nature of the poetic turn, the structural component of a poem, which may occur multiple times in a poem, in which your expectations are upended or displaced, in which you are surprised or affected by the direction the poet is taking. What is the purpose of the turn and how is it accomplished? Why is it an important part of a contemporary poem and how does it function particularly in the poem you selected for this week's DB. For many of you, you might begin with the poem and discuss how it sets its reader up for the turn, delivers the turn -- or turns -- and to what effect and use that discussion to allow you to reflect on the questions you've been asked.

Miguel Pinero's poem 'A lower east side' is about his pride in being a citizen of the Lower East Side and his subsequent desire that...
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