Where Worlds Entwine: The Generative AI Poetry Exercise

This assignment, by Aaron Meskin and Lindsey Harding, is from the TextGenEd: Continuing Experiments collection on the WAC Clearinghouse website.

The summary from the site explains:

This assignment asks students to use generative AI (viz., ChatGPT) to help write poems that they judge to be good and/or successful. Students were provided with easily available online resources about prompt engineering and the evaluation of poetry. They were encouraged to think creatively about their prompts and to revise them to generate multiple drafts of their poems. Then they were required to reflect and report on what they had done. Finally, students were invited to share their poems and accounts of their process in class. We have used the assignment in two educational contexts—a seminar for first-year students and a one-off lifelong learning course for adults over the age of 50.

Key Features of This Assignment

Exploring AI-Generated Poetry
Students experiment with AI to generate poetry, refining prompts to better control tone, structure, and thematic elements.
Critical Engagement with AI Output
By analyzing AI-generated verses, students assess coherence, originality, and poetic devices, strengthening their analytical and interpretive skills.
Enhancing Creative Expression
Through iterative prompt adjustments, students develop a deeper understanding of poetic composition and expand their creative writing techniques.