Compare the attitude of the speaker in "To an Unknown Poet" with the attitude of the speaker in "Promising Author," a poem which is also in The Nearness of You. Write a short essay exploring what the two poems tell you about the nature of competition in the literary world.

Rewrite Kizer's poem from the point of view of the unknown poet, and then read the poem to your class. After the reading, explain the choices you made in rewriting the poem.

Over the course of the semester, go to at least three poetry readings in your area. You can find listings for readings in your local paper or the paper for the local college or university. Evaluate the readings in terms of the quality of the work read, the reading ability of the poet, and the atmosphere of the place. Present...