In this elective, open to all students, we will immerse ourselves in the vibrant world of trans and genderqueer poetry. Poetry is uniquely situated within the written arts for expressions of embodied experience, as poets explore the physicality of language on the page to transform emotional and intellectual understanding into art. This makes poetry a particularly rich field for trans, nonbinary, and genderqueer artists: writers with an already heightened awareness of possibilities for transformation. We will spend the semester reading, discussing, and writing about poems by a wide variety of contemporary poets including Cameron Awkward-Rich, CAConrad, J. Jennifer Espinoza, Rickey Laurentiis, and Kit Yan. Although all students will practice some critical prose responses, there will also be a choice to respond in poetry. Final projects will take the form of chapbooks, either of your own poetry or critical essays. Additionally, this course will partner with TNS’s trans and gender non-conforming club, Gender Riot, to plan and host an end of semester reading, featuring members of our community and special guests.