A UNI creative writing class is helping students appreciate exactly where they are
A UNI creative writing class is helping students appreciate exactly where they are
As the home of the oldest literary magazine in the United States and with numerous acclaimed authors coming through its door, the University of Northern Iowa can boast significant contributions to the literary community. One group of UNI students is spending the semester learning about those contributions through poets with ties to UNI and the state of Iowa.
The creative writing class focuses on Iowa native Amy Clampitt, UNI alum and former professor James Hearst — heralded as the “Robert Frost of the Midwest” — and UNI alum Mona Van Duyn, the first woman to serve as the poet laureate of the United States.
“It is important to have an understanding of our university as something which is connected to a poetic history and to a long legacy of studying the humanities and understanding them as important,” said Tony Miller, a senior majoring in philosophy and English. “At times, it feels we are far away from any major poetic scene like New York or LA or any of the places that are typically seen as generating great poets. So it’s nice to be here and understand the connection we have to poets like Amy Clampitt, Mona Van Duyn and James Hearst.”
“I knew when I moved to Iowa the state had a great literary community, but I wasn't really aware UNI specifically had that kind of history,” said Sophia Behnke, a grad student from Minnesota who is studying English. “So this class has made me feel really grateful to be here to learn such great poets actually were here at some point and either studying or teaching. That makes me feel really grateful I chose UNI and makes me feel more at home in Iowa.”
For Behnke, learning more about Iowa’s poets was a major reason why she chose to take this class in the first place. She was previously unfamiliar with the poets and believed learning about them would help her feel more connected to Iowa.
“We started the class by just talking about specifically regional poetry or poetry of place, which is a genre of poetry that talks about a specific place or time period or is based in a lot of local information,” said Behnke. “Clampitt writes a lot about the Midwest, which is really interesting because even though I didn't grow up in Iowa, I grew up in the Midwest in Minnesota, so there are still a lot of things I relate to.”
On the other hand, Miller, a Cedar Falls native, was familiar with Hearst but not the others.
“Amy Clampitt was fairly young when she left Iowa, but she was deeply influenced by this place,” said Miller. “I feel there is something about being here and being from here that is unique compared to being on the East Coast or the West Coast or in some large metropolis. Iowa and the Midwest have a sort of stripped-back beauty to it.”
For Professor of English Jeremy Schraffenberger, the UNI Sesquicentennial Celebration is the perfect time to be teaching this class and sharing about these poets with students.
“Students are often unaware of the many poets and writers who have been affiliated with UNI over the years, so I think it's important that they learn about their lives, their work, and the lasting impact they've had on this institution and on the world of literature,” he said. “Learning about writers who lived and worked right here also gives students models to learn from and be inspired by. Maybe one day another UNI graduate will become the Poet Laureate of the United States like Mona Van Duyn!”
Miller and Behnke are both learning new poetry techniques that they hope will make them better writers — but their biggest takeaways from the class so far go much deeper.
“We've had a lot of really amazing conversations about like specific elements of poetry, like word choice and style and syntax and all these things, but it’s been in this overarching conversation about like what it means to be from somewhere and how that reflects in the art you create and also the choices you make in your life,” said Behnke.
Behnke also believes the class is helping her become better at analyzing poetry, which is important for the career she hopes to have in publishing.
“These [poets] would be a great entry point to poetry, just because they all do feel really relevant today.”
