Compass Points - A Practical Guide to Poetry Forms: How To Find The Perfect Form For Your Poem

by Alison Chisholm

A Practical Guide to Poetry Forms is a practical handbook on poetry forms, giving informative details on the construction of the major set forms. It also includes exercises, all within the scope of the beginner, yet stimulating enough to engage the more experienced poet.,

Genres: Poetry

113 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 28, 2014

Reviews

[Aurélien Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

You can't be simpler than that: this book does exactly what it says on the cover. Alison Chisholm, out of the several hundreds of poetical forms existing out there, examines here the fifty most commons and their variants; describing them briefly, offering hints as to what type of contents may suit them best, and illustrating them each with clear examples. She also offers basic exercises, to help getting to grip with them in a practical way.

Number of lines, the relevance (or not!) of repetitions, syllabic and spatial poetry... She even ends up with free verse, a form which, contrary to a strong prejudice, is everything but 'free' from rules and techniques itself!

'A Practical Guide to Poetry Forms' is the perfect read, not only for poets in the making to go and steer their readers confidently with well chosen and crafted scaffold to their contents, but, also, for novice readers of poetry, looking to get a better appreciation of the art. Straightforward and accessible, here's a very friendly little guide!

[April · Rating 3 out of 5]

I probably need this explain to me like a 12-year-old

"Poetry Forms" by Allison Chisholm is a comprehensive guide to various poetic structures. Chisholm's clear explanations and examples make understanding complex forms accessible. A must-read for aspiring poets and seasoned writers alike.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very helpful and concise explanation of the various forms of poetry. I didn’t care for the example poems, but that’s just a personal bias.

Overall a worthy book
I urge you all to have a look.
I didn’t love the sample verse
Though I suppose it could be worse.