Reading & Writing Poetry: 'Go on your nerve'

Guided by Frank O’Hara’s essay Personism: A Manifesto (1959) this 11-week course has been designed for those with some experience of reading and writing poetry.

Across the term, participants will survey the poetry of the New York School and explore the ways by which – in O’Hara’s irreverent words – ‘being quicker and surer than prose’ poetry urges that ‘You just go on your nerve.’

By way of close reading and their own experiment, participants will also refine their practice and develop critical discourse.

All levels are welcome to attend the course, but some experience in reading and writing poetry is advisable.

About the tutor

Natasha Cuddington was born in Saskatchewan, Canada and holds a BA in Creative Writing and English Literature and an MA in Irish Studies. A writing facilitator with experience in a variety of contexts, her translations, poetry, essays and reviews have appeared variously on both sides of the Atlantic.

In 2017, she was announced as the recipient of the Ireland Chair of Poetry Bursary. Her début poetry collection, Each of us (our chronic alphabets) was published by Arlen House (2018). With Ruth Carr, she co-edited Her Other Language: Northern Irish Women Writers Address Domestic Violence and Abuse (Arlen House, 2020).