How to Write Poetry (Scholastic Guides)

Rating:
Summary: A Gem: Small and Valuable
Review: Any thoughts I might ever have entertained about writing a book on poetry writing were quickly dispelled when I discovered Paul Janeczko's guide. HOW TO WRITE POETRY is the book I hope I would have written on this subject.

First of all, the small format and conversational style invite the reader in. Janeczko begins by suggesting ways for writers to catalog their words and ideas. In addition to notebooks, he recommends the use of a tape recorder when writing notes is not practical. Janeczko also emphasizes the importance of reading. Throughout the book he provides bibliographic lists that provide more information on concepts in each chapter. Yet another list of good poetry anthologies is included at the end of the book.

After a sketch of the writing process, Janeczko describes several specific kinds of poems: acrostic poems, synonym poems, opposite poems, clerihews, list poems, poems of address, persona poems, and narrative poems. Elements especially important in poetry (sound, images, word choice, figurative language, and line breaks) are discussed in a recurring "Poetcraft" feature. Poems by students and by famous poets amply illustrate both the poetic elements and the particular formats. Biographical notes on all poets are included near the end of the book.

Other special recurring features of HOW TO WRITE POETRY include "Writing Tip from a Poet," "Try This" (specific suggestions for writing), and various checklists. In addition to the biographical and bibliographical information mentioned earlier, the book includes an index and a comprehensive, cross-referenced glossary, which even includes examples of various formats.

Although Janeczko maintains that poems must be written for oneself, he also suggests many ways to "publish" finished poems -- from handmade books to cards and posters, to submitting to magazines and contests. He recommends MARKET GUIDE FOR YOUNG WRITERS by Kathy Henderson (Writer's Digest Books, 1996) as an invaluable resource for those interested in submitting for publication.

Even beyond the pertinent subjects Janeczko includes, however, is the manner in which he conveys his information. Having taught English and compiled more than a dozen poetry anthologies, Janeczko is a master who projects wholehearted confidence that young poets can and will succeed.

Rating:
Summary: Look no further!
Review: For those of us who teach poetry at the elementary level,Janeczko is indispensible -- and this recent release from Scholasticis further proof. Janeczko takes us through the entire writing process, from getting ready to "when your poem is finished", covering rhymed and unrhymed verse and encompassing the myriad of creative forms we've come to expect from this author/poet/teacher. He intersperses his chapters with offset boxes containing writing tips from well-known poets and includes a "Poetcraft" section where he explains in more detail the skills one needs to write. This book includes wonderful examples and an excellent checklist of good poetry books. In addition, it's aesthetically pleasing: the lovely cover, user-friendly format and easy-to-read font make it a real gem! Grab this one!

Rating:
Summary: a WONDERFUL BOOK
Review: I ACTUALLY PURCHASED THIS BOOK FROM MY SON'S READING CLUB @ SCHOOL. ALTHOUGH IT IS DESIGNED WITH THE YOUNGER READER IN MIND, IT IS WRITTEN IN SUCH A SINCERE, STRAIGHTFORWARD, NON-CONDESCENDING MANNER, THAT I TOO CAN BENEFIT. THIS BOOK WILL HELP ME WITH ALL OF MY FUTURE POETRY WRITING.

Rating:
Summary: Not for Everyone
Review: I bought this book to help my 10 year old, who is already a budding poet, improve his poetry skills by starting to think more carefully about meter, rhyme schemes, forms, and careful selection of words. This book is not for him or others in his situation. It's clearly not designed to identify what constitutes a GOOD poem, or even what a poem is (the word "poem" is never defined in the book, including the glossary, and there is probably a good reason for that). Here are a couple of telling examples: from page 82: "when you draft a poem it's okay if you write it to look like a paragraph or a chunk of prose. After you do some tinkering with sharpening the images and the language, you can simply draw slash marks where you think the line breaks should come." page 27-28: of the 4 examples of rhyming couplets given at the beginning of this chapter, 2 don't actually rhyme (spaghetti/ready; things/King). I have often been offended at the sloppiness of some poetry written for children, as though the poets don't think it matters whether a poem scans, rhymes, sounds beautiful or conveys an interesting thought, since the audience is not likely to be discriminating enough to know the difference. This book, to me, encourages children (and, unfortunately, their teachers) to buy into the "sloppy is OK so long as you call it poetry" attitude. ...

Rating:
Summary: I Love This Book!!
Review: I found this book a wonderful guide to writing poetry. I wrote most of my poems while reading this book. My friends love it as much as I do - they are all waiting in line to borrow it!!! If you need ideas or advice with your poems you should definately get this book!! Good luck with your writing.

Rating:
Summary: Even I Can Dare to Write Poetry!!
Review: This book helped me a lot with feeling more confident about writing my own poetry and teaching poetry to my ESOL students. If only more books could be so friendly and clear. A terrific achievement.