Mary Oliver, a Pulitzer Prize winner, as well as winner of The National Book Award, has written a small (122 page) "Handbook" about the art form of POETRY. Titled "A Poetry Handbook", it explains below the title that this is.. "A Prose Guide To Understanding And Writing Poetry." With a marvelous, common sense of humor, Mary Oliver covers the seemingly insignificant process of poetry writing. She covers one's 'calling" to write, as does the painter or composer, or actress. In simple but eloquent descriptions and specific examples, Ms Oliver covers craft and technique - fundamentals - including reading, imitating, devices of sound; the use of "Line" (including it's length and rhythm, metrical feet and symbols, as well as it's importance in free verse/or modern verse. She explains the use of diction, tone, and voice; as well as the use of imagery. She talks of verse types, of the history of certain poetic forms. She explains the basics. This author is never stuffy or condescending. She exudes passion, good common sense, with a wittiness that disarms the reader. A refreshing, educational book, never boring, always candid in it's analysis of POETRY.

Varied populations: 1) The person who believes he could never write, 2) The amateur writer who seeks knowledge of language to confirm his direction in his career or hobby, 3) the beginning writer, beginning poet with no knowledge of terminology, structure, meter, verse, rhyme etc. and is open to this knowledge.
4) And to the accomplished poet, published, or simply writing because he HAS to write. This charming expose, reveals Mary Oliver's routine, including a rule of 50 revisions for every poem. Poets learn by reading other poets, many of the greatest are excerpted here for illustration. It is Ms Oliver's STYLE of writing which holds our interest. Down-to-earth, practical, with a humorous view of poetry's past, it's present, and a sincere plea for it's future.

The PRACTICALITY shown in this book. There were instructions, explanations, diagrams, as well as easy ways to recognize various meter and syllable counts, voice in a poem, as well as feeling a poem, understanding the poet's intent. Mary Oliver quotes a famous poem and then asks the questions ALL of us have wanted to ask. Why is this "famous" poem only 8 lines long? Each verse/stanza is merely 2 lines each. Why? She wonders aloud and agrees, but then offers possible intent by the poet. She offers practical scenarios, including the historical elements of decades when poets lived. Oliver's writing made me WANT to read this. She is just a brilliant, but casual human being. Brilliantly able to see all elements which influenced poets of the past ( as well as their tedious and 25 page long heroic warriors.) But keenly aware that poets of today use what she terms "free verse" or "fluid, organic verse" as the vehicle by which the 19th and 20th century poets rejected the strict metric, formal verse of generations past. (She notes that Walt Whitman was the first American poet to write in free verse.)

There was nothing I did not like. Mary Oliver's style is fresh, robust, earnest, and - honestly, I wish the book was LONGER.

When I finished this small handbook, I wanted to read it again. Because it is divided in sections, as a writer of poems, I read and re-read sections that correlated to my particular phase. Having a discussion concerning proper use of imagery, allowed me to compare
her examples from past poets, and understand that TOO much of anything can ruin any writing. This book makes me want to be better. I will read it many more times.

This small book made me feel more confident as a writer. It gave names to techniques and line structure, and various things I have used; but never knew to be correct. She offered me encouragement, affirmed my almost addictive need to write, and seemed like an old friend. I felt I could go have coffee with her, and we would be equals. I LOVED this book.

The author, Mary Oliver, is one of the most popular and widely respected and honored poets in the United States. She has won The National Book Award as well as The Pulitzer Prize. She has conducted poetry workshops at many colleges and universities. She has written and published seven books of poems.

I do recommend this book due to it's easy to read style, it's non-punative approach, and because it offers any reader historical reference to the often strange "language" we all were forced to learn. The comman thread of Old English, and the gradual emergence of "new verse" is fascinating from a historical viewpoint.

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This book was bought on a whim, and I decided it couldn't bore me in only 122 pages. Imagine, how thrilled I became as I delved deeper into Oliver's reasoning, her steadfast opinions, and her self-deprecating honesty about ALL of us. Her generosity in sharing her secrets through this "how-to" handbook is much appreciated. I highly recommend this book.

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Created Jul 24, 2011 at 8:04am • Submit your own review...