Poet's Companion: A Guide to the Pleasures of Writing Poetry
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.\ 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,...
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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. Library Journal Poets Addonizio and Laux warn against clich, and although textbooks on writing come a dime a dozen these days, theirs is head and shoulders above the rest. There are three main sections: "Subjects for Writing" (e.g. death, the erotic), "The Poet's Craft" (metaphor, rhyme), and "The Writing Life" (self-doubt, writer's block); four separate appendixes list other writing texts, anthologies, marketing tips, and electronic resources. The many exercises offered emerge largely from the intensive one-day workshops conducted by Addonizio and Laux. Both knowledgeable and practical in their approach, the authors offer everything a poet needs, including one feature more necessary than ever in the postliterate age yet absent from other writing texts: a gentle yet insistent lesson on grammar. Highly recommended for all libraries.David Kirby, Florida State Univ., Tallahassee
Introduction11Subjects for WritingWriting and Knowing19The Family: Inspiration and Obstacle30Death and Grief39Writing the Erotic46The Shadow56Witnessing64Poetry of Place74The Poet's CraftImages85Simile and Metaphor94The Music of the Line104Voice and Style115Stop Making Sense: Dreams and Experiments129Meter, Rhyme, and Form138Repetition, Rhythm, and Blues151More Repetition: Villanelle, Pantoum, Sestina161A Grammatical Excursion171The Energy of Revision186The Writing LifeSelf-Doubt195Writer's Block199Writing in the Electronic Age204Getting Published217Twenty-Minute Writing Exercises225App. ABooks on Poetry and Writing257App. BAnthologies for Further Reading261App. CFinding Markets for Your Poems266App. DMore Resources for Writers267Credits272Index277
\ Library JournalPoets Addonizio and Laux warn against clich, and although textbooks on writing come a dime a dozen these days, theirs is head and shoulders above the rest. There are three main sections: "Subjects for Writing" e.g. death, the erotic, "The Poet's Craft" metaphor, rhyme, and "The Writing Life" self-doubt, writer's block; four separate appendixes list other writing texts, anthologies, marketing tips, and electronic resources. The many exercises offered emerge largely from the intensive one-day workshops conducted by Addonizio and Laux. Both knowledgeable and practical in their approach, the authors offer everything a poet needs, including one feature more necessary than ever in the postliterate age yet absent from other writing texts: a gentle yet insistent lesson on grammar. Highly recommended for all libraries.David Kirby, Florida State Univ., Tallahassee\ \
