How Poems Get Made

by James Longenbach

A comprehensive guide to writing or reading poetry, by “one of our most lucid and important critics” (American Academy of Arts and Letters).

Why does a great lyric poem ask to be reread, even after we know it by heart? In How Poems Get Made, acclaimed poet and critic James Longenbach answers this question by discussing a wide range of exemplary poems, from Shakespeare through Blake, Dickinson, and Moore, to a variety of poets making poems today. In each chapter of How Poems Get Made, Longenbach examines a specific aspect of the poetic medium—including Diction, Syntax, Rhythm, Echo, Figure, and Tone—and shows how a poet may manipulate these most basic elements to bring a poem to life.

Genres: Poetry, Nonfiction, Writing

160 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 28, 2018

About the author

James Longenbach is a poet and critic whose work is often featured in publications such as The New Yorker, Paris Review, and Slate. He lives in Rochester, New York.

Reviews

[Sue · Rating 2 out of 5]

This slim volume consists of 12 short chapters, on "Diction," "Syntax," "Rhythm," etc. I found that an appealing way to organize a book on poetry. Unfortunately, for someone writing about language, this author writes in a heavy, academic style. For example, I just now opened the book at random & saw this sentence:

Unlike Blake's metaphors, the metaphors in this quatrain from Hart Crane's "At Melville's Tomb" do not reinforce one another, building a sense of parallel significance; instead, they extend one another, pushed by the quatrain's initially rigid branching syntax into increasingly unexpected realms of significance: [followed by long quote from the Crane poem].

I did still get something out of the book, but not near as much as I'd hoped. But this inspired me to dig up my ancient copy of Elizabeth Drew's book on poetry & to re-read it!

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Writing a book about the mechanics of poetry has potential for peril. All too easily the music and meaning could be lost in the tools and technique. James Longenbach navigates such hidden rocks with a gentle lyricism of his own.

Even as he guides us through the most basic of topics—word choice, word order, rhythm, repetition, figure, and more—he does not lose sight of what makes poetry such a powerful medium. For in it we enjoy the experience of rediscovering what we already know.

Deft selections from the last century (Eliot, Moore, Lawrence, Williams) as well as the classics (Blake, Dickinson, Donne, Keats, Shakespeare) give clarity and movement to a delightfully compact book. He reminds us of poems we knew, introduces us to many we didn’t, and shows us how to read those we have yet to encounter.

[Stevie]

This one made me realize how much I have to learn about poetry. I definitely want to reread when I’ve built a stronger foundation of knowledge of the concepts the author is referring to.

Loved the frequent references to poetry as examples

[Sarah Katz · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best and most accessible books on the mechanics of poetry that I have ever read. Pair it with The Art of the Line, also by James Longenbach, from Graywolf Press.

[Lynn Tait · Rating 3 out of 5]

Every time I read a Longenbach book, I feel like I have my own personal poetry tutor with me. Always a fruitful learning experience.

[Erynn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very useful

[Gerry LaFemina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Longenbach is smart. There's no doubt about that. His The Art of the Poetic Line left that not in doubt, and this book continues in the same vein. He understands language and its history and the history of poetry. Sometimes, though, his intelligence gets in the way of his explanations, and there's a failure of the imagination on his part if he believes these are the conscious considerations a poet makes. I have no doubt that these are the elements successful poems share, but not necessarily these are the ways poems get made.