Writing Poems (8th Edition)

I have taught this book in its various editions in the Writers' Program at UCLA for many years. It is simply the best textbook I have ever found to demystify poetry and inspire would-be poets. Not only is the text clear, cogent and lively, but the examples of poetry used -- from Sharon Olds' "Sex Without Love" and Norman Dubie's "A Blue Hog", to Yusef Komunyakaa's "Sunday Afternoons" and Richard Wilbur's "Love Calls Us to the Things of the World" (plus classics such as W.C. Williams' "The Red Wheelbarrow" and Robert Frost's "The Road Not Taken") -- are uniformly first rate. If you want to learn how to write poetry well and do not live near an urban writing center, you can do no better than to buy this book.

I purchased this book as part of a college course. However, it is a great resource for anyone who wants to learn more about poetry and how write it. Great for a beginner, but also a lot for a more seasoned writer. A bit pricey, but most educational texts are today. I highly recommend. I chose to keep it as part of my home library, but I feel it may easily be sold back to a textbook store or some online website.

Book is great, very informative and thorough! Rental condition was NOT worth $20.

Easy to read and understand, perfect for anyone wanting tips and ideas to expand their writing

This book really helped me improve my poetry writing. It is filled with a lot of good tips that I now follow. Not to mention it includes several of my favorite poems. I'm glad I bought this book. Received in good condition for a far better price than my university's book store.

that you will enjoy reading.

This is a book I had to buy for college - I don't own it anymore, which says that I didn't enjoy it enough to keep it. I'm sure it was fine - it's just not my preferred genre.

This book is bad.It makes me sad.There are so many rules,And complicated tools.I just want to writeWithout you telling me whether it's right.This book is overpriced,but the cover is pretty.I stopped rhyming this poembecause this book makes me want to breakstandard poetry conventionsbecause good writing doesn't always followall of it's silly, poorly-explained rules.

This is an excellent guide for those wishing to write poetry. It has certainly aided my University studies in English & Creative Writing. Many famous poems' excerpts are included to illustrate different examples of poetic Form and Content, provided by such famous poets as Wilfred Owens, Walt Whitman, Sylvia Platt, W H Auden, Robert Frost, John Keats and Emily Dickinson to name a few but there are many, many more. All the knowledge I gained during my studies is set out and thoroughly explained in this book. It was the best poetry book I purchased and highly recommended for aspiring poets.