|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
Frequently Bought Together
Product Details
|
Product Description
From Amazon
Steve Kowit believes, and rightly so, that poetry should show, not tell. The same could be said for good teaching, which is what makes this volume so remarkable. In In the Palm of Your Hand Kowit employs more than 100 poems and excerpts to illustrate his discussions on everything from metaphor to meter to metaphysics. Working your way through this book--and it is work--is like sitting in on a terrific creative-writing seminar, minus the criticism (both constructive and destructive) of fellow students. If you go by the book, you'll have written at least 69 poems by the end. Because of its explication of the basic tenets of poetry, In the Palm of Your Hand might be mistaken for a beginners' book only. That would be a shame. There are so many good ideas here that more experienced poets won't want to miss out; Kowit has lots of exciting ways to invigorate one's writing. (Here's a favorite quick tip: "A good rule of thumb is never to use a word that you're proud of.") In the Palm of Your Hand is also recommended for members of writing groups who are interested in imposing some kind of structure on their meetings.
From Booklist
Kowit really delivers what his title promises, so that reading the book is like taking a workshop with a generous poet willing to share everything he has learned about the creative process and the craft of poetry. Conversational in tone, it reads rather like an informal lecture. Kowit covers a lot of technical material on metrical variations and line breaks and sound, and he balances it by attending to the sources of poetry in dream and emotion, in longing and loss. Although likely to find its largest audience among aspiring poets, Kowit's effort is substantial enough to be of use to more practiced poets and to poetry readers, too. Patricia Monaghan
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
Customer Reviews
|
Share your thoughts with other customers:
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Most helpful customer reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of the books I would never be without.,
This review is from: In The Palm Of Your Hand: The Poet's Portable Workshop (Paperback)
I bought this book just on a whim. It sounded interesting, the reviewers thought it was pretty good and so I sent off for it. That was two years ago, and I have read and reread it pretty much constantly ever since.His style is friendly, engaging, encouraging, occasionally chiding (in the nicest possible way) and very very inspiring. Each section focuses on specific aspects of writing - writing from memories, working with imagery and metaphor, how (and why) to revise, word music, experimental forms, traditional forms etc etc. Even a section on "Aweful Poems"! And believe it or not, that section was one of the most enlightening. He uses copious examples from contemporary poets to illustrate the points he is trying to get across, and ends each chapter with a series of exercises to make certain that you understand what you've been reading. Sounds tame, sounds boring, sounds mechanical, but oh, it is not! The final section - Nuts and Bolts - deals with the business of poetry as a business; the pros and cons of Poetry Workshops, where, when and why to start submitting your poetry. That sort of thing. And one of the nicest touches is the poem selected to end the book - Fleur Adcock's "Future Work" (on page 263, go on, have a look). It pretty much sums up the whole feeling of this book. The only downside is the certainty of writers cramp afterwards ...
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must have for any writer,
By
This review is from: In The Palm Of Your Hand: The Poet's Portable Workshop (Paperback)
I got this book for a creative writing class, and haven't stopped using it since. I don't consider myself to be a poet, but this book has helped me create several different poems. I recommend it for anyone who wants a good handbook on writing.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A great book! Interesting and informational!,
This review is from: In The Palm Of Your Hand: The Poet's Portable Workshop (Paperback)
This book is really great. As a begining poet the book was encouraging and informational. It made me want to write more poems and it gave the know-how to write better. This is the book for you if you're looking for something that's not so boring you have to force yourself to read, but not meaningless dribble either. I really enjoyed it and I recommend it to all beginning poets!
Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
Want to see more reviews on this item?
|
Most recent customer reviews |
Listmania!
Look for similar items by category
- Books > Literature & Fiction > History & Criticism > Criticism & Theory
- Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > Criticism
- Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > Single Authors > United States
- Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > United States
- Books > Literature & Fiction > Poetry > Writing
- Books > Literature & Fiction > United States > Poetry
- Books > New & Used Textbooks > Education
- Books > New & Used Textbooks > Humanities > Literature > American Literature
- Books > New & Used Textbooks > Humanities > Literature > Creative Writing & Composition
- Books > Nonfiction > Education > Language Instruction
- Books > Professional & Technical > Education
- Books > Reference > Foreign Languages
- Books > Reference > Writing > Poetry
Look for similar items by subject
Feedback
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
