The Practicing Poet: Writing Beyond the Basics

"The Practicing Poet" is a dynamic guide structured into ten sections, each exploring a distinct poetic concept—from discovering inspiration and finding the right words to crafting surprise and achieving tone. As concepts advance, topics like dealing with emotions, transforming poems, and revising work lead to the final advice on publishing. It features 30 craft essays, model poems with analyses, prompts, and ten bonus prompts, complemented by valuable tips from 113 contemporary poets. Perfect for classroom, workshop, or independent study, it’s a comprehensive resource for poets seeking to refine their craft and navigate the world of poetry publishing.

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About

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About the Author: Diane Lockward
Diane Lockward is the editor of The Crafty Poet: A Portable Workshop (Terrapin Books, rev. ed., 2016) and The Crafty Poet II: A Portable Workshop (Terrapin Books, 2016). She is also the author of four poetry books, most recently The Uneaten Carrots of Atonement (Wind Publications, 2016). Her awards include the Quentin R. Howard Poetry Prize, a poetry fellowship from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts, and a Woman of Achievement Award. Her poems have been included in such journals as Harvard Review, Southern Poetry Review, and Prairie Schooner. Her work has also been featured on Poetry Daily, Verse Daily, The Writer's Almanac, and Ted Kooser's American Life in Poetry.
Organized into ten sections with each devoted to a poetic concept, The Practicing Poet begins with "Discovering New Material," "Finding the Best Words," "Making Music," "Working with Sentences and Line Breaks," "Crafting Surprise," and "Achieving Tone." The concepts become progressively more sophisticated, moving on to "Dealing with Feelings," "Transforming Your Poems," and "Rethinking and Revising." The final section, "Publishing Your Book," covers manuscript organization, book promotion, and presentation of a good public reading.

The book includes thirty brief craft essays, each followed by a model poem and analysis of the poem's craft, then a prompt based on the poem. Ten recyclable bonus prompts are also included. Ten Top Tips lists are each loaded with poetry wisdom from an accomplished poet.

The Practicing Poet pushes poets beyond the basics and encourages the continued reading, learning, and writing of poetry. It is suitable as a textbook in the classroom, a guidebook in a workshop, or an at-home tutorial for the practicing poet working independently.

The craft essays, poems, and top tips lists include the work of 113 contemporary poets.

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Available in the following formats: .epub, .pdf, .mobi

Price: $9.99 USD

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