How Poems Get Made

Each of the twelve chapters of How Poems Get Made examines a specific aspect of the poetic medium: diction, syntax, rhythm, echo, figure, repetition, and more. Acclaimed poet and critic James Longenbach shows how a poet may manipulate these most basic elements of diction and syntax to create voice, image, tone, or song, and bring a poem to life. Why does a great lyric poem ask to be reread, even after we know it by heart?

In How Poems Get Made, Longenbach answers this question by discussing a wide spectrum of exemplary poems, from Shakespeare through Dickinson, Stevens, and Moore, to a variety of poets making poems today. How Poems Get Made is the perfect guide both in the classroom and beyond. Longenbach's clear, wise lessons are essential to anyone interested in composing or appreciating a poem.

Author: James Longenbach
Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
Published: 08/28/2018
Pages: 178
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.30lbs
Size: 8.10h x 5.40w x 0.50d
ISBN: 9780393355208

About the Author
Longenbach, James: - James Longenbach (1959-2022) was the author of seven volumes of poems and eight books of prose. His honors include an Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters and a Guggenheim Fellowship.