POET'S COMPANION PA

by Addonizio, Kim; Laux, Dorianne

• ISBN13: 9780393316544
• ISBN10: 0393316548
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1997-09-17
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

Summary

In this fortuitous collaboration, two spirited poets, themselves teachers of poetry, offer guidance to aspiring beginners and those who have already published. Brief essays on the elements of poetry, technique, and suggested subjects for writing are each followed by distinctive writing exercises. ("Compare an actual family photograph with one that was never taken, but might have been.") The ups and downs of the writing life#xE2;#x80;#x94;including the inevitable visitations of self-doubt and writer's block#xE2;#x80;#x94;are here, along with tips about getting published. A special section contains twenty-minute writing exercises, and valuable appendixes cover further reading and marketing advice. On your own, this book can be your "teacher," while groups, in or out of the classroom, can profit from sharing weekly assignments. Numerous examples of contemporary poetry, chosen for relevance and freshness, illustrate salient points and stimulate the imagination. By calling on their own experience and focusing on living American writers for their models, the authors introduce you to poetry as it is right now.

Author Biography

Dorianne Laux is associate professor of creative writing at the University of Oregon.

Table of Contents

Introduction	p. 11
Subjects for Writing
Writing and Knowing	p. 19
The Family: Inspiration and Obstacle	p. 30
Death and Grief	p. 39
Writing the Erotic	p. 46
The Shadow	p. 56
Witnessing	p. 64
Poetry of Place	p. 74
The Poet's Craft
Images	p. 85
Simile and Metaphor	p. 94
The Music of the Line	p. 104
Voice and Style	p. 115
Stop Making Sense: Dreams and Experiments	p. 129
Meter, Rhyme, and Form	p. 138
Repetition, Rhythm, and Blues	p. 151
More Repetition: Villanelle, Pantoum, Sestina	p. 161
A Grammatical Excursion	p. 171
The Energy of Revision	p. 186
The Writing Life
Self-Doubt	p. 195
Writer's Block	p. 199
Writing in the Electronic Age	p. 204
Getting Published	p. 217
Twenty-Minute Writing Exercises	p. 225
Books on Poetry and Writing	p. 257
Anthologies for Further Reading	p. 261
Finding Markets for Your Poems	p. 266
More Resources for Writers	p. 267
Credits	p. 272
Index	p. 277
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.