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...

In this book, David Lehman, the longtime series editor of the Best American Poetry, offers a masterclass in writing in form and collaborative composition. An inspired compilation of his weekly column on the American Scholar website, Next Line, Please...

"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 and acclaimed...

With essays by Margaret Atwood, Anne Carson, and others, Measures of Astonishment shines a northern light on poetry, showing what is, what it does, and why it matters. "A society without poetry and the other arts would have broken its mirror and cut out its heart...