Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(26)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I almost ruled out reading this book when I read the author's (to me) bold statement on page 225: "Can you write a poem in 20 minutes? We seriously doubt it."

Being, at times, a very fast poet, I *gasped* when I read that assertion! (Don't ask me how I got to page 225 before I read the rest of the book but nonetheless, it stuck out to me!)

I kept at it, though, and found my way through the original assessment and into many of the glorious exercises, the truth in words that I so resonate with such as "We don't believe in writer's block. We believe there are times when you are empty and times when you are full."

The section on Metrical poetry is truly magical - I enjoyed learning about how Free-Verse as a form blossomed as well.

There are also many, many valuable resources in the appendices such as Books on Poetry and Writing, Finding Markets for Your Poetry and More Resources for Writers.

Finally, this book is chock full of exercises so that you can continue picking it up and revisit, use, revisit, use some more, revisit over and over again. Definitely worth the investment AND I am so glad I didn't toss it all because of one difference in opinion.

I've grown a little cynical at the plethora of "How to Write Poetry" books that are out there - I've either read or bought well over two dozen of the things. Most of them are simply saying the same thing over and over and over, and leave you wondering whether the writers are all reading and recycling each other's How To books ...

But this one is different. It is incredibly readable for a start, manages to be warm and friendly and funny at the same time as showing new ways to look at the craft of writing. The best example I can give you is the chapter on grammar ... a terrifying ordeal for a great many of us. But somehow this pair have managed to make it INTERESTING and INSPIRING! They are like the sort of English teacher you wish you could have had at High School. Remember Robin Williams in "Dead Poets Society"? Now you get the picture.

Look, I could go on for hours on this book. Beg, borrow or steal a copy for yourself. This book brought me to tears - all I kept thinking was that it was exactly the book that I needed right now. Try it. You'll agree.

I picked this book up by coincidence and am very pleased with it. The authors take a very low key, non-intrusive style combine with their extensive knowledge and experience. There is an inviting style to the book that made it immediately appealing. What I liked most was that the book focused on its basic theme, the pleasures of writing good poetry and then stuck to it without either going away on tangents or repeating their points over and over again as some other authors tend to do.

Each chapter ends with exercises that appear simple and are designed to be so - but allow you to explore specific areas and concepts.

They have also selected sample poems to illustrate specific points (they are terrific poems to boot!).

My favorite chapters were the ones on rhyme, rythm and repetition. I was worried that since modern poetry has become so free form that there was no more place for rhyme, rythm or repetition and the authors do a fine job of explaining their role in today's poetry.

I fully expect to be using this wonderful book as a guide and inspiration for a long time to come.

Excellent book. The exercises are phenomenal. I tried the exercise that gives you about 14 words you must use in the body of your poem,. From this exercise I wrote two poems. One abstract and one long. Each poem was published. I also did the exercise with a suggested title, this was published. Kim and Dorriane give you clear examples of different types of poetry. The authors knowledge is so deep you learn the inner life of quality poetry and what makes a poem resonate to others. I recommend this book to any aspiring poet. This book is priceless.

It comes as no surpise (since Dorianne Laux is a great poet and Addonzio is one of the best of her generation) that this is a great guide to writing poety (I love the subtitle: "A Guide to the Pleasures of Writing Poetry"-- note the pleasures). And it's good for any level of experience. It has a lot to teach the beginner, a help to the intermediate, and even the advanced student of poetry can get some ideas from this book. The first section of the book covers some subjects for writing, including family, death, and the erotic. Most of the book discussing the craft of poetry. The chapters deal with images, simile and metaphore, the line, voice, dreams and experiments, meter and rhyme, repetition and rhythm, the villanell, panotoum, and sestina, grammr, and revision. Then they have a section titled "The Writing Life" which deals with self-doubt, writer's block, getting published, and the internet. Most of the chapters end with writing exercises, to help give you ideas for poems and practice at writing. And at the end of the book they have their "Tweny-Minute Wriitng Exercises." Addonizio and Laux chose, in general, great poems to illustrate whatever they are discussing. And the book even has several useful appenices: Books on Poetry and Writing; Anthologies for Further Reading; Finding Markets for Your Poems; and More Resources for Writers. It's a great guide and useful teaching tool, and told in a conversational, interesting voice. It's a purchase no poet will regret.

Laux and Addonizio have put together a supurb collection of essays, examples and ideas for poets and writers at all levels of accomplishment. The chapters are short, readable, written with ease and authority. The example poems they use are invariably superb and illustrative. Laux and Addonizio are particularly adept at demystifying the writing process for beginnners. The appendices in the back provide valuable information on a range of writing resources, such as literary internet sites, annotated lists of poetry anthologies and other books on writing. There are countless middle-of-the-road guidebooks on poetry writing, sometimes helpful, often cumbersome, lofty or skewed in their aesthetic toward the precious or the academic. The Poet's Companion is fresh, unpompous and sound through and through. As a veteran high school creative writing teacher, and a poet with two books of my own out, I speak from some experience. --Douglas Goetsch

I love poetry, writing it and reading it, but I took a mysterious hiatus from the poetical life for about twenty years and have just come back into the fold. I bought this book, hoping it would stir my inner seas to write again. And it most assuredly has. The chapters focus on subjects for writing poetry and conventions of the craft itself. Each chapter has extensive examples of poems on that topic and gives many exercises to try, or not try, whatever pleases you at the moment. There are also "twenty minute" exercises in the back, but I've spent hours or days creating poems from that resource. For poets interested in publishing, there are a few chapters on this enterprise, but sadly, some of the web links are out of date, since the book was written in 1997. So much has changed on the Web since then. Although I've read the book from beginning to end, now I randomly open to any chapter, select an exercise to try and write away. There is so much material here that I can see myself using their exercises for years. So the price of the book is well worth it. I often experience "writer's block," hence the twenty year layoff, but because I am generally an agile writer, all I usually need is a gentle nudge in a certain direction. Some might argue that a "true" poet doesn't need some book to spur them into writing. Well that's possibly true or possibly not, but when my muse has flown, I need some tangible evidence that she still exists. Perhaps this book helps me with that issue, maybe it will help you too.

This is a great book for both beginners who know little about the stylistic concerns of poetry as well as veterans of the craft who need a resource to tap into once in a while. I also think this would be a great book for a poetry writing class or workshop. Anyone who wants to write good poetry should have this book, preferably on the desk within reach. You never know when your muse will call; you need to be ready when she does.

For several years now, I have used this book as a required text for my introduction to creative writing and introduction to poetry courses. My students love everything about this book: the poems, the explanations of craft, the information about publishing and blocks, etc. etc.

I love this book. After reading the first chapter early one morning I went outside to feed and water my cats and came in and wrote a poem about flowing water, tangled morning glories and memories of my mother. It's one of the most inspiring, practical and encouraging books about writing poetry that I've ever read, and trust me, I've read them all. It has technical information and poems to illustrate each chapter, which is very helpful. The suggestions at the end of each chapter are down to earth and do-able, unlike some books that are just too high-minded for the average person. If you love to write poems and just need some inspiration and a little advice and encouragement, then definitely buy this book. It's worth its weight in gold!

This terrific handbook contains not only logical and stimulating discussions of the subjects and styles that make up poetry--it also has a treasuretrove of writing exercises, a la Hugo's "triggering town," that spur on even a poet in a lethargic phase to experiment in a wide range of poetic possibilities. The suggestions for writing are some of the best I've ever seen; I'll be using many of them in my teaching.

Functional AND entertaining. With this book by your side, there's no excuse not to Write On.