How to Read (and Write About) Poetry

by Susan Holbrook

How to Read (and Write About) Poetry invites students and others curious about poetry to join the critical conversation about a genre many find a little mystifying, even intimidating. In an accessible, engaging manner, this book introduces the productive questions, reading strategies, literary terms, and secondary research tips that will empower readers to participate in literary analysis. Holbrook explicates a number of meaty poems, initiating readers into critical discourse while highlighting key poetic terms. These useful terms are fully defined in a glossary at the back of the book. The explications are followed by selections of related works, so the book thus offers what amounts to a brief anthology, ideal for a poetry unit or introductory class on poetry and poetics. Readers can bring some of the new skills they’ve acquired to these selections, which range across periods and styles. A chapter on meter illuminates the rhythmic dimension of poetry and guides readers through methods of scansion. Holbrook also offers guidance on essay writing, preparing students for literary discussion within and beyond the classroom. The conciseness of the book makes it portable and affordable, while its various instructive components make it a resource that will continue to serve its readers as their explorations of poetry continue.

Genres: Poetry

208 pages, Paperback

First published July 7, 2015

About the author

Born in 1967, Susan Holbrook is a Canadian poet and professor. Holbrook received her B.A.from the University of Victoria, and her M.A.from the University of Calgary. She teaches North American literatures and Creative Writing at the University of Windsor, in Ontario.

Susan Holbrook’s teaching, research and writing is propelled by her interests in contemporary poetry and poetics, Canadian literature, American Modernism, gender studies, and creative writing. She is poetry editor for Coach House press. She is currently working on a poetry manuscript (Throaty Wipes, forthcoming in 2016), and an edition of Daphne Marlatt’s collected poetry.

Reviews

[KC · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was assigned as a text in an English class and I dreaded reading it. In the end, I am so glad to have it in my toolbox. I thought I hated poetry, but really I needed some help to understand what I was stepping into. The writing is engaging and each chapter clearly lays out options for considering the poetry at hand.

[John Hanson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A collection of ten short poetic studies, a discussion of meter, a walkthrough on writing a collegiate poetry paper, and a glossary.

I initially felt the book rather thin, but by the time I worked through all ten studies, I appreciated the author's approach. It was a well-rounded engagement and each chapter taught me something I had not learned elsewhere. *If you check my craft shelf, you can see my home reference library* The main thing I think this book reinforces is there are many ways to approach creating poems, and there are no quick and dirty roads to becoming a poet. I almost skipped over the meter chapter, but I saw that it was more of a how-to discussion, and I found it most illuminating. Maybe the best meter chapter I have read so far. The author made meter very understandable and relevant, so maybe if I go back to all the other boring chapters in other books, they may be more exciting. The hypermetric, substitution, and catalytic examples were illuminating and not just more this-is-what-these-are didactic humdrum.

I skimmed the writing about poetry chapter as, well, I'm a bit beyond college age ;)

I now can only assume the low ratings are from students who read this because they had to and not because they wanted to. Oh well, poetry is like that. *grin*

[Sid Lodge · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book- Helped bring and overview and introduction to poetry and different devices. Provided good analysis. I wish for the end of chapter section poems there was more explanation instead of just prompts to think about.

[Reading Through the Lists · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a copy of How to Read (And Write About) Poetry from Broadview Press to use in my classroom for our poetry unit next year. While most of the poems in this volume are a little too grown-up for 7th graders, Holbrook’s manual will be useful not only in the classroom (particularly the glossary of poetic terms), but also in inspiring me to try and write poetry again.

There’s a delight that comes from reading really good poetry, and the wide variety of pieces included here helped renew my appreciation for the craft of poetry, for its challenges and its triumphs. I look forward to reading and teaching (and writing!) more poetry this coming year.

3.75 stars.

[Khoen Bell · Rating 3 out of 5]

For a class. Kinda feels like cheating ngl.