Crafting Poems: A Guide to Creative Writing

Crafting Poems demystifies the genre through diverse examples, clear instruction, and emphases on practice, enjoyment, and developing a distinct voice. By connecting reading with writing and balancing discipline with self-expression and improvisation, Crafting Poems gives aspiring poets a flexible and powerful toolbox with which to build their work. Comments “The intelligence that distinguishes Ethel Rackin’s own poetry manifests in the eclectic selections, clear explanations, and accessible exercises filling Crafting Poems. In a friendly, conversational tone, Crafting Poems frankly addresses the vulnerability of writing (and reading) poetry and the courage it takes to commit to the work while offering valuable wisdom and cheering on developing poets to take the leap. After decades of photocopying poems from dozens of sources to provide students with a genuine range of formal and experimental, traditional and contemporary verse, I’ve found everything I need to teach poetry in one wondrous volume.” — Elizabeth Savage, Fairmont State University