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Mentor and Muse: Essays from Poets to Poets
In Mentor and Muse, a collection of twenty-nine insightful essays by some of today’s leading poetic minds, editors Blas Falconer, Beth Martinelli, and Helena Mesa have brought together an illuminating anthology that draws upon both established and emerging poets to create a one-of-a-kind resource and unlock the secrets of writing and revising poetry.
Gathered here are numerous experts eager to share their wisdom with other writers. Each author examines in detail a particular poetic element, shedding new light on the endless possibilities of poetic forms. Addressed within are such topics as the fluid possibilities of imagery in poetry; the duality of myth and the personal, and the power of one to unlock the other; the surprising versatility of traditional poetic forms; and the pleasure of collaboration with other poets. Also explored in depth are the formative roles of cultural identity and expectations, and their effect on composition; advice on how to develop one’s personal poetic style and approach; the importance of setting in reading and meaning; and the value of indirection in the lyric poem. Challenges to conventional concepts of beauty are examined through Shakespeare’s sonnets, and the ghost of Longfellow is called upon to guide students through the rewards and roadblocks of writing popular poetry. Poetic persona is demystified through Newton’s law of gravity, while the countless permutations of punctuation are revealed with analysis of e. e. cummings and W. S. Merwin.
The essays include the full text of the poems discussed, and detailed, relevant writing exercises that allow students the opportunity to directly implement the strategies they have learned. While many advanced topics such as authenticity, discordant music, and prosody are covered, this highly readable volume is as user-friendly as it is informative. Offering a variety of aesthetics and approaches to tackling the issues of composition, Mentor and Muse takes poets beyond the simple stages of poetic terms and strategies. These authorsinvite students to explore more advanced concepts, enabling them to draw on the traditions of the past while at the same time forging their own creative paths into the future.
Chosen as one of the "Best Books for Writers" by Poets & Writers magazine
Gathered here are numerous experts eager to share their wisdom with other writers. Each author examines in detail a particular poetic element, shedding new light on the endless possibilities of poetic forms. Addressed within are such topics as the fluid possibilities of imagery in poetry; the duality of myth and the personal, and the power of one to unlock the other; the surprising versatility of traditional poetic forms; and the pleasure of collaboration with other poets. Also explored in depth are the formative roles of cultural identity and expectations, and their effect on composition; advice on how to develop one’s personal poetic style and approach; the importance of setting in reading and meaning; and the value of indirection in the lyric poem. Challenges to conventional concepts of beauty are examined through Shakespeare’s sonnets, and the ghost of Longfellow is called upon to guide students through the rewards and roadblocks of writing popular poetry. Poetic persona is demystified through Newton’s law of gravity, while the countless permutations of punctuation are revealed with analysis of e. e. cummings and W. S. Merwin.
The essays include the full text of the poems discussed, and detailed, relevant writing exercises that allow students the opportunity to directly implement the strategies they have learned. While many advanced topics such as authenticity, discordant music, and prosody are covered, this highly readable volume is as user-friendly as it is informative. Offering a variety of aesthetics and approaches to tackling the issues of composition, Mentor and Muse takes poets beyond the simple stages of poetic terms and strategies. These authorsinvite students to explore more advanced concepts, enabling them to draw on the traditions of the past while at the same time forging their own creative paths into the future.
Chosen as one of the "Best Books for Writers" by Poets & Writers magazine
- GenresPoetry
248 pages, Paperback
First published August 30, 2010
4 people are currently reading
72 people want to read
About the author
Blas Falconer
18 books13 followersBlas Falconer teaches in the low-residency MFA program at Murray State University.
Falconer’s awards include a 2011 National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, the Maureen Egen Writers Exchange Award from Poets & Writers, a Tennessee Individual Artist Grant, the New Delta Review Eyster Prize for Poetry, and the Barthelme Fellowship.
Born and raised in Virginia, Falconer earned an M.F.A. from the University of Maryland (1997) and a Ph.D. in Creative Writing and Literature from the University of Houston (2002). He currently lives in Los Angeles, California with his family.
Falconer’s awards include a 2011 National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, the Maureen Egen Writers Exchange Award from Poets & Writers, a Tennessee Individual Artist Grant, the New Delta Review Eyster Prize for Poetry, and the Barthelme Fellowship.
Born and raised in Virginia, Falconer earned an M.F.A. from the University of Maryland (1997) and a Ph.D. in Creative Writing and Literature from the University of Houston (2002). He currently lives in Los Angeles, California with his family.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
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May 5, 2013Blas Falconer, who teaches Austin Peay, this year published a fine first book, * A Question of Gravity and Light*. Given the jacket copy’s praise for Falconer’s descriptive gifts, the book should attract many literary browsers.
But what genus of browsers? Aside from description, we learn in advance, Blas’s major strengths concern his “embrace” of both his gayness and his Puerto Rican heritage.
Some will say that such information increases our understanding of *A Question of Gravity and Light*. Others will argue that it ghettoizes Falconer and his poems. While this conundrum is impossible to explore with any sensitivity and complexity in such a short space, I think it’s fair to experience some discomfort at being nudged immediately toward the belief that the most notable--and even noble--aspect of Falconer’s works is its political subcontent, not its form or (sub)genre or other subject matters, his parents being among the most important.
The formal pieces vary in type and quality. A sestina which relies too heavily on overly strict adherence to the traditional pattern is *A Question of Gravity and Light* seems a rare mis-step. Thus perhaps it stands--so to speak--to reason that many of the book’s best works, like the lovely sonnet sequence “Dear Friend,” depends, in part, on gentling the rhymes and metrics.
Likewise, Falconer’s poems dealing with his sexuality and ethinicity are usually best when at their subtlest, and perhaps it’s no accident that these poems, too, often concern his parents. “To Know You Better” is a plangent elegy for the grandson son Falconer’s mother will never embrace; “What We Have” includes the father in its physical and emotional *mise en scene*, one of loss. Falconer’s ability to celebrate such moments is striking: “The faucet leaks./ He has this face, these hands, / each drop and the ghost of each drop.”
And now we have an excellent book of essays that Falconer co-edited: *Mentor and Muse: Essays from Poets to Poets*. My favorites thus far? Ralph Angel, Joelle Biele, Shara McCallum, Stanley Plumly, Jane Satterfield, and Michael Waters. But this must-read collection arrived at the beginning of an over-busy year, so I suspect this is a review to which I'll return and add more!
But what genus of browsers? Aside from description, we learn in advance, Blas’s major strengths concern his “embrace” of both his gayness and his Puerto Rican heritage.
Some will say that such information increases our understanding of *A Question of Gravity and Light*. Others will argue that it ghettoizes Falconer and his poems. While this conundrum is impossible to explore with any sensitivity and complexity in such a short space, I think it’s fair to experience some discomfort at being nudged immediately toward the belief that the most notable--and even noble--aspect of Falconer’s works is its political subcontent, not its form or (sub)genre or other subject matters, his parents being among the most important.
The formal pieces vary in type and quality. A sestina which relies too heavily on overly strict adherence to the traditional pattern is *A Question of Gravity and Light* seems a rare mis-step. Thus perhaps it stands--so to speak--to reason that many of the book’s best works, like the lovely sonnet sequence “Dear Friend,” depends, in part, on gentling the rhymes and metrics.
Likewise, Falconer’s poems dealing with his sexuality and ethinicity are usually best when at their subtlest, and perhaps it’s no accident that these poems, too, often concern his parents. “To Know You Better” is a plangent elegy for the grandson son Falconer’s mother will never embrace; “What We Have” includes the father in its physical and emotional *mise en scene*, one of loss. Falconer’s ability to celebrate such moments is striking: “The faucet leaks./ He has this face, these hands, / each drop and the ghost of each drop.”
And now we have an excellent book of essays that Falconer co-edited: *Mentor and Muse: Essays from Poets to Poets*. My favorites thus far? Ralph Angel, Joelle Biele, Shara McCallum, Stanley Plumly, Jane Satterfield, and Michael Waters. But this must-read collection arrived at the beginning of an over-busy year, so I suspect this is a review to which I'll return and add more!
April 4, 2016
One of the most insightful collections of essays on various topics pertinent to poetry that I have ever read. I love the idea of prompts or assignments but too often the suggestions given strike me as hackneyed or overly simple. The exercises included in this book are smart and useful and the combination with essays gives the book a double richness.
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January 5, 2013Not worth the effort...
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews