The Teachers and Writers Handbook of Poetic Forms [Paperback]

Edited by Ron Padgett (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0915924609 | ISBN-13: 978-0915924608 | Publication Date: June 1, 2000 | Edition: 2

A reference guide to various forms of poetry with entries arranged in alphabetical order. Each entry defines the form and gives its history, examples, and suggestions for usage. For this second revised edition of the Handbook, 19 teaching poets have written 76 entries on traditional and modern poetic forms. The Handbook succintly defines the forms, summarizes ther histories, quotes good examples (both ancient and modern), and offers professional tricks of the trade on how to use each form.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A small wonder." -- Poetry Project Newsletter

"A treasure." -- Kliatt

"This colorful and entertaining reference work is what can what can happen when those who practice and preach poetry..." -- Teaching English in the Two-Year College

About the Author

Ron Padgett is Editor-in-Chief of the three-volume World Poets (Scribners). His many books of poetry include New & Selected Poems (Godine) and Great Balls of Fire (Coffee House). He is the translator of Blaise Cendrars's Complete Poems.

Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Teachers & Writers Collaborative; 2 edition (June 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0915924609
• ISBN-13: 978-0915924608
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 6.7 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #59,399 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #64 in Books > Literature & Fiction > Books & Reading > Reference

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Simply the Best Poetry Handbook, March 7, 2005

By 

Jennifer Siegel "Jennifer Semple Siegel" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Teachers and Writers Handbook of Poetic Forms (Paperback)

No adequate superlative exists for this poetry handbook--simply the best on the market. Rarely does a writing handbook work for all age groups, but this solid one does. Even elementary teachers could use some of the poetic forms, such as couplets, haiku, and nonsense poems, for their classes, and, yet, professional writers can dip into this densely rich (yet compact) volume and pull out an appropriate form from the 75+ forms offered.

I have used this handbook for my college creative writing classes since 1998; as writing fads come and go, this poetry handbook endures because it offers a simple, yet interesting, approach to writing poetry: a short history of the form; a brief explanation on how the form works; when appropriate, a sample poem (or verses) showing the form in action; and, in some cases, a diagram for the more complicated forms, such as the sestina and pantoum.

Semester after semester, my students praise this book, and many decide to keep it for their libraries, instead of reselling it to the college bookstore. I keep searching, but I have not been able to find its fiction handbook counterpart. Ron Padgett has done a fine job of compiling the forms, researching their histories, and finding stellar sample poems to show how the forms work. I hope this handbook NEVER goes out of print!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The absolute best book on poetry forms on the market today., March 26, 2010

By 

Joseph J. Truncale "warriorwriter" (Vernon Hills, Il) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Teachers and Writers Handbook of Poetic Forms (Paperback)

First off, having read and reviewed numerous books on poetry, I have to say this is the best book I have ever read on poetic forms. This text explains the history and how to use each of the 74 basic forms.

Some of these include the abstract poem, the alphabet poem, the ballad, blank verse, blues poems, canto, canzone, chant, cinquain, light verse, quatrain, haiku, sonnet, tanka, renga and numerous other poetic forms.

The entries include examples from the legendary Shakespeare, Woody Guthrie, Edgar Allan Poe, John Milton, Robert Frost, Walt Whitman, Basho, John Keats, Dylan Thomas and many other famous poets.

One of the fantastic things about this book is how clear and direct the explanations are of each poetic form. Teachers of poetry will especially love this book.

In conclusion, this is a book for anyone interested in learning the history and basic principles of poetic forms. Rating: 5 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Season of the Warrior: A Poetic Tribute to Warriors).

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A good teacher/student guide, October 19, 2008

By 

kansaspoet "Larry" (Kansas) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Teachers and Writers Handbook of Poetic Forms (Paperback)

I found that this is a good guide for teachers of poetry who desire to offer form poetry to students with little exposure to various forms. As one who has researched many forms, I was hoping to find unique forms within this book, which was not the case. It is a good foundational book for students and teachers, but for poets familiar with the more common forms and seeking to expand into new areas of poetic form, it is probably not the best of guides, which is why I have rated it a little lower.