Getting the Knack: 20 Poetry Writing Exercises

Each and every exercise in this book is useful for writers of any kind. It is immensely valuable for writers to be able to work in any genre, and even if one is sticking strictly to fiction, there are great writing tips and techniques in this book--I recommend it for anyone and everyone!

This is a cookbook-like approach to the teaching of poetic form. Each chapter presents a different form, a step-by-step guide to implementing a lesson with students (which is clear enough, I've found, to leave for a substitute lesson plan!), and selected examples of successful types. A great work for junior and senior high school general-level classes.

This book is a wonderful mix of fresh and unusual activities and guiding interludes by the authors. The book is not only a great way to get you creative juices lowing, but it is an inspiring read. Many of my students enjoy the interludes between activities as much as the activities themselves. I would encourage any teacher to make this a part of your poetry toolbox.

I hope this book isn't going out of print. It's a gift to be able to take lessons from a master poet like William Stafford, especially now that he has passed away. I don't know of any other poetry technique book that allows a student to really get their feet wet in language. This is a real treat in the exploration and discovery of language becoming poetry. You will get marvelous results working through these 20 exercises.

Dunning and Stafford have created a series of engaging, easy to understand activities that will inspire students to write good to excellent poetry. Detailed instructions for writing assignments include: found poems, letter poems, pantoums, question-answer poems, and syllable count poems. Their writing style is breezy and conversational, the examples provided are of high quality yet not out of reach of the typical high school age student. It is an excellent book both for reluctant creative writers and the student who truly wants to be a poet.