The Poetry Home Repair Manual: Practical Advice for Beginning Poets by Ted Kooser
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Have you ever read a "how-to" book that wasn't
full of technical jargon? Remember the last book you just couldn't put down but had to keep reading through most of the night without a break? Ted Kooser, succeeding Billy Collins as poet laureate of the United States, has written such a book on, of all topics, writing poetry. Kooser has been writing poetry for more than forty years. He puts those decades to work for all unknown and unpublished poets in this guide for how to begin, end, rewrite, think about, detail and fine-tune their work. Easily understood, Kooser does not pander to beginners, nor does he urge composition of poetry simply to impress critics. His words inspire a desire to tell a story with bells and whistles but without pedantry. In his chapter "Don't Worry about the Rules" he tells the poet, "You can do whatever you feel like doing, pants on or pants off. Part of the joy of writing, or of practicing any art, comes from the freedom to choose." Of all the poetry-writing books I've read - and I've read almost a dozen - Kooser's is the first to take the time to give excellent examples and not unduly load the poet with cautions and imperatives. He tells us that "a good sonnet has to be a good poem first." That is his motto. Starting out with a job description for poets, he nudges, persuades, and delights in passing on his years of experience in teaching and writing, and he makes a superb job of it. Nikki Giovanni cautions in "Quilting the Black-Eyed Pea": "Hot illusions/ Metaphors over easy / Side border of rhythm / Grits plain or with sauce / Message: / If you want to be a poet / You have to eat right." Start your dinner tonight with Ted Kooser. Your meal will be superb. Review by Colleen Kelly Johnston, May 27, 2005
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