"A much-admired academic critic and poet, Longenbach (Draft of a Letter) contributes to this useful new series of pocket-sized writing guides with clear, swift prose that explains how poets have thought about kinds of lines; how the line, or the idea of the line, distinguishes poetry (even prose poetry) from ordinary prose; how reference to dramatic verse (especially Shakespeare's) can help us think about verse lines on the page; and how the kinds of line he identifies — the end-stopped (punctuated) line, the 'parsing' line (which follows a phrase's syntax), and the 'annotating' line (which works against it) — combine to make memorable modern poems. A set of examples from William Carlos Williams demonstrate how Williams's freewheeling prose let him evolve from less interesting to more powerful versions of free verse. Passages from Marianne Moore, C.D. Wright, Emily Dickinson, Ezra Pound and Frank Bidart also receive incisive comment. 'No particular line,' Longenbach writes, 'needs to be championed at the expense of other kinds.' He tries hard — some may think too hard — not to lose any beginners: the result is a short book that could be useful in college and high school courses, while also appealing to general poetry readers." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Drawing on classic examples of metered lines, syllabic lines, and free verse lines, Longenbach (English, U. of Rochester) provides a succinct critique of how the power of the poetic line arises from the relationship between the lines and the syntax of a particular poem. The pocket-sized book includes suggestions for further reading. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

The Art Of series is a new line of books reinvigorating the practice of craft and criticism. Each book will be a brief, witty, and useful exploration of fiction, nonfiction, or poetry by a writer impassioned by a singular craft issue. The Art Of volumes will provide a series of sustained examinations of key but sometimes neglected aspects of creative writing by some of contemporary literature' s finest practioners. Poetry is the sound of language organized in lines. James Longenbach opens this provocative book with that essential statement. Through a range of examples-- from Shakespeare and Milton to Ashbery and Glu ck-- Longenbach describes the function of line in metered, rhymed, syllabic, and free-verse poetry. The Art of the Poetic Line is a vital new resource by one of America' s most important critics and most engaging poets.

James Longenbach is the author of three poetry collections, including Draft of a Letter; five works of criticism, including The Resistance to Poetry, as well as numerous essays and reviews. He is Joseph Henry Gilmore Professor of English at the University of Rochester.