The Poetry Home Repair Manual by Ted Kooser

[Raymond Huffman]

“The Poetry Home Repair Manual” is one of the best resources on writing poetry I have seen. The author is Ted Kooser, who was a U.S. Poet Laureate (2004-2006), and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry (for “Delights and Shadows”). He is a professor of English at the University of Nebraska. Even though it is subtitled, “Practical Advice for Beginning Poets”, I think it offers insights for all poets, beginning or not. After all, aren’t we all beginning poets, in a sense, every time we start a new poem? This small handbook is well worth the price, and I guarantee you will find something in it that will help improve your poetry writing. (University of Nebraska Press, 2005. 168 pages)

 

[Obed Ladiny]

“The Poetry Home Repair Manual” is one of the best resources on writing poetry I have seen. The author is Ted Kooser, who was a U.S. Poet Laureate (2004-2006), and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry (for “Delights and Shadows”). He is a professor of English at the University of Nebraska. Even though it is subtitled, “Practical Advice for Beginning Poets”, I think it offers insights for all poets, beginning or not. After all, aren’t we all beginning poets, in a sense, every time we start a new poem? This small handbook is well worth the price, and I guarantee you will find something in it that will help improve your poetry writing. (University of Nebraska Press, 2005. 168 pages)

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Nice! I have a copy.
I also enjoyed "Making Your Own Days: The Pleasures of Reading and Writing Poetry" by Kenneth Koch. He does a great job defining poetry and its language as compared with ordinary prose.

"The Art and Craft of Poetry" by Michael J. Bugeja, goes into the how of creating a series of poems on a theme into a book of poems.

For those interested in the traditional forms of poetry, I think "The Poet's Handbook" by Judson Jerome has lots of information on form.

And my favorite of all time is... drum roll... "Creating Poetry" by John Drury -- published by Writer's Digest Books. I have this one for several years. Words are not enough to mention my appreciation for this book. It has helped me create some poems through its prompts or its load of information on each poetic device and possible forms. This one is riddled with my notes, food stains, and needing to be replaced because over use.

What I like about Ted Kooser's book on poetry are these chapters: "Writing for Others", "Don't Worry About the Rules", and "Writing About Feelings." I thought he did a great job in these chapters.