The titles in this series—to date, an anthology and four stand-alone books—address fundamental issues of poetic art and craft. Rather than “how-to” books, these elucidate, through personal recollections, the problems that all writers must solve.
 |
|
“The reflections of writers such as Jane Hirshfield, David Lehman, Phillip Lopate, and Arthur Sze offer inspiration, companionship, and good advice for any poet seeking permission to embark on their work.” The Writer’s Bookshelf, Poets & Writers Magazine “Aspiring poets will find a rich vein of insight in these thoughtful pieces.”—Publishers Weekly On Becoming a Poet: Twenty-five Original Essays and Interviews Original memoirs by outstanding poets from diverse backgrounds who recall how they found their beginnings. While university creative writing programs generally seek to develop the talents of maturing writers, essential information about the development of the craft will be found in these early memoirs. “Simply the best collection of essays I’ve ever read about the urgencies, accidents, experiences, and desires that allow people to emerge as the writers they had never dreamt they might become.” −David St. John |
 |
|
“Enlightening for creative writing students at all levels.” James Tipton, PhD, Professor of English, College of Marin Creativity: Where Poems Begin by Mary Mackey What is creativity? Where do writers get their ideas? In this brilliantly written, profound, deeply personal examination of how creative ideas have come to her, award-winning poet and New York Times best-selling novelist Mary Mackey looks at the origins of inspiration, taking us to on a journey to the place where poetry begins. “Her quest makes Creativity a book for anyone who wants to understand how bursts of insight come not only to poets and writers but to all of us.” —Mara Lynn Keller, PhD, Professor Emerita of Philosophy and Religion and Women’s Studies, California |
 |
|
If you’re a poet, how are you going to survive if you can’t get a teaching job? Plan B: A Poet’s Survivors Manual, by Sandy McIntosh You need a Plan B if you want to put food on the table, wear shoes without holes in the soles, and stop living with roommates before you turn sixty. Taking us on a witty, fascinating, no-holds barred romp through his own experiences in the world of commercial writing and publishing, McIntosh reassures us that it is possible to have a successful career as a poet while holding down day jobs that make us better writers. “PLAN B: is a wonderful book, an important book, a book aspiring writers of fiction and poetry should read.” —David Lehman, Editor, The Oxford Book of American Poetry. Series Editor, The Best American Poetry |
 |
|
Craft: A Memoir by Tony Trigilio An exploration of the writer’s craft through a series of short, linked personal essays. Each chapter features an anecdote from the author’s development as a writer that illustrates craft elements central to his body of work. Craft: A Memoir is an effort to understand craft through discussions of the direct experience of writing itself—through stories of how Trigilio became a writer. Whether discussing traditional or unconventional craft elements, each essay pivots on the idea that the most effective way to learn one’s own craft is through storytelling rather than the linear, business-memo pragmatism of how-to handbooks.
|
 |
|
Where Did Poetry Come From: Some Early Encounters by Geoffrey O’Brien A memoir in episodes of some early encounters—with the spoken word, the written word, the sung word—in childhood and adolescence, encounters that suggested different aspects of the mysterious and shapeshifting phenomenon imperfectly represented by the abstract noun “poetry.” From nursery rhymes and television theme songs, show tunes and advertising jingles, Classic Comics and Bible verses, to first meetings with the poetry of Stevenson, Poe, Coleridge, Ginsberg, and others, it tracks not final assessments but a description of the unexpected revelations that began to convey how poetry “made its presence known before it had been given a name.”
|