A Poet's Craft: A Comprehensive Guide to Making and Sharing Your Poetry

by Annie Finch

A Poet's Craft transcends the limitations of current books, combining the best of three types of poetry-writing textbooks for academic use, general guides to writing poetry, and guides to writing in form. Like textbooks, it includes poetry-writing exercises and discussion of classic and contemporary poems as examples, and is logically organized to provide a complete overview of the elements of poetry writing, from diction to trope to free verse. Like general poetry guides, it has a tone lively and mature enough for the nonundergraduate, and includes sections on journaling and inspiration, revision, publishing, and even how to assemble a poetry book. Like form guides, A Poet's Craft provides an introduction to meter and to writing formal poetry. Finch's book goes further than any poetry-writing guide now available to give readers a thorough, eclectic, and exciting introduction to every aspect of the art of poetry.

Genres: Poetry, Writing, Nonfiction, Teaching, Reference

736 pages, Hardcover

First published June 28, 2011

About the author

Annie Finch is the author of six books of poetry, including Spells: New and Selected Poems, The Poetry Witch Little Book of Spells, Calendars and Eve (both finalists for the National Poetry Series), and the verse play Among the Goddesses: An Epic Libretto in Seven Dreams (Sarasvati Award, 2012). Her poems have appeared onstage at Carnegie Hall and in The Penguin Book of Twentieth-Century American Poetry. Her other works include poetry translation, poetics, poetry anthologies, and a poetry textbook. She is also the editor of Choice Words: Writers on Abortion (Haymarket Books, 2020). Annie Finch holds a Ph.D from Stanford, served for a decade as Director of the Stonecoast MFA Program in Creative Writing, and has lectured on poetry at Berkeley, Toronto, Harvard, and Oxford. In 2010 she was awarded the Robert Fitzgerald Award for her lifetime contribution to the art and craft of Versification. Finch has collaborated on poetic ritual theater productions with artists in theater, dance, and music and has performed as Poetry Witch on three continents. She teaches poetry and magic at PoetryWitchCommunity.org. 

“My poems harness the magically diverse and deeply rooted craft of poetic rhythms and forms. Like spells, they enjoy being spoken aloud three times." —Annie Finch

Annie on Twitter @poetrywitch
Annie on Instagram @thepoetrywitch

Annie connects with readers and facilitates seasonal rituals and classes in poetry and meter in her online community,
PoetryWitchCommunity.org, open to all who identify as women or gender-nonconforming.

Want more info? Updates, videos, poems, spells, spellsletter signup, and more at anniefinch.net

Blessings to all my beautiful readers!

Reviews

[D.A. Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best texts to use in any creative writing class - if anything because it reveals the truth that to write strong poetry the best practice includes reading a wide range of poetry. And from a daily practice. Finch's book is a great mix of craft, theory, writing prompts and examples, one that I'll be using in future classes and in my own work.

[Peggy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Poet's Craft is an enormous textbook about the qualities of poetry and how to encourage them in one's own poems. I'm reading it slowly and decided to write my reactions as I go, rather than wait until I reach the end.

First surprise: I like reading this book! Finch gracefully introduces her topics, supplies multiple examples, and points out how they pertain to the discussion. I wouldn't know that this is a text. I don't know yet how to explain this--it's not a slog, it's not dull, everything is interesting. Hoorah.

Second: The writing exercises move at a slower pace than the text. I may have to keep this book at my side for a year or more.

Third: Finch's text is a delight to read. I wonder if it would seem so if the book had been formatted as a traditional college textbook: hardbound, with shiny pages, text formatted into columns of text with sidebars. It's presented as if it's a series of essays in which the narrative is as important as the content. When I complete a reading session I feel refreshed.

Fourth: This is the most thorough discussion of types of rhyme that I have ever read.

That's it for now.

[Ann Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a comprehensive text that would be useful not just for people who want to write poetry, but for people who simply want to learn how to read and understand poetry.

Finch writes clearly but doesn't write as though her readers are ignorant--she uses prosody terms and provides a wide range of examples to illustrate the concepts she explains. She writes as though she expects the reader to contemplate, meditate, and reflect rather than just take in a bunch of terms and history. Her tone is gentle but passionate about the subject.

I'm pretty certain her intended audience is poets enrolled in MFA creative writing programs, but this book could be used by undergrads or by interested non-students in general.

[Joseph VanBuren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this book was like reading a comprehensive textbook on the craft of poetry writing, complete with exercises and tons of great examples. I loved it! Annie Finch respects the art of poetry in its many forms, and she teaches it with historical, cultural, and genre-specific knowledge that brings an extra depth to learning poetic techniques. She covers many styles and forms plus variations within forms with the same level of knowledge and love. I have read many books about writing poetry; a lot of them are good, but this one probably taught me the most. I can't recommend this enough for any poet as well as anyone who likes to read poetry but doesn't always "get it." This book will teach you new and insightful ways to read and write poetry.

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best poetry writing how-to book that I've seen. Highly recommended for anyone teaching or studying creative writing as well as any poet looking to brush up on their skills, particularly writing in forms.

[Brittany Mishra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book back in late 2014, I was just beginning to realize all of my writing was shaping into poetry. For the longest time, I had pushed myself to write fiction and non-fiction because that is what people wanted to read. So I ignored the part of me that was always a poet. But then I happened upon this book in a library after moving cross country from Washington state to Connecticut, and a light turned on. I felt enlightened. This book was what started me on the poetic path I'm on. 8 years later and I've published poems and have a daily writing practice. I'm lucky to have found this book early in my writing.

[Alexandra Mergen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I borrowed this book from the library and have used up my renewals so I may have to purchase it. Finch explains terms clearly and provides varied examples. The book is well-organized and, as the subtitle says, "comprehensive." Lots of ideas for prompts that would be helpful for anyone new to facilitating workshops. A convenient reference.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

This isn't the sort of book that can live on a "read" shelf in the sense of cover-to-cover reading. But I've wandered around in it, explored it, referred to it, been inspired and nourished by it, so much that in those ways, it qualifies. This book remains close at hand, because this book delivers.

[Tasha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Comprehensive.

[Eileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a helpful guide. It doesn't have to be read in order, and can function a little like an encyclopedia. The book also has exercises and suggestions.

[Mills College Library]

808.1 F4921 2012

[Joey Gamble · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fairly useful craftbook——one that should be lauded for its prodigious and varied sampling of example poems. A good tool for planning intro CW lessons, or even as a text in an intro poetry course.