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(More customer reviews)Poetry for Dummies was another of those books I was really hoping I didn't like. The whole "For Dummies" series gets on my nerves to begin with, so it is double trouble when I picked this title up and found it valuable on so many counts.
The opening section: Poetry 101 is an excellent read and in and of itself makes the book worth the purchase.
Each chapter clearly marks the intent across the top and is chock filled with check lists, hints and suggestions for the reader AND the practicing (new and old alike) poet. I was thinking, "This will all be old hat, I am sure" until I saw the authors include the staff from The Poetry Center in San Francisco.
What poet or poet-in-the-making doesn't nod, smile and point when we read this affirmation? "Poetry has more meaning, music and emotion per words, per syllable, per letter than any other kind of writing." (I could have sworn I heard an "Amen!" from the crowd or maybe... that was me.)
The book also includes some very valuable appendices with websites and poetry organizations.
Excellent resource for all poets and the people who love them. Check this one out.
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Sometimes it seems like there are as many definitions of poetry as there are poems. Coleridge defined poetry as "the best words in the best order." St. Augustine called it "the Devil's wine." For Shelley, poetry was "the record of the best and happiest moments of the happiest and best minds." But no matter how you define it, poetry has exercised a hold upon the hearts and minds of people for more than five millennia. That's because for the attentive reader, poetry has the power to send chills shooting down the spine and lightning bolts flashing in the brain — to throw open the doors of perception and hone our sensibilities to a scalpel's edge.
Poetry For Dummies is a great guide to reading and writing poems, not only for beginners, but for anyone interested in verse. From Homer to Basho, Chaucer to Rumi, Shelley to Ginsberg, it introduces you to poetry's greatest practitioners. It arms you with the tools you need to understand and appreciate poetry in all its forms, and to explore your own talent as a poet. Discover how to:
Understand poetic language and forms
Interpret poems
Get a handle on poetry through the ages
Find poetry readings near you
Write your own poems
Shop your work around to publishers
Don't know the difference between an iamb and a trochee? Worry not, this friendly guide demystifies the jargon, and it covers a lot more ground besides, including:
Understanding subject, tone, narrative; and poetic language
Mastering the three steps to interpretation
Facing the challenges of older poetry
Exploring 5,000 years of verse, from Mesopotamia to the global village
Writing open-form poetry
Working with traditional forms of verse
Writing exercises for aspiring poets
Getting published
From Sappho to Clark Coolidge, and just about everyone in between, Poetry For Dummies puts you in touch with the greats of modern and ancient poetry. Need guidance on composing a ghazal, a tanka, a sestina, or a psalm? This is the book for you.
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