What’s on your poetry Christmas list?
I See You in There: the Villanelle
Like most poetry built on refrains, the villanelle steers away from narrative ideals, away from conversation and linear exchange
Anna of the Russias
Akhmatova herself should not be forgotten
Living By Heart Poems
I set myself the daily task of writing a poem each morning to my body.
By Heart: Because You Might Need It Like Marie Ponsot
When poet Marie Ponsot suffered a stroke at the age of 89, she lost all of her language.
Poetry Memorization: Write it on the Heart, Says Julia Kasdorf
I tell them committing a poem is a form of self love, like buying yourself a gift, only better.
Why Poetry, My Love?
Why poetry? If you’ve experienced the power of a word, you’ve experienced the power of poetry.
Why Poetry, in a Simpson’s World?
Why is it so laughable to study poetry? Maybe because Hallmark has turned poetry into trite sentimentalism.
Waking the Poet: Cures for Writers Block
Got writer’s block? Lower your standards. Stop refusing your fortune. It’s a start.
What is Poetry: Last Word (at least for now)
What is poetry? A shot in some dark, a walk in some woods, a maker’s feel for the material at hand, an intuition of what is needed?
What is Poetry: Falling in Love, 2
What is poetry? Any effort to define Poetry (with a capital “P”) in an exhaustive way is doomed to fall short. So why not offer a poet’s heresy.
What is Poetry: Falling in Love, 1
The first step towards falling in love, of course, is the cultivation of friendship. And so I have to convince my students that poetry—and the poets who write them—are friends worth getting to know.
Slip into the Prada of Poems?
While I think it’s important to discipline myself to try on the shoes of various poem forms, I understand that personality and brain-wiring somehow play a part.
Glass Slipper Sonnets
Does a writing a sonnet feel like an ill fit? This fun glass slipper essay will make it (a little) easier.
Saturday Night Date with a Sonnet
The rules of a sonnet, it turns out, set us free to explore.
My Sestina is a Space Six-Shooter
My favorite poetic form, the sestina, gives me space to explore implication.
Drawing Poetry by the Lake
A good poem does that—offers multiple gifts upon multiple readings.
Write Your First Sestina: It’s a Matter of Pride
The sestina, like a song, helps us say what we want to say without really saying it.
How to Write a Catalog Poem (With or Without Words)
There is something primal about repetition, from drumbeats to heartbeats to modern pop music. If you are familiar with these, you may already know something about writing a catalog poem.
How to Write a Catalog Poem (or Not)
What is a catalog poem, and is it easy to write? Check out the catalog poem definition and catalog poem samples, and give it a try.