How to Read a Poem...: and Start a Poetry Circle [Paperback]

Molly Peacock (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 6, 2000

Molly Peacock has already brought poetry into people's lives with her sold-out lectures, NPR appearances, and the creation of the "Poetry in Motion" program in the subway systems of major cities. Now she offers a book that strips away poetry's scary mystique, introducing readers to its pleasures and inspiring them to form their own poetry circles with friends. Poetry is an invitation into new worlds both interior and exterior -- and with this delightful volume, Molly Peacock shows us how to accept that invitation.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Although it was only a decade ago that doomsayers foresaw the death of poetry as a viable literary genre, there has been a remarkable resurgence of interest. Poetry slams at bookstores and nightclubs, "Poets in the Schools" programs, and the unprecedented appearance of poets on mainstream television all point to the renewed popularity of the genre. Here are two new guides designed to enrich the experience of poetry. Hirsch (On Love, LJ 6/15/98) has gathered an eclectic group of poems from many times and places, with selections as varied as postwar Polish poetry, works by Keats and Christopher Smart, and lyrics from African American work songs. A prolific, award-winning poet in his own right, Hirsch suggests helpful strategies for understanding and appreciating each poem. The book is scholarly but very readable and incorporates interesting anecdotes from the lives of the poets. Part poetry explication and part memoir, Peacock's charming book includes 18 favorite poems that she has collected and cherished over the years. Offering sensitive interpretations of each work, Peacock tends to favor modern and contemporary poets such as May Swenson, Elizabeth Bishop, and Yusef Komunyakaa. Like Hirsch, Peacock is a popular and critically acclaimed poet; she is also a founder of the "Poetry in Motion" program that puts poetry in America's buses and subways. Peacock encourages the shared enjoyment of poetry through reading groups and provides practical advice for organizing a poetry circle. Most public libraries will want to acquire the Peacock book, while Hirsch is a good choice for academic and larger public libraries.AEllen Sullivan, Ferguson Lib., Stamford, CT
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Kirkus Reviews

In a successful effort to demonstrate the value of her oft-neglected medium, poet and memoirist Molly Peacock (Paradise, Piece by Piece, 1998, etc.) guides the reader through 13 of her favorite poems with grace, humor, and warmth. Peacock, who has been responsible for bringing poetry into the lives of millions of commuters via the nationwide Poetry in Motion series, now sets herself to the task of helping readers understand just what it is they are reading. Starting at her own childhood delight in the appearance and construction of words, and with a brief and painless stop to explain her basic terminology, Peacock moves on to detailed readings of her talismansthe poems that are emblematic of the various emotions or stages of her life. She presents a selection of poets diverse in both style and period. From the soothing repetition of the late Jane Kenyons hymnlike Let Evening Come, which she recommends as a spiritual tonic, to the unadorned free verse of Yusef Komunyakaas My Fathers Loveletters, with which she examines her own family life, Peacock rarely falters as she reveals the nuances of language and meaning inherent in each writers work. Occasionally the authors own poetic constructions obscure the clarity she is trying to elicit from the poems; but her sheer delight in them is infectious even when her point is unclear. The final chapter of the book is dedicated to advocating that readers start poetry circles, and Peacock has fellow poets suggest their own talisman poems for readers use. Poetry circles, the author writes, make you know you have a soul, and that other people do, too. A fervent claim, but one that Peacock has, with this book, made valid. Essential for poetry novices yet thoroughly enjoyable for initiates, this illuminating handbook is a joy. (author tour) -- Copyright ©1999, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Riverhead Trade (March 6, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1573227854
• ISBN-13: 978-1573227858
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5.1 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #543,084 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How to Read a Poem and Start a Poetry Circle, December 27, 1999

By 

Joy Frelinger (Chapel Hill, NC) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How To Read a Poem...and Start a Poetry Circle (Hardcover)

Do you know Robert Pinsky's talisman poem? How about the favorite poem of Robt. Bly, W.S. Merwin, Joy Harjo, Mary Oliver, Jane Kenyon, Naomi Shahib Nye, or Donald Hall? Molly Peacock does and she presents the list of talisman poems from 60 contemporary poets in the back matter of her book. This list provides a great springboard for further reading! Peacock begins How to Read a Poem--And Start a Poetry Circle by discussing her JOY of language and poetry and then goes on to present 13 of her favorite poems. She explains how these poems have enriched her journey. This book does exactly what the title promises. Peacock discusses the rich qualities of her favorite poems and then tells the reader how to find the same enjoyment in starting a poetry circle of their own. If you love poetry, you'll love this book. Like a good poem, you'll come back to it again and again.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book should be required reading., July 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: How To Read a Poem...and Start a Poetry Circle (Hardcover)

The only other book that hovers in the "shimmering verge" between essay and lyric poem the way this book does is Anne Carson's Eros the Bittersweet. Peacock's book is written in a style that never talks down to seasoned poets, yet clarifies even the most complex poetics for those new to this art. When all is said and done, that is precisely what this book is: a thrillingly beautiful work of art. I am enriched by it.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Poetry as Joy and Gift, June 19, 2000

By 

Nick Ingram - See all my reviews

This review is from: How To Read a Poem...and Start a Poetry Circle (Hardcover)

This book is, in short, a gift - luminous and elegant and joyful. Buy a copy for yourself and you will give one to someone you love...and you will have forever a place inside of you to return that only great art can create. Lovers of poems and thoughtful, soulful prose that gives of itself in a nearly endless fashion will cherish this book, I believe. And so the 'Circle' becomes larger where everything that is true of human experience is welcome in the most well-wrought form. Molly Peacock is the finest kind of teacher.