| Author/Contributor(s): | Behn, Robin |
| Publisher: | William Morrow Paperbacks |
| Date: | 9/23/1992 |
| Binding: | Paperback |
| Condition: | NEW |
Overcome writer’s block and master poetic craft with inventive exercises and reflections from working poets.
A distinctive collection of more than 90 effective poetry-writing exercises combined with corresponding essays to inspire writers of all levels. Editors Robin Behn and Chase Twichell gathered these inventive prompts from teachers nationwide, creating a versatile resource for solitary study and writing instruction alike.
Seven structured sections organize these practical challenges by area of inquiry to address both formal technique and the solitary habits of composition.
Individual contributors pair step-by-step assignments with candid craft reflections to guide students through the subtle demands of revision.
- How to Write Poetry: Prompts like Rita Dove’s ten-minute spill and Thomas Lux’s automatic-writing routine push writers past self-consciousness to mine fresh imagery from the unconscious.
- Poetry Workbook: Hands-on assignments tackle formal verse structures, from Judith Baumel’s Anglo-Saxon lines and sapphics to Agha Shahid Ali’s masterclass on the traditional ghazal.
- Poetics: Explorations of the line by Sharon Bryan and Jack Myers examine how line breaks and syntax manipulation alter semantic torque and music in free verse.
- Writing Reference: Seasoned poets including Daniel Halpern and Lynn Emanuel provide practical antidotes to writer’s block and radical strategies for aggressive revision.