A Poetry Handbook: A Prose Guide to Understanding and Writing Poetry

I ordered this for a creative writing class I was tsking and it helped me tremendously throughout the semester. I still use this book whenever I find myself ready to write poetry

Say what you will about her poetry, Mary Oliver clearly understands the technical aspects of the craft and in this small tome she conveys them brilliantly. With a clear voice and plenty of examples drawn from the masters of poetry, Oliver is able to bring great insights to the beginner or amateur poetry writer. It may be going just a bit far to say that Oliver's book is to poetry what Strunk & White's is to prose, but for the non-expert it feels awful close.

The book is a concise, brilliant guide for anyone interested in writing poetry or in understanding it better.

Mary Oliver's poetry itself can do some teaching on its own, but we can be grateful she's chosen to articulate the writing process so richly in this book. The book will almost certainly will wring some writing out of you; it will also inspire you to examine your work habits and technique. Oliver's intelligence shines through, and will make you a better reader of poetry. Small note on the previous review: Mary Oliver does, indeed, teach, at Bennington College currently. If you can't enroll there, this book is your next best choice.

Mary Oliver chose to avoid teaching so she could concentrate on her poetry. Too bad for students. Here, however, she gives students and accomplished poets alike a sensible and sensitive handbook that conveys not only the craft of poetry but its power, its mystery, and its magic. Readers who say they don't like poetry should give Oliver a chance to change their minds and hearts