texts using (a) Free-form text permutation, Cut-Ups, Dada Poem; study how these texts are made. Post your 2 best/favorite texts, with commentary, to WebCT for further discussion].
http://userpage.fu-berlin.de/~cantsin/permutations/index.cgi

for 7/21:

Your Personal Poet
[download and run poet.zip from WebCT ].

The Internalational Dictionary of Neologisms
http://www.neologisms.us.

optional reading: Florian Cramer, "Computational Literature" http://www.hotkey.net.au/~netwurker/fclecture.pdf; Raymond Queneau, Cent Mille Milliards de Poèmes (Hundred Thousand Billion Poems) http://www.bevrowe.info/Poems/QueneauRandom.htm, The Shannonizer, Chris Funkhouser, "Electronic Literature circa WWW (and Before)" http://www.electronicbookreview.com/thread/electropoetics/collected.

WebCT discussion contributions and summary

Reading:

for 7/22 (members of group 1 initiate discussion):

bpNichol, First Screening
http://vispo.com/bp/geof.htm

David Daniels, "Humans" [ review 5 poems ]
http://www.thegatesofparadise.com/humans.htm

Visual poetry. Wikipedia definition http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visual_poetry

for 7/23 (members of group 2 initiate discussion):

Mary Ellen Solt, from Concrete Poetry: A World View: "The New Visual Poetry", "The New Poet Reader", "Conclusions"

Brian Kim Stefans, the dreamlife of letters
http://www.ubu.com/contemp/stefans/dream

Richard Kostelanetz, "A Poetry-Film Storyboard: Transformations"
http://www.albany.edu/%7Elitmag/pre-2005/vol222/kostelanetz/index.html

for 7/24 (members of group 3 initiate discussion):

Geof Huth’s Visualizing Poetics Blog http://dbqp.blogspot.com/ [review current material and archive for WebCT discussion; be sure to read "The Catechism of Visual Poetry Doctrine: Faith"]

ASSIGNMENT: Make a visual poem using typography, image, etc. Post to WebCT.

John Cayley, "wotclock"
http://collection.eliterature.org/1/works/cayley__wotclock.html

Robert Kendall, "faith"
http://collection.eliterature.org/1/works/kendall__faith.html

for 7/25 (members of group 4 initiate discussion):

Cynthia Lawson Jarmillo, Stephanie Strickland, Paul Ryan, slippingglimpse
http://slippingglimpse.org/

Ingrid Ankerson, Megan Sapnar, "Cruising"
http://collection.eliterature.org/1/works/ankerson_sapnar__cruising.html

Giselle Beiguelman, "Code Movie"
http://collection.eliterature.org/1/works/beiguelman__code_movie_1.html

for 7/26 (members of group 1 initiate discussion):

Dan Waber, Strings
http://vispo.com/guests/DanWaber/index.html

mIEKAL aND, "Seedsigns"
http://www.cla.umn.edu/joglars/SEEDSIGN/index.html

"Mesostic for Dick Higgins" http://www.cla.umn.edu/joglars/mesostics/index.html

for 7/27 (members of group 2 initiate discussion):

Kerry Lawrynovicz, "Girls' Day Out"
http://collection.eliterature.org/1/works/lawrynovicz__girls_day_out.html

Bill Marsh, "Landscapes"
http://collection.eliterature.org/1/works/marsh__landscapes.html

Alan Sondheim/Reiner Strasser, "TAO"
http://collection.eliterature.org/1/works/strasser_sondheim__tao/index.html

for 7/28:

Alan Sondheim/Reiner Strasser, "Dawn"
http://collection.eliterature.org/1/works/strasser_sondheim__dawn.html

Optional Reading: C.T. Funkhouser, "Appendix A: Codeworks," "Appendix B: Holography" (pp. 257-270, Prehistoric Digital Poetry: An Archeaology of Forms, 1959-1995); Philippe Bootz, Marcel Frémiot, "The Set of U"; Giselle Beiguelman, "Ceci n'est pas un nike";

WebCT contributions and summary

project/paper proposals are due 7/28 (send via email)

Reading:

for 7/29 (members of group 3 initiate discussion):

Jim Rosenberg, Diagrams series 6
http://collection.eliterature.org/1/works/rosenberg__diagrams_6_4_and_10.html

Jason Nelson, The Poetry Cube
http://www.secrettechnology.com/poem_cube/poemcube.html

for 7/30 (members of group 4 initiate discussion):

John Cayley, windsound
http://collection.eliterature.org/1/works/cayley__windsound.html or http://www.shadoof.net/in/windsound.html

Marko Niemi, Stud Poetry
http://collection.eliterature.org/1/works/niemi__stud_poetry.html

for 7/31 (members of group 1 initiate discussion):

Deena Larsen, "Carving in Possibilities" http://collection.eliterature.org/1/works/larsen__carving_in_possibilities.html

Reiner Strasser and M.D. Coverley: "ii — in the white darkness: about [the fragility of] memory"
http://collection.eliterature.org/1/works/strasser_coverley__ii_in_the_white_darkness.html

for 8/1 (members of group 2 initiate discussion):

M.D. Coverly, "Accounts of the Glass Sky"
http://collection.eliterature.org/1/works/coverley__accounts_of_the_glass_sky.html

Mary Flanagan: " [theHouse]"
http://collection.eliterature.org/1/works/flanagan__thehouse.html

for 8/2 (members of group 3 initiate discussion):

geniwaite, " Rice"
http://collection.eliterature.org/1/works/geniwate__rice.html

Aya Karpinska and Daniel C. Howe, "open.ended"
http://collection.eliterature.org/1/works/howe_kaprinska__open_ended.html

for 8/3 (members of group 4 initiate discussion):

Jim Andrews, Arteroids
http://www.vispo.com/arteroids/arteroids.htm

for 8/4 (anyone may initiate discussion):

Dan Waber and Jason Pimble, "I, You, We"
http://collection.eliterature.org/1/works/waber_pimble__i_you_we/index.html

Neil Hennessey, Bassho's Frogger
http://www.ubu.com/contemp/hennessy/frogger/basho_frogger.html

*note*: please consider the following haiku before looking at Hennessey's work:

An old pond
A frog jumps in
The sound of water

Optional reading: Lucio Agra,
http://www.geocities.com/agraryk/agrindexeng.htm [ review 3 of 5 of the "poems in PPS" section ]; Maria Mencia, Birds Singing Other Birds Songs
http://collection.eliterature.org/1/works/mencia__birds_singing_other_birds_songs.html; Aya Karpinska, arrival of the beeBox http://www.technekai.com/box/index.html [download and run program or view online]; Kenneth Goldsmith, " Soliloquy" http://collection.eliterature.org/1/works/goldsmith__soliloquy.html; Jim Andrews, Nio
http://collection.eliterature.org/1/works/andrews__nio.html;

WebCT contributions and summary

Work on Final Paper/Project

WebCT wrap-up