If you happen to have a favorite poet who is not yet represented on our syllabus, you will have the opportunity to introduce that poet to the class in the form of a presentation. Also, if you have a professional interest in a particular poet—for instance, as a singer familiar with settings of poems that we are reading, or as a composer interested in setting one or more texts—I will invite you to share with the class the connections you have made with that poem or poet. Whether you already love poetry or not, I hope you will discover over the course of the semester why a recent Johns Hopkins medical study concludes, “Research shows that poetry—reading, writing, speaking it—can help support our mental health, especially in times of great need. Poetry can provide comfort and boost mood during periods of stress, trauma and grief. Its powerful combination of words, metaphor and meter help us better express ourselves and make sense of the world and our place in it.”