Two-Way Mirror: A Poetry Notebook

by David Meltzer

The poem is perhaps the highest verbal form of communication. It illuminates and it conceals. It is as precise and as vague as a mirror."—David Meltzer Two-Way Mirror is a classic book of poetics. Written in short remarks, autobiographical anecdotes, and inspirational quotations drawn from philosophical, ethnographic, and literary sources, Two-Way Mirror is both a nondidactic guide to the art Meltzer has devoted his life to, and a literary pleasure in itself. With its various writing prompts,  Two-Way Mirror  has proven to be both inspirational and practical, a teaching tool and a guide to creativity that makes the perfect gift for poets at any stage of development. Attractively bound and printed in a deluxe gift edition, and featuring Meltzer's collection of found artwork collaged from thrift-store grammar books, this new and expanded edition retains the charm of the original while updating it for the present day.Building upon the version he self-published in 1977, Meltzer has written additional material that considers the effect of technological developments since the book's publication, as well as an afterword in which he reflects on the history of the volume, its inception, and its usefulness. Praise for Two-Way Mirror Reading Two-Way Mirror , I feel continually surprised, excited, alive. This book makes me want to make poems, and readers, if you are not already a poet, this book could very well turn you into one."–– Matthew Zapruder "I know of no better amalgam of poetry & poetics & no better introduction to the ways in which poetry can emerge for us & lead us beyond ourselves & toward our own fulfillments. Meltzer’s grace of mind & the life of poetry that surrounds it make the case complete.”— Jerome Rothenberg "A great book of learning from a lifetime's thoughts of the poem. Ramble, scribble, tickle, lightbulb! Timely and highly worthwhile."— Clark Coolidge “Invaluable for anyone who reads or writes poetry, or has a restless desire of any kind, this wondrous, zany compendium gives us 'a biography of poetry’ that directly enters our veins, bypassing all the crud and restoring our sense of the art, and David Meltzer is a champion of the impossible to have compiled it … a gift of delight and wisdom—keep it in your bag by day and by your bed at night."— Mary Ruefle

Genres: Poetry

213 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

David Meltzer was a poet associated with both the Beat Generation and the San Francisco Renaissance. A pioneer of jazz poetry readings, Meltzer also formed a psychedelic folk-rock group. He performed with the music and poetry review, "Rockpile." He edited many anthologies, including San Francisco Beat: Talking with the Poets (City Lights, 2001), and published 11 erotic novels. He taught for many years in the poetics program at New College of California.

Reviews

[Swell Versed · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came across this book by chance at my local library, and I just had to read it, because I love David Meltzer's poem/book "When I Was A Poet". In a way, this is a longer, manifesto-type version of that poem, as it is a vast collection of snippets of the author's thoughts on the craft of poetry, combined with snippets of other authors' thoughts on the same. I like some of the entries more than others, but in general I appreciated the work he put in to compiling all of these different snippets into one book. My favorite sections are the ones re: the musical aspects of poetry and especially how poetry is similar to and also different from song, such as "Poetry is speech that attempts to be song".

[ronny · Rating 4 out of 5]

poetry as ars poetica.

[Lily · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an easy favorite. Playful, meandering, and exploratory, Meltzer uses a variety of lyrical essays, prose poems, free verse, and quotations in a thesis about what poetry is, how sounds works, the spiritual meanings of language, and other wisdoms about creativity and writing.