Date: Sun, 11 May 1997 05:34:57 -0700 (PDT) From: Anitra Dancing To: WRITERS Cc: tinkable Subject: Re: TECH: Books on the Craft of Writing One more book: How to Write Poetry by Nancy Bogen A very thin, unpretentious book that gives you tools, practice, and examples in the craft of poetry without getting extremely analytical. Practical exercises are dotted liberally throughout the book. No theory is introduced without lots and lots of hands-on application. You may have noticed that in many elements of poetry, practical application is easier to do than analytical theory. In one of the most interesting sections of the book, Nancy Bogen discusses line breaks, where and when, by working through five pages of alternate rearrangements of "The Red Wheelbarrow" by William Carlos Williams. There are also liberal examples of good poetry, in a wide variety, from traditional English verse to Sylvia Plath. It makes a valuable starter book, a valuable reference book (for forms, meter, etc.), and a valuable exercise book for ongoing poetry calisthenics. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- Write On! | "Oh, we have a home -- we just need a house to put it in." Anitra | -- quotation from a 10 year old homeless girl ----------------------------------------------------------------------------- anitra@speakeasy.org http://www.speakeasy.org/~anitra