The Poet's Companion: A Guide to the Pleasures of Writing Poetry - Softcover

Addonizio, Kim; Laux, Dorianne

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0393316548 ISBN 13: 9780393316544

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company, 1997

Synopsis

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.

The Poet's Companion presents brief essays on the elements of poetry, technique, and suggested subjects for writing, each followed by distinctive writing exercises. The ups and downs of writing life―including self-doubt and writer's block―are here, along with tips about getting published and writing in the electronic age. On your own, this book can be your "teacher," while groups, in or out of the classroom, can profit from sharing weekly assignments.

About this title

About the Authors

Kim Addonizio is the author of eight poetry collections and two books on writing poetry: The Poet’s Companion and Ordinary Genius. Her collection Tell Me was a finalist for the National Book Award. She lives in Oakland, California.

Dorianne Laux’s poetry collections include Only as the Day Is Long, finalist for the Pulitzer Prize; The Book of Men, winner of the Paterson Poetry Prize; and Facts about the Moon, winner of the Oregon Book Award. She is the coauthor of The Poet’s Companion: A Guide to the Pleasures of Writing Poetry. A founding faculty member of Pacific University’s Low Residency MFA Program, she lives in Richmond, California.

Reviews

Poets Addonizio and Laux warn against cliche, 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
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Edition details

• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Publication date: 1997
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0393316548
• ISBN 13: 9780393316544
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 284