I've really appreciated the recent discussions recommending books about
poetry. I sent for some of them, and am reporting back:
'The Reaper Essays', Mark Jarman & Robert McDowell -- my favorite so far. As
a writer of first-person "mainstream" poems, I expected to be offended. The
blurbs on the back suggested I would be offended. But I'm not. It's funny,
pointed, and specific. I recommend it to everybody.
'7 Types of Ambiguity' by William Empson looks to be a bit dense for me. Or
perhaps I'm a bit dense for it. It's on the 'later' pile.
'The Art of the Poetic Line', James Longenbach -- I'm only a bit into this,
but liking & learning from it. I see there is another in this series: 'The
Art of Attention: The Poet's Eye', by Donald Revell -- anyone familiar with
this?
--
sharon brogan
http://www.sbpoet.com
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