The Practice of Poetry: Writing Exercises from Poets Who Teach

This book is just chock full of useful exercises to get a poet's pen moving. Some of them are more useful than others, some of them are downright annoying (but not as annoying as the hot-potato exercise that Eric Maisel recommends in "Fearless Creating"--*there's* a book I don't recommend).

I'd say that if you're a severely blocked poet, this book might be of use to you, but only if you're prepared to experiment with exercises that may feel very uncomfortable at first, sometimes even trite.

Overcoming writer's block is different than honing your craft. If there's one positive thing to say about this book, it is that it works well for either issue, and is probably worth owning if you're serious about the writing process, or about show more *teaching*, as it provides useful exercises for the classroom. show less

This book is just chock full of useful exercises to get a poet's pen moving. Some of them are more useful than others, some of them are downright annoying (but not as annoying as the hot-potato exercise that Eric Maisel recommends in "Fearless Creating"--*there's* a book I don't recommend).

I'd say that if you're a severely blocked poet, this book might be of use to you, but only if you're prepared to experiment with exercises that may feel very uncomfortable at first, sometimes even trite.

Overcoming writer's block is different than honing your craft. If there's one positive thing to say about this book, it is that it works well for either issue, and is probably worth owning if you're serious about the writing process, or about show more *teaching*, as it provides useful exercises for the classroom. show less

Definitely a book that has encouraged me to play and experiment. I like to keep it in my writing space and open it at random until I find an exercise that catches me, and I would say that some of my coolest poems in terms of artistic growth have come out of these exercises. They have challenged me, but also broken me out of a few writing funks. No pressure from this book, just fun and writing.

This book has found a permanent place in my life. The exercises in it have inspired about half of the poems I have written since I bought it. Every time I pick it up, it is like attending a poetry seminar held just for me.

Hands down the BEST poetry writing exercise/prompt text. One prompt can trigger multiple poems. Love this book. I think I own three copies, because every time I move I misplace it, then freak out and buy a new one. Great book for the novice and experienced poets.

In the Practice of Poetry, editors Behn and Twichell have gathered together advice from a wide array of poets who teach (or teachers who poe). They have taken the exciting job of sorting the unique and diverse suggestions into categories, and have lumped those that deal with similar stuff together.

If you are an autodidactic poet, or an amateur poet, or a student of poetry, then you might find some use from this book. Additionally, some prose writers may find this book to be useful, at least to help capture character voice and break down writers blocks.

While I am not a poet, really, I found this book to be useful, and even inspiring. I'd suggest this book to any looking to be a stronger poet.

This is one of my most-used writing books. I use it for ideas when developing workshops and for personal use. I love this book.