Jennifer FirestoneMFA, Creative Writing, San Francisco State University
Assistant Professor, Literary Studies
Profile:I’m interested in experimental poetry and the way it can question and
deconstruct aesthetic hierarchies and inherited values. I appreciate writing
that takes risks, where something (whether it is a political statement or
rebellion against aesthetic norms) is at stake. I’m not impressed with shock or
overly didactic poetry. A poem needs to be heartfelt and honest; I need to
believe in its emotion and intelligence.
Courses Taught:- Advanced Poetry: Contemporary Poetry, Poetics and Letters
- Introduction to Poetry: 20th Century Poetry and Poetics
- Intermediate Poetry: Documentary and Investigative Poetics
- Intermediate Poetry: The New York School of Poets
- Reading for Writers: Experiments in Poetry
- The Holocaust: Poetry in Response
- Literary Foundations 2
Letters To Poets: Conversations About
Poetics, Politics, And Community (Saturnalia Books, 2008), Holiday
(Shearsman Books, 2008), Waves
(Portable Press at Yo-Yo Labs, 2007), From Flashes
(Sona Books, 2006), snapshot (Sona
Books, 2004). Individual poems and essays have appeared in How2, Jacket Magazine, Xcp: Cross
Cultural Poetics, Fourteen Hills,
Poetry Salzburg Review and others.
Email:FirestoJ@newschool.eduResearch Interests:20th and 21st century Experimental Poetry
and Poetics, The Objectivists, The New York School of Poets, Documentary and
Investigative Poetics, Holocaust Poetry, Women Poets, Cross-Genre Work,
Cultural Studies, Community and Collaboration.
Professional Affiliations:The Poetry Project at St. Mark’s Church, Small Press Traffic,
Association of Writers & Writing Programs (AWP).
