Writing Poetry

Handbooks, advice, and inspiration for writing and loving poetry.

Updated March 5, 2026
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Finger exercises for poets
Laux, Dorianne
Paper Book
An illuminating book of concise craft essays and exercises for poets, from Pulitzer Prize finalist and The Poet's Companion coauthor Dorianne Laux. From "a poet of immense insight and masterful craft" (Kwame Dawes), Finger Exercises for Poets is an engaging and...
The essential poet's glossary
Hirsch, Edward.
Ebook
A Poet's Glossary was an extraordinary achievement that continues to stand as a definitive source for poets and poetry lovers alike. Here, The Essential Poet's Glossary gleans the very best from that extraordinary volume. "An instant classic that belongs on the...
Fear less : poetry in perilous times
Smith, Tracy K.
Paper Book
A Pulitzer Prize-winning poet reveals how poetry is a powerful tool of connection and understanding in a fractured world. Drawing on deep passion and personal experience, former US Poet Laureate Tracy K. Smith demystifies the art form that has too often been mischaracterized as...
Real toads, imaginary gardens : on reading and writing poetry forensically
Rekdal, Paisley
Paper Book
What makes reading a poem unlike reading anything else? In Real Toads, Imaginary Gardens, acclaimed poet and teacher Paisley Rekdal demonstrates how to observe the building blocks of a poem-including its diction, form, imagery, and rhythm-and construct an interpretation of its meaning. Using...
Catching the light
Harjo, Joy
Paper Book
National Humanities Medalist and U.S. Poet Laureate Joy Harjo examines the power of words and how poetry summons us toward justice and healing   "Her enduring message--that writing can be redemptive--resonates: 'To write is to make a mark in the world, to...
We begin in gladness : how poets progress : essays
Teicher, Craig Morgan
Paper Book
One of our most perceptive critics on the ways that poets develop poems, a career, and a life Though it seems, at first, like an art of speaking, poetry is an art of listening. The poet trains to hear clearly and, as much as possible, without interruption, the voice of his...
Singing school : learning to write (and read) poetry by studying with the masters
Pinsky, Robert.
Paper Book
Quick, joyful, and playfully astringent, with surprising comparisons and examples, this collection takes an unconventional approach to the art of poetry. Instead of rules, theories, or recipes, Singing School emphasizes ways to learn from great work: studying magnificent, monumentally...
Rules for the dance : a handbook for writing and reading metrical verse
Oliver, Mary
Paper Book
Pulitzer-prize winning poet and National Book Award winner, Mary Oliver, provides a graceful manual on the mechanics of poetical composition. "True ease in writing comes from art, not chance, / As those move easiest who have learned to dance," wrote Alexander Pope. "The dance," in the...
A poetry handbook
Oliver, Mary
Paper Book
"Mary Oliver would probably never admit to anything so grandiose as an effort to connect the conscious mind and the heart (that's what she says poetry can do), but that is exactly what she accomplishes in this stunning little handbook."--Los Angeles Times From the beloved...
Poetry notebook : reflections on the intensity of language
James, Clive
Paper Book
Clive James is one of our finest critics and best-beloved cultural voices. He is also a prize-winning poet. Since he was first enthralled by the mysterious power of poetry, he has been a dedicated student. In fact, for him, poetry has been nothing less than the occupation of his lifetime, and in...
Rhyme's rooms : the architecture of poetry
Leithauser, Brad
Paper Book
From the widely acclaimed poet, novelist, critic, and scholar, a lucid and edifying exploration of the building blocks of poetry and how they've been used over the centuries to assemble the most imperishable poems. "Anyone wanting to learn how to remodel, restore, or build a poem...
Ten windows : how great poems transform the world
Hirshfield, Jane
Paper Book
A dazzling collection of essays on how the best poems work, from the master poet and essayist  "Poetry," Jane Hirshfield has said, "is language that foments revolutions of being." In ten eloquent and highly original explorations, she unfolds and explores some of the ways...

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