writers.com bookstore

Poetry

Arranged alphabetically by author; click on title for more information.

The Poet's Companion: A Guide to the Pleasures of Writing Poetry
Kim Addonizio, Dorianne Laux
An impassioned exploration of poetry writing that addresses subject matter, craft, and the writing life. The reigning wisdom is that poets, like other creative writers, should write what they know. Gerald Stern says: "The Poet's Companion is an intelligent, lucid conversation -- between the authors and between them and us. I have been with them all -- there is no better companion!"

The Triggering Town: Lectures and Essays on Poetry and Writing
Richard Hugo
Originally published in 1979, this remains one of the freshest and most refreshing treatises on the writing of poetry. While you won't find formality or nicety here, Hugo has the unusual quality of being highly opinionated and yet not at all convinced that what works for him will work for you. Hugo doesn't believe that he can teach you how to write; he believes he can teach you how he writes, and by doing so, teach you "how to teach yourself how to write."

In the Palm of Your Hand: The Poet's Portable Workshop
Steve Kowit
Employs more than 100 poems and excerpts to illustrate discussions on everything from metaphor to meter to metaphysics. Working your way through this book--and it is work--is like sitting in on a terrific creative-writing seminar, minus the criticism (both constructive and destructive) of fellow students. If you go by the book, you'll have written at least 69 poems by the end. Because of its explication of the basic tenets of poetry, In the Palm of Your Hand might be mistaken for a beginners' book only. That would be a shame. There are so many good ideas here that more experienced poets won't want to miss out; Kowit has lots of exciting ways to invigorate one's writing.

A Poetry Handbook
Mary Oliver
In clear, accessible prose, Oliver (winner of both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award for poetry) arms the reader with an understanding of the technical aspects of poetry writing. Her lessons on sound, line (length, meter, breaks), poetic forms (and lack thereof), tone, imagery, and revision are illustrated by a handful of wonderful poems. Infused throughout with Oliver's passion for her subject, which she describes as "a kind of possible love affair between something like the heart (that courageous but also shy factory of emotion) and the learned skills of the conscious mind."

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