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Poetry Explained

How to Write a Poetry Essay (Complete Guide)

Unlock success in poetry essays with our comprehensive guide. Uncover the process to help aid understanding of how best to create a poetry essay.

While many of us read poetry for pleasure, it is undeniable that many poetry readers do so in the knowledge that they will be assessed on the text they are reading, either in an exam, for homework, or for a piece of coursework. This is clearly a daunting task for many, and lots of students don’t even know where to begin. We’re here to help! This guide will take you through all the necessary steps so that you can plan and write great poetry essays every time. If you’re still getting to grips with the different techniques, terms, or some other aspect of poetry, then check out our other available resources at the bottom of this page.

This Guide was Created by Joe Samantaria

Degree in English and Related Literature, and a Masters in Irish Literature

Upon completion of his degrees, Joe is an English tutor and counts W.B. Yeats , Emily Brontë , and Federico Garcia Lorca among his favorite poets. He has helped tutor hundreds of students with poetry and aims to do the same for readers and Poetry + users on Poem Analysis.

How to Write a Poetry Essay

• 1 Before You Start…
• 2 Introductions
• 3 Main Paragraphs
• 4 Conclusions
• 6 Other Resources

Before You Start…

Before we begin, we must address the fact that all poetry essays are different from one another on account of different academic levels, whether or not the essay pertains to one poem or multiple, and the intended length of the essay. That is before we even contend with the countless variations and distinctions between individual poems. Thus, it is impossible to produce a single, one-size-fits-all template for writing great essays on poetry because the criteria for such an essay are not universal. This guide is, therefore, designed to help you go about writing a simple essay on a single poem, which comes to roughly 1000-1200 words in length. We have designed it this way to mirror the requirements of as many students around the world as possible. It is our intention to write another guide on how to write a comparative poetry essay at a later date. Finally, we would like to stress the fact that this guide is exactly that: a guide. It is not a set of restrictive rules but rather a means of helping you get to grips with writing poetry essays. Think of it more like a recipe that, once practiced a few times, can be modified and adapted as you see fit.

The first and most obvious starting point is the poem itself and there are some important things to do at this stage before you even begin contemplating writing your essay. Naturally, these things will depend on the nature of the essay you are required to write.

• Is the poem one you are familiar with?
• Do you know anything about the context of the poem or the poet?
• How much time do you have to complete the essay?
• Do you have access to books or the internet?

These questions matter because they will determine the type, length, and scope of the essay you write. Naturally, an essay written under timed conditions about an unfamiliar poem will look very different from one written about a poem known to you. Likewise, teachers and examiners will expect different things from these essays and will mark them accordingly.

As this article pertains to writing a poverty essay, we’re going to assume you have a grasp of the basics of understanding the poems themselves. There is a plethora of materials available that can help you analyze poetry if you need to, and thousands of analyzed poems are available right here. For the sake of clarity, we advise you to use these tools to help you get to grips with the poem you intend to write about before you ever sit down to actually produce an essay. As we have said, the amount of time spent pondering the poem will depend on the context of the essay. If you are writing a coursework-style question over many weeks, then you should spend hours analyzing the poem and reading extensively about its context. If, however, you are writing an essay in an exam on a poem you have never seen before, you should perhaps take 10-15% of the allotted time analyzing the poem before you start writing.

The Question

Once you have spent enough time analyzing the poem and identifying its key features and themes, you can turn your attention to the question. It is highly unlikely that you will simply be asked to “analyze this poem.” That would be too simple on the one hand and far too broad on the other.

More likely, you will be asked to analyze a particular aspect of the poem, usually pertaining to its message, themes, or meaning. There are numerous ways examiners can express these questions, so we have outlined some common types of questions below.

• Explore the poet’s presentation of…
• How does the poet present…
• Explore the ways the writer portrays their thoughts about…

These are all similar ways of achieving the same result. In each case, the examiner requires that you analyze the devices used by the poet and attempt to tie the effect those devices have to the poet’s broader intentions or meaning.

Some students prefer reading the question before they read the poem, so they can better focus their analytical eye on devices and features that directly relate to the question they are being asked. This approach has its merits, especially for poems that you have not previously seen. However, be wary of focusing too much on a single element of a poem, particularly if it is one you may be asked to write about again in a later exam. It is no good knowing only how a poem links to the theme of revenge if you will later be asked to explore its presentation of time.

Essay plans can help focus students’ attention when they’re under pressure and give them a degree of confidence while they’re writing. In basic terms, a plan needs the following elements:

• An overarching answer to the question (this will form the basis of your introduction)
• A series of specific, identifiable poetic devices ( metaphors , caesura , juxtaposition , etc) you have found in the poem
• Ideas about how these devices link to the poem’s messages or themes.
• Some pieces of relevant context (depending on whether you need it for your type of question)

In terms of layout, we do not want to be too prescriptive. Some students prefer to bullet-point their ideas, and others like to separate them by paragraph. If you use the latter approach, you should aim for:

• 1 Introduction
• 4-5 Main paragraphs
• 1 Conclusion

Finally, the length and detail of your plan should be dictated by the nature of the essay you are doing. If you are under exam conditions, you should not spend too much time writing a plan, as you will need that time for the essay itself. Conversely, if you are not under time pressure, you should take your time to really build out your plan and fill in the details.

Introductions

If you have followed all the steps to this point, you should be ready to start writing your essay. All good essays begin with an introduction, so that is where we shall start.

When it comes to introductions, the clue is in the name: this is the place for you to introduce your ideas and answer the question in broad terms. This means that you don’t need to go into too much detail, as you’ll be doing that in the main body of the essay. That means you don’t need quotes, and you’re unlikely to need to quote anything from the poem yet. One thing to remember is that you should mention both the poet’s name and the poem’s title in your introduction. This might seem unnecessary, but it is a good habit to get into, especially if you are writing an essay in which other questions/poems are available to choose from.

As we mentioned earlier, you are unlikely to get a question that simply asks you to analyze a poem in its entirety, with no specific angle. More likely, you’ll be asked to write an essay about a particular thematic element of the poem. Your introduction should reflect this. However, many students fall into the trap of simply regurgitating the question without offering anything more. For example, a question might ask you to explore a poet’s presentation of love, memory, loss, or conflict . You should avoid the temptation to simply hand these terms back in your introduction without expanding upon them. You will get a chance to see this in action below.

Let’s say we were given the following question:

Explore Patrick Kavanagh’s presentation of loss and memory in Memory of My Father

Taking on board the earlier advice, you should hopefully produce an introduction similar to the one written below.

Patrick Kavanagh presents loss as an inescapable fact of existence and subverts the readers’ expectations of memory by implying that memories can cause immense pain, even if they feature loved ones. This essay will argue that Memory of My Father depicts loss to be cyclical and thus emphasizes the difficulties that inevitably occur in the early stages of grief.

As you can see, the introduction is fairly condensed and does not attempt to analyze any specific poetic elements. There will be plenty of time for that as the essay progresses. Similarly, the introduction does not simply repeat the words ‘loss’ and ‘memory’ from the question but expands upon them and offers a glimpse of the kind of interpretation that will follow without providing too much unnecessary detail at this early stage.

Main Paragraphs

Now, we come to the main body of the essay, the quality of which will ultimately determine the strength of our essay. This section should comprise of 4-5 paragraphs, and each of these should analyze an aspect of the poem and then link the effect that aspect creates to the poem’s themes or message. They can also draw upon context when relevant if that is a required component of your particular essay.

There are a few things to consider when writing analytical paragraphs and many different templates for doing so, some of which are listed below.

• PEE (Point-Evidence-Explain)
• PEA (Point-Evidence-Analysis)
• PETAL (Point-Evidence-Technique-Analysis-Link)
• IQA (Identify-Quote-Analyze)
• PEEL (Point-Evidence-Explain-Link)

Some of these may be familiar to you, and they all have their merits. As you can see, there are all effective variations of the same thing. Some might use different terms or change the order, but it is possible to write great paragraphs using all of them.

One of the most important aspects of writing these kind of paragraphs is selecting the features you will be identifying and analyzing. A full list of poetic features with explanations can be found here. If you have done your plan correctly, you should have already identified a series of poetic devices and begun to think about how they link to the poem’s themes.

It is important to remember that, when analyzing poetry, everything is fair game! You can analyze the language, structure, shape, and punctuation of the poem. Try not to rely too heavily on any single type of paragraph. For instance, if you have written three paragraphs about linguistic features ( similes , hyperbole , alliteration , etc), then try to write your next one about a structural device ( rhyme scheme , enjambment , meter , etc).

Regardless of what structure you are using, you should remember that multiple interpretations are not only acceptable but actively encouraged. Techniques can create effects that link to the poem’s message or themes in both complementary and entirely contrasting ways. All these possibilities should find their way into your essay. You are not writing a legal argument that must be utterly watertight – you are interpreting a subjective piece of art.

It is important to provide evidence for your points in the form of either a direct quotation or, when appropriate, a reference to specific lines or stanzas . For instance, if you are analyzing a strict rhyme scheme, you do not need to quote every rhyming word. Instead, you can simply name the rhyme scheme as, for example, AABB , and then specify whether or not this rhyme scheme is applied consistently throughout the poem or not. When you are quoting a section from the poem, you should endeavor to embed your quotation within your line so that your paragraph flows and can be read without cause for confusion.

When it comes to context, remember to check whether or not your essay question requires it before you begin writing. If you do need to use it, you must remember that it is used to elevate your analysis of the poem, not replace it. Think of context like condiments or spices. When used appropriately, they can enhance the experience of eating a meal, but you would have every right to complain if a restaurant served you a bowl of ketchup in lieu of an actual meal. Moreover, you should remember to only use the contextual information that helps your interpretation rather than simply writing down facts to prove you have memorized them. Examiners will not be impressed that you know the date a particular poet was born or died unless that information relates to the poem itself.

For the sake of ease, let’s return to our earlier question:

Have a look at the example paragraph below, taking note of the ways in which it interprets the linguistic technique in several different ways.

Kavanagh uses a metaphor when describing how the narrator ’s father had “fallen in love with death” in order to capture the narrator’s conflicted attitudes towards his loss. By conflating the ordinarily juxtaposed states of love and death, Kavanagh implies the narrator’s loss has shattered his previously held understanding of the world and left him confused. Similarly, the metaphor could suggest the narrator feels a degree of jealousy, possibly even self-loathing, because their father embraced death willingly rather than remaining with the living. Ultimately, the metaphor’s innate impossibility speaks to the narrator’s desire to rationalize their loss because the reality, that his father simply died, is too painful for him to bear.

As you can see, the paragraph clearly engages with a poetic device and uses an appropriately embedded quotation. The subsequent interpretations are then varied enough to avoid repeating each other, but all clearly link to the theme of loss that was mentioned in the question. Obviously, this is only one analytical paragraph, but a completed essay should contain 4-5. This would allow the writer to analyze enough different devices and link them to both themes mentioned in the question.

Conclusions

By this stage, you should have written the bulk of your essay in the form of your introduction and 4-5 main analytical paragraphs. If you have done those things properly, then the conclusion should largely take care of itself.

The world’s simplest essay plan sounds something like this:

• Tell them what you’re going to tell them
• Tell them what you’ve told them

This is, naturally, an oversimplification, but it is worth bearing in mind. The conclusion to an essay is not the place to introduce your final, groundbreaking interpretation. Nor is it the place to reveal a hitherto unknown piece of contextual information that shatters any prior critical consensus with regard to the poem you are writing about. If you do either of these things, the examiner will be asking themselves one simple question: why didn’t they write this earlier?

In its most simple form, a conclusion is there, to sum up the points you have made and nothing more.

As with the previous sections, there is a little more to a great conclusion than merely stating the things you have already made. The trick to a great conclusion is to bind those points together to emphasize the essay’s overarching thread or central argument. This is a subtle skill, but mastering it will really help you to finish your essays with a flourish by making your points feel like they are more than the sum of their parts.

Finally, let’s remind ourselves of the hypothetical essay question we’ve been using:

Remember that, just like your introduction, your conclusion should be brief and direct and must not attempt to do more than it needs to.

In conclusion, Kavanagh’s poem utilizes numerous techniques to capture the ways in which loss is both inescapable and a source of enormous pain. Moreover, the poet subverts positive memories by showcasing how they can cause loved ones more pain than comfort in the early stages of grief. Ultimately, the poem demonstrates how malleable memory can be in the face of immense loss due to the way the latter shapes and informs the former.

As you can see, this conclusion is confident and authoritative but does not need to provide evidence to justify this tone because that evidence has already been provided earlier in the essay. You should pay close attention to the manner in which the conclusion links different points together under one banner in order to provide a sense of assuredness.

You should refer to the poet by either using their full name or, more commonly, their surname. After your first usage, you may refer to them as ‘the poet.’ Never refer to the poet using just their first name.

This is a good question, and the answer entirely depends on the level of study as well as the nature of the examination. If you are writing a timed essay for a school exam, you are unlikely to need any form of referencing. If, however, you are writing an essay as part of coursework or at a higher education institution, you may need to refer to the specific guidelines of that institution.

Again, this will depend on the type of essay you are being asked to write. If you are writing a longer essay or writing at a higher educational level, it can be useful to refer to other poems in the writer’s repertoire to help make comments on an aspect of the poem you are primarily writing about. However, for the kind of essay outlined in this article, you should focus solely on the poem you have been asked to write about.

This is one of the most common concerns students have about writing essays . Ultimately, the quality of an essay is more likely to be determined by the quality of paragraphs than the quantity anyway, so you should focus on making your paragraphs as good as they can be. Beyond this, it is important to remember that the time required to write a paragraph is not fixed. The more you write, the faster they will become. You should trust the process, focus on making each paragraph as good as it can be, and you’ll be amazed at how the timing issue takes care of itself.

Other Resources

We hope you have found this article useful and would love for you to comment or reach out to us if you have any queries about what we’ve written. We’d love to hear your feedback!

In the meantime, we’ve collated a list of resources you might find helpful when setting out to tackle a poetry essay, which you can find below.

• Do poems have to rhyme?
• 10 important elements of poetry
• How to analyze a poem with SMILE
• How to approach unseen poetry
• 18 Different Types of Themes in Poetry

Home » Poetry Explained » How to Write a Poetry Essay (Complete Guide)

About Joe Santamaria

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Santamaria, Joe. "How to Write a Poetry Essay (Complete Guide)". Poem Analysis , https://poemanalysis.com/how-to-write-a-poetry-essay/ . Accessed 8 August 2024.

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Writing a poetry book requires courage, stamina, and a lot of patience with yourself. The poetry book ranks at the top of many poets’ to-do lists, but getting a manuscript in front of poetry book publishers takes years of writing and planning.

This article covers the essentials of getting new poetry books into print, covering both the writing and publishing process for contemporary poets. Let’s get into it: How do you write a poetry book?

How to Write a Poetry Book: Contents

How Many Poems in a Poetry Book?

What is a poetry chapbook, should i publish a chapbook or a full-length poetry collection, do modern poetry books follow a theme, how do you order the poems when writing a poetry book, how should i format my poetry manuscript, i’ve finished writing a poetry book. how do i publish it, what do poetry book publishers look for in manuscripts, checklist: how to publish a poetry book, who are some poetry book publishers i can submit to, do i need an agent to publish my poetry book, what can you tell me about self-publishing a poetry book, a final note on how to publish a poetry book: be patient.

Most poetry book publishers abide by the following definition: a poetry book is any collection of poems longer than 48 pages. There’s no standard for how many poems go into a collection; it’s much more important that the collection feels “finished” to the poet.

Poetry book publishers often define a poetry book as any collection of poems longer than 48 pages.

With that said, feel free to experiment with length and content while writing a poetry book. You could, theoretically, publish a book of 3 16-page poems, or something similarly eccentric!

A poetry chapbook—in contrast to modern poetry books—is a collection of poems under 48 pages in length. Because of this page restraint, poetry chapbooks are often thematic and dwell upon a small group of topics; they are rarely narrative in nature. Everything we discuss about how to write a poetry book applies to chapbooks as well.

A poetry chapbook—in contrast to modern poetry books—is a collection of poems under 48 pages in length.

Often, a poet will publish a chapbook before they publish a full length collection (though they don’t have to). In the publishing world, a chapbook serves as a “sample” of a poet’s potential. If the chapbook is well-received, then that poet is more likely to publish a full-length collection in the future. The poet might also publish poems in the full-length collection that were first featured in their chapbook.

Often, a poet will publish a chapbook before they publish a full length collection.

Instead of writing a poetry book, most modern poets begin their publishing journey with a chapbook. Melissa Lozada-Oliva and Olivia Gatwood both published chapbooks through Button Poetry, which gave both poets an opportunity to tour and sell those books across the U.S. As a result, Gatwood has a new full-length collection , and MLO published a novel in verse .

In other words, how do you approach crafting a poetry manuscript? This is probably the trickiest part about assembling a collection of poetry. Like much of creative writing, there’s no formula for how to write a poetry book.

Many new poetry books do follow a theme . Collections about love, death, grief, and oppression certainly populate the poetry shelves of bookstores. However, a theme is only one way of connecting poems together. A poetry collection doesn’t need to be about something; the poems just need some sort of connecting thread.

A poetry collection doesn’t need to be about something; the poems just need some sort of connecting thread.

For example, a collection can be centered around poetry form . Every poem in Terrance Hayes’ collection American Sonnets for my Past and Future Assassin is, as you can guess, an American Sonnet. Hayes’ poems range from the political to the romantic, but all of them are united in form and in motive.

Poetry can also tell a story. Anne Carson’s lyrical poems in Autobiography of Red tell the story of Geryon, a monster of Greek myth re-imagined as the protagonist of a queer Bildungsroman. Carson’s poems are haunting, lucid, and wonderfully absurd, pushing the boundaries of what a poetry collection can accomplish. Ilya Kaminsky does something similar in Deaf Republic , a poetry collection about a fictional town under occupation. Kaminsky’s collection is at once a celebration of humankind’s resilience and a stark warning against totalitarianism, with each poem stacked off each other like cards in a deck.

Likewise, Danez Smith’s collection Don’t Call Us Dead centers around the theme of kaleidoscopic identities, and the collection begins in story. The first third of the book consists of poems searching for a “Heaven for black boys”—a space of respite, a land “that loves [its people] back.” After this first section, the rest of the poems examine Smith’s other identities, uncovering the experience of being black, HIV-positive, and genderqueer.

And, yes, many modern poetry books do follow a theme. The poems of a collection are often united by topic. Louise Gluck’s collection Wild Iris dwells on nature, existence, and the cycle of life; Richard Siken’s collection Crush tells heartfelt stories about queer desire and loss. Recently, I read sam sax’s new collection  Pig ,  a collection of poems that are thematically, metaphorically, or quite literally concerned with pigs. (It’s phenomenal.)

Many poets center their collections on identity and personal experience, and through a combination of wit, authenticity, and the building blocks of poetry , your collection will certainly achieve the same.

Most new poetry books don’t follow a linear narrative structure, so ordering the poems in a collection can prove challenging.

When thinking about the composition of a poetry book, remember the Five E’s:

• Enmeshment: Do the poems feel related to each other? Can you explain why one poem follows or precedes another?
• Evenness: Do the poems feel evenly spread out? Or does one part of the manuscript feel “better written” than another part?
• Evolution: Does the subject matter change and grow overtime? Does the speaker come to new revelations? Or do ideas merely repeat themselves in parallel ways?
• Experience: Do these poems offer new experiences for the reader? Will the reader’s understanding of the world be challenged, enriched, or improved?
• Experimentation: Do these poems play with words, forms, and structures? Do they seek new and inventive uses of language?

The order of poems in a modern poetry book should accomplish these five tasks. If you feel that yours does, you’re ready to start formatting and submitting your manuscript! For more on how to write a poetry book, take a look at Caitlin Scarano’s course Putting It All Together . 

If you’ve finished writing a poetry book, this is your next step. Manuscript formatting is an essential part of learning how to write a poetry book. Take a look at our article on poetry manuscript formatting below. Additionally, you can download a pre-edited poetry manuscript at our resources page.

https://writers.com/poetry-manuscript-format

Just like learning how to write a poetry book, we’ll break down learning how to publish a poetry book into a few different facets. First, it’s important to know a bit about the world of poetry book publishers.

You know how people joke about poets not making any money? It stings a little, but it’s true—publishers do not have a whole lot of money for poets. Most new poetry books are published by independent presses, which have a small budget for acquiring new works. Poetry books have a smaller readership than fiction and nonfiction titles, so for a press to accept a poetry manuscript, that manuscript needs to have strong appeal towards the publisher’s readership.

If you’re eyeing an indie press, take a look at the previous titles they’ve published, as this can help gauge their interests in poetry, their diet for experimentation, and what their readership expects from the press.

Poets have two primary methods of publishing their poetry books:

• Contests: Poetry book publishers will often run annual contests. The contest is often helmed by a well-regarded poet who judges the finalists and selects one (sometimes more) collection to be published. The winner of this contest typically wins a small award, rarely more than $1,000. 
• Open reading periods: Publishers routinely have periods where they accept new manuscripts. These periods are judged by the members of the publishing house themselves, and the publishers might accept 1 manuscript, 10, or none at all—it all depends on what they’re looking for. 

Note that most contests, as well as many open reading periods, require the poet to pay a reader’s fee or contest entry fee. These fees are typically between $15-$30. 

Do poets ever get a payday? Of course—just don’t expect six-figure book deals. The only publishers who can afford expensive book titles are the Big 5 (Penguin, MacMillan, HarperCollins, Hachette, Simon & Schuster). These publishers will only acquire poetry books from well-known poets, so unless you’re the U.S. Poet Laureate or a social media mogul , you won’t have much luck with these companies.

Nonetheless, building an audience for yourself as a poet and working with the right publisher will yield successful book launches, which are a vital part of sustaining your career as an author. But what are publishers looking for?

Indie book publishers don’t have much money to risk, so they’re likely to publish titles that are easy for the company to market. As a result, book publishers tend to carve certain niches in the poetry world.

How do you learn about a publisher’s marketing base? Well, you can’t, really. But you can make inferences based on the titles you read and the book publisher’s digital presence.

For example, Graywolf Press is known for publishing experimental, experiential poetry. Many of its titles are tinged with social activism, and it has the readership to match this interest: its poetic ranks include slam poets, political activists, and educators, as well as plenty of poets with degrees in English. Note the press’ mission statement : to produce “works of literature [that] nourish the spirit” from “underrepresented and diverse voices.” This tells you everything about the quality of work Graywolf expects and the voice they tend to publish; if you think you meet these expectations, you might want to submit to them!

Academic presses, which we’ll include as a subgroup of indie publishers, tend to attract academic poets. Thus, they expect a high level of attention and rigor towards the more scholarly facets of poetry: form, vocabulary, etc. Take a look at some recent publications by Yale University Press . The titles and subject matter of their poetry books tend to be erudite and didactic, and many of the names in their Younger Poets series have become celebrated in the poetry community.

Before you submit your manuscript to poetry book publishers, try to tick all of these boxes:

Here are yes or no questions that help you know if your poetry book is ready to submit to publishers or contests:

• Are you confident in the manuscript? (See: The 5 E’s)
• Have you bought and read at least 1 poetry book from this publisher?
• Some considerations: Subject matter, tone of voice, vocabulary
• Does your manuscript meet the publisher’s expectations? (These are usually included in the contest details).
• Is your manuscript properly formatted? The publisher may reject your work if it’s rife with formatting errors.

One thing we didn’t include on this checklist is the need for a social media following. Most modern poetry book competitions are judged blindly, meaning the manuscript reviewers choose a title without looking at the poet’s name. If you’re considering pitching a poetry book to an agent (which we discuss in a bit), having a following can help support your chances of getting published, since there’s a better chance that your book will be commercially successful.

Rather than pore through the many poetry book publishers currently accepting titles, it will be much easier to send you towards directories that know way more than we do.

Directories for chapbook and manuscript contests:

Poets & Writers

Ardor Lit Mag

Submittable

Directories for publishers seeking manuscripts:

Publishers Archive

Community of Literary Magazines and Presses

TCK Publishing

Directories for poetry agents:

Poets & Writers  

Directory of Literary Agents (requires sign-up)

Miscellaneous :

The John Fox

The short answer is no. Few literary agents represent poets because, again, there’s little money in poetry. As a result, the poet is often their own representative, which is why many poets get their start by submitting to chapbook and manuscript contests.

The short answer is no. In fact, few literary agents represent poets.

Of course, poetry agents do exist. However, like book publishers, agents are wary of signing with new poets, unless that poet can vouch for their future literary success (previous publications, social media following, etc.). If you want to publish with the Big 5, or even with some independent publishers like Graywolf, an agent is often necessary.

Recruiting an agent has its own requirements. Reader’s Digest breaks it down pretty well at this article , but in short, you likely need to submit a query letter to the agent. This is your time to sell yourself as a writer. Lead with your best foot forward, and if an agent is looking to acquire new talent, they may just acquire you.

Self-publishing is an optional route for those learning how to publish a poetry book. Companies like Lulu , Kindle Direct Publishing , and Ingram Spark have carved a niche in the book publishing industry, allowing many poets to circumvent the traditional publishing space and put their own words in print.

Take a look at our article on self-publishing with Amazon below.

https://writers.com/self-publishing-on-amazon-pros-and-cons

In short, self-publishing is a viable option, but if you want it to be fiscally successful, you need a healthy mix of marketing savvy, business acumen, and patience.

To be frank: it is ridiculously hard for poets to get their poetry books published. There are thousands of poets with incredibly well-written manuscripts, and very few publishers able to accept those manuscripts. To give you an example: In 2023, Scribner held an open reading period, where poets could submit their manuscripts for free to the press. Submissions were capped at 300 entries. The submission window closed in under 3 minutes. 

Read that again: 300 poets submitted to Scribner in under 3 minutes. Thousands more were trying to get their manuscripts in when the window closed.  That is how scarce the publishing opportunities are, versus how many poets have collections they’re ready to see in print. 

I recently attended the AWP conference in Kansas City, and I went to a panel on 4 debut poets’ experiences publishing their first collections. These poets, each of whom had celebrated collections and connections to the literary world, struggled for years, if not decades, to get their first collections in print. And these are poets who received their MFAs or Ph.Ds in poetry! 

This isn’t to say that your collection is destined to flounder. Rather, it’s to encourage you to be patient and be enterprising. Submit to as many contests and open reading periods as your time and budget allow; in the meantime, work on publishing your poems in journals , and build an audience for yourself as a poet. Enmesh yourself in the community of poets—you might even find new publication opportunities this way. And, don’t be elitist about where you publish. It is much more important to publish with a press that cares for your work and wants to see it be successful in the world, rather than reserve your book for a publisher that might have a big name attached to it. We’re not in this for the money or the fame, we’re in it for the love of the craft. 

The poetry book is just one marker of many in our careers as poets, and while the journey to publication might be frustrating, it will happen with a mix of diligence, grace, and persistence. You got this!

Learn How to Write a Poetry Book at Writers.com!

Whether you need help writing a poetry book or you’re ready to get it published, Writers.com has the resources to make it happen. Take a look at our upcoming poetry courses , and join our Facebook group for community news and feedback.

Sean Glatch

11 comments.

This seems to be about self-publishing. Is it? Do you cover anything about getting work into print, so that builds into a chapbook or book?

Thank you for writing, Laura! Here’s an article on places to submit individual poems: https://writers.com/best-places-submit-poetry-online . The text above does discuss having a poetry book conventionally published, as well.

Any tips on marketing a self-published Amazon ebook for free apart from social media? I have got my book Embracing Life by Shreya Ghosh published but don’t know how to promote it for free apart from on my social media.

[…] where to start? Here’s a little how-to guide, and some ideas where to submit your manuscript:How to publish a poetry bookWhere to submit the manuscriptContest deadlines – calendar 2021The book […]

So I’m wondering – if you publish your own book, is it acceptable etiquete to publish your poems online and build up a base of readers beforehand? Or does that violate the guidelines of this article, where you should never go public with your work?

Also, if you publish independently, do you have intellectual rights to your work? Do publishers generally retain intellectual rights?

Not only is that acceptable, it’s encouraged! Publishing in literary journals can accomplish two things. 1) It helps you build a reader base, connecting you with other poets and admirers of the form. 2) It gives you a space to promote your book after it’s published. Some literary journals will do interviews with their published poets when a poet has a book come out; even if they don’t do this, you might get journals to tweet about your book.

In short, do everything you can to build a readership, including publishing. Also try to have some form of a social media presence, if you can. And be sure to thank those literary journals in the acknowledgments section!

In general, self-published authors retain intellectual property rights over their work, though be aware that you still forfeit certain rights depending on the publisher. If you self-publish through Amazon, for example, and you get an ISBN for your book, you will not be allowed to remove the book from their marketplace or database, you can only prevent people from buying new copies.

With mainstream publishers, the share of intellectual property rights is determined by the contract you sign with them.

I hope this answers your questions. Best of luck publishing your poetry book!

Warmest, Sean Glatch

I have been writing poetry for a good number of years now, with greater than 99% of them being of a spiritual content. I have a list of about 80 people that I share my poems with, who in turn, have their circle of friends that they share with. I have been encouraged to publish my poems but I must admit, although I have toyed with the idea, figuring out how to do this has become quite overwhelming. Any advice would be appreciated. I have no clue as to what to do!!

Did you ever get a reply?

I forgot to ask; Is it recommended to have other poets critique my work to get a feel as to whether it even merits publishing? Thanks

Get into or form a Writing Group. There is no better criticism than other writers you each respect. However, there must be some rules you all follow. Sincere praise of another’s writing is desired, insincere praise is not. Grammatical correction is desired absolutely if the critic understands grammatical usage. (Hint, use Grammarly: an app that is excellent in its suggestions, but it does not always understand your particular usage. It would be nice for someone to develop a poetical grammar application that understands the nuances of all the poetical forms.)

However, you must belong to and share your writing with sincerity–no matter what form or literary type you or the other members of your group choose. Poetry is an intricate part of our learning experience and therefore has a strong influence on the form your writing will take. For example, do you remember the nursery rhymes you heard as a baby? They helped form your perceptions of the story, format, and insight that is the basis for literature.

What poets need is a Poetry Marketing Group. Successful marketing is very hard for a writer or any other entrepreneur to do for their own work. It is much easier to market other’s work than your own work. I have an MBA in marketing and have been published by a traditional business publisher, a self-publisher, and have been an industrial publisher, but even I feel uncomfortable marketing my own work. I think contracts could be developed so all involved make money (authors and marketers). Your comments?

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Home » Tips & Tricks » How to write a poetry book

3. Study the craft of writing poems

As with any creative field, learning the traditions and techniques of poetry will improve your writing skills. Take some time to immerse yourself in the craft of poetry. You may know instantly whether or not you like a particular poem, but do you know what makes the writing effective? Think about the way stanzas, enjambment, meter (or rhythm), diction, imagery, similes, and metaphors function in a poem you love. If that sounds like a lot, focus on one poetic element at a time—observe how it works in poems you read and practice using it in your own writing. The Poetry Foundation has a wonderful glossary of poetic terms to get you started, along with daily poems, an online magazine, podcasts, and literary reviews.

4. Experiment with different forms

Most writers are familiar with poems that feature rhyming patterns, like the sonnet or haiku form. But have you ever tried writing a sestina or villanelle? Do you typically write in short, unpunctuated lines or long stanzas full of complete sentences? A lot of contemporary poetry is written in free verse (without a rhyme structure or regular meter). There’s plenty of room for experimentation in the world of poetry, while still making use of key literary techniques. As a challenge, try writing poems that look and sound different from the ones you typically write. Taking creative risks can lead to great discoveries!

5. Avoid clichés

This writing tip might summon up memories from English class, but it’s sound advice for writers at every level. You know a clichéd phrase when you see it or hear it, which is proof that it’s overused and unoriginal. Examples include: “fluffy as a cloud,” “at the speed of light,” “clear blue water,” “scared to death,” “the writing on the wall,” and “lasted an eternity.” Get in the habit of checking your poems for such hackneyed phrases and removing them. Poetry derives its power from the creative use of language, so choose your words carefully.

6. Ask for feedback

Opening yourself up to positive and negative feedback is part of the creative process when writing a poetry book. If the thought of getting constructive criticism makes you recoil, remember that growing and improving as a writer involves assessing your work. Successful and experienced poets need help editing, and so will you. Try joining a poetry community online or creating a writing group at your local bookstore or café. If you look around, you will discover poets just like you who want to become better writers, exchange work, and support one another.

7. Give yourself time to revise

It’s natural to latch on to that surge of creative energy when you’ve just written something new, and you love it, and wouldn’t change a thing! Occasionally you might keep the first draft as is, but more often, you’ll want to step away and return to it another day with fresh eyes. After reflection, you may decide to add another whole page or cut repetitive, vague lines to make the poem even tighter and stronger.

8. Choose your best work

It can be tempting to include every poem you’ve ever written, especially if this is your first poetry book. However, any weak poem you leave in will detract from the best ones in the book. To showcase the writing, you are most proud of, you’ll probably need to cut some poems (You can always send these to friends, submit them to journals, or put them in your next collection!). For a full-length poetry book, aim to collect around 40 to 70 pages of polished work. If your stack of poems is on the small side, don’t stress—publish a chapbook instead! Chapbooks are shorter collections of poems that average between 20 to 40 pages, and they make a great first book project.

9. Organize your poems

Your poetry book should be a collection of poems that work together or feel related in some way. Maybe the book centers around a particular theme, form, style, or series of life events. It’s your creation, so you decide what connects the individual poems and how they should be sequenced. Think of the first poem in your book as an opening act. Which poem best invites readers into your world and sets up the entire book? Similarly, what is the last poem (the final image!) that you want to impart on your reader?

10. Select a book title

Choosing a title for your book is an exciting moment! If you need ideas, consider naming the book after one of your strongest poems or borrowing a favorite line or image from the collection. You want your poetry book to capture the imagination of a new reader, so don’t settle for generic titles like “Selected Works” or “Poetry by …” Instead, give your poetry collection a unique title that is intriguing and reflects your own poetic language.

Ready to see your collection of poems in print? Keep the creative momentum going with tips on how to self-publish your poetry book with Blurb.

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5 Writers Who Blur the Boundary Between Poetry and Essay

"poets are the hoarders of the literary world".

There is a Bernadette Mayer writing exercise that suggests attempting to flood the brain with ideas from varying sources, then writing it all down, without looking at the page or what spreads over it. I have attempted this exercise multiple times, with multiple sources, and what I love about it—along with many of Mayer’s other 81 prompts—is that what comes out can literally take any form. The form is not dictated by the content I read, nor the rules of the exercise. The information I collect prior to writing may be entirely disparate, seemingly unrelated, but through the writing, it begins to take shape, and links are found. In the process of communicating information in a lyric way, barriers to form withheld, I am able to develop a richer portrait of what thinking really looks like.

I heard someone say once that poets are the hoarders of the literary world: collectors of facts, dates, quotes, newspaper headlines, ticket stubs, and love letters. Indeed, another of Mayer’s prompts is to keep a diary, or diar ies , of such useful things. As these journal pages begin to overflow, content spilling over the borders, the writing becomes something we might not always call a poem. Reflecting on his poetry collection The Little Edges and a book of essays The Service Porch , both of which appeared in 2016, poet and critic Fred Moten said , “The line between the criticism and the poetry is sort of blurry. I got some stuff in the poems that probably could’ve been collected with the essays.”

There is a long-standing tradition of poets who have refused genre, or reinvented it, and who continue to push the boundaries of form. Here are five, but just a cursory glance into any of their work will lead you to uncover many more.

Jenny Boully

The first essay in Jenny Boully’s latest collection Betwixt and Between: Essays on the Writing Life, published last month, is a journey into two illusive linguistic temporalities: “the future imagined and the past imagined. ” By positioning the reader in a space of hypothesis, Boully tests the limits of memory and lived experience, never quite allowing her reader to land on stable footing. With this linguistic trick, a redefinition of what is the personal begins to emerge.

Throughout her work, Boully is interested in reorienting the role of the reader from passive to participatory and reorienting the structure of the text from chronological to sensory. In an introduction to Boully’s work, Mary Jo Bang writes , “She uses form in a way that undercuts our every expectation based on previous encounters with poetry.” It’s no wonder that excerpts from her first book The Body , written as footnotes to an imaginary text, were included in both John D’Agata’s  The Next American Essay and The Best American Poetry 2002 .

Dodie Bellamy

Dodie Bellamy is a seamstress of language. Her work stretches the definitions of narrative writing by incorporating literary appropriation, cut-ups, collage, and détournement, or the act of turning a recognizable cultural product on itself, a technique developed by the Situationist International in the 1950s. Her poetic “cunt ups” take works of the traditional poetic canon and reinvent them with a contemporary feminist voice, directly splicing the historic masculine texts with pornographic imagery. The 2013 collection Cunt Norton employs the original language of 33 canonical poets, twisting them into erotic poems as an act of love for her predecessors. “These patriarchal voices that threatened to erase me—of course I love them as well,” Bellamy wrote of the work . Her experiments began to take a more prosaic form as she desired further space for her content. “I was writing linked poems that kept getting longer and more narrative,” she said in an interview .

Due to her inventive and often hysterical treatment of language, Bellamy’s voice is engaging on any topic. The themes she tackles in her collected essays When the Sick Rule the World range from the gentrification of San Francisco, her experiences with a women’s writing group and a moving tribute to the late equally inventive writer Kathy Acker, in the form of a catalogue of the contents of her wardrobe.

Claudia Rankine

When Claudia Rankine’s Citizen won the National Book Critics Circle Award, the judges’ citation read, in part, “It’s not (just) poetry.” The prose-poetry hybrid is a current throughout her work; her previous poetry title Don’t Let Me Be Lonely  was described, alongside Citizen , as “lyric essays” in the  The New York Review of Books . Rankine’s work uses investigative tools of poetry to probe what it means to be human and to encourage readers to examine their personal responsibility to others. Through experiments in form, she highlights the dangers of lazy classification of people and experiences; her words in any medium provoke self-reflection.

In Citizen , a 2015 essay on Serena Williams finds a comfortable home alongside prose and list poems. With her employment of the second person throughout the collection, Rankine prompts her readers to enter into the very experiences she is describing, whether they are wholly familiar or not. As such, her approach is in equal measure confrontational and humanizing.

David Rattray

When the poet, critic, and renowned translator David Rattray passed away at the age of 57 in 1993, the experimental writer Lynn Tillman wrote , “He swept us away also with his ‘bad attitude,’ his insubordination to authority and to the authority of what he knew.” This was true not just in the manner he lived his life, but also how he captured life in text. A principle translator of Antonin Artaud, Rattray’s own poems display a diary-like quality: they are grand narrations stuffed full of dates, places, people.

A collection of essays and stories exploring his relationship to close friends, grief, drugs, travel, and literature called How I Became One of the Invisible was put together by Chris Kraus just before his death. Through narratives that are at once breathless and directional, and full of poetic references and quotes, Rattray reveals his deep feelings for those with whom he shared his life. “He believed people were gems, precious, and treated them accordingly,” Betsy Sussler wrote , following his passing. And so too did he treat his words, allowing us to enter into his world imbued with sensitivity.

Maggie Nelson

Asked in an interview by Emily Gould as to how she decides on which genre(s) she will employ when writing a new book, Maggie Nelson replied , “Genre, for me, is determined by the unfolding of my interests, which is unknowable at a projects’ start.” Her defiance of category is not only evident in her bibliography, but in the bibliography of each book which makes it up. Bluets , which began as an investigation into the color blue and its varying manifestations throughout history, became a book of prose poems. The Art of Cruelty , a personal reflection on the employment of violence in art, became a book of academic criticism. Begun as a work of criticism, The Argonauts became a personal memoir, with its background research spilling, literally, into the margins. “I find my way to the right tone, idiom, form or set of subjects as I bumble along,” Nelson says.

It is her very adaptability of form and expression that has become one of her signature attributes, despite the literary world’s continued insistence on writerly classification, and in turn mimics the fluidity of her subjects. Hilton Als writes , “It’s Nelson’s articulation of her many selves . . . that makes her readers feel hopeful.”

Listen: Claudia Rankine talks to Paul Holdengräber about objectifying the moment, investigating a subject, and accidental stalking.

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5 of the best books on writing poetry

By BBC Maestro

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We all need inspiration from time to time, particularly when it comes to taking up a creative endeavour like writing poetry. 

In this article, we’ve rounded up a list of the best books on writing poetry to help you  kickstart your poetry writing journey  or spruce up your current practice.

• Best books on writing poetry
• 1. A Poetry Handbook
• 2. Answering Back: Living poets reply to the poetry of the past
• 3. The Practising Poet: Writing beyond the basics
• 4. How to write poetry: A guided journal with prompts
• 5. The Poets Companionship: A Guide to the Pleasures of Writing Poetry

5 books on writing poetry

You may be waiting for that spark of inspiration to hit. Or perhaps you’re yearning for some solid guidance on how to structure your next poem. Whatever it is that’s brought you here – you certainly aren’t alone.

Plenty of poets have sought to identify the perfect conditions for a new idea to strike or attempted to create a winning formula to ace the writing process. And luckily, many of them have decided to share their learnings to help poets like you thrive.

We’ve rounded up 5 popular books on writing poetry to help address some of the challenges below.

1.  A Poetry Handbook  by Mary Oliver

If it’s some gentle beginner’s guidance on how to write a poem you’re after, Mary Oliver should be able to provide you with what you’re looking for with this useful handbook.

Here you’ll find her breakdown of poetry’s basics – from different poetic forms and language techniques to practical tips on the creative process – like the importance of workshopping your pieces and the value solitude can bring to your writing too.

The latter is something many poets swear by, including Carol Ann Duffy. “I’ve learnt to value silence. I’ve learnt to value thinking, reading, contemplating, rather than rushing straight to the blank page,” she says in her BBC Maestro poetry course.

2.  Answering Back: Living poets reply to the poetry of the past  ­edited by Carol Ann Duffy

If you’re looking to kick a creative block, this anthology by the former Poet Laureate might just do the trick. It features a selection of popular modern-day poets (like Simon Armitage, Seamus Heaney and emerging poets like Helen Mort, to name a few) responding to certain works of classic poets (think Wordsworth, Shakespeare and Tennyson).

Each poet was tasked with choosing any poem that compelled them in some way and responding to it with one of their own. Some of the works are clearly direct responses to the themes and ideas presented in the original poems whilst others are more subtle and offer a new perspective. It’s an exercise that can really help stir up some inspiration to write, and it’s one that Carol Ann Duffy tasks viewers of her online poetry course to do too.

Inspiration, as Picasso said, will come but it must find you working. Carol Ann Duffy, Poet

3.  The Practising Poet: Writing beyond the basics  by Diane Lockward

Whether you’re working on your second anthology, or this is the first time you’re coming to the pages, Lockward’s The Practicing Poet is the perfect companion for poets of all levels.

In this poetry book, you’ll find ten sections that break down different parts of the writing process. From helping writers generate their own ideas and tackling the editing process to getting your work published, it contains practical advice for each stage of the journey you can bring to your work – whether it’s  love poetry ,  dark poetry  or another genre that excites you.

4.  How to write poetry: A guided journal with prompts  by Christopher Salerno and Kelsea Habecker

Hungry to get writing immediately? Packed with writing prompts and exercises, Salerno and Habecker’s book should have you writing from the moment you pick it up.

The workbook encourages writers to crack open their creativity – prompting them to assess rhyme and meter, language and form in innovative ways in the hope to craft something compelling. If you’re a beginner, it’s a great guide to help you get into the habit of writing regularly. And for those poetry experts, it may help provide a new framework to inspire your next great idea.

5.   The Poets Companionship: A Guide to the Pleasures of Writing Poetry  by Kim Addonizio and Doiranne Laux

For those poets who need a confidence boost from time to time, this book may well be your new trusty companion.

Expect to come across a range of brilliant essays on all things poetry, like forming exciting ideas and navigating classic poetry techniques. At the same time, many appreciate this book for its comforting approach to the entire writing poetry process – acknowledging the inevitable self-doubt, the challenges of writing in a hyper-digital era and the forever rocky stability of a writing career. Even better – it encourages you to tackle it all at your own pace too.

Even if you have no idea where to start, hopefully, there’s something in here to help get you going. Remind yourself of the reasons why writing poetry interests you. Maybe you’re looking for a new way to express your thoughts and ideas, or you feel you have something important to say.

If so, remember the words of Carol Ann Duffy, “the poet must feel that they have something to give,” says Carol Ann. Keen to learn more? Take a look at her  BBC Maestro course, Writing Poetry .

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9 Essential Writing Books for Any Poet

If you’re looking to improve your craft, reading is just as important as writing. While reading poetry collections can teach you plenty, it’s also important to hear from poets themselves. Those ready to get into the nitty-gritty may just find that books about craft are as entertaining as they are informative. To help you find a great place to start, we’ve created a list of 9 essential books for poets and writers. 

Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott

One of the most famous writing guides of all time, Lamott’s Bird by Bird provides wry, down-to-earth advice for writers of all ages and abilities. From writers’ block to finding your voice to the ups and downs of publishing, there’s something in here for everyone. 

The Practicing Poet by Diane Lockward

If you’re ready to push beyond the basics in your poetry practice, The Practicing Poet is the guidebook for you. Split into 10 neat sections, the book offers 30 brief craft essays paired with a model poem and an analysis of it. Lockward’s dissection of each poem and what makes it tick provides readers with clear instructions on building their own intricate, beautiful poems. 

On Writing Well by William Zinsser

If you’re in the market for sound advice, clear writing, and concision, Zinsser is your man. Though the book is not written specifically for poets, On Writing Well provides guidelines for improvement throughout your writing (from emails to memoirs to, yes, even your poems). He also includes pages of the original manuscript to show what’s been cut, giving readers the courage to be bold and ruthless when boiling works down to the essentials only. 

Zen in the Art of Writing by Ray Bradbury

Take a peek behind the curtain and get a glimpse of the wisdom, experience, and excitement that award-winning author Ray Bradbury brings to the page. Pulling from a lifetime of writing, Bradbury offers practical tips on the craft of writing—from finding original ideas to developing your voice, and beyond.

Writing Poetry to Save Your Life by Maria Mazziotti Gillan

A combination of author Gillan’s personal story and advice for writers in all stages of development, Writing Poetry to Save Your Life is a friendly, encouraging read. Without giving too much away, we’ll tell you that Gillan calls your inner critic “the crow” and offers tips on how to silence it to fully harness the power of words to express yourself. 

A Poetry Handbook by Mary Oliver

This witty and passionate guide to understanding and writing poetry is the perfect entry point for those new to the craft, but it’s also a great refresher for seasoned poets. Using poems by Robert Frost, Elizabeth Bishop, and other greats as examples, Oliver unpacks the inner workings of matter and rhyme, form and diction, sound and sense. 

The Poetry Home Repair Manual by Ted Kooser

Practical, tangible, and succinct, former U.S. Poet Laureate Ted Kooser pins down the essentials of poetry in this handbook by beginning with the most important piece of the puzzle: why . What is the purpose of poetry? Why do we write? Starting from here, Kooser teaches how to start, shape, and strengthen your poems overall. 

The Poet’s Companion by Kim Addonizio and Dorianne Laux

For a mix of essays, exercises, and advice, The Poet’s Companion might just be your best friend. Though the book deals with topics like self-doubt and publishing in the electronic age, Addonizio and Laux don’t skim over the nuts and bolts of writing in the process. With one topic per chapter, it’s easy to find what you’re looking for in this helpful guide.

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The Dos and Don’ts of Writing a Poetry Book

by GetPublished | Oct 13, 2022 | Writing

Someone with the heart of a poet has probably filled a slew of notebooks with their poetry. Some poets may even sketch drawings or thought trees to flesh out their poems as part of their writing process. Once a sizable number of poems have been penned, the idea of writing and publishing a poetry book may come to mind. This handy guide explains the dos and don’ts of writing a poetry book and can be useful to the budding poet whose sights are set on authoring a collection of poetry.

Popular Styles of Writing Poetry

What makes poetry such an intriguing writing form is its wide range of styles. Whether the poem is a vehicle for storytelling or a foray into the esoteric, the poetry style that a writer uses shapes the rhythm and mood of the individual poem.

Consider the many styles of writing poetry:

Haiku, a short form of poetry, originated in Japan in the 1700s. Haiku poems contain only three lines and a total of seventeen syllables. The syllables are ordered in patterns of 5-7-5, and the words are unrhymed.

Free verse is a style of poetry that stems from the French “vers libre.” A free verse poem has no set syncopation or rhythm, reflecting the natural patterns of speech. The free verse style follows no customary rules of poetry and is not designed to rhyme. Modern poets enjoy the creative freedom this form of poetry allows.

The sonnet has Italian roots and features a fourteen-line poem that follows a prescribed format. A sonnet includes two stanzas, one containing eight lines and one containing six lines, and utilizes one of several rhyme schemes.

The limerick originated in 18th-century England and is known for being humorous and even rude. The limerick contains five lines and follows a set rhyming pattern, with lines one, two, and five having eight syllables, and lines three and four having five syllables.

Although the ode style of poetry is often attributed to England, it actually originated in ancient Greece. The ode is typically a dedication to or celebration of something from the past that the author feels is meaningful and praiseworthy. It has a three-part structure: the strophe, the antistrophe, and the epode.

Ballads are of French origin, before taking root in England and Ireland in the Middle Ages. Ballads are narrative poems or folk songs that feature emotional storytelling using four-line stanzas in 4-3-4-3 rhythms.

Now that you’re familiar with the different types of poetry, let’s move on to the writing process dos and don’ts.

Dos of Writing a Poetry Book

As you embark on your poetry book project, consider these important dos:

• Write a lot of poems. A typical poetry collection will include 30-100 poems, so the more poems you write the more you will have to select from. Pick your strongest poems to compile into a poetry book.
• Decide on your writing style. When considering the styles of writing poetry, it is best to use one style throughout. This helps you create a cohesive reading experience.
• Organize your poems. When deciding on the order of your poems, strive for balance throughout the collection, versus placing all the strongest poems at the beginning. Poems should also relate somehow to one another, or even follow the evolution of a particular theme.
• Edit your collection of poems. Correct all typos or syntax issues by carefully editing the poetry manuscript repeatedly.
• Design your pages. The interior design of your poetry collection is a central feature of its overall visual appeal. Formatting pages of poetry is much less rigid than designing a book, which allows the writer to be creative. A collection of poems may even include simple hand-drawn illustrations to complement individual poems.

Don’ts of Writing a Poetry Book

Keep these don’ts in mind as you write your poetry book:

• Don’t allow room for errors. Even the most astute writer will miss their own typos. Don’t risk making this mistake by having a professional editor do the final editing.
• Don’t be afraid to share your thoughts. The essence of good poetry is the author’s willingness to open up and reveal what is in their heart and mind. Draw from personal experiences to take the reader on a journey.
• Don’t make your book too long. An average poetry book will have between 40-80 pages or up to 100 poems.
• Don’t attempt to be trendy. While it may be tempting to follow the current poetry trends, resist that impulse and focus on creating a collection of innovative and unique poems. Experienced poets know that adhering to trends may result in their books feeling dated at some point.
• Don’t forget your audience. Remember that you are speaking to a particular audience through your poetry. As you select the poems for your collection, keep that audience persona firmly in mind.

We hope that our advice for writers is helpful in your poetry writing journey. Almost finished with writing a poetry collection? Contact Gatekeeper Press for professional editing and cover design services .

Publish Your Poetry Book With Gatekeeper Press

Creating a book of poetry can be tricky. Why go it alone when you can team up with the professionals at Gatekeeper Press to produce a polished and well-designed poetry collection? When you are ready to self-publish your poetry book , give us a call at 866-535-0913 or contact us online !

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Learn How to Write Poetry with the 17 Best Books on Writing Poetry

Are you looking to learn how to write poetry? Fear not: you’re in the right place. This epic list of the 17 best books on writing poetry has you covered. Whether you’re looking for poetry books for beginners, the best poetry journals, or want to level up your poetry writing skills as an intermediate to advanced poet, these 17 essential books about learning poetry writing has something for everyone.

For more books on creative writing, be sure to check out Broke by Books’ list of the 20 + best books on creative writing .

The 20+ Best Books on Creative Writing

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The 17 Best Books to Learn How to Write Poetry

Blackout poetry journal: poetic therapy by kathryn maloney.

One of the most popular forms of poetry today is the art of blackout poetry, in which poets scratch or blackout text to reveal a poem in the words that remain. Get started with Kathryn Maloney’s Blackout Poetry Journal , which includes excerpts from random books in the public domain. This poetry writing journal is a great way to learn how to get started with writing blackout poetry. Start with the second book in the series for a variety of source texts to black out, rather than working with one full book.

How to read it: Purchase Blackout Poetry Journal on Amazon

The complete rhyming dictionary by clement wood.

A few years ago, I was working on a collection of children’s poetry. I loved exploring different rhyming poetic forms, like the limerick and the double dactyl. I purchased Clement Wood’s The Complete Rhyming Dictionary and was in good hands. This complete rhyming dictionary is a must-have for anyone writing rhyming poetry. What was so impressive was how comprehensive this dictionary was its depth, with over 60,000 entries, of obscure and popular words alike. You’ll easily be able to search by one-, two-, and three-syllable rhymes.

How to read it: Purchase The Complete Rhyming Dictionary on Amazon

The everything writing poetry book by tina d. eliopulos and todd scott moffett.

This comprehensive and easily approachable guide to writing poetry has all the knowledge you need to get started with writing poetry. You’ll learn how to write poetry, starting by getting up to speed with styles, structures, form, and expression. This unpretentious book about how to write poetry for beginners will have you penning verse in no time. I especially appreciate deep-dive chapters on the sound of poetry, poetic language, and meter. The Everything Writing Poetry Book packs a lot of instruction in one book and is definitely the equivalent of an intro to poetry writing course you’d get in college.

How to read it: Purchase The Everything Writing Poetry Book on Amazon

How to write poetry: a guided journal with prompts by christopher salerno and kelsea habecker.

There’s no better to get started with writing poetry than jumping in and getting your page dirty. In How to Write Poetry: A Guided Journal with Prompts , you’ll be taken through the process of writing poetry. This guided poetry journal pairs lessons on rhyme, meter, tone, persona, as well as movement-specific topics like protest poetry and object poetry, with practical prompts and space to test out what you’ve learned. By the time you’ve worked through this poetry writing workbook, you’ll be well on your way to being a poet.

How to read it: Purchase How to Write Poetry: A Guided Journal with Prompts on Amazon

A little book on form by robert hass.

This book is a little misleading. Yes, it’s a book on poetic form. But it’s by no means a “little book.” And you know what? That’s totally okay. I’m happy to learn how to write poetry with this guide to poetic form authored by the Pulitzer Prize-winning, National Book Award-winning and former U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Hass. And there’s definitely a lot of wisdom on writing poetry in this essential book on how to write poetry. You’ll learn the core poetic forms, from ones you’ve heard of, like sonnets, with more obscure forms like the ode, the elegy, and Georgic. Yes: this definitive book on form belongs in the library of any poet.

How to read it: Purchase A Little Book on Form on Amazon

Merriam-webster’s rhyming dictionary by merriam webster.

Writing rhyming poetry? Get all the words you need with Merriam-Webster’s Rhyming Dictionary . This comprehensive rhyming dictionary counts more than 70,000 rhyming words, as well as an alphabetical listing of rhyming sounds plus pronunciation for each entry. Brand names are also included for those looking to rhyme with proper nouns.

How to read it: Purchase Merriam-Webster’s Rhyming Dictionary

My poetry journal by pretty nifty publishing.

This poetry writing journal will teach you how to write poetry in a jiffy. My Poetry Journal contains 48 creative prompts about a variety of topics—from fairy tale characters to giving thanks to snowflakes—and plenty of blank space to get to work on converting your inspiration into poems. This poetry writing workbook is a great book for learning how to write poetry.

How to read it: Purchase My Poetry Journal on Amazon

One poem a day by nadia hayes.

Poetry writing for beginners starts with making writing poems a daily habit. Get started with writing poetry with Nadia Hayes’ One Poem a Day . This poetry writing workbook includes creative prompts—like finishing a sonnet, filling in the blanks of a partially completed poem, penning haiku, and writing free verse—and plenty of space to scratch out your own poems.

How to read it: Purchase One Poem a Day on Amazon

The poet’s companion by kim addonizio and dorianne laux.

This sacred text on how to write poetry was first published in 1997, but still, more than twenty years later, it remains a classic. Brief essays on poetry topics like simile and metaphor, voice and style, and repetition will launch you into becoming a confident poem, but its the chapters on the writing life and cultivating a core identity as a poet that make this book special. The Poet’s Companion also includes a long list of twenty-minute writing exercises for that extra spark of creativity.

How to read it: Purchase The Poet’s Companion on Amazon

A poetry handbook by mary oliver.

Who better to teach you how to write poetry than legendary American poet Mary Oliver? Although Oliver died in 2019, her legacy lives long in her enduring brilliance, and in A Poetry Handbook , one of the best poetry writing books, beginning poets can glean some of Oliver’s wisdom. Though this book about learning how to write poetry is brief at just 130 pages, it’s chock full of priceless advice and instruction on how to write poetry for beginners. Oliver covers topics like how to read poems, sound, free verse, imagery, and the all-important revision. If I were to recommend just one book on poetry writing, it’d be Mary Oliver’s A Poetry Handbook .

How to read it: Purchase A Poetry Handbook on Amazon

Poetry: tools & techniques by john c. goodwood.

In John C. Goodwood’s Poetry: Tools & Techniques readers get all they need to know to write not just any old poetry, but good poetry. This book is definitely for poets who feel confident writing verse but want to level up their game a big way. Intermediate and advanced poets will learn a lot from Goodwood’s book, which covers topics like overusing common parts of speech, assonance and alliteration, punctuation, structuring a poem, and effective openings and effective closings. Poetry: Tools & Techniques has all the craft knowledge and instruction of a college seminar in writing poetry.

How to read it: Purchase Poetry: Tools & Techniques on Amazon

The practicing poet: writing beyond the basics by diane lockward.

Diane Lockward’s The Practicing Poet is a poetry writing guide for intermediate and advanced poets who want to level up their craft. Going beyond the basics of writing poetry, Lockward’s book is structured around ten sections each dedicated to key poetic concepts, like managing sentences and line breaks and perfecting tone, as well as big-concept lessons on finding new material, publishing, manuscript formatting, and even giving a reading.

How to read it: Purchase The Practicing Poet on Amazon

Smash poetry journal by robert lee brewer.

This poetry writing journal will help you on your way to learning how to write poetry. Containing 125 writing ideas to spark your creativity, ignite your inspiration, and explore yourself as a person and a poet, Smash Poetry Journal also contains mini lessons on writing poetry for beginners. Have writer’s block? Or just don’t know how to start a poem? Let the Smash Poetry Journal be your ticket to amplifying your creativity.

How to read it: Purchase Smash Poetry Journal on Amazon

Write a collection of poetry in a year by mv frankland.

Want to compile your first collection of poetry? Then MV Frankland’s Write a Collection of Poetry in a Year is the right book for you. It might sound intimidating to craft a poetry collection in just a year, but Frankland walks you through it step by step, starting with writing, revising, and perfecting one poem a week. If you’re an ambitious poet who has your sights on publication, this book will help you get ready to share your poetry with others through a published collection. This book also contains useful information on the nitty-gritty’s of being a professional poet, covering topics like networking, creating an online platform, and publishing (traditional and independent).

How to read it: Purchase Write a Collection of Poetry in a Year on Amazon

Writing haiku by bruce ross.

One of the most popular poetic forms is the humble haiku. Even if you find writing a sestina or villanelle intimidating, you can surely manage a haiku. Get started on learning more about haiku with Bruce Ross’ Writing Haiku , your trusty guide to crafting effective haiku and related forms like tanka, renga, and haiga. You’ll come away having perfected your haiku poetry through examples, prompts, and exercises.

How to read it: Purchase Writing Haiku on Amazon

Writing poetry: creative and critical approaches by chad davison and gregory fraser.

If you’d prefer a more collegiate approach for learning how to write poetry, check out Writing Poetry: Creative and Critical Approaches . One of the best poetry books for beginners, this book is not just about writing poetry, but how you analyze and appreciate poetry on a critical level. After getting my MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults, I definitely appreciate learning the craft of writing. And in Writing Poetry: Creative and Critical Approaches you’ll hone your craft wisdom that will make you not only a better reader of poetry, but a better poet overall.

How to read it: Purchase Writing Poetry: Creative and Critical Approaches on Amazon

Writing Poetry to Save Your Life by Maria Mazziotti Gillan

Our final book in this list of the best books on writing poetry is Maria Mazziotti Gillan’s Writing Poetry to Save Your Life . This poetry writing workbook is chock full of inspiring prompts and creative exercises that will make you do deep inner emotional work while also helping you hone your identity as a poet. The idea is to tap into cathartic expression that fuels the best poems and poets of all time.

How to read it: Purchase Writing Poetry to Save Your Life on Amazon

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Sarah S. Davis is the founder of Broke by Books, a blog about her journey as a schizoaffective disorder bipolar type writer and reader. Sarah's writing about books has appeared on Book Riot, Electric Literature, Kirkus Reviews, BookRags, PsychCentral, and more. She has a BA in English from the University of Pennsylvania, a Master of Library and Information Science from Clarion University, and an MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults from Vermont College of Fine Arts.

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Mastering the art of crafting a poetry essay – essential tips and strategies.

Poetry is a beautiful and complex form of literature that allows individuals to express emotions, thoughts, and experiences in a creative and unique way. When writing an essay about poetry, it is essential to approach the task with care and attention to detail. Crafting an effective poetry essay requires a deep understanding of the art form and the ability to analyze and interpret poetic works. In this article, we will explore some tips to help you create a compelling and insightful poetry essay that showcases your analytical skills and appreciation for poetry.

One of the first steps in writing a poetry essay is to carefully read and analyze the poem or poems you are writing about. Take the time to read the poem multiple times, paying close attention to the language, structure, and overall theme. Consider the tone of the poem, the use of imagery and metaphor, and the emotions evoked by the language. By immersing yourself in the poem and exploring its nuances, you will be better equipped to craft a thoughtful and well-informed essay.

Another important tip for writing a poetry essay is to develop a clear thesis statement that outlines the main argument or interpretation you will be making about the poem. Your thesis should be specific, concise, and focused, providing readers with a roadmap of the points you will be discussing in your essay. Use your thesis statement to guide your analysis and ensure that each paragraph in your essay contributes to your overall argument.

Key Strategies for Writing a Successful Poetry Essay

1. Close Reading: Begin by closely reading the poem multiple times to understand its structure, themes, and language use.

2. Analysis: Analyze the poem’s meaning, symbolism, and poetic devices such as metaphors, similes, and imagery.

3. Thesis Statement: Develop a clear and focused thesis statement that encapsulates your interpretation of the poem.

4. Organization: Organize your essay in a logical and coherent manner, with each paragraph supporting your thesis.

5. Evidence: Use specific examples and quotes from the poem to support your analysis and arguments.

6. Interpretation: Offer your own interpretation of the poem while considering different perspectives and engaging critically with the text.

7. Conclusion: Conclude your essay by summarizing your key points and reiterating the significance of your analysis.

8. Revision: Revise your essay for clarity, coherence, and effectiveness, ensuring that your ideas are well-developed and supported.

9. Proofreading: Proofread your essay carefully to eliminate any errors in grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

10. Feedback: Seek feedback from peers, instructors, or writing centers to improve your essay and gain different perspectives.

Understand the Poem’s Context

Before analyzing a poem, it is essential to understand the context in which it was written. Consider the historical period, the poet’s background, and any events that may have influenced the writing of the poem. Understanding the context can provide valuable insights into the poet’s intentions, the themes addressed, and the overall impact of the poem.

Analyze the Poem’s Structure

Poetry is often characterized by its unique structure, which plays a crucial role in conveying the poet’s message. When analyzing a poem’s structure, pay attention to the following aspects:

Line Length: Examine the length of each line in the poem. Short lines can create a quick, staccato rhythm, while long lines can slow down the pace and add a sense of contemplation.

Stanza Formation: Look at how the poem is divided into stanzas. The number of lines in each stanza and their arrangement can highlight key ideas or themes.

Rhyme Scheme: Identify any rhyme scheme employed by the poet. Rhyme can create a musical quality in the poem and emphasize certain words or ideas.

Meter and Rhythm: Consider the meter and rhythm of the poem. The pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables can influence the poem’s flow and mood.

Understanding these structural elements can deepen your analysis of the poem and help you appreciate the poet’s craft in conveying meaning through form.

Explore the Poem’s Themes

One crucial aspect of crafting an effective poetry essay is to delve into the themes present in the poem. Themes are the underlying messages or concepts that the poet is trying to convey through their work. To effectively analyze a poem’s themes, consider the following:

• Identify recurring ideas or motifs throughout the poem.
• Consider the emotions or feelings evoked by the poem and how they contribute to the overall theme.
• Look for symbolic elements that represent deeper meanings within the poem.
• Reflect on the social, cultural, or historical context of the poem to better understand its themes.

By exploring the poem’s themes in depth, you can gain a deeper understanding of the poet’s intentions and craft a more insightful analysis in your essay.

Examine the Poem’s Use of Language

When crafting a poetry essay, it is essential to analyze the poem’s use of language. Pay close attention to the words, phrases, and imagery used by the poet to convey their message. Consider the tone, mood, and atmosphere created through the poet’s choice of language.

Look for literary devices such as metaphor, simile, personification, and symbolism, and evaluate how they contribute to the overall meaning of the poem. Note the cadence and rhythm of the poem, as well as any rhyme or meter patterns that enhance the poetic effect.

Furthermore, explore the connotations and denotations of key words in the poem, as well as the poet’s use of figurative language. Consider how the poet’s linguistic choices shape the reader’s understanding and emotional response to the poem.

By closely examining the poem’s use of language, you can uncover deeper layers of meaning and appreciate the artistry behind the poet’s writing.

Consider the Poet’s Background

When analyzing a poem for an essay, it’s crucial to consider the poet’s background and life experiences. Understanding the context in which the poet lived can offer valuable insights into the themes, symbols, and emotions expressed in their poetry. Researching the poet’s biography, cultural influences, and historical events that shaped their worldview can deepen your understanding of the poem and enhance your analysis. By considering the poet’s background, you can uncover hidden meanings and nuances that may not be immediately apparent, enriching your interpretation and creating a more comprehensive essay.

Connect Themes to Personal Experience

One effective way to enhance your poetry essay is to connect the themes discussed in the poem to your personal experiences. By relating the themes to your own life, you can offer a unique and personal perspective that will enrich your analysis.

Consider how the themes of the poem resonate with your own emotions, experiences, or beliefs. Share personal anecdotes or examples that illustrate how the themes are relevant to your life. This personal connection can add depth and nuance to your essay, making it more engaging and insightful.

Furthermore, drawing on personal experiences can help you better understand and interpret the poem’s themes. Your own life experiences can provide valuable insights and interpretations that may not be immediately apparent. By exploring the connections between the poem and your personal experiences, you can uncover new layers of meaning and significance.

Craft a Compelling Thesis Statement

One of the most important elements of your poetry essay is the thesis statement. Your thesis should clearly express the main argument or interpretation of the poem you are analyzing. It should be specific, debatable, and insightful.

To craft a compelling thesis statement, start by carefully reading and analyzing the poem. Identify the key themes, symbols, and poetic devices that the poet uses. Consider how these elements contribute to the overall meaning of the poem.

Your thesis statement should make a claim about the poem that can be supported with evidence from the text. Avoid simply summarizing the poem or stating the obvious. Instead, strive to present a unique and thought-provoking interpretation.

Remember that your thesis statement will guide the rest of your essay, so take the time to refine it until you are confident that it effectively captures the essence of your analysis. A strong thesis statement will help you organize your thoughts and present a clear and coherent argument in your poetry essay.

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Guides • Understanding Publishing

Posted on Feb 08, 2022

How to Publish a Poetry Book: Immortalizing Your Verse

About the author.

Reedsy's editorial team is a diverse group of industry experts devoted to helping authors write and publish beautiful books.

About Dario Villirilli

Editor-in-Chief of the Reedsy blog, Dario is a graduate of Mälardalen University. As a freelance writer, he has written for many esteemed outlets aimed at writers. A traveler at heart, he can be found roaming the world and working from his laptop.

When putting together a poetry book (also commonly called a poetry collection), you’ll need to exercise your powers of curation, edit your material, and figure out some sort of publishing plan. Drawing on Reedsy’s experience helping poets publish their work, we’ve put together a roadmap to help you on your way.

Here’s how you can publish a poetry book in 7 steps:

1. Arrange your poems with a reading experience in mind

2. edit to achieve clarity and concision, 3. start getting your name out there, 4. determine whether you’ll self- or traditionally publish , 5. attract the right readers with the right presentation, 6. release your poetry book into the world, 7. stay present and continue leading people to your work .

Imagine you’re the director of a museum. You need to decide which works of art will be displayed in your galleries, how they’ll be grouped together in each room, and what order they’ll be presented in. Mapping out your poetry book is a similar process — with several considerations to bear in mind. 

Thematic or stylistic patterns can organize your work

Read through the poems you’ve amassed and look for any apparent patterns or motifs. Chances are you’ll already know which themes run through your work, so this should be an intuitive process. 

But if your work deals with more abstract concepts, it’s useful to note down a few words you associate with each poem. You can then refer to your notes for an at-a-glance impression of how the different pieces of this collection can fit together when you piece the collection together.

If you’ve written much-loved darlings that simply don't fit in with the rest of your poems, there’s no need to kill them — hold on to them for a future collection, or try to submit individual poems to magazines or contests.

Poem order creates a narrative or thematic journey

You don’t know whether people will read your book in order from start to finish, but you should aim to delight those disciplined readers who do.

Poetry is deeply personal and incredibly wide-ranging, so there’s never a ‘right’ way to organize a poetry book. Still, unless your collection is a meditation on the theme of haphazardness, it is generally kinder to your reader to organize the poems with some sense of intentionality. 

For example, you may have written a bunch of confessional poems loosely dealing with the manifestations of trauma. What would you like your reader to feel as they read through your work? 

If you want them to emerge with hope, then cluster more optimistic poems toward the end of the collection. Are you arguing that the world will continue to remain hopeless? Do the opposite. Alternatively, should you wish to show that joy and trauma coexist in everyday life, you could switch between emotions with each successive poem, to show this instability.

Poems are famously economical in expression — a great poem gives the reader the sense that language is exact and intentional. So put aside any romantic notions of composing a final draft in a frenzy, and edit every aspect of your draft diligently.

Lazy titles damage your poems

Titles will shape a reader’s expectations, so don’t flatten your work with an overly literal, obvious, or random title without considering how it will affect the reading experience. A good rule of thumb is to stay away from abstract nouns: no ‘Redemption,’ ‘Solitude,’ or ‘Heartbreak,’ please! 

Here are some popular title approaches you can always fall back on:

• A particularly meaningful, strange, or suggestive phrase from your poem;
• e.g. ‘Still I Rise’;
• An explanation of the poem’s form, 
• e.g. ‘Notes I Left for Myself Around the House’;
• A phrase that gives a sense of setting or direction, 
• e.g. ‘From the Riverside’;
• The first line of the poem, 
• e.g. ‘That Morning, I Didn’t Say Goodbye’.

Needless to say, you need to think just as hard about how you’re going to title your book as a whole. Also, double-check you're putting it in the correct title case .

Need some inspiration? Check out this reading list of poetry books to get a sense of how other poets title their work. 📚

Reading aloud streamlines rhythm and rhyme

Poetry is not a silent art form, so read your poems aloud when editing them. Hearing your words shows you what works and what falls flat in terms of rhythm —  and it ensures that any rhyme scheme is on point and effective.

So find somewhere private (if you’re shy) or perform your poem from the steps of town hall: do whatever you need to do to hear your poetry’s aural effects most clearly.

Friends and family aren’t qualified advisors

By all means share your work with the people you’re closest to — most writers do. Often, constructive criticism comes from unlikely places, so the thoughts of your nearest and dearest are far from unimportant. 

That said, remember that friends and family are not usually the best people to counsel you in publication. Unless you’re acquainted with a renowned poetry professor or your aunt is Louise Glück, your best option may be to seek feedback from professional poetry editors . 

Give your book the help it deserves

The best poetry editors are on Reedsy. Sign up for free and meet them.

Learn how Reedsy can help you craft a beautiful book.

Readings allow you to road-test your material

Readings are always a great method to help build some “brand awareness” for yourself (apologies if the term makes you cringe) by introducing your name to literary circles. But beyond that, reading in front of an audience gives you a real sense of feedback: when you’re on stage, you can always tell if an audience is engaging, even without audible cues. You may also meet fellow poets or audience members who would be willing to give you suggestions on improving your work or the way you deliver it. 

The vast majority of published poets do not become bestsellers — even those with the backing of major presses. The books that do become commercially successful often involve their creator’s online presence or author platform. Take Rupi Kaur , whose Instagram following helped her sell 8 million copies of her self-published debut collection . Though she started off self-publishing, she soon received offers from publishers, and ultimately decided to transition to traditional publishing.

So, how can you get yourself on readers’ radars?

Social media helps your work get shared

Social media isn’t for everyone, but if it’s something you're comfortable with, start sharing your work and interacting with other poets , authors, or readers of poetry. For sharing extracts or entire poems, Instagram is ideal because of its image focus — allowing you to post images containing poetry. For longer work or participating in poetry discussions, Twitter’s images and public conversations are a great place to be.

Contest wins make your author bio more persuasive

If you manage to win a contest, that’s a gem to feature in your writer bio, as prizes and achievements help validate your work in the eyes of other people. Don’t worry, people don’t outright dismiss writers who have no fancy-sounding accolades — but the least you can offer yourself is the chance to win one, and for that to happen, you need to be entering contests. 

🚨You’ll need to watch out for dodgy contests trying to scam writers . To help you identify reputable ones, we’ve compiled this directory of poetry contests you can refer to anytime.

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood…

Will you be self-publishing your poetry book or seeking a book deal with a publisher? The road ahead depends on this decision.

If you publish traditionally

Traditional publishing follows a well-known model : with or without the help of a literary agent, you are offered a book deal by a publisher willing to take a gamble on your book. You’ll work with an in-house editor to polish your manuscript, and will be provided with a cover and some publicity (the extent of which varies from book to book) by the publisher.

💡 Note: Not all book genres require a literary agent. In poetry, they are not essential — but if you’d still like to find an agent to represent you, head to our post on how to write a query letter .

There isn’t a lot of money in poetry publishing… 

The good news is that poetry readers are not particularly obsessed with writers’ pedigrees — which means that poetry publishers generally care less about who you are, and more about how good your writing is than they would if you were penning a memoir or even a novel. 

The bad news is that because poetry doesn’t sell as well as other genres (e.g. crime thrillers or cozy romances), publishers are often less eager to invest in poetry books. Add to that the various biases at play in the gatekeeping process , you may find that securing a book deal is tough. To improve your chances, a respectable author platform is desired: in other words, it’d be great to have had a few of your individual poems published already.

Head to our directory of literary magazines, and don’t forget to review submissions guidelines and follow them to a T!

But there is more prestige in trad pub

Like literary fiction, poetry is quite heavily tied into legacy bookselling. Being published traditionally gives you more direct access to activities denoting prestige in the book industry: hardback editions, prize consideration, editorial reviews in magazines or newspapers, you name it. Still, only a small minority of poetic works receive this kind of recognition, so it is by no means guaranteed to any traditionally published poet. 

If you choose to self-publish

Self-publishing a poetry book is becoming increasingly popular for both the creative control and ease of access it offers — anyone with talent, a computer, and passion can now see their work in print. It is a larger undertaking than having someone else publish it for you, but it offers you complete control, and requires no one else’s approval.

Self-publishing a poetry book is similar to self-publishing a novel — and you can check out this thorough guide for the step-by-step process. But let’s run through the fundamentals now. 

Like any self-published title, a poetry book is going to have its best chance at success if you have:

• A compelling, genre-specific cover ;
• Targeted keywords and categories on Amazon;
• An enticing Amazon book description that uses your keywords;
• An author website and newsletter to promote your book ;
• A solid understanding of your paid advertising options.

If you need help with any of the above, we’ve linked to some helpful resources on our blog — or you can always hire a professional editor, designer, marketer, or publicist from Reedsy’s marketplace:

The best editors, designers, and book marketers are on Reedsy. Sign up for free and meet them.

For the rest of this post, we’ll assume you’re self-publishing — so you’ll be responsible for the presentation of your poetry book, inside and out. 

Cover design

Cover designs are more than just a pretty façade. They contain coded information about the book’s tone and content that readers’ brains are trained to interpret, even though they may not consciously realize it. A poetry cover, then, needs to look like a poetry cover to attract the attention of poetry readers — whether that’s in bookstores or digitally. 

There aren’t particularly strict conventions for poetry covers, though a degree of abstraction is common. Unlike the designs of genre fiction, which gravitate towards a particular palette or type of font, poetry allows a lot of freedom, but that also means it can be tricky to get right — which is why we always advise that you work with a professional cover designer . 

Interior design

Interior design by Reedsy designer Rachel Kelli

Poetry really allows you to be visually creative, so if your work is laid out in an unusual way, it may well be worth your time to hire an interior formatter who’ll be able to handle any challenges your unique format presents. If your poetry doesn’t require special formatting, you can typeset it yourself using Reedsy Studio — our free tool that allows you to easily import your work and export to ebook or PDF files.

🎨 Can't visualize your poetry collection's interior yet? Check out our post on poetry book layout for insights from designers and inspiration!

You’ve got a polished manuscript typeset for publication and a great cover to boot — the next thing on your to-do list is choosing a self-publishing company to distribute your book with. 

In the US and UK, releasing your work on Amazon generally helps you reach the biggest audience — but should you go Amazon-exclusive, or sell “wide” to other retailers as well? And do you want to exclusively sell ebooks, or create a print version? These are all important marketing decisions that you’ll want to consider as you prepare to launch your book, so do check out our in-depth guides to these topics:

• The 17 BEST Self-Publishing Companies of 2022 ( Read here )
• READ THIS Before You Enroll in KDP Select! ( Read here ) 
• Print on Demand Books: The Best Services in 2022 ( Read here )

Every book requires active book marketing efforts

You can’t just release a book and let it wilt away from the eyes of readers: you owe it to yourself to maximize the number of people who read it. 

Book marketing starts long before you actually publish , so the earlier you have a plan in place, the better. During your launch stage, it also helps if you run a preorder for a while , so that you can build hype, gather early reviews, and boost your sales rank before release day. One way to secure book reviews is to submit your book to Reedsy Discovery , the platform we built to champion independent authors and their work. If you can launch your book along with some praise from reviewers, you’ll have much better chances of intriguing the people who hear about it — everyone values social validation! 

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Consider a gentle advertising push

Digital advertising can be quite scary to get into, but it doesn’t have to be. This includes Facebook, Amazon , as well as BookBub advertising (providing you sell your poetry book in ebook format). All you need is some patience and willingness to learn. With advertising in place, your book can build some sales momentum at any point — but it’s especially important to give it a boost during its initial launch. 

Ready to do some learning? Sign up for our free introductory course below!

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In advertising, you can easily waste money if you try things at random, but it’s possible to test audiences without spending a fortune if you make careful decisions and evaluate their impact. Start slow, test the waters, and if you feel like you need their help, get a professional book marketer to help you with your campaigns. Once you’ve figured out what works well, you can then scale up your efforts and invest more money in proven methods you’re confident will work.

Top tip: Check out these case studies of Amazon ads getting it right for some more inspiration! 

Marketing your book never really ends, as anything you do post-publication is an opportunity to bring up your book. But two active strategies you can choose are giving readings and publishing essays or articles in hopes of leading people to your book.

Give readings (and bring some copies)

Get published (and mention your book)

Another way you can lead readers to your work is to write for print or digital publications. You could pitch a personal essay, a reading list, or submit poetry, as long as it’s something related to your book’s themes or the act of writing itself — a political op-ed won’t necessarily bring readers to your poetry book. But if your published writing is relevant, and you can ensure that your new book is mentioned, a new byline can result in people looking up your book and buying it to check out more of your work.

Alternatively, you can give a publication the right to print an exclusive extract of your book — an example of this might be Kat Lister’s extract of her memoir The Elements , published in The Guardian. As you can see, the extract is followed by a short note stating that her book is available for sale.

As you can see, publishing a poetry book is a long-term commitment: if you’re serious about your writing career, your efforts don’t simply end when the book is published, but continue so that a steady stream of new readers can reach your work. Don’t expect immediate pay off, but remember that every little thing you do to improve or promote your book counts. Best of luck!

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The Best Fiction Books » Poetry

The best books on how to write poetry, recommended by kathleen j graber.

According to Graber, poetry demands that readers and thinkers slow down; just as a poem emerges through careful attention, it demands and recreates that kind of attention within the reader

Fire to Fire by Mark Doty

What Goes On by Stephen Dunn

Black Zodiac by Charles Wright

Winter Stars by Larry Levis

This Time by Gerald Stern

1 Fire to Fire by Mark Doty

2 what goes on by stephen dunn, 3 black zodiac by charles wright, 4 winter stars by larry levis, 5 this time by gerald stern.

M any people find it difficult to find their voice when they are writing poetry. What advice would you give them?

Let’s start with Fire to Fire: New and Selected Poems by Mark Doty. 

Your next choice, What Goes On: Selected and New Poems, 1995-2009, is by an old teacher of yours, Stephen Dunn. 

Stephen Dunn was my first teacher. What Goes On is his second book of new and selected poems, but his influence on the way I think about poems extends beyond the reach of any one collection and also beyond the reach of the poems themselves. I was already in my mid-30s when I enrolled as a continuing education student in Dunn’s undergraduate class. I had a lot of big ideas that I wanted to express in poetry, or that’s as close as I can come now to whatever it was I thought I wanted to do. For a year I wrote very bad poems, consistently among the worst in the room on any given evening. Dunn’s advice, which I understood but couldn’t manage to follow, was to set aside ideas in favour of things. William Carlos Williams is so often quoted in this regard: ‘No ideas but in things.’ I think Stephen wanted me to try, ‘No ideas at all!’

Let’s move on to another influence – Black Zodiac by Charles Wright.

The first imitation that I wrote that felt in any way like a successful poem on its own was an imitation of Charles Wright. While Dunn had rightly tried to steer me away from too much intellectualisation in my writing, Wright is a poet who moves between a generally profoundly understated moment in his life (most often he’s just sitting in his yard watching birds or lightening bugs as twilight comes on) and metaphysical pondering. One gets a sense that the mundane and the overarching are always merged, approaching together on the wind. He gave me permission to quote from other texts directly the way an essay might. There is a difference between Wright’s appropriation of a text and Eliot’s. Wright generally gives you all the contextual information you need right there in the body of the poem. He isn’t interested in opacity at all.

What about Larry Levis’s Winter Stars? 

Larry Levis’s poems taught me to do the thing Dunn had wanted me to do. They taught how to bring an experience into a poem in a way that felt intimate but not creepily confessional. At least that’s my goal and that’s how his poems seem to me. Levis died at a relatively young age, 50, and his legacy is still on the rise in American poetry.

One poet you very much admire is Gerald Stern and his book This Time: New and Selected Poems. 

No one else writes poems like Gerald Stern’s poems. Their wildness is different from the wildness of a Levis poem, though it can have some of the same surreal image-making qualities. The wildness, for me, in a Stern poem is one of emotion. If Doty sees more deeply than most, and Dunn and Wright seem to think more deeply, then Stern ‘feels’ more fully or more extravagantly. Of these three broad poetic features – seeing, thinking, feeling – feeling came last for me. It isn’t that I’m a cold person: it is that I am exceedingly suspicious of poems that make me, as a reader, feel like a voyeur. This would be the knock against many ‘confessional’ poets. Hence, for a long time, I tended to write poems that were too understated with regard to their emotions.

Stern’s poems, on the other hand, explode off the page with expressive gestures (weeping and hollering are common activities, for example). Yet I trust Stern’s feelings, meaning I believe he feels them. I don’t think, even in their extremity, that they are inauthentic. I needed to see how far a poet could go with something like raw feeling. A poem without an authentic emotional engagement on the part of its maker will be a boring poem. It may be fabulously wrought, but no one will care. I go to poems to be moved; Stern’s poems move me very, very much. I often weep and howl when I read them. And I like that.

How did you go about choosing the poems for Eternal City – you have many varied voices in there including Johnny Depp?

I wanted to write a book that was in some way different from Correspondence, and I only half-achieved that, which feels fine to me. I had a general idea, after writing the series of poems in response to Marcus Aurelius, that I wanted to think in very broad terms about imperialism and its relationship to technology and also the basic idea of possession. But, of course, everything human falls into those categories so that wasn’t a very limiting vision. But the Jim Jarmusch film Dead Man – which stars Johnny Depp and which is how he ends up with a cameo in one of the poems – seems very much about the American Dream and the nation’s westward expansion. Herzog’s Fitzcarraldo is also a film about people in places they don’t belong doing truly insane things they ought not to be doing. These characters are every bit as tragic and ridiculous and emblematic as they are likable and heroic, though I’m not sure that there is much of a hero in Depp’s character. He seems largely a victim of circumstance, which I suppose makes it a work of realism in some way, despite its strangeness.

The Eternal City is meant to be a metaphor for the mind, a timeless landscape in which the past and present, the fictional and actual, the elevated and the quotidian live side by side. Johnny Depp lives in my mental landscape as does Marcus Aurelius and Walter Benjamin. Benjamin lives in the best house in town, in fact. I never get tired of visiting him!

I’m not very prolific: there weren’t many poems that were excluded from the collection. If I begin a poem, I tend to work on it quite diligently. I’m not someone who abandons a lot of drafts. Most of the poems that I managed to write between 2005 and now are in The Eternal City.

Why do you think in such a busy world people should still make time to read poetry?

I think that precisely because it is a busy world people ought to make time for poetry. Poetry demands that readers and thinkers slow down. Just as a poem emerges out of careful attention, it demands and re-creates that kind of attention within the reader. Poems are the antithesis of the sound bite; they are antidotes to polarisation. A good poem does not seek an easy answer or a single way of looking at the world. A good poem attempts to reopen within us our understanding of how varied and multivalent our experiences are, how complicated the world is. It also often asks us to consider perspectives other than our own and to locate our humanity within a larger context. I am not a person of conventional faith, but there is much that feels sacred to me. Our moral obligations to each other and to the planet are sacred responsibilities. I don’t want a poem to speak in a preachy way directly to those obligations, and there are certainly no quick fixes on the horizon, but poems encourage and cultivate an interior life in which our awareness of those obligations is less easily avoided. The attention of the poem reconsecrates not only its immediate subject but also the act of attention itself. And poetry reconsecrates language, which, as we know, is always under siege from those who would like to empty it of both its meanings and its beauty.

September 10, 2010

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Kathleen J Graber

Kathleen Graber was a Hodder Fellow in Poetry at Princeton. Her first book,  Correspondence , was the winner of the 2005 Saturnalia Books Poetry Prize. Poems from her latest collection,  The Eternal City , have appeared in  The New Yorker ,  AGNI ,  The Kenyon Review ,  The Georgia Review ,  The American Poetry Review  and elsewhere. 

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Online Resources

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• Partner sites
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Teacher-specific resources

• Online courses in poetry

Single-poet archives

Audiovisual archives, other organizations and festivals, partner sites.

Poetry Out Loud Guidelines, announcements, and poems for the national high school recitation contest.

PBS LearningMedia On-demand media service for educators that provides easy access to free, classroom-ready, curriculum-targeted, multi-platform resources for grades K–12. Free registration.

PBS NewsHour Extra Videos of poets reading and discussing their work, segments on poetry and contemporary culture, poet profiles, and teaching tips.

The Poetry Archive UK Recordings of poets reading their work. Includes historic archive, children’s archive, poet in residence blog, lesson plans, and activities.

General Poetry Sites

The Academy of American Poets Poems, poet biographies, interviews, recordings, and essays. Includes a newsletter and events calendar, academy resources, discussion forum, a poet’s workshop of exercises, and teaching ideas.

American Verse Project Full texts of volumes of American poetry pre-1920.

BBC Poetry The British Broadcasting Company’s poetry site. Poems, poets’ biographies, videos, and writing and performance tips from contemporary poets.

Contemporary American Poetry Archive Full texts of out-of-print volumes of contemporary poetry.

Electronic Poetry Center (SUNY Buffalo) Gateway for sites and resources related to innovative poetry. Extensive links to poets, digital projects, and publications.

Kennedy Center's Digital Resources Library Free digital, remote learning resources for incorporating poetry into K-12 classrooms.

Luminarium: Anthology of English Literature Medieval, Renaissance, 17th-century, and Restoration poets. Poems, biographies, and critical essays.

Modern American Poetry Extensive material on poets included in Anthology of Modern American Poetry (Oxford). Manuscripts, brief critical essays, historical backgrounds, biographies, interviews, and sample syllabi.

PAL: Perspectives in American Literature - A Research and Reference Guide Pages on American authors include bibliographies, biographies, and outside links. Information on literary movements and definitions, writing assignments, and historical perspectives.

Paris Review Interview Archive Index of the Paris Review ’s author interviews from the 1950s to 2000s. A selection are available as full-text PDFs.

Poemage A visualization system for exploring the sonic topology of a poem. Developed at the University of Utah as part of an ongoing, highly exploratory collaboration between data visualization experts, poets, and poetry scholars.

Poetry Daily Anthology features one new contemporary poem each day, selected from current journals and books. Includes an archive of past selections.

Poetry International International poets searchable by country or name. Poems in original language and translation, biographies, articles, and recordings.

Poets’ Corner Includes work by roughly 800 poets. Individual poems and a selection of book-length collections, including anthologies.

Representative Poetry Online Collection of poetry from Old English to the present day. Includes a glossary, timeline, and selection of criticism.

Voca The University of Arizona Poetry Center's Audio Video Library.

The Academy of American Poets: For Educators Extensive range of free poetry resources for teachers.

EdSITEment Literature and Language Arts Lesson plans and links for literature classes, grades K–12.

Favorite Poem Project: Poetry Lesson Plans Lesson plans based on the Favorite Poem Project, emphasizing reading and appreciation.

Poetry Class British website devoted to integrating poetry into the classroom; offers lesson plans, assessment advice, and training courses in the UK.

Readwritethink Lesson plans and web resources for students and teachers, organized around IRA/NCTE Standards for the English Language Arts.

Teacher Vision Activity ideas and lesson plans for elementary students; first three articles free, thereafter membership required.

Teachers and Writers Collaborative Insights, practices, and techniques from professional writers and educators; includes information on TW Collaborative in-school and professional development programs.

ThinkCERCA A Common Core State Standards literacy resource for teachers who want to incorporate poetry and other genres to help students learn to read closely, think critically, and develop powerful arguments.

Writers in the Schools Home page of popular program; includes resources for teachers, WITS blog, and links to publication opportunities for students.

Online Courses in Poetry (MOOCs)

Modern & Contemporary American Poetry (Coursera) Taught by Al Filreis, Kelly Family Professor of English, University of Pennsylvania ModPo is a fast-paced introduction to modern and contemporary US poetry, with an emphasis on experimental verse. Participants (who need no prior experience with poetry) will learn how to read poems that are supposedly “difficult.”

Modern Poetry (Open Yale Courses) Taught by Langdon Hammer, professor of English at Yale University This course covers the body of modern poetry, its characteristic techniques and concerns. The authors discussed include Yeats, Eliot, Pound, Moore, Bishop, and Frost. Additional lectures on the poetry of WWI and the Harlem Renaissance.

Dickinson Electronic Archives Collection of digital facsimiles of Dickinson’s poetry and correspondence, emphasizing her process of composition; includes links to secondary sources.  

Walt Whitman Archive Includes e-text and facsimile versions of all editions of Leaves of Grass ; contemporary reviews and correspondence; and extended biography and bibliography with links.

From the Fishhouse: An Audio Archive of Emerging Poets Audio archive of emerging poets reading and in conversation.

Key West Literary Seminar: Audio Archives Digitized recordings of past readings, panels, and discussions from the Key West Literary Seminar.

Library of Congress poetry site Comprehensive site for Poet Laureate and related Library of Congress programs; includes webcasts of laureates and Witter Bynner fellows.

National Council of Teachers’ Teaching Resource Collections Resources for English teachers including lesson plans, discussion forums, and professional development opportunities.

Seattle Arts & Lectures Calendar and archives of long-running Seattle lecture series; contains information on Writers-in-the-Schools and Wednesday University programs.

PENNSound Largest collection of poetry audio files on the Internet; includes readings, conversations, and lectures in downloadable mp3 format.

Poem Present: Readings and Lectures Streamed audio/video of University of Chicago’s distinguished reading and lecture series. Poetry Center at San Francisco State University The reading series, is one of the longest-running such programs in the US. Includes the American Poetry Archives, approaching 5,000 hours of original audio and video recordings, available online at The Poetry Center Digital Archive.  

UbuWeb Comprehensive site for avant-garde and conceptual poetry and poetics; includes hundreds of audio files, short videos, and e-text resources.

92nd Street Y Reading Series Webcasts of prestigious New York reading series.

Cave Canem Foundation A home for the many voices of African American poetry, committed to cultivating the artistic and professional growth of African American poets.  

Geraldine R. Dodge Poetry Program Official site of annual Dodge Poetry Festival; contains overview of Poetry-in-the-Schools program and information for teachers, poets, and students. Kundiman Dedicated to the creation and cultivation of Asian American literature, Kundiman offers a comprehensive spectrum of arts programming that gives writers opportunities to inscribe their own stories. Letras Latinas The literary initiative at Notre Dame's Institute for Latino Studies, which seeks to enhance the visibility, appreciation, and study of Latino literature both on and off the campus. Mass Poetry Supports poets and poetry in Massachusetts to transform people’s lives through inspiring verse, with programs, readings, and an annual poetry festival. National Student Poets Program/Alliance for Young Artists and Writers The Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers partner to present the nation’s highest honor for young poets (grades 10–11) creating original work. Annually, five students are selected for one year of service, each representing a different geographic region of the country.

O, Miami Festival E xpands and advances literary culture in Greater Miami, Florida area with a visiting writer series, a poetry festival, a publishing imprint, and other programs.

Poets House   A comfortable, accessible place for poetry in downtown Manhattan, offering a library and meeting place, and events and readings. Poets House seeks to document the wealth and diversity of modern poetry, to stimulate dialogue on issues of poetry in culture, and to cultivate a wider audience for poetry. Split This Rock Poetry Festival Cultivates, teaches, and celebrates poetry that bears witness to injustice and provokes social change. Hosts festivals, readings, workshops, and offers programming for youth. Wick Poetry Festival Engages individuals and communities in the transformative power of poetry. Members of the Wick Outreach Program provide writing workshops, discussion groups, and professional development to a variety of communities throughout northeast Ohio.  University of Arizona Poetry Center A large poetry library, reading space, and living archive, founded to maintain and cherish the spirit of poetry. Promotes poetic literacy and sustains, enriches, and advances a diverse literary culture.

Looking to Learn More About Poetry?

Check out our Education area , where we have separate offerings for children, teens, adults, and educators.

Unseen voices: How a shelter program, new poetry anthology channel thoughts of unhoused Clevelanders

A writer’s three-decade career of social and cultural action have combined with a former bookseller’s 15-year-old poetry program at a Cleveland men’s shelter and a local nonprofit grant to produce a collection of 25 poems from the city’s unhoused individuals. RA Washington, who assembled “These Words are Not My Home: Poems, Stories and Essays from the Unhoused” spoke to The Land about expression, ambition, intent and the program that led to the book.

When West Side Cleveland-based creative writer R.A. Washington applied for Literary Cleveland’s four-month Amplify Fellowship in 2023, he knew he wanted to assemble a compendium of writings from Cleveland’s unhoused population, but he never imagined the amount of press he would attain upon its release. 

Having practiced for over three decades as an independent poet, author and co-founding soundsmith of sonically and socially progressive band Mourning [A] BLKstar, Washington is more content using his voice as a megaphone to broadcast underserved voices, as opposed to elevating his own words. Case in point: the 15 men who published a collective 25 pieces in the new anthology, “These Words are Not My Home: Poems, Stories and Essays from The Unhoused.”

“I thought that it would be a population that would probably have something to say,” Washington explained. He said it will serve as the first in a series of quarterly anthology releases that will continue seasonally, starting in winter 2024.

Washington first heard each piece of work read aloud in Annie Holden’s Finding Voice Poetry Workshop , which has been held each Wednesday from 1:30 to 3 p.m. for the past 15 years at the Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry’s (LMM) emergency men’s shelter at 2100 Lakeside Ave. in Asiatown. 

Holden, a former bookstore manager turned caseworker, started the weekly sessions in 2009 as a form of therapy after she started working at the shelter. Also lending guidance to Finding Voice at that time were retired social worker Julie Michelson, poetry therapist and published author John Fox, and Methodist preacher Jack Schierloh.

A grant from the Institute for Poetic Medicine helped pave the way for the program to obtain initial supplies and later publish three chapbooks. Chapbooks are small and inexpensively produced methods of publication that writers use to spread their work with local audiences.

“Once cats (in the program) saw that it was legitimate and got published our attendance has gone up a bit,” Washington added.

Finding Voice’s initial three publications were also the beacon that first made Washington decide to expand his philanthropy from the shelter’s soup kitchen to its poetry workshops. The Literary Cleveland grant furthered his engagement; now, he and Holden take turns overseeing weekly sessions with the planning assistance of Lydia Bailey, a volunteer coordinator at the shelter.

“People may think that individuals who are unhoused would not give a hoot about poetry. Think again!” Holden began her four-paragraph intro to the book. “There is something special that happens in the (workshop) room as they write their own poems then read them out loud. It takes great courage to put one’s feelings on paper and even more guts to share them with strangers.”

Temporary housing, permanent words

To Washington, the collection serves more as a series of rubber stamps, a timely record of passage as opposed to a vehicle to jumpstart contributors’ writing careers.

“It’s transitional housing, people are in and out,” Washington said when describing life at the men’s shelter. “(The book is) the only record you have that cats were there. You might not even see the guy (that wrote for it) again. There are definitely people who came in for one workshop, wrote one piece, and then when we had the launch party for the book were nowhere to be found.”

Even before readers reach the first poem, the book resonates as raw and insightful, the typical author forward replaced by a keen stoicism that Washington and Holden have cultivated separately through years of working with people experiencing crises.

“I would have preferred, had I had the money to just do it myself without the fellowship, to just do it under the radar,” he added. “It’s just, I don’t have a good relationship with any of those  self-promotional elements…. What’s (the) fascination with whiteness and western ideology where the only way that this career path and this life path that you choose can be acceptable if it’s successful. Why would I want to have the same monikiers of success as a stockbroker?” 

Whether he’s using paint, markers, words or moodily ambient keyboard clicks alongside drum tones, Washington takes a do-it-yourself approach that often borders on keep-to-yourself when it comes to advertising, a desire fueled by personal ethics and the collection’s subject matter.

The majority of work here is deeply personal, but there’s not a single narrow line that connects all of the dots. Some poems deal directly with the struggle to obtain and remain in housing; others, like Percival Dike III’s soliloquy on page 24, grasp for the respect and emotional buoyancy supplied by a loved one. On pages 17 and 18, Stephon Salusbury fires out a strong single stanza that transitions from a third-person description of living without a house during a city night into a first-person request for understanding and simplification.

“There’s always creative cats no matter what’s going on,” Washington said. “So for me this was an opportunity to mind part of the population that this (work) came from. I think there’s a lot of synergy between a person’s experience and someone who’s not living their life like them. 

“It creates empathy, an opportunity for first responders to have some (understanding) on what they’re doing… And it feels nice to be published. That’s the case for anyone. So, in the middle of some crisis or an ongoing issue, you have a little surprise.”

The pleas for personal amnesty from suffering land in readers’ brains as hard as the self-confident outcries like the last, hopeful, forward-looking stanza Nate Hearn tendered on page 47:

“Sooner or Later I will come to understand life And come around.” Nate Hearn, “These Words are Not My Home.”

Talking shops

If the poetry, short stories and other small-form writing that comprises “These Words are Not My Home” seem deeply personal and ungarnished, it’s because they were plucked wholesale from Finding Voice workshop sessions the day they were written. Washington did not edit them.

“Over the years I’ve done book groups and creative writing (classes) to get people into some other creative formats,” Finding Voice co-founder Holden said. “This is something about poetry that it’s another kind of creative writing. Guys don’t need perfect grammar and spelling and punctuation and all that stuff. Poetry is so open-ended and forgiving.”

The technical and creative liberties inherent to poetry essentially delete all barriers to entry; one only needs a writing utensil, a vessel for words (typically some sort of two-dimensional wood pulp derivative) and a solid thought or idea. That’s basically how Finding Voice operates: “Guys write poems, and then they read them aloud,” Holden insisted.

As far as Holden is concerned, the ease of entry component is one of the most appealing aspects for the rotating residents of the Lakeside shelter where she works, many of whom enter after being battered with socioeconomic barriers for their entire lives.

“(Listening) is absolutely key in that whole place,” Holden explained.. “Here you are in an environment that’s chaotic and noisy. We have 400 beds filled every night. It’s a huge place. And these folks are 18; we got guys all the way into their 80s. We have every age group and every kind of trauma. The predominant message is the miracle of being listened to.”

Marrying that freewheeling sense of unrestricted artistry with the act of outside validation can also lead to moments of great catharsis, like Andrew Davis’s melancholic but inspired piece on page 39:

Shall we not flee? -Gwendolyn Brooks

I can’t leave myself in want Desire is just too strong Lifts me petty Stirs my wrong My eyes wake to greet Hands fear they can see What i made them do In the dark Regret hangs heavy And grief is my whole back The lengthy shadow Evil in me Ruled by base Inside a need. Andrew Davis

Binding down

For the fifth time in his career, Washington approached Cleveland-based Outlandish Press in order to assemble, print, bind and ultimately publish the anthology. All 25 poems are inked on Fox River paper featuring a hemp finish; the out-of-print stock material’s worn texture and speckled overlay give the impression one is holding something handmade, homely and of great weight. The final product is a 7 inch by 5 inch, glue-bound 48-page chapbook. 

It’s a more refined version of Washington’s first chapbook, a folded sheaf of 11 inch by 8.5 inch printer paper titled “For Me, With Those Before in Mind” published by a former poet-mentor, but the goal is the same: to highlight good work without elevating it to the professional pedestal and everything it comes with. Even as Washington attempts to skirt praise, Holden and others can’t help but shovel it upon him.

“RA Washington… has brought his own, powerful, distinctive voice to the mix, sharing his experiences and particular poetic perspective,” her introduction continued. “He has enriched the process and sparked new ideas in the participants. He provides a much-needed outlet, a physical manifestation, a printed record of their work.”

Washington, meanwhile, doubled down on the volume’s importance without stealing the spotlight in his anthology intro, stating, “The poetry and stories we’ve collected illuminate the complexities of life on the margins, and challenge perceptions and ignite empathy. Each word, each sentence, each piece of prose is a testament to the resilience and creativity that thrives in even the most challenging of circumstances. It is a reminder that, despite the barriers that society erects, the human spirit cannot be silenced.”

The first few pages of the book also describe the Amplify Fellowship, which uses funding from the Cleveland Foundation and the Ohio Arts Council’s ArtsNEXT initiative , in similar terms: “Our goal is to provide writers on the margins with pathways to become arts leaders in the region, and pilot innovative new program models for communities that have been historically underserved.”

LaToya Kent, “Crawl on yer belly” from Me:You’s album “Field Tapes In Der Trash”, released April 21, 2023 It is now readers’ responsibility to determine whether Washington succeeded in that goal, but with future short form publications set to collect some of the work produced at the Finding Voice workshop, a decade-plus initiative based on growth and creativity has evolved to a new point. As Mourning [A] BLKstar vocalist LaToya Kent sings on the track “ Crawl on yer belly ” (produced by Jah Nada and Laura B. and stemming from the bandmates’ 2023 Me:You project Washington helped spearhead):

You put the seed in the Earth, it becomes the tree And then the tree grows up and it sprouts the leaves, And then the leaves stretch out and they bare the fruit, We eat the fruit We eat the fruit We eat the fruit And then we grow and we grow and we grow And then we grow and we grow and we grow some more And then we lay down and we become the Earth We are the Earth, we are the Earth… LaToya Kent, “Crawl on yer belly” from Me:You’s album “Field Tapes In Der Trash”, released April 21, 2023

Roughly 100 copies of the limited, 500-edition run of “These Words are Not My Home” are available for $10, either by calling the 2100 Lakeside shelter at 216-566-0047 and at Mac’s Backs bookstore in Coventry Village. The City Mission of Cleveland, Ohio and Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless offer avenues for volunteer assistance within and around Cleveland. The Lutheran Metropolitan Ministry’s volunteering opportunities are also extensive, as are those presented on the City of Cleveland’s website . Readers interested in Annie Holden’s poetry workshops should call the phone number above.

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Collin Cunningham

Born and raised in Pennsylvania, Collin crossed state lines to pursue a journalism degree from Kent State in 2015 and has since installed himself in Cleveland’s west side. When he’s not reporting, Collin can be found holed up in one of Tremont’s many little eateries, tending to his chickens or spending time with his lionhead rabbits, Curtis and Cloud.

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A Poet Who Considers Timeless Topics, and Finds Ways to Make Them New

In his latest collection, the Pulitzer winner Carl Phillips relies on sinuous language to evoke love, heartache and the passing of the years.

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By Stephanie Burt

Stephanie Burt is a professor of English at Harvard and the author, most recently, of the poetry collection “We Are Mermaids.”

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SCATTERED SNOWS, TO THE NORTH , by Carl Phillips

Some poets seek topics never before explored. Others look around and see what seems constant, from antiquity to today: autumn and winter; aging and death; erotic desire, and our regret if it fades.

Carl Phillips belongs to that second group. He writes about those simplest, oldest things with a syntax so unpredictable, so elaborate, that they can seem almost new, even when — as in his new book, “Scattered Snows, to the North” — he writes as a man looking back over much of his life.

A poem called “Career” asks: “What if all the truth is/is an over-washed sweatshirt, sometimes on/purpose worn inside out?” In another poem, the word “joy” refers both to a transient emotion and to a horse the speaker keeps trying to ride:

Joy if only flickeringly, each day astounds me, the man I used to be dismounts, relents for a bit, before digging his boots (streaked with longing, my own longing, what I can’t help) hard into my sides again.

Such sentences make for a bumpy ride — that’s the point; love affairs make for bumpy rides too, and Phillips specializes in ways of recalling them, their tumults and their falls. “Sometimes,” he writes, “to remember a thing can hurt more than the thing itself/ever did.”

This 17th book of his poems — his first since winning a Pulitzer last year for his new-and-selected “Then the War” — does a lot of remembering, and even more self-questioning. Its attitudes range from the wistful and nearly Proustian to the bitter and nearly pedestrian, as if Phillips cannot quite bring himself to accept how much love he has lost, nor how many leaves have touched the ground.

Does loss, like the end of a sentence, like the end of a year, come inevitably to us all, as “early summer seems already to hold, inside it,/the split fruit of late fall”? Or could Phillips have acted otherwise, “negotiating this life/with all the seeming casualness with which a man whose business involves/the handling of fires daily/daily handles a fire”? Again Phillips repeats a word either side of a line break; again he relies on syntax, on rococo word orders, switchbacks, oxbows and serial prepositions, rather than (for example) on assonance or unusual words or strange metaphors or rhyme.

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Slips of the Mind

Poetry as forgetting.

Jennifer Soong

208 pages | 6 halftones | 6 x 9

Thinking Literature

Literature and Literary Criticism: General Criticism and Critical Theory

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Pope Francis: Literature and poetry are essential for future priests

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Every Christian, but especially seminarians, should set aside their screens regularly and spend time with a book of literature or poetry, Pope Francis said.

In a world that so often prizes efficiency and accomplishment, “we desperately need to counterbalance this inevitable temptation to a frenetic and uncritical lifestyle by stepping back, slowing down, taking time to look and listen,” the pope wrote. “This can happen when a person simply stops to read a book.”

In a letter “On the Role of Literature in Formation,” published by the Vatican Aug. 4, Pope Francis said he initially intended to write a letter on how important it is for seminarians to devote time to reading novels and poetry but decided to expand it because reading is important for “the formation of all those engaged in pastoral work, indeed of all Christians.”

The pope’s letter cited his own experience as a high school literature teacher in 1964-65 as well as essays by the writers C.S. Lewis, Marcel Proust and Jorge Luis Borges and texts by Jesuit Father Karl Rahner, St. Paul VI, St. John Paul II and the Second Vatican Council. He also referred to evidence in the Acts of the Apostles that St. Paul knew the work of the poet Epimenides, who wrote in the sixth century B.C.E., and the poet Aratus of Soli from the third century B.C.E.

Reading, the pope said, is a healthy form of relaxation, an important way to increase one’s vocabulary and an essential exercise in learning to listen to the experiences of other people and other cultures.

“Often during periods of boredom on holiday, in the heat and quiet of some deserted neighborhood, finding a good book to read can provide an oasis that keeps us from other choices that are less wholesome,” the pope said. “Likewise, in moments of weariness, anger, disappointment or failure, when prayer itself does not help us find inner serenity, a good book can help us weather the storm until we find peace of mind.”

Pope Francis insisted reading “is not something completely outdated” and is an antidote to “our present unremitting exposure to social media, mobile phones and other devices.”

“I very much appreciate the fact that at least some seminaries have reacted to the obsession with ‘screens’ and with toxic, superficial and violent fake news by devoting time and attention to literature,” he wrote. “They have done this by setting aside time for tranquil reading and for discussing books, new and old, that continue to have much to say to us.”

However, the pope said, even in those seminaries, literature is often seen merely as a form of healthy entertainment rather than as a subject that is important in their training.

A lack of literature and poetry, he said, “can lead to the serious intellectual and spiritual impoverishment of future priests, who will be deprived of that privileged access which literature grants to the very heart of human culture and, more specifically, to the heart of every individual.”

Literature, he said, is “listening to another person’s voice.”

Especially for those preparing for the priesthood, learning to listen to others, particularly those who challenge one’s point of view, is a necessary skill, the pope said. Without it, “we immediately fall into self-isolation; we enter into a kind of ‘spiritual deafness,’ which has a negative effect on our relationship with ourselves and our relationship with God, no matter how much theology or psychology we may have studied.”

Literature and poetry, like other arts, also help hone a reader’s ability to be in awe -- of others, of the world and, ultimately, of God, the pope said.

Literature, he said, “teaches us how to look and see, to discern and explore the reality of individuals and situations as a mystery charged with a surplus of meaning that can only be partially understood through categories, explanatory schemes, linear dynamics of causes and effects, means and ends.”

Learning that lesson is essential for effective evangelization, which is not first about proclaiming and explaining church doctrines but about helping people “encounter Jesus Christ made flesh, made man, made history,” the pope wrote.

“We must always take care never to lose sight of the ‘flesh’ of Jesus Christ: that flesh made of passions, emotions and feelings, words that challenge and console, hands that touch and heal, looks that liberate and encourage, flesh made of hospitality, forgiveness, indignation, courage, fearlessness; in a word, love,” Pope Francis said.

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On the centennial of his birth, James Baldwin remains relevant today

Andrew Limbong

Recalling the words of writer James Baldwin, who was born 100 years ago

The author James Baldwin would have turned 100 on Aug, 2. Evening Standard/Getty Images/Hulton Archive hide caption

James Baldwin would have celebrated his 100th birthday Friday — on Aug. 2. On NPR and elsewhere, you can find deep examinations of his legacy – as everything from an orator, a fashion icon, to civil rights activist. But he was, of course, a writer first and foremost.

So, we thought: Why not spend a moment breaking down a few of his sentences to figure out what made his writing so affecting, so indelible, so good that it’s still worth reading today?

We’ve chosen a few lines from two of his most well-known books — his essay collection The Fire Next Time and his novel Go Tell It on the Mountain . In many ways, these books are in conversation with each other. The opening essay to The Fire Next Time is Baldwin’s letter to his 14-year-old nephew describing the faulty institutions that make up his life — his family, his faith, and his country. And the second essay opens like this: “I underwent, during the summer that I became fourteen, a prolonged religious crisis.” In Go Tell it on the Mountain , Baldwin writes a bit of fiction drawn from his own life, about a 14-year-old boy who is finding out those very same faults, as well as figuring out his own sexuality. And it opens on a very similar day of crisis.

For each book, we’ve enlisted the help of an expert to talk about what they find interesting about Baldwin’s writing style, and what legacy each work leaves. The interviews, which follow below, have been edited for length and clarity.

The Fire Next Time

The two essays in The Fire Next Time were published in the 1960s. But they still sounded new in the early 2000s when Jesmyn Ward first read them. Ward is the author of a number of books including Sing, Unburied Sing and her memoir The Men We Reaped . We called her up for this book in particular because she edited a 2016 collection of political essays and poetry titled The Fire This Time , as a nod to Baldwin. “I wanted to let him know, wherever he may be, that there are those of us who look up to him and who are attempting to do the same work that he did with the same honesty and same fearlessness” said Ward. The first essay, titled “My Dungeon Shook: Letter to my Nephew on the One Hundredth Anniversary of the Emancipation,” starts like this:

Dear James:  I have begun this letter five times and torn it up five times. I keep seeing your face, which is also the face of your father and my brother. Like him, you are tough, dark, vulnerable, moody – with a very definite tendency to sound truculent because you want no one to think you are soft.

What tone is he setting here?

JW: That first sentence in the first sentence – “I've begun this letter five times and turn it up five times.” Right there, he's signaling to his nephew, we're about to talk about something that's very difficult. But softens that with the next line, “I keep seeing your face.” Following up with such a careful, close sort of observation about his nephew's characteristics in the way that they sort of echo his father and his grandfather. That's love, right? Because I love you enough to see you clearly.

You were born where you were born and face the future that you faced because you were black and for no other reason. The limits of your ambition were, thus, expected to be set forever. You were born into a society which spelled out with brutal clarity, and in as many ways as possible, that you were a worthless human being.

This is another example of his straightforward honesty with his nephew. But what did you make of it?

JW: It's all still true. That’s one of the things that is so genius about specifically this letter. There are these moments in the texts where he doesn't use his nephew's name and he just uses you. And in those moments, especially in moments like this, when he is so straightforward about what he sees in America. And where he is so straightforward about how the world has been constructed to jail, or to confine in some ways. And it feels like he's speaking to me. It feels like this wise, older wise person is sitting with me and they're telling me something about my life and about the circumstances of my life that I dimly understood, but was not able to articulate.

This entire country has been constructed in a way that it is very easy to be terrified and bewildered and to sink into despair and hatred. And so I think that often when we return to Baldwin, what we want is we want someone to acknowledge our emotions. But then also just to say at the same time, you feel this way because this place has been constructed in this way and it is all predicated on this false understanding of your not being human. And in this section, he just makes room for your emotions. For you to feel what you feel. But then also gives you something of a gift that you can take out into the outside world and use it to help you navigate this really difficult reality.

In the next essay, titled “Down at the Cross: Letter from a Region in My Mind,” he goes to interview Elijah Muhammad, the head of the Nation of Islam, and has this dinner. And it’s rare to read something where Baldwin is not the big dog in the room. What do you make of James Baldwin the reporter being packaged inside Baldwin the essayist? 

JW: I felt for Baldwin at that moment. There are so many levels of awareness that he's sort of struggling with. He's not the most important person in the room and in the minds of the people around him. He's not the most erudite person in the room. And he's also aware of the fact that the Honorable Elijah Muhammad is courting him. [Muhammad] wants [Baldwin] to buy into his philosophy. And Baldwin is aware of the fact that he can't.

A couple of times throughout the essay he talks about the fact that, after this dinner, he's going to meet up with some white friends and he's going to have drinks. And these are people who he cares about and who he loves and who are part of his social circle. And who he can't just relegate to the category of white devil. It's very interesting to me how Baldwin is juggling all these different awarenesses and how, at the same time, there are things about the Black Muslims philosophy that he understands.

And I looked around the table. I certainly had no evidence to give them that would outweigh Elijah’s authority or the evidence o f their own lives or the reality of the streets outside.

He's a writer. So he sees the human. He observes the human. He understands. He's able to look at each of these people that he's interacting with and he's able to understand something of what they are struggling with and something of what they brought to this moment. All of that is what makes him the great writer who he is.

Go Tell It on the Mountain

When it comes to Baldwin’s fiction work, there are plenty of books worthy of examination. But there’s something special about Go Tell It on the Mountain . “He describes this as the book he had to write if he was ever going to write anything else,” says McKinley Melton, associate professor and chair of Africana studies at Rhodes College. “I often think of it as a revisitation of his childhood with a narrative perspective that knows and understands all of the things a young Baldwin wishes he had known and understood when he was 14.”

The novel follows a boy named John undergoing that same crisis of faith Baldwin described in The Fire Next Time . But he opens it a little differently in fiction.

Everyone had always said that John would be a preacher when he grew up, just like his father. It had been said so often that John, without ever thinking about it, had come to believe it himself. Not until the morning of his fourteenth birthday did he really begin to think about it, and by then it was already too late. 

That last clause kind of reads like a horror story.

MM: There’s something deeply ominous about the way that that opening paragraph closes. You open with this idea of, oh, this is just an introduction to a young man who's stepping into a role that the father has laid out. You come into it feeling kind of hopeful and optimistic and, oh, what a beautiful thing that everybody's envisioning this future for this young man. And we think about everything that it means when people say, oh, that kid's going to be a preacher . We see him as an orator, we see him as an intellectual, we'll see him as charming, we see him as engaging. We see a leader when we look at this kid. And so there's something very optimistic about that opening that then turns by the end of the novel into. But that was actually the source of his doom.

I want to jump ahead a few pages. There’s this guy named Elijah. He’s a couple years older, and he teaches Sunday school. 

John stared at Elisha all during the lesson, admiring the timbre of Elisha’s voice, much deeper and manlier than his own, admiring the leanness, and grace, and strength, and darkness of Elisha in his Sunday suit, wondering if he would ever be holy as Elisha was holy.

MM: This is another sentence that I often will pause with students to kind of think about and say, what's going on here? And then they just say, “Oh, my God, he has a crush.” Yeah, he has a crush. Absolutely. But then we look at it and, I look at this passage and, because of all of the ways that the different clauses bounce off of one another throughout the sentence, you're kind of leaving this saying, well, does John have the hots for Elisha? Because John is learning that he's probably gay. Or is John admiring Elisha because he is all of the things that John has been told he's supposed to be in terms of this kind of striving toward being a preacher when he grows up and the kind of idea of being saved in the idea of being holy, in the idea of looking good in a Sunday suit.  

The middle chunk of the book goes into the lives of his aunt, his mother, and his step father. And I want to focus on his step father, Gabriel. And if you grew up in the church you know that the people who are sinners and then find God are often the most vociferously faithful. And Gabriel definitely fits that mold. There’s a bit where he has an affair with a woman named Esther, and he gets Esther pregnant.

Near the end of that summer he went out again into the field. He could not stand his home, his job, the town itself – he could not endure, day in, day out, facing the scenes and the people he had known all his life. They seemed suddenly to mock him, to stand in judgement on him; he saw guilt in everybody’s eyes. 

John is scared of hell and eternal damnation. Gabriel seems more scared of other people, and very earthly judgements, right? 

MM: I often think about the unfolding of this novel. We start with John in this moment of chaos and a lack of understanding. And then the novel takes us back through each of these characters who we come to understand better. We come to understand John better. He's struggling with sin in a space that feels deeply private, deeply unspoken. Gabriel is differently positioned because he's already in that position of prominence. He's standing at the pulpit. He's you know, they're both afraid of judgment. Right. But John is afraid of revelation. And Gabriel fears that everybody already knows. Gabriel is afraid of the judgment that comes based on the fact that, like, oh, they already know who I've always been .

But ultimately, both of them are struggling with this sense of judgment and condemnation and the fear of being, quote unquote, discovered for being less than the holy men that they have aspired to be. But I think what Baldwin is saying is: I'm not just critiquing the church, or the Black church, or the fundamentalist church. I'm asking us to think about what damage does it do to us when we are so deeply, deeply wedded to certain beliefs that don't allow us the fullness of our humanity? And if you're going to be sympathetic for John, you have to figure out a way to be sympathetic for Gabriel, even if his actions don't invite sympathy in the same way.