The Poet's Companion: A Guide to the Pleasures of Writing Poetry

by Kim Addonizio, Dorianne Laux

Overview

From the nuts and bolts of craft to the sources of inspiration, this book is for anyone who wants to write poetry-and do it well.

The Poet's Companion presents brief essays on the elements of poetry, technique, and suggested subjects for writing, each followed by distinctive writing exercises. The ups and downs of writing life—including self-doubt and writer's block—are here, along with tips about getting published and writing in the electronic age. On your own, this book can be your "teacher," while groups, in or out of the classroom, can profit from sharing weekly assignments.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780393316544
Publisher:	Norton, W. W. & Company, Inc.
Publication date:	09/17/1997
Pages:	288
Sales rank:	112,890
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Kim Addonizio is the author of seven poetry collections and two books on writing poetry: The Poet’s Companion (with Dorianne Laux) and Ordinary Genius. Her poetry collection Tell Me was a finalist for the National Book Award. She lives in Oakland, California.

Dorianne Laux’s poetry collections include the Pulitzer Prize finalist Only as the Day Is Long and Life On Earth. She received the Paterson Poetry Prize and is a founding faculty member of Pacific University’s low-residency MFA program. She lives in Richmond, California.

Editorial Reviews

"This feels like the book we've been waiting for: rigorous, generous, in love with the art of poetry, aware of the inner architecture of poems—and maybe it couldn't have been written by anyone but Kim Addonizio and Dorianne Laux, two passionate poets."

Marie Howe

"Thoughtful, generous, and accurate to both deeper truths and the craftwork it takes to hold them…a superb guide for the working poet."

Jane Hirshfield

"An intelligent, lucid conversation—between the authors and between them and us. I have been with them all—there is no better companion!"

Gerald Stern

Poets Addonizio and Laux warn against clich, and although textbooks on writing come a dime a dozen these days, theirs is head and shoulders above the rest. There are three main sections: "Subjects for Writing" (e.g. death, the erotic), "The Poet's Craft" (metaphor, rhyme), and "The Writing Life" (self-doubt, writer's block); four separate appendixes list other writing texts, anthologies, marketing tips, and electronic resources. The many exercises offered emerge largely from the intensive one-day workshops conducted by Addonizio and Laux. Both knowledgeable and practical in their approach, the authors offer everything a poet needs, including one feature more necessary than ever in the postliterate age yet absent from other writing texts: a gentle yet insistent lesson on grammar. Highly recommended for all libraries.David Kirby, Florida State Univ., Tallahassee

Library Journal