Poetry Matters: Writing a Poem from the Inside Out

by Ralph Fletcher

A practical guide to demystify the process of writing poetry, by the bestselling author of A Writer’s Notebook and the ALA Notable Book Fig Pudding . Poetry matters. At the most important moments, when everyone else is silent, poetry rises to speak. This book is full of practical wisdom to help young writers craft beautiful poetry that shines, sings, and soars. It features writing tips and tricks, interviews with published poets for children, and plenty of examples of poetry by published writers—and even young people themselves. Perfect for classrooms, this lighthearted, appealing manual is a celebration of poetry that is a joy to read. Young poets and aspiring poets of all ages will enjoy these tips on how to simplify the process of writing poetry and find their own unique voice.

Genres: Poetry, Writing, Education, Nonfiction, Professional Development, School, Reference

160 pages, Paperback

First published February 19, 2002

About the author

Ralph Fletcher is a friend of young writers and readers as well as writing teachers. He has written or co-authored many books for writing teachers includng Writing Workshop: The Essential Guide, Teaching the Qualities of Writing, Lessons for the Writer's Notebook, Boy Writers: Reclaiming Their Voices, and Pyrotechnics on the Page: Playful Craft That Sparks Writing. Ralph has worked with teachers around the U.S. and abroad, helping them find wiser ways of teaching writing.

Ralph's many books for students include picture books (Twilight Comes Twice, Hello Harvest Moon, and The Sandman), novels (Fig Pudding, Flying Solo, and Spider Boy), poetry (A Writing Kind of Day and Moving Day), and a memoir, Marshfield Dreams: When I Was a Kid. His novel Uncle Daddy was awarded the Christopher medal in 2002. He has also written a popular series of books for young writers including Poetry Matters, Live Writing, and A Writer's Notebook. Ralph lives with his family in New Hampshire. He is a strong environmentalist who believes we all must work together to live in a more sustainable way. His other passions include travel, good food, dark chocolate, growing orchids, and sports.

Reviews

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this little book written to an audience of young (school age) writers. My favorite quote was a poem (imagine that!):

Please bury me in the library
In the clean, well-lighted stacks
Of Novels, History, Poetry
Right next to the Paperbacks,

Where the Kids’ Books dance
With True Romance
And the Dictionary dozes.

Please bury me in the library
With a dozen long-stemmed proses
Way back by a rack of Magazines.

I won’t be sad too often
If they bury me in the library
With Bookworms in my coffin.

J. Patrick Lewis

[Marianna Monaco · Rating 4 out of 5]

for young writers and for me too
a sample:
Dawn picks
bits of dark
from between
the blades of grass . . .

[The Reading Countess · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had to request this book from another library (none other than the Barbara Bush library!) but Fletcher didn't disappoint. Written in kid-friendly language, full of wonderful poetry examples, and complete with interviews of current poets, Poetry Matters is a great book for both students and teachers alike. The common thread the poets said? Read! "Never write more than you read." Yes!

*()=my thoughts

"At the most important moments, when everyone else is silent, poetry rises to speak."
3 pillars of poetry: emotion, imagery and music
1. emotion: poem is an x-ray=probe the bones of your inner being
convey feelings through emotions, don't say too much
2. imagery:
5 senses (I like to read The Black Book of Colors)
imagery, symbolism
3. music: play with the sounds of words
have fun with alliteration
rhythm
repetition

What to write about?
concerns of the heart (hence heart map)
what you wonder about (wonder section of NB?)
concerns about the world (Gallagher's Article of the wk?)

Crafting
think fragments (they aren't a bad thing in poetry!)
consider shape
experiment w/line breaks (stanza=rm in Italian)
use white spaces (like sherbet in between courses)=pauses
end with a bang
Wordplay
Various forms (haiku, free verse...)

Going Public
collection
BYOP (bring your own poem)=not so student friendly!
rd it aloud
choral rding
send it to someone special (pic of loved one, Fotobabble a poem!)

[Srb · Rating 5 out of 5]

I actually found this book when ordering a bunch of poetry books on barnesandnoble.com, it came up as a book that might fit what I was looking for. I think it was a great addition to my collection for poetry to use with my 4th grade class.

The author discusses some important things to think about when looking at poetry. He offers some suggestions for poems that have helped him as he wrote his own collection.

The basis of the book is not to analyze poems by criteria. In fact, he quotes a student describing poetry as boring because that is what she did in her classroom. He looks at the poems as a whole and then offers some tips about things to make them better, and only briefly mentions the "proper terms". For example, in the image section, he quotes a student who wrote, "the sky holds the earth in its arms." He goes on further to talk about why that is great in terms of creating a picture in a readers mind about an everyday relationship. He then mentions that it is called personification, but says it is less important to know the fancy name than it is to use it in your writing.

There are some great ideas in this book and I am planning to read sections to my class as they apply to the particular mini lesson I will teach that day in our poetry unit.

[Penny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This cook trans formed me to the kind of person who wold say poetry was a wast of your time to the person who rights poetry for fun this book go’s through the steps of poetry so wen you are don with the book you can right a good poem by your self.

[Maria Berg · Rating 1 out of 5]

The ebook edition had a ton of strange typos.

[Marybet Hudson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a short book written for a young writer just starting out, but it really helped this old teacher of young writers. His advice is going to help me be a better instructor, both of reading poetry and writing it.

My favorite advice -- read more than you write!

[Maggie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm reading this to my class in an attempt to understand 'how and why' poets write their poetry, so that we as readers of poetry are better equipped to analyze and interpret poems.

[Laura Siegel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I usually don't enjoy "how-to" books but I loved this one. The author gives simple helpful tips and wonderful examples. He makes poetry seem like fun and worth a try.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

Might be a nice how-to-write poetry book for young people who don't read much poetry...

[Elida · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing. A must for the poetry classroom.

[Glen Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently started writing poetry. This book was aimed at young readers, but I think it’s informative and inspiring for aspiring poets of any age.

[Meribeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

The three pillars of poetry, Fletcher begins, are emotion, image and music. He goes on to tell why poetry matters, what is important in the creation of a poem, where to make refinements, and a bit about some forms of poetry, all the while interspersing his comments with children’s poems, and occasionally his own or other published poets’ work. His interviews with real poets, Kristine O’Connell George, Janet S. Wong, and J. Patrick Lewis, maintain the reader’s interest. One can “hear” each poet’s comments in his or her own voice, and can compare answers to the same questions.
At the end is a recommended list of poetry books, for children, young adults, and those between. The final chapter, Going Public, suggests several ways to share poems. Especially interesting is the idea of a BYOP (Bring Your Own Poem) party and how to organize it, with instructions on how to spice up the party with a choral reading. This easy-to-follow, completely un-boring handbook makes one’s fingers itchy for a pencil to try out the possibilities.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been in a block or writing slump for two years since my brothers death and our move from my beloved farm into the city. But this book and its suggestions has brought me back around to writing. It seems to have dug in to that deep buried love for poetry and pulled out repressed emotions. I have written drafts for poems this weekend. It's as if Goddess handed me this volume as a prescription to heal myself and my writing. Thank you so very very much Ralph Fletcher your book was the right medicine.

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked this book up at a library book sale. I am so glad I did. In this accessible poetry craft book I found a number of new things to think about when I write poems. The author describes three pillars of poetry: emotion, image, and music, and to use these pillars in writing poems. The author approaches writing poems with great reverence and remind the reader that poems matter—poems change lives.

[Alene · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book offers tips and suggestions to help children compose poetry. However, intended for children, adults can walk away with some tips as well. There are examples of poetry throughout the book to illustrate concepts and styles. The author includes interviews with authors who write poetry and a comprehensive reading recommendation list.

[Ekta Jaiswal · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're looking to learn forms, rhythm and metaphors, this book might not be for you. This book focuses more on ideas, images and feelings and simply encourages to write poem that comes directly from your heart, to play around with your own form and explore what comes spontaneous. Poetry gives you freedom to go free and write in your style.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book offers practical suggestions and poetry examples for students on how to write poetry so that it says what you want it to say. I used the book to help some 4th and 5th-grade students write poetry. The book is also great for older students and adults.

[Katie Proctor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great little guide for young writers who want to explore poetry. I love that he doesn’t start with form and then go from there, but really gets to the heart of writing poetry from the inside out, starting with the why of it. Will be using this to teach poetry in my classroom!

[Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed this book very much. It is inspirational and full of lessons I found useful to improve and to open my mind to new forms and ways of writing. Many of the lessons were filled with good solid ideas. Also, included were poems from the author's students and family members.

[Christa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very approachable book about poetry. Would be good to give to kids to play with words. Also lots of good advice from poets and a nice list of poetry books.

[Natalie Thomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good book for learning about and/or teaching poetry.

[Maddy Will · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fav Quotes:
“There's something magic in there. There's poetry in there. Poetry!”
“At the most important moments, when everyone else is silent, poetry rises to speak.”

[kyla · Rating 3 out of 5]

My younger brother wanted me to read this book. It was a short book about poetry and it was actually quite interesting at times.

[Stefanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ah…poetry, a form of writing I’ve always been curious about. When I was a fifth grade teacher, we had consultants come in at least twice a year. During the first half was a poet whose passion for poetry was evident in the way she had taught my class. I faintly remember her reading examples of her own work and of others. This woman would circle the room and give encouragement and small tips to students. In the end, she would publish the children’s works by typing up their poems, sometimes arranging the words in a shape.

Ralph Fletcher is an author I had to read one summer for professional development. The principal I had worked under was a big advocate of writing, having come from a nonprofit that supported writing workshops for teachers. We, upper grade teachers, had transformed into core teachers where I for example went from teaching just a whole class of 32 students to teaching reading, writing, and social studies to my assigned class in the morning and then the other class after lunch. One of the most memorable lessons I loved was teaching nonfiction writing where I had the students walk a mile in their president’s shoes.

Poetry Matters was written more for kids, a level of reading I certainly understand, LOL. He certainly answered my internal question of does poetry always have to be written in some kind of specific form? I liked how the author gave many examples of student work, students he taught himself. With each piece Fletcher pointed out the poem’s strong points and what they do for a reader. He also included an occasional interview with a fellow poet, asking him/her about inspiration, etc.

[Gabie Hannays · Rating 4 out of 5]

After finishing reading the book so far i love how the author would included many short poems that he puts in once or twice at every chapter. I am enjoying the book because i get to expand my mine on how to write poetry, i have always loved poetry and this books lets me know what are the things you need to write in a poet. He makes poetry interesting and fun to learn. Fletcher internal traits are very fragile because he's a very poor man who makes almost 20 dollars a week and its almost Christmas but one week he made 200 dollars and gave it to a poor man after all his had work, so he decided to make poetry for his family as Christmas presents. At the end i think all his family that he read poetry to for their Christmas gift would be very proud and happy for him and he would feel like he actually gave them a good present this year that they really liked.

[Scott To · Rating 4 out of 5]

Poetry Matters, by Ralph Fletcher, is a educating book. This book taught me about poems and how to write them. I had very little experience with poetry before I read this book. I think that I'm going to look forward to looking at this authors books. The expression, Writing a poem from the inside out is a very true meaning.


I recommend this book to anyone who want's to learn more about poems and the different forms of poems. I've learned many forms of poems while reading this book. At the end of this book, this author recommends poem books to the reader. I thought that was very helpful and grateful of the author for doing that. The illustrations on the front cover mostly covers everything in the book.

[Tania Damian]

This book by Ralph Fletcher is a useful guide for students who struggle with writing poetry. Teachers could also use it to teach the whole class about poetry writing. It is recommended for grades 5th and up, but I think 3rd and 4th graders could also use it with the help of a teacher. The book gives tips on generating ideas for poems, rhythm in poetry, and different types of poems. Readers learn about writing haiku poems, odes, and free-verse poems.

[Jen Munnerlyn]

This book has been ordered for the 2009-10 school year on the advice of Katherine Casey who led the NESA Literacy Coaching group meeting in Jordan in November, 2008.

As we develop a unit of study in poetry in the intermediate grades and enhance our work in the primary grades this book might be beneficial.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for would-be poets of any age! Fletcher has included many short poems from both published and unpublished poets as well as interviews with 3 poets. Part 1 is entitled "Lighting the Spark" and part 2 is "Nurturing the Flame". The spark will make you want to read and write poetry and the flame will inspire you to keep working at it!