Contemporary American Poetry: "Not the End, but the Beginning" (Poetry Rocks!)

Llanas, Sheila Griffin

ISBN 10: 0766032795 ISBN 13: 9780766032798

Publisher: Enslow Pub Inc, 2010

Synopsis

Poet William Stafford wrote, "A poem is not the end, but the beginning, of an excursion." This collection, highlighting American poets born after the beginning of the twentieth century, helps young readers get started on their excursion into understanding poetry. The book includes brief biographies of eleven poets, ranging from Theodore Roethke to Allen Ginsberg, Sylvia Plath, and Billy Collins, along with several poems for each writer. It also introduces the techniques of analysis to deepen readers’ appreciation of poetry.

About this title

From Booklist:

The Poetry Rocks! series continues with two volumes, each introducing 11 respected poets in chapters that include succinct biographical profiles, a few short poems or excerpts from longer ones, and discussions briefly summarizing and interpreting aspects of the verse. Adding a textbook-like element to the titles, the questions that conclude the discussion sections seem more likely to appeal to teachers than to students. The books’ organization and presentation are clear, though the titles’ terms of “contemporary” and “modern” are rather broadly applied. Spotlighting poets Theodore Roethke, Elizabeth Bishop, William Stafford, Robert Lowell, Gwendolyn Brooks, Richard Wilbur, Allen Ginsberg, W. S. Merwin, Sylvia Plath, Billy Collins, and Louise Glück, Contemporary American Poetry offers a quick but quite readable introduction to each one. Illustrated mainly with photos and other portraits of the poets, the books use colorful backgrounds for introductions, poems, and sidebars. Each chapter includes a list of the writer’s major works, and the books conclude with chapter notes, a glossary, and brief lists of general books and Web sites related to poetry of the period. Useful additions to library collections. Grades 9-12. --Carolyn Phelan

About this edition

• Publisher: Enslow Pub Inc
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0766032795
• ISBN 13: 9780766032798
• Binding: Library Binding
• Number of pages: 160