Finger Exercises for Poets

by Dorianne Laux

An illuminating book of concise craft essays and exercises for poets, from Pulitzer Prize finalist and The Poet’s Companion coauthor Dorianne Laux. From “a poet of immense insight and masterful craft” (Kwame Dawes), Finger Exercises for Poets is an engaging invitation to practice poetry alongside one of its masters. With wide-ranging examples from classic and contemporary poets, Dorianne Laux demystifies the magic of language that makes great poetry and offers generative exercises to harness that magic. She explores the syllable and the line, the use of form, poetic responses to contemporary events and personal experiences, the imaginative leap, and the power of a distinct voice. Throughout, Laux reminds us that poetry is a practice as much as an art, and that poets must hone their language as a musician practicing an instrument. An encouraging, accessible master class in reading and writing poetry, including more than fifty original prompts, Finger Exercises for Poets offers a trove of wisdom and inspiration for both experienced and aspiring poets.

Genres: Poetry, Writing, Nonfiction, Crafts, Teaching

208 pages, Paperback

Published July 30, 2024

About the author

DORIANNE LAUX’s most recent collection is Life On Earth. Only As The Day Is Long: New and Selected, was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. She is also author of The Book of Men (W.W. Norton) which won the Paterson Prize for Poetry. Her fourth book of poems, Facts about the Moon (W.W. Norton), is the recipient of the Oregon Book Award, chosen by Ai. It was also short-listed for the 2006 Lenore Marshall Poetry Prize for the most outstanding book of poems published in the United States and chosen by the Kansas City Star as a noteworthy book of 2005. A finalist for the National Book Critics' Circle Award, Laux is also author of three collections of poetry from BOA Editions, Awake (1990) introduced by Philip Levine, What We Carry (1994) and Smoke (2000). Red Dragonfly Press released The Book of Women in 2012. Co-author of The Poet's Companion, she’s the recipient of three Best American Poetry Prizes, a Pushcart Prize, two fellowships from The National Endowment for the Arts and a Guggenheim Fellowship. Her work has appeared in the Best of the American Poetry Review, The Norton Anthology of Contemporary Poetry, and she’s a frequent contributor to magazines as various as Tinhouse, Orion, Oxford American and Ms. Magazine. Laux has waited tables and written poems in San Diego, Los Angeles, Berkeley, and Petaluma, California, and as far north as Juneau, Alaska. She has taught poetry at the University of Oregon and is founding faculty at Pacific University’s Low Residency MFA Program. In 2008 she and her husband, poet Joseph Millar, moved to Raleigh where she directs the program In Creative Writing at North Carolina State University. She is founding faculty for Pacific University's Low Residency MFA Program.

Reviews

[Dorothy Mahoney · Rating 5 out of 5]

Valuable exercises for poets with many sample poems, exercises, and prompts, including quick prompts. Fav. chapter right now is The word with samples from Shakespeare and Suzanne Cleary's poem, "Anyways", which is a word that particularly annoys me in conversations along with "anywho." As a fan of Laux's work, this is a big MUST on my writing desk. I won't be finished with it for a long time...

[Jessica Furtado · Rating 4 out of 5]

Craft books are often hit-or-miss for me, but this one is brimming with unique prompts and engaging poems. I appreciate that Laux doesn't dissect poems through detailed explication, but rather provides a few observations and leaves the reader to connect the dots. There is a decent variety of voices included in the text, and I was excited to see that many of the poets included are contemporary voices. There were several poets whose work I hadn't encountered before, but I enjoyed their writing and am looking forward to reading more.

Some poets may find Laux's prompts a mixed bag. Some prompts are quite broad, while others are very specific in their suggested constraints. Not every prompt resonated with me, but I found each one thought-provoking regardless.

I borrowed this book from the library, but I found myself snapping photos of many of the prompts and resisting the temptation to dogear pages, so I will likely purchase a copy to keep handy for my writing practice.

Laux primarily focuses on the work of other writers in this text. If you aren't familiar with her work, it's sensual and stunning! I stumbled upon her book Awake at a book sale and have been enamored with her writing ever since. She is certainly an underrecognized gem in the world of poetry.

[Gijs Limonard · Rating 4 out of 5]

3,5 stars; decent volume on how to get started writing poetry, a good mix of the obvious (write about what you know best etc.) and the practical; for more on the art of poetry composition be sure to check out; Rhyme's Rooms: The Architecture of Poetry, Singing School: Learning to Write (and Read) Poetry by Studying with the Masters, Poetry in the Making by Ted Hughes and my favorite: The Poetry Home Repair Manual: Practical Advice for Beginning Poets.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

I admit, I don't like poetry prompts. Too often, they go in the wrong direction for me, or they're so specific I wonder who is writing this poem. This book contains poems from a wide variety of poets, and I think it would be useful to write one's own version of any of these. Well worth the read, whether or not one writes from any of the prompts.

[Courtney Kocak · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't typically like poetry and find craft books to be hit or miss, but this book is a gift. The exercises are wonderful—even if you don't do them, they teach you how to read poetry more thoughtfully—and exercises aside, this book offers a priceless survey of amazing poems. I cried no less than 30 times. Thank you for this fabulous contribution for all writers, Dorianne!

[Tim Ouellette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful

What an insightful piece of work. Laux opens the reader up to the secret world of poetry, encouraging the reader to dig deep inside for nuggets of truth to present to the world.

[Brice Montgomery · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Edelweiss and W.W. Norton & Company for the ARC!

Don’t let the title fool you—Dorianne Laux’s Finger Exercises for Poets is for everyone, even people who don’t “get” poetry.

Finger Exercises feels like a workshop with your favorite professor, as Laux removes everything esoteric about poetry while still welcoming the mystery of its abstraction. She leads readers and writers through dozens of poems, examining a variety of themes and mechanics so that people can better understand how to put them in practice. The exercises themselves are directive but never prescriptive, and Laux creates ample room for readers to take them any number of ways.

I love how practical the book is, but what I love even more is how generous it is without ever being condescending. Laux recognizes that you can’t learn to write until you learn to read, and one can sense the delight she takes in helping people stretch their interpretive skills. At one point, Laux writes, “Why poetry? To be bewildered,” and I think the book’s greatest strength is how the author shifts the embarrassment of “I don’t understand poetry” to the excitement of bewilderment. The difference between confusion and exploration is perspective.

On top of all that, this book functions wonderfully as a collection in and of itself. Even if the exercises were ineffective or Laux’s commentary was disengaged, it would still be a joy to read such thoughtfully curated poems in conversation with each other. When everything comes together in such perfect alchemy, the result is an almost giggly effervescence.

This one’s the real deal!

[Eteocles · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not the book I expected, as I thought it was a great title for a poetry collection. Instead, it is really a workbook on how to write better and create poetry from daily objects, feelings and situations. It is very well explained, justified with acclaimed poetry voices and inviting to discover your inner voice. I may gift it to a few people... Lovely discovery.

[Mike · Rating 5 out of 5]

An outstanding guide for writers of poetry who want new and innovative ways to think about their writing practice and the ways in which they approach their craft, and also an immersive and wonderful dive into the literary works of some fantastic poets. I loved this book so much.

[Davis Patton · Rating 5 out of 5]

i devoured this book quiiiick and i really liked it. so helpful to read great poems as well as some analysis from a pro.

all of the insights and prompts were compelling to me... i gotta go back and try writing from the prompts sometime

book 10 of summer goal of 15 let's keep it rollinggggggg

[Connor · Rating 4 out of 5]

full of interesting little digressions and prompts that go beyond the expected and ordinary. didn't resonate with every single thing in here, and felt myself craving a bit more craft talk in some of the chapters, but I also recognize its not trying to be a dense craft text.

[Sebastian]

First read: December 17, 2024, Tuesday

[Rayna Gorstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

what a freakin delight this book was

[Jack Malik · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great starter for beginners & seasoned poets.

[Kendra Parker · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was lovely and I found myself writing quite often while I read this.

[Brian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Laux is such a fine poet, and a wonderful teacher, too. She studied with Steve Kowit, as did I, and then we crossed paths again at U Idaho years later where I was lucky enough to study with her. This is a fantastic book; I’ve been making poems off and on for decades, so am experienced (ha!) but this book is of such depth that I think it’s suitable for poets of all ages and experience levels. Rich with examples—read it to discover new poets, if for nothing else. But dip into it for the prompts, either the direct ones at the end of each section or the implicit ones that Laux strews like treasure throughout.

[Deb (Readerbuzz) Nance · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finger Exercises for Poets is a two-hundred page book filled with prompts for writing, using great poetry as models.

I read this once, and I plan to read it again, immediately.