Synopses & Reviews
In this fortuitous collaboration, two spirited poets, themselves teachers of poetry, offer guidance to aspiring beginners and those who have already published. Brief essays on the elements of poetry, technique, and suggested subjects for writing are each followed by distinctive writing exercises. ("Compare an actual family photograph with one that was never taken, but might have been.") The ups and downs of the writing life--including the inevitable visitations of self-doubt and writer's block--are here, along with tips about getting published. A special section contains twenty-minute writing exercises, and valuable appendixes cover further reading and marketing advice. On your own, this book can be your "teacher," while groups, in or out of the classroom, can profit from sharing weekly assignments.
Numerous examples of contemporary poetry, chosen for relevance and freshness, illustrate salient points and stimulate the imagination. By calling on their own experience and focusing on living American writers for their models, the authors introduce you to poetry as it is right now.
Review
"This feels like the book we've been waiting for: rigorous, generous, in love with the art of poetry, aware of the inner architecture of poems--and maybe it couldn't have been written by anyone but Kim Addonizio and Dorianne Laux, two passionate poets." Marie Howe
Review
"An intelligent, lucid conversation--between the authors and between them and us. I have been with them all--there is no better companion!" Gerald Stern
Review
"Thoughtful, generous, and accurate to both deeper truths and the craftwork it takes to hold them . . . a superb guide for the working poet." Jane Hirshfield
Review
"" Marie Howe
Review
"" Gerald Stern
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"" Jane Hirshfield
Synopsis
From the nuts and bolts of craft to the sources of inspiration, this book is for anyone who wants to write poetry-and do it well.
Synopsis
?presents brief essays on the elements of poetry, technique, and suggested subjects for writing, each followed by distinctive writing exercises. The ups and downs of writing life--including self-doubt and writer's block--are here, along with tips about getting published and writing in the electronic age. On your own, this book can be your "teacher," while groups, in or out of the classroom, can profit from sharing weekly assignments.
Description
Includes bibliographical references (p. [257]-271) and index.
About the Author
Kim Addonizio is a fiction writer, poet, and teacher. Her poetry collections include Tell Me, a finalist for the National Book Award, What Is This Thing Called Love, and Lucifer at the Starlite. She lives in Oakland, California.Dorianne Laux is the author of five collections of poetry: Facts About the Moon, What We Carry, Smoke, Awake, and The Book of Men. She has been the recipient of the Oregon Book Award and was short-listed for the Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize. Among her awards are a Pushcart Prize and a Guggenheim Fellowship. She teaches at North Carolina State University and lives in Raleigh.