With passion, wit, and good common sense, the celebrated poet Mary Oliver tells of the basic ways a poem is built-meter and rhyme, form and diction, sound and sense. Drawing on poems from Robert Frost, Elizabeth Bishop, and others, Oliver imparts an extraordinary amount of information in a remarkably short space. "Stunning" (Los Angeles Times). Index.
This slender guide by Mary Oliver deserves a place on the shelves of any budding poet. In clear, accessible prose, Oliver (winner of both the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award for poetry) arms the reader with an understanding of the technical aspects of poetry writing. Her lessons on sound, line (length, meter, breaks), poetic forms (and lack thereof), tone, imagery, and revision are illustrated by a handful of wonderful poems (too bad Oliver was so modest as to not include her own). What could have been a dry account is infused throughout with Oliver's passion for her subject, which she describes as "a kind of possible love affair between something like the heart (that courageous but also shy factory of emotion) and the learned skills of the conscious mind." One comes away from this volume feeling both empowered and daunted. Writing poetry is good, hard work.
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 4.5 / 5.0
Absolute Best Poetry Introduction:
I've been reading a lot of books on poetry, meter and writing and Mary Oliver is the best. She is Clear, Concise, and Accessible by all levels of readers. Some books on writing or poetry need to be decoded or explained by a professor or expert. For example John Hollander wrote a wonderful book titled "Rhyme's Reason" but parts of it were way over my head. If it was the first poetry book I read I wouldn't have kept reading them. Not to discount JH,(Rhyme's Reason is a superb book.) but rather Mary... more info
The joy of Poetry:
Mary Oliver makes variations of poetry styles clear and useful to a serious writer of poetry or one wanting to change from prose to poetry. Easy for a beginner, good reference for anyone.
Just what it says it is:
Mary Oliver's book about writing poetry is very like her poetry, unsurprisingly. It is brief, evocative, latent with implications and wit. It seemed to be addressed to people who attend poetry workshops and some points seemed to have derived from that type of experience, and the type of poem that: "it really doesn't matter whether you read it or not." She makes the point that good poetry requires solitude for its gestation, and I don't think it's too great besmirchment of educational ideals to say that... more info
An Excellent Handbook:
This book by Mary Oliver is an excellent resource for any poet seeking to improve their understanding of the craft. She acknowledges the need for creativity and experimentalism, yet does so by confirming time-honored techniques and explanations of formal structures. I tend toward the free verse form of poetry, but do dabble in iambic rhyme. I have always felt that structure is the enemy of good poetry, but have also felt the inexplicable contradiction of appreciating Robert Frost and Shakespeare. This book... more info
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