Clarity and Complexity of Poems with Gabriella Fee, A&S '22 (MFA)

Course Title: Clarity and Complexity of Poems with Gabriella Fee, A&S '22 (MFA)

Instructor: Gabriella Fee, A&S '22 (MFA) and Moser Writer in Residence

Brought to you by Odyssey  

March 23 - April 27, 2026

Mondays, 12:00PM - 2:00PM ET (6 Sessions)

Virtual via Zoom

Course Description: In this six-week course, we'll read, discuss, and write poems that are concerned with the relationship between clarity and complexity. In a world of mystery and chaos, how do we (and why should we) be concerned with clarity and precision? How might a poet concerned with communicating something "true" about human experience contend with ambivalence, ambiguity, and uncertainty? Together we'll explore prosodic and formal strategies for enhancing both the clarity and complexity of our work. We'll discuss what makes certain poems unclear and what makes others vivid and precise even as they take mystery and confusion as their very subjects.

Together, we'll dive into poems from the 16th century to the present, with a primary focus on work from the latter half of the 20th century. We'll encounter Louis MacNeice, Renee Gladman, Anne Sexton, Wallace Stevens, Jericho Brown, Emily Dickinson, WH Auden, Tracy K Smith, James Wright, Amy Clampitt, Derek Walcott, James Dickey, Sharon Olds, Major Jackson, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Elizabeth Alexander, and many others.

We'll also read and discuss craft essays by writers such as Ellen Bryant Voigt, Donald Justice, Carl Phillips, John Frederick Nims, Kathleen Jamie, John Shoptaw, and Jane Hirschfield.

The course will culminate in a one-day workshop, during which students will have the opportunity to share their own writing and receive feedback from their instructor and their peers.

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Tuition benefits are available to University faculty, staff, and retirees only. Employees of Johns Hopkins Hospital, Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions, or the Applied Physics Laboratory should contact your institution’s Human Resources office for information about tuition remission and eligibility:

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• Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory: https://www.jhuapl.edu/careers/professional-development

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If a course is canceled or closed, the registrant is notified immediately, and a full refund is processed automatically unless another course is requested. Registrants who wish to withdraw from an active course must complete the online Odyssey Refund Request Form. Attach any documentation to support your request (e.g., medical documentation, family crisis documentation, etc.).

• 100% refund: Prior to the start of the course and after the first class.

• No refunds: After the first week of each course unless in exceptional cases.

For single-session courses:
100% refundable within two (2) business days of the event.

Please note, refunds apply only to the tuition portion of an Odyssey participant’s charges and are not applicable to any fees or gifts made to the Johns Hopkins Alumni Association. Registrants will be notified by email if a refund is approved within five (5) business days.