You Can Write Poetry (Paperback)

by Jeff Mock (Author) "Toward the end of autumn, early on a Saturday so sunny and blue that you can see for miles through the crystal air, my wife..." (more)
Key Phrases: predominant rhythm, enjambed lines, true rhyme, Robert Frost, William Stafford, Saint Thomas (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Poetry''s forms, styles and structures are illustrated through the work of Shakespeare, e.e. cummings, Tim Geiger and others. These poems, and dozens of hands on practice sessions, will inspire readers to experiment with language, and write poetry.'

Product Details

• Paperback: 119 pages
• Publisher: Walking Stick Press; 1st edition (June 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0898798256
• ISBN-13: 978-0898798258
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #737,896 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Buy this book!, November 21, 2001

By	Eve Traveler (Northeast) - See all my reviews

I have to admit that I am a bit skeptical about a book series such as this one and about a book with a title like this. Could it really be that simple? YES. Jeff Mock's book provides the perfect blend of anecdote, writing samples, exercises, advice, and knowledge to help anyone begin to write poetry. While Jeff Mock seems to be highly intelligent, his text is accessible even for the beginning poetry writer. His poems are excellent. I like that he made poetry terminology understandable. His exercises have resulted in many, many poems. Thanks, Jeff Mock!!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gets You Writing~!, December 22, 2000

By	Gordon Clapp (Van Buren, Ohio) - See all my reviews

I read many books on writing poetry. I picked this up at the same time I did 6 others. While I read this book I ended up writing a dozen poems before I had finished reading it. I have read the others and wrote very few poems in comparison to this one book. I am planning on reading this book again in 2001 I may very well end up writing another dozen poems.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good for Writers -- Equally Good for Readers, November 20, 2005

By	Cortland Kirkeby (Oakland, CA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Mock's book qualifies as a great achievement, not only as a guide to writing poetry, but also as a guide to studying poetry.

The study of poetry in the 21st century faces many of the same obstacles as the study of jazz. (My authority to make this comparison derives from my continuing status as an obscure but perseverant practitioner of both arts.) In both instances, the linear path from orthodoxy to chaos was exploded almost two generations ago, leaving massive quantities of scattered debris and a vague longing for some unique recipe affirming the "warm-fuzzy" attributes of structure without the "over-controlling" implications of externally curtailed freedom.

Mock seems to have arrived at just such a recipe, offering structures less as imperatives and more as menu offerings while gently encouraging reader/followers to learn the rules in order to confer more credibility on any later decisions to break them.

Anyone familiar with the building blocks of poetry will quickly observe that Mock offers "nothing new" to their inventory. Instead, Mock has developed a highly useful method - and sequence - of introducing them. The exercises in the first two chapters are particularly well conceived. More experienced poets will find them useful as vehicles for climbing out of a rut and flushing out new sources of ideas. The later exercises flow easily from this earlier foundation until - lo and behold - verses emerge. As with meditation and sex, smart novices will benefit from disciplining themselves to view experiences with rigorous disjunctive independence rather than lapsing into tedious "not as good as last time" lamentations.

But again, this book's audience should not be limited to individuals seeking to write poetry. Instead, it should serve as a companion volume for any undergraduate survey of poetic literature. How better to equip potential future audiences with the tools necessary to navigate their own investigation of works that span the distance from bards to beats and beyond?

The discussion of rhythms, arguably the "music" of poetry, is particularly interesting. (As a jazz pianist, I amuse myself with inquiries that view the ageless "iamb" as a precursor to "swing." Perhaps a more detailed consideration of this concept will reward some starving academic with tenure and a raise in salary - but I digress . . .).

That Mr.(Dr.?) Mock hails from Southern Connecticut State University (formerly "Southern Connecticut Teacher's College", the venerable spawning ground for so many of those patient souls who suffered with me as a student during my "school years" along the Connecticut shore) is another positive aspect of this book for me.