Customer Reviews

Poem, Revised: 54 Poems, Revisions, Discussions

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Robert Hartwell Fiske and Laura Cherry have assembled a bonanza of first person accounts from contemporary poets discussing how they revise. It is a generous and often very wise book, which will repay many readings. I predict that it will become one of those books often used in poetry workshops and in similar mentor-student interactions, especially for those faced with the eternal dilemma of students who believe their work has come down to them, like Charlton Heston in The Ten Commandments, directly from divine inspiration.

There are no superstar poets here, just hardworking journeymen and women talking about the problem that trips us all up at one time or another, how to get yourself out of the habit of loving your own words too much.

There is not a huge range of poetry either, but we've all written poems about nature, landscapes, art, personal problems, politics, and of course, about the act of writing poetry itself, especially in this modern world which has devalued poetry to the extent that it is generally discounted as a profession.

Some first drafts are presented with their pants down, as it were, all the original faults and pretensions left in--a clever designer has been able to include some of these in facsimile, so you see the regretful crossouts, the angry underscorings, the words added in desperate hope of recovery. Other writers give the original workshop assignments, prompts, or exercises that occasioned their pieces, and tell how they either obeyed the instructions or went out on their own, like birds on a limb. No two accounts are identical, though many share the same general linear narrative--I wrote something that didn't work, I fixed it, it's fine now. Editors Hartwell Fiske and Cherry point out humorously, that it's all in the eye of the beholder and some of us will prefer the penultimate draft to the one that the poet finally stopped working up. Or even the first draft, which is where I came in.

Writers were asked to perform a difficult act of exposure, which most carry off with utter grace. Now and then we get a poet with what seems like a little too much self-confidence, Martin Wallis, for example, who "humbly" points out the way his revisions add "exact observation," "precise language," "startling metaphor," etc., yes, but he has forgotten the meaning of "humbly." But I'm getting down on him unfairly, for all the writers were charged with showing how much revision improves their writing. He just took it to extremes. This is a thick book, practically a bible of advice, and should be helpful to every sort of poet, from beginner to Nobel Prize winner--anyone who's not too proud to "eat their words."

This book got me writing again. If you ever put pen to paper and have the unfortunate characteristic of being your own worst critic, like me, you know all too well how easy it is to get discouraged. The detailed and personal descriptions of the creative process provided by the writers of these wonderful poems are the most valuable part of the book.

I particularly enjoyed Rhoda Greenstone's A Letter From L.A., and even more so her explanation of how the four versions came to be. Having never been trained in the craft, I always thought that great writing comes out all at once like a great photo. So it's back to the old notebook for me, and I think I'll take it to those back roads in the Santa Inez mountains for a little inspiration.

If you know anyone with even a little interest in writing poetry, buy this book for them as a gift. It's a real motivator.

Ken in L.A.

I think this cover is a great indicator of the clever premise behind "Poem, Revised"

If you are at all interested in the construction of a poem, you will love this book. it's like eating a wonderful pie and then getting the recipe for it!

Beverly Perkins

Poem, Revised: 54 Poems, Revisions, Discussions

I have read many poetry related handbooks, and from my perspective this one clearly stands out. While there are many books concentrating on the matter of style, topics, prosody and other linguistic or theoretical aspects of poetry, this book is the only one that concentrates on the actual work of writing and rewriting a poem.

Here the poets themselves tell you step by step, how their selected poems were written, rewritten, written once more and written yet again. And during each step the poem approaches its maturity, its clearness and effectiveness. It is interesting to see all the aspects that the poets consider here when choosing just the right word into just the right place, or what kind of creative process is behind the final structure of a poem.

This book really teaches you the value of rubbish bin - how your poems benefit from trashing the parts and expressions that do now work for the poem, and refining and cultivating the parts that do. It is rare that the first version of a poem is the best it can be, but trough revision almost any poem can grow from gray potential into true art.

I just love this book.

I thought I sent this right away, sorry. I received the book the next day. If it was used, someone must have been very careful, as it looked brand new. I love buying from Amazon, as I always get served faster than they say they will and it is always high quality. Thank you so very very much.