Based on the idea that poetry, like any art, is best mastered through practice, this handbook for poets combines poetry-writing exercises with personal essays by each contributing poet. Some of the poets represented in the handbook are: Maxine Kumin, Rita Dove, Roger Mitchell, Carol Muske, Sydney Lea, and J. D. McClatchy. The exercises in the…

This 30-minute videotape program is designed to show educators, librarians, and parents that teaching children how to write poetry will help them feel their worth, instill confidence in them, and create in them an enthusiasm for learning in general. The program is part of the "Poetry and Children Series," which is based on the idea that…

Shows how digging for details adds richness and new meanings to cliches. Provides student poems resulting from exercises with trite materials. (RL)

This anthology collects essays by current and former lecturers at the Warren Wilson College (North Carolina) MFA Program for Writers. Some of the poets whose essays are included are: Joan Aleshire, Marianne Boruch, Carl Dennis, Stephen Dobyns, Reginald Gibbons, Louise Gluck, Allen Grossman, Robert Hass, Tony Hoagland, Heather McHugh, Gregory Orr,…

This book is designed to be a how-to-write-fiction guide that is long on specifics and short on theoretical material. Each section of the book deals with a separate element of fiction--characterization, dialogue, point of view, plot, etc. Every exercise in the book is introduced in an opening paragraph, followed by instructions for completing the…

Written for those who want to write poems but are not sure how to start, this book presents 20 short exercises plus short pieces ("written talk") about poetry. The exercises in the book are designed to be completed in about 10 weeks. The types of poems in the 20 exercises include "found" and "headline" poems (which…

Encouraging exploration and practice, this book offers hundreds of exercises and numerous tips covering every step involved in creating poetry. Each chapter is a self-contained unit offering an overview of material in the chapter, a definition of terms, and poetry examples from well-known authors designed to supplement the numerous exercises.…

Intended for people of all ages and with a history of successful use in schools, workshops, and prison, this book is a guide through a two-week plan of lessons to teach poetry writing. Each lesson builds on the one that came before, and all include poems. Following a preface, the 11 chapters are: (1) Basic Tools; (2) Extending the Metaphor; (3)…

This easy-to-use book addresses the needs of the teacher who has always wanted to do more with poetry in the classroom. It presents a sequence of activities that allows young children to listen to, learn, read, and write poetry--these activities have been used in dozens of classrooms and proven to be successful in a wide range of settings. Topics…

This 20-minute videotape program presents poet and Columbia University professor Kenneth Koch conducting a poetry workshop with a small group of fourth and fifth graders. The program's notes explain that Koch believes that students should be allowed to write poetry in the same way that they are allowed to dance and sing--with freedom,…

This book of fables from the animal kingdom contains: "The Frog Who Knew Too Much"; "Long Tail the Lizard"; "The Otter Who Went to the Bottom of the Sea"; "The Single-Wattled Cassowary and His Lethal Toe"; "The Rebel Gerbil"; "Why Hairless Monkeys Turn Out So Bad"; and "The Eagles'…

This unit of study explores elements of wonder, distortion, fantasy, and whimsy in Lewis Carroll's beloved classic "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland." In the unit, students explore concepts about Wonderland and then listen to the opening chapters of "The Nursery Alice," Carroll's adaptation for younger readers and view Sir John…