Next Word, Better Word The Craft of Writing Poetry [Hardcover]

This accessible writer's guide provides a helpful framework for creating poetry and navigates contemporary concerns and practices. Stephen Dobyns, author of the classic book on the beauty of poetry,Best Words, Best Order, moves into new terrain in this remarkable book. Bringing years of experience to bear on issues such as subject matter, the mechanics of poetry, and the revision process, Dobyns explores the complex relationship between writers and their work. From Philip Larkin to Pablo Neruda to William Butler Yeats, every chapter reveals useful lessons in these renowned poets' work. Both enlightening and encouraging,Next Word, Better Worddemystifies a subtle art form and shows writers how to overcome obstacles in the creative process.Stephen Dobynsis the author of over 30 novels and poetry collections, includingTheChurch of the Dead Girls,Cold Dog Soup, andCemetery Nights. Among his many honors and awards are a Melville Cane Award, Pushcart Prizes, National Poetry Series prize, and three National Endowment for the Arts fellowships. His novels have been translated into 20 languages, and his poetry has appeared in theBest American Poemsanthology. Dobyns teaches creative writing at Warren Wilson College and has taught at the University of Iowa, Sarah Lawrence College.

No one but Stephen Dobyns has tackled this impossible genre with such smart, sensible, and charming results. Place this new one next to hisBest Words, Best Order, and the poetry-instruction shelf of your library will be complete. All bitten by the poetry bug must read this. Billy Collins, Poet Laureate of the United States, 2001-2003 and author of Ballistics

Next Word, Better Orderis a gift from a great teacher returning us to the enduring mysteries of the art. Ellen Bryant Voigt, former Chancellor of the Academy of American Poets and author of Messenger: New and Selected Poems 1976-2006

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