Become familiar with selected excerpts from the Book of Exodus, Psalms, Job, and Proverbs and learn how (and why) poets have adapted these passages, lessons, and motifs in their poetry across time. We will discuss and expand our knowledge of biblical allusions, read insightful excerpts from literary critics (including Alter and others), and read poems by contemporary poets drawing from biblical stories, all in preparation for writing exercises designed to help us generate our own new poems based on the writing of the Old Testament.