Synopses & Reviews
Writing Poetry combines an accessible introduction to the essential elements of the craft, with a critical awareness of its historical, ideological and aesthetic underpinnings. The authors argue that separating the making of poems from critical thinking about them is a false divide and encourage students to delve deeper into their work by becoming accomplished critics and active readers of poetic texts.
The book presents a range of strategies and practical exercises to help initiate and sustain the process of making poems, while also demonstrating the value of activities such as memorizing poems, reading and writing about poetic traditions, developing manifestos and statements of aesthetics, and composing self-reviews which place poems within critical context.
The first book designed specifically to meet the needs of students studying poetry writing in the context of criticism and literary study, this is an invaluable guide to all aspiring poets.
Synopsis
Combines an accessible introduction to the essential elements of the craft, with a critical awareness of its underpinnings. The authors argue that separating the making of poems from critical thinking about them is a false divide and encourage students to become accomplished critics and active readers of poetic texts.
About the Author
CHAD DAVIDSON is Lecturer in Creative Writing and Literature at University of West Georgia (USA). He is the author of Consolation Miracle (Southern Illinois UP, 2003), winner of the Crab Orchard Prize in Poetry, and has published essays, translations, creative nonfiction, and poems in such journals as AGNI, The Paris Review, Prairie Schooner, Shenandoah, Virginia Quarterly Review, The Writer's Chronicle, and others. GREGORY FRASER is Lecturer in Creative Writing and Literature at University of West Georgia (USA). He is the recipient of a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and has had poems appearing in journals such as The Southern Review, The Paris Review, The Chicago Review, and others. Fraser's first book of poems, "Strange Pietà," was published in 2003 by Texas Tech UP.
Table of Contents
Introduction to Writing Poetry: Creative and Critical Approaches * PART ONE: FOUNDATIONS * Establishing Practice * Form and Structure * Voice * Style * Subject * The Cultures of Poetry Writing * Key Points: Foundation of Poetry Writing * Foundation Exercises * PART TWO: SPECULATIONS * Exploring Possibilities * Forms and Structures * Voices * Styles * Subjects * The Cultures of Poetry Writing * Key Points: Speculations in Poetry Writing * Speculative Exercises * Further Reading * Bibliography * Index Introduction to Writing Poetry: Creative and Critical Approaches * PART ONE: FOUNDATIONS * Establishing Practice * Form and Structure * Voice * Style * Subject * The Cultures of Poetry Writing * Key Points: Foundation of Poetry Writing * Foundation Exercises * PART TWO: SPECULATIONS * Exploring Possibilities * Forms and Structures * Voices * Styles * Subjects * The Cultures of Poetry Writing * Key Points: Speculations in Poetry Writing * Speculative Exercises * Further Reading * Bibliography * Index