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A Primer for Poets & Readers of Poetry
An innovative and accessible guide to poetry-writing by an award-winning poet and beloved professor of poetry.
A Primer for Poets and Readers of Poetry guides the young poet toward a deeper understanding of how poetry can function in his or her life, while also introducing the art in an exciting new way. Using such poems as Theodore Roethke’s "My Papa’s Waltz" and Robert Hayden’s "Those Winter Sundays," the Primer encourages young writers to approach their "thresholds"—those places where disorder meets order, where shaping imagination can turn language into urgent and persuasive poems. It provides the poet with more than a dozen focused writing exercises and explains essential topics such as the personal and cultural threshold; the four forces that animate poetic language (naming, singing, saying, imagining); tactics of revision; ecstasy and engagement as motives for poetry; and how to locate and learn from our personal poetic forebears.
A Primer for Poets and Readers of Poetry guides the young poet toward a deeper understanding of how poetry can function in his or her life, while also introducing the art in an exciting new way. Using such poems as Theodore Roethke’s "My Papa’s Waltz" and Robert Hayden’s "Those Winter Sundays," the Primer encourages young writers to approach their "thresholds"—those places where disorder meets order, where shaping imagination can turn language into urgent and persuasive poems. It provides the poet with more than a dozen focused writing exercises and explains essential topics such as the personal and cultural threshold; the four forces that animate poetic language (naming, singing, saying, imagining); tactics of revision; ecstasy and engagement as motives for poetry; and how to locate and learn from our personal poetic forebears.
316 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 13, 2018
81 people are currently reading
667 people want to read
About the author
Gregory Orr
37 books105 followersGregory Orr was born in Albany, New York in 1947, and grew up in the rural Hudson Valley. He received a BA degree from Antioch College in 1969 and an MFA from Columbia University in 1972.
He is the author of more than ten collections of poetry, including River Inside the River: Poems (W. W. Norton, 2013); How Beautiful the Beloved (Copper Canyon Press, 2009); Concerning the Book that is the Body of the Beloved (2005); The Caged Owl: New and Selected Poems (2002); Orpheus and Eurydice (2001); City of Salt (1995), which was a finalist for the L.A. Times Poetry Prize; Gathering the Bones Together (1975) and Burning the Empty Nests (1973).
He is also the author of a memoir, The Blessing (Council Oak Books, 2002), which was chosen by Publisher's Weekly as one of the fifty best non-fiction books the year, and three books of essays, including Poetry As Survival (2002) and Stanley Kunitz: An Introduction to the Poetry (1985).
- See more at: http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/...
He is the author of more than ten collections of poetry, including River Inside the River: Poems (W. W. Norton, 2013); How Beautiful the Beloved (Copper Canyon Press, 2009); Concerning the Book that is the Body of the Beloved (2005); The Caged Owl: New and Selected Poems (2002); Orpheus and Eurydice (2001); City of Salt (1995), which was a finalist for the L.A. Times Poetry Prize; Gathering the Bones Together (1975) and Burning the Empty Nests (1973).
He is also the author of a memoir, The Blessing (Council Oak Books, 2002), which was chosen by Publisher's Weekly as one of the fifty best non-fiction books the year, and three books of essays, including Poetry As Survival (2002) and Stanley Kunitz: An Introduction to the Poetry (1985).
- See more at: http://www.poets.org/poet.php/prmPID/...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
May 2, 2021
Gregory Orr is the founder of the MFA program at the Univ. of Virginia, so I guess this means he decided to write his own "Introduction to Poetry" book for student readers and writers, but you needn't be a student to appreciate his plain speaking (something that's always appreciated in Poetry World).
The book stops for creative writing exercises, but I sort of skimmed over those (hey, I'm auditing this course!). My hands are full with my own assignments. That said, you might enjoy them if you're an aspiring poet or even an established one.
For starters, Orr gives a pep talk on letting it rip when it comes to writing. Block? That's for sun sauce, baby. When it comes to writing, first drafts are places to spill. You can pick through the wreckage later (garbage picking always yields treasure, after all).
Next he distinguishes between narrative and lyric poems, giving characteristics and examples of both. In his view, narrative often needs MORE during revision and lyric LESS.
From here he divides poetry's essentials into four parts: Naming, Singing, Saying, and Imagining. Naming is where your powerful vocabulary comes in. If you're writing about what you know (or even attempting to write about something you've never experienced), you'd better know what things are called. Specific nouns and action verbs are king and queen of the land, after all. Adjectives and adverbs? Not so much. Orr's exception is color words.
Singing brings us to the music of poetry. Orr reads all his poems aloud and says you should too. In the poet's conservatory you'll find such tools as rhythm and meter, diction, vowel pitch, assonance, consonance, incantation, syntax, anaphora, and other tricks of the ear trade. All together now on Middle C!
Saying goes into pronouncements. Acting like you own the place. The way certain lines of poetry are memorable because they seem so wise and deep. I'm just saying.
And finally Imagining, which is a love song to metaphor. Nothing like a good metaphor, but there's something about bad ones and mixed ones and tired ones. Beware, in other words, but know that this is an essential tool of every good poet.
A lot of the example poems are from OBG's like Walt Whitman (heavily), Miss Emily, WB Yeats, Theodore Roethke, T.S. Eliot, and Pablo Neruda. This may be because getting permissions from more modern poets is a royal (royalty?) pain, so the go-to for books like this is the public domain.
Enjoyable, overall, and suitable for folks who want to learn more about poetry OR who know a lot about it but want to get some inside tips and drills. Good for strictly readers of poetry and good for writers of poetry (who of course read poetry). One of the better ones of this ilk, when all's said and done (and for me, it is).
The book stops for creative writing exercises, but I sort of skimmed over those (hey, I'm auditing this course!). My hands are full with my own assignments. That said, you might enjoy them if you're an aspiring poet or even an established one.
For starters, Orr gives a pep talk on letting it rip when it comes to writing. Block? That's for sun sauce, baby. When it comes to writing, first drafts are places to spill. You can pick through the wreckage later (garbage picking always yields treasure, after all).
Next he distinguishes between narrative and lyric poems, giving characteristics and examples of both. In his view, narrative often needs MORE during revision and lyric LESS.
From here he divides poetry's essentials into four parts: Naming, Singing, Saying, and Imagining. Naming is where your powerful vocabulary comes in. If you're writing about what you know (or even attempting to write about something you've never experienced), you'd better know what things are called. Specific nouns and action verbs are king and queen of the land, after all. Adjectives and adverbs? Not so much. Orr's exception is color words.
Singing brings us to the music of poetry. Orr reads all his poems aloud and says you should too. In the poet's conservatory you'll find such tools as rhythm and meter, diction, vowel pitch, assonance, consonance, incantation, syntax, anaphora, and other tricks of the ear trade. All together now on Middle C!
Saying goes into pronouncements. Acting like you own the place. The way certain lines of poetry are memorable because they seem so wise and deep. I'm just saying.
And finally Imagining, which is a love song to metaphor. Nothing like a good metaphor, but there's something about bad ones and mixed ones and tired ones. Beware, in other words, but know that this is an essential tool of every good poet.
A lot of the example poems are from OBG's like Walt Whitman (heavily), Miss Emily, WB Yeats, Theodore Roethke, T.S. Eliot, and Pablo Neruda. This may be because getting permissions from more modern poets is a royal (royalty?) pain, so the go-to for books like this is the public domain.
Enjoyable, overall, and suitable for folks who want to learn more about poetry OR who know a lot about it but want to get some inside tips and drills. Good for strictly readers of poetry and good for writers of poetry (who of course read poetry). One of the better ones of this ilk, when all's said and done (and for me, it is).
November 14, 2020
கவிதையின் அடிப்படைகள், அதன் மொழி, வாசகனுக்கும் கவிதைக்குமான தொடர்பு என பகுதி பகுதியாக எளிமையான மொழியில் உதாரணங்களுடன் விளக்கும் நூல். எழுதியவரும் கவிஞர்தான். Naming, Singing, Saying, Imagining (அதாவது மொழிவளம், இசைமை, தரிசனம், புனைவு) என கவிதையின் மொழியைக் குறிப்பிடுகிறார். இது எனக்கு சுவாரசியமாக இருந்தது. மற்றபடி இது Creative writing மாணவர்களுக்கான நூல். அதன் நிறை குறைகள்(homework கொடுப்பது etc) இரண்டுமே உண்டு. கவிதையியலில் ஆர்வம் உள்ளவர்கள் தவறவிடக்கூடாத புத்தகம்.
October 28, 2018
A must read for poets, aspiring poets, or anyone interested in poetry. As Orr says "sooner or later you have to read lots of poems in order to develop as a poet." I'd add that anyone who writes poetry should read plenty of books like this in order to grow as a writer.
November 2, 2018
Wannabe poets: look somewhere else…
I’m a poet and I read lots of poetry.
If you have some interest in poetry, and if you don’t know much about it, don’t read this book.
Primer for Poets is a disappointment to me. Apparently it was written as a textbook for college freshmen taking a course in poetry or literature.
It is formulaic. It offers exercises in constructing poems using a random sequence of phrases.
It attributes imaginary meaning and structure to poetry. It is a self-satisfied reflection on grand points that have little to do, specifically, with individual poems, and it begs the question: is it possible to state a categorical, collective description of “poetry?” I’ll mention that Primer for Poets has a 12-page glossary—it’s useful, but it’s not unique.
Orr devotes too much effort to the hopeless task of explaining how poetry embraces the “threshold” between “order” and “disorder.” He goes on and on (make sure you underline this in your notes, you are taking notes, right?) about “naming, singing, saying, and imagining” as elements of the poet’s craft. Orr makes sure you don’t fail to understand that “ecstasy and engagement” are essential for making words “come alive in poems.”
Indulge me. I think it’s possible to encourage a wannabe poet. I think it’s possible to mentor a wannabe poet by critiquing and exploring her work. I don’t think it’s credible to write a book that will teach poetry writing.
Poetry can be literature, of course. Literature is by definition a collection of works in the public domain. Nevertheless, poetry is a granular art form. Poets create themselves. Each poem is unique.
Read more of my book reviews and poems here:
www.richardsubber.com
I’m a poet and I read lots of poetry.
If you have some interest in poetry, and if you don’t know much about it, don’t read this book.
Primer for Poets is a disappointment to me. Apparently it was written as a textbook for college freshmen taking a course in poetry or literature.
It is formulaic. It offers exercises in constructing poems using a random sequence of phrases.
It attributes imaginary meaning and structure to poetry. It is a self-satisfied reflection on grand points that have little to do, specifically, with individual poems, and it begs the question: is it possible to state a categorical, collective description of “poetry?” I’ll mention that Primer for Poets has a 12-page glossary—it’s useful, but it’s not unique.
Orr devotes too much effort to the hopeless task of explaining how poetry embraces the “threshold” between “order” and “disorder.” He goes on and on (make sure you underline this in your notes, you are taking notes, right?) about “naming, singing, saying, and imagining” as elements of the poet’s craft. Orr makes sure you don’t fail to understand that “ecstasy and engagement” are essential for making words “come alive in poems.”
Indulge me. I think it’s possible to encourage a wannabe poet. I think it’s possible to mentor a wannabe poet by critiquing and exploring her work. I don’t think it’s credible to write a book that will teach poetry writing.
Poetry can be literature, of course. Literature is by definition a collection of works in the public domain. Nevertheless, poetry is a granular art form. Poets create themselves. Each poem is unique.
Read more of my book reviews and poems here:
www.richardsubber.com
July 12, 2022
Incredibly insightful, really would recommend for anyone remotely interested in poetry. Great read to skim if you’re only vaguely into reading poetry, or intensively study if you care for writing it.
Crazy good selection of work to read and study from and Orr makes poetry writing accessible. I love this man
Crazy good selection of work to read and study from and Orr makes poetry writing accessible. I love this man
July 10, 2020
I am sorry I cannot give this book more than five stars. It is both rigorous and kind. It fad already changed my writing life.
February 10, 2018
Won this through a goodreads giveaway and it's really fantastic. The author does an amazing job, explaining various poetry terms such as rhyme, meter, consonance, syntax and naming. Orr writes in a way that is understandable, relatable, and intriguing. He makes it so reading and writing poetry, feels accessible to any reader. I've always just been a reader of poetry not really a writer, but with the several writing exercises that are included in the book, I've started to write more then I ever thought I could. Highly recommend this book!
April 4, 2023
There is good information here about types of poetry and poetic devices, and Orr provides interesting exercises as practice for the aspects of poetry he talks about. He does not go into specific poetry forms much at all, saying at one point he feels it intimidates and limits the beginning poet. I disagree a bit with him on this; the one big thing I learned in design school is that, in fact, limits free you to be more creative. I understand that in writing it's often best to begin by just writing and impose the limits afterward--but I wish he had discussed this aspect.
I particularly liked one exercise where I took one of my poems and rewrote it a few times to emphasize a different aspect of how it sounded--vowels, consonants, alliteration, word order, rhyme--it showed both my poetic inclinations, and ways I could vary them to give a slightly different tone to both the meaning and music of the words.
Orr centers the poem on the poet, even when they are assuming another point of view. I don't think that's the only orientation that's useful. I also thought he was a bit too enamored with Walt Whitman, but he did provide some variety in the other poets he used as examples. He always had me thinking, and any book that makes you think has value.
I particularly liked one exercise where I took one of my poems and rewrote it a few times to emphasize a different aspect of how it sounded--vowels, consonants, alliteration, word order, rhyme--it showed both my poetic inclinations, and ways I could vary them to give a slightly different tone to both the meaning and music of the words.
Orr centers the poem on the poet, even when they are assuming another point of view. I don't think that's the only orientation that's useful. I also thought he was a bit too enamored with Walt Whitman, but he did provide some variety in the other poets he used as examples. He always had me thinking, and any book that makes you think has value.
September 23, 2025
Gregory Orr’s book is plainspoken and approachable. While it includes creative writing exercises, they are not its central strength; other craft books handle that aspect more effectively. The exercises are interesting, but what stands out here are the close readings of poems. The tone is directed at a “young poet,” which initially put me off, but the insights proved valuable. The book manages to be beginner-friendly without ever feeling simplistic.
Orr explores the relationship between narrative and lyric poetry, noting that most poems fall somewhere along a spectrum between the two. From there, he outlines poetry’s four essentials: Naming (precise nouns and verbs), Singing (poetry’s music), Saying (lines with authority and resonance), and Imagining (metaphor).
The examples lean heavily on classics, which feels a bit dated and skews them largely dead and male. Still, Orr’s practical advice makes the book rewarding for both readers and writers of poetry. Overall, it is a thoughtful and enjoyable guide.
Orr explores the relationship between narrative and lyric poetry, noting that most poems fall somewhere along a spectrum between the two. From there, he outlines poetry’s four essentials: Naming (precise nouns and verbs), Singing (poetry’s music), Saying (lines with authority and resonance), and Imagining (metaphor).
The examples lean heavily on classics, which feels a bit dated and skews them largely dead and male. Still, Orr’s practical advice makes the book rewarding for both readers and writers of poetry. Overall, it is a thoughtful and enjoyable guide.
April 7, 2018
Gregory Orr offers wonderful insight into the powerful role poetry plays in the lives of the reader and writer. His straightforward and original approach stimulates fresh ideas for every novice or veteran. He provides several examples of poetry and a dozen writing exercises to help his readers breathe life into stagnant thoughts and words. Orr encourages all students of poetry to untangle the binds, free the chaos, and wrestle the wild beast long enough to write your own "dancing star." A must-have for all lovers of poetry!
May 22, 2018
I am an English teacher now finishing up my 11th year in education. I've always loved poetry but have been too trepidatious to write it. Greg Orr's book really helped me see the parts of poetry, what poetry can be, how you mine for ideas, and how you refocus those ideas once you're done. After reading this book and committing to the writing prompts throughout--which are awesome-- I've written ten poems. It's meaty, thinky, and all-around great writing instruction! Pick it up if you're wanting to up your poetry game!
July 8, 2025
4/5 stars
my name is philip! i am a poet! i wrote this note just to show it!!
just kidding. but this was a supremely helpful book as i continue to grapple with the ongoing struggle of getting better at writing poetry. half the time i feel like i'm stumbling around in the dark trying to grab onto identifiable landmarks to figure out a path through a piece and i think this book shed a little bit of light! ugh i just love poetry. and creating insane metaphors. also helps that the person who taught me with this was THEE victoria chang. can you believe???
my name is philip! i am a poet! i wrote this note just to show it!!
just kidding. but this was a supremely helpful book as i continue to grapple with the ongoing struggle of getting better at writing poetry. half the time i feel like i'm stumbling around in the dark trying to grab onto identifiable landmarks to figure out a path through a piece and i think this book shed a little bit of light! ugh i just love poetry. and creating insane metaphors. also helps that the person who taught me with this was THEE victoria chang. can you believe???
June 26, 2018
The exercises in this book are really helpful and I love the author's approach to poetry. I appreciate the fact that he directs his words not only to the seasoned poetry consumers but also the beginners and the intimidated. A good read and full of insightful information. Poetry is a way of life, a lens into one's self through music, lyric and imagination. Orr focuses on this and gives the readers the tools we need for our quest to find ourselves through poetry.
April 19, 2024
Gregory Orr is a brilliant poet and writer and I enjoy reading his work. I found reading this book enormously gratifying and will be recommending it to the future poets I encounter. The title defines Orr’s audience and he meets his readers head on in clear and exacting prose with personal invitations and guidance, fine explications of a wide selection of poems, and original and wise writing exercises.
April 28, 2024
This would be excellent to teach in a graduate workshop.
"Language in lyric isn't only Naming and Singing, no matter how powerful those forces may be. There's also Saying. What is Saying? Saying is language that asserts--language in its assertive mode, as used by the poet to make claims about the world of experience or concepts and ideas. The power of Saying is related to our (secret) love of the tone of authority" (224).
"Language in lyric isn't only Naming and Singing, no matter how powerful those forces may be. There's also Saying. What is Saying? Saying is language that asserts--language in its assertive mode, as used by the poet to make claims about the world of experience or concepts and ideas. The power of Saying is related to our (secret) love of the tone of authority" (224).
October 23, 2024
A good book for beginners and there are a few gems, too, for the seasoned poet.
In this book, Orr championed lyric poetry. I am reminded of William Zinsser’s “On Writing Well” but instead of writing, it’s for poetry.
The contents consist of poetry analyses, rhetorics, statements, and writing prompts/exercises.
Above all, I wholeheartedly agree and on the same page with Orr in one thing: poets grow reading other poets.
In this book, Orr championed lyric poetry. I am reminded of William Zinsser’s “On Writing Well” but instead of writing, it’s for poetry.
The contents consist of poetry analyses, rhetorics, statements, and writing prompts/exercises.
Above all, I wholeheartedly agree and on the same page with Orr in one thing: poets grow reading other poets.
February 2, 2025
Perfect for Poets
I read ‘Poetry as Survival’ in college. I wanted to read more from Gregory Orr because the professor that assigned ‘Poetry as Survival’ is gone. I feel like I was continuing his teaching through reading ‘Primer for Poets.’ I feel like this book is useful for poets at any level, including published poets. Thank you for this book.
I read ‘Poetry as Survival’ in college. I wanted to read more from Gregory Orr because the professor that assigned ‘Poetry as Survival’ is gone. I feel like I was continuing his teaching through reading ‘Primer for Poets.’ I feel like this book is useful for poets at any level, including published poets. Thank you for this book.
April 1, 2018
Gregg Orr writes about poetry in a way that satisfies both novice poets and poets who have been writing for a long time: his prose is clear and his notions about poetry are insightful and clear. He brings his years of experience as a reader and writer to the book.
April 7, 2019
I am taking a poetry writing class this semester since my university does not have a songwriting class. This book honestly is a nice introduction to anyone interested in writing poetry. Though, some things I disagree with Orr on, most of his suggestions were useful. I think that it's a nice start.
May 25, 2019
Excellent as intro to poetry or as a refresher. Orr's basic theory is that poetry lives in the chaos between order and disorder and the poetic moment is the threshold of that chaos. First time reading Orr. Good stuff.
July 17, 2019
Definitely a book for beginners. However, that doesn't mean veteran poets have nothing to learn in these pages. Orr does a great job presenting poetry in an accessible yet thoughtful and well laid out introduction to why poets love poetry and the inner fire that prompts them to write.
July 1, 2023
I encountered this book by chance at a local used bookstore, and was struck by its unique, philosophical, psychological perspective. Compared to other how-to poetry primers, this book focuses mostly on the existential and emotional aspects of writing, as well as the therapeutic impact of writing. It does contain some details on writing technique (e.g. different vowel sounds, figurative devices), but the perspective is less technical and is more qualitative and organic. I found this to be an accessible and engaging read, and it definitely broadened my viewpoint of what is involved in the creation of poetry.
May 11, 2018
Clear, fun, inspiring, optimistic... read it and then go out and write!
February 1, 2020
A workbook of exactly what the title says
May 31, 2020
It took me about a year to read this, because I savored every word. What a joy to read during this difficult time or any time.
July 28, 2020
The best primer I've read. Orr details not only poetic theory, but the psychology behind the creation of a poem.
October 27, 2022
Despite having taught writing, specifically poetry, for 20 years, I found Orr able to to illuminate parts of the poetic process in a lucid and engaging way for the lay person.
January 23, 2023
I really loved the way Orr talks about poetry here. I thought some of the exercises were a little too simplistic or not engaging, but other than that, this is a wonderful book for poetry writers.
April 13, 2024
Pretty helpful for my poetry.
July 23, 2024
So beautifully written. A great starter point and inspiration to anyone looking to include more poetry in their life, whether it be writing it or reading it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews