Poems for the Writing: Prompts for Poets

by Valerie Fox, Lynn Levin

Valerie Fox and Lynn Levin's "Poems for the Writing: Prompts for Poets" offers fourteen classroom- and workshop-tested writing prompts that will appeal to both beginning and experienced poets. The book lends itself to academic courses as well as poetry workshops in less formal settings, such as adult-ed, community-based, and "coffee-shop" classes. Individuals will find the book to be a helpful companion to their independent practice of poetry.

Genres: Poetry

150 pages, Paperback

First published April 7, 2013

About the author

Valerie Fox’s books of poetry include The Rorschach Factory (2006, Straw Gate Books) , The Glass Book (2010, Texture Press). and The Real Sky (2019, Bent Window Books).

She co-wrote Poems for the Writing: Prompts for Poets with Lynn Levin. Bundles of Letters Including A, V and Epsilon (2011, Texture Press) is a collaborative book with Arlene Ang. "Scarecrow Lists of Failures and Grocery Items" (a collaboration with Ang) may be found here, at Thrush: http://www.thrushpoetryjournal.com/ja....

Her work (poetry, flash fiction) has appeared in many journals, including Across the Margin, Okay Donkey, Thrush, Painted Bride Quarterly, Hanging Loose, Apiary, West Branch, Sentence, and Qarrtsiluni. Originally from central Pennsylvania, she has traveled and lived throughout the world, and has taught writing and literature at numerous universities including Sophia University (in Tokyo) and currently at Drexel University (in Philadelphia).

Reviews

[Antonia · Rating 5 out of 5]

What fun! I’m always looking for good prompts, which I use myself and share with workshop participants. There are a lot of new ones here that will get the creative juices flowing and banish writer’s block. Try a paraclausithyron, a lover’s lament before a closed door, or a fibonacci poem, based on the Fibonacci sequence, a number sequence that occurs in nature. Swipe a line from someone else’s poem, write a poem that’s a list of rules, or tell what you see from a crossroads (real or metaphorical). See how others addressed the prompt and then respond in your own way. You get the idea. The possibilities are endless. This is a great asset for teachers, students, and poets at all levels!

[Tina · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are only a few books I keep on my shelf... once I read one, I release it into the wild to find a new home. This book, I kept. I have re-read it several times. I almost feel guilty keeping it to myself, rather than sharing it with the world. Not guilty enough to let it go, however.

Each chapter describes a different type of poem. Also, prompts are supplied to help you on your way to writing your own. Sample poems are included... and those poems are magnificent!

This book was won via a Goodreads giveaway in 2014 and it has a permanent and special place on my bookshelf.

I cannot over recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading poems, writing poems, or studying different types of poems. It's a treasure I am so grateful to have found.

Looking through my Goodreads shelves, I realized I hadn't shared my review. Shame on me! If you are interested in trying out different styles of poetry, or reading new poems, this is the book for you.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the best book concerning the writing of poetry, and writing in general, that I have to come across. Smart, honest, accessible, and in a few places dazzling. The best advice for poets is to not give them advice, but to inspire them by being human, imaginative, and downright funny. I thoroughly enjoyed this read and learned from it.

[Terry · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gere a fourteen ideas - exercises? prompts? - for poems, followed by examples. This order threw me a little, as usually the sample poems abut their source. So this feels oddly bifurcated: part writing guide, part anthology. As for helping poets, there's nothing new under the sun, so fibonacci poems, false translations, or 'I-hate' poems have been mentioned before in other guides.

This is succinct and approachable, so might be work well for high school or college students unacquainted with writing poetry. All in all, useful but not essential.