Poem-Making: Ways to Begin Writing Poetry

Livingston, Myra Cohn

ISBN 10: 0060240202 ISBN 13: 9780060240202

Publisher: Charlotte Zolotow Books by HarperCollins, 1991

Synopsis

Introduces the different kinds of poetry and the mechanics of writing poetry, providing an opportunity for the reader to experience the joy of making a poem.

About this title

About the Author

Myra Cohn Livingston has over 50 books to her credit, including (with Norma Faber) These Small Things, a 1987 ALA Notable Book a Booklist Editors’ Choice, and a CCBC Choice. She has twice won the Texas Institute of Letters award, and she received the 1980 NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4-9-- This well-known poet, anthologist, and teacher demonstrates what makes a poem a poem in a concise, simple, readable manner. She explains the various voices of poetry; types of rhyme; and other elements of sound, rhythm, and metrics. She also discusses figures of speech such as simile, metaphor, and personification; and the forms of haiku, cinquain, limerick, free verse, and concrete poetry. The book is organized well, each chapter building successfully on the previous one. The examples throughout draw from the works of many familiar poets, and effectively illustrate Livingston's points. However, there are no explanations for the notations used to diagram meter; for some they may be obvious in context, but perhaps not for all. The author treats mechanics and style with much more detail than X. J. Kennedy's Knock at a Star (Little, 1985), which, while it supplies excellent and profuse examples and is extremely readable, only touches on the surface, especially where it concerns meter. While this book is an excellent introduction to the serious craftsmanship of poetry for beginners, it ends rather abruptly and, because its approach is more academic than in other books, it is likely that few children will pick it up on their own. It will certainly be useful for teachers, easily refreshing their memories of the basics and giving them a guideline to follow in teaching poetry. --Annette Curtis Klause, Montgomery County Department of Public Libraries, MD
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Charlotte Zolotow Books by HarperCollins
• Publication date: 1991
• ISBN 10: 0060240202
• ISBN 13: 9780060240202
• Binding: Library Binding
• Number of pages: 162