ISBN-10: 0230008127 | ISBN-13: 978-0230008120 | Publication Date: January 6, 2009 | Edition: First Edition
Writing Poetry combines an accessible introduction to the essential elements of the craft, with a critical awareness of its historical, ideological and aesthetic underpinnings. The authors argue that separating the making of poems from critical thinking about them is a false divide and encourage students to delve deeper into their work by becoming accomplished critics and active readers of poetic texts.
The book presents a range of strategies and practical exercises to help initiate and sustain the process of making poems, while also demonstrating the value of activities such as memorizing poems, reading and writing about poetic traditions, developing manifestos and statements of aesthetics, and composing self-reviews which place poems within critical context.
The first book designed specifically to meet the needs of students studying poetry writing in the context of criticism and literary study, this is an invaluable guide to all aspiring poets.
CHAD DAVIDSON is Lecturer in Creative Writing and Literature at University of West Georgia (USA). He is the author of Consolation Miracle (Southern Illinois UP, 2003), winner of the Crab Orchard Prize in Poetry, and has published essays, translations, creative nonfiction, and poems in such journals as AGNI, The Paris Review, Prairie Schooner, Shenandoah, Virginia Quarterly Review, The Writer's Chronicle, and others.
GREGORY FRASER is Lecturer in Creative Writing and Literature at University of West Georgia (USA). He is the recipient of a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts and has had poems appearing in journals such as The Southern Review, The Paris Review, The Chicago Review, and others. Fraser's first book of poems, "Strange Pietà," was published in 2003 by Texas Tech UP.
Product Details
Paperback: 224 pages
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan; First Edition edition (January 6, 2009)
This review is from: Writing Poetry: Creative and Critical Approaches (Approaches to Writing) (Paperback)
Davidson and Fraser's central argument (that you can't have good poetry without a solid understanding of criticism--and vice versa) bolsters their fundamental belief in the creative rigor that being either a poet or a critic requires. Their nuts-and-bolts calisthenics strengthen the mechanisms of the craft through analyzing and emulating the poetic techniques of both legends and learners. Rather than being a stolid poetry-writing book, this text will appeal to anyone interested in establishing, developing, or honing his or her creative writing skills.
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This review is from: Writing Poetry: Creative and Critical Approaches (Approaches to Writing) (Paperback)
In this detailed guide to writing poetry, Chad Davidson and Greg Fraser--each accomplished poets and professors in their own right--pull back the curtain and give light on the process of writing behind strong poetry. With examples from Eliot, Frost, Dickinson, and students, they illustrate a broad spectrum of the genre and explain the work that goes into writing strong poetry. Through illustrating necessary writing habits, providing engaging exercises, and critically analyzing existing poetry, Davidson and Fraser show what strong writing looks like, how one critically converses with it, and how it is that you get there yourself. This book is an absolute must for anyone interested in poetry, whether it be in writing it, analyzing it, or simply reading it.
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