The Crafty Poet II: A Portable Workshop

by Diane Lockward (Editor)

A poetry tutorial ideal for use in the classroom, in workshops, or at home. Craft tips, model poems, prompts, and Q&As. Includes more than 100 of our finest poets such as Tony Hoagland, Laura Kasischke, Alberto Rios, and Ellen Bass.

Genres: Poetry, Writing, Nonfiction

327 pages, Paperback

Published September 20, 2016

About the author

Diane Lockward is the editor of The Strategic Poet: Honing Your Craft as well as the editor of The Practicing Poet, The Crafty Poet II, and The Crafty Poet II. She is also the author of four poetry books, most recently The Uneaten Carrots of Atonement. Her previous books are Temptation by Water, What Feeds Us, which received the 2006 Quentin R. Howard Poetry Prize, and Eve's Red Dress (2003). Her poems have been published in several anthologies and in such journals as the Harvard Review, Spoon River Poetry Review, and Prairie Schooner. Her work has also been featured on Poetry Daily, Verse Daily, The Writers Almanac., and Ted Kooser's American Life in Poetry. She lives in northern New Jersey and can be contacted at her website.

Reviews

[Bob Bradshaw · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every good poet has a toolkit in crafting poems that he or she draws from. Diane explores some of the more important tools in her latest book. For any poet learning his/her craft, or for any poetry reader for that matter, The Crafty Poet II is an excellent resource. Many of our country's finest poets are represented here, talking about their tools: anaphora(repetition in the first part of a line), vowels, consonants, the importance of stresses and line breaks in a poem, etc. For anyone who wants to delve deeper than the sheen of a poem's surface, Diane's books The Crafty Poet and The Crafty Poet II are musts for the bookshelf.

The biggest reason to read her books? They're fun. Poetry is fun. And the poems in The Crafty Poet II will leave you Wowed. They will jazz you up, compel you to write your own poems. There are many poems and prompts to get you started writing, using the same tools our finest poets use. Here is one of my favorite poems in the book, Dear Yellow Speed Bump by Susan Laughter Meyers:

Dear Yellow Speed Bump

One summer night a friend, on a dare,
played your game with other friends,
lying down across the narrow mountain road
and telling their best secrets. First kiss,

first time at sex. The game went smoothly,
I'm told, and so did the wine, but the secrets
were slow in coming, until one coaxed
the next, fact losing speed to fiction.

If only each day had its defining moment:
a subtle rise to catch a body off-guard
and lift it in serenity or jar it to attention
as we all wheel down the crowded road

trying to get somewhere, anywhere, fast,
when what we really want to do
is lay our burdens down on the loneliest
path and tell our only story to the stars.

[Sue · Rating 5 out of 5]

This isn’t the kind of book you just read. Filled with poems, prompts and lessons about the craft of writing poetry, you take it one poem at a time, paper and pen nearby to write your own poems. For the last two years, this has been my go-to book when I needed a nudge to start poeming. It nearly always worked, leading me to write poems I’m proud of and try techniques I might not have used otherwise. Not every lesson speaks to me, but most do, and the poems used as inspirations and examples are wonderful. Before I bought this book, I wrote my way through Lockward’s first Crafty Poet book, and I look forward to her next book, The Practicing Poet, which she is putting together right now. Lockward herself is a widely published poet and the founder-publisher of Terrapin Books.

[Donald Grant · Rating 5 out of 5]

As I read through this book, the ideas for new poems just kept coming. While each section has suggestions, which I am sure would be fun to do, most of the entries brought new insights into the things around me that were worth writing about.
This is a must for anyone beginning to write poetry, as well as anyone who wants to hone the craft of writing.
Highly recommend.

[Martha Silano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Crafty Poet II is an excellent resource for poets at all levels of experience. It includes craft tips on many aspects of writing poetry (humor, syntax, dramatic monologues, and an entire section on revision, for instance), writing prompts, and short interviews with poets about specific poems they wrote. I love to pull this book from my shelf when I feel 'stuck.' The exercises put a fire under my pen!

There's always a great excuse to do anything else but write. This book provides a relatively painless way to dive into the creative process. It also makes a fabulous course text for beginning to advanced poetry writing students. I highly recommend it!

[Nina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every bit as useful as Crafty Poet I. Packed full of examples, explanations, and terrific craft tips

[Jimmy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful book about poetry writing by Diane Lockward who does so much in her blog to help other writers.

[Luanne Castle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Writing poetry? Carry this book with you for inspiration and guidance.

[Carolyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

For those of us who are near ready to publish their poetry chapbook. This is a helpful gem with examples and exercises. It was fun and inspiring trying the examples and practicing the suggestions.

[Scott Wiggerman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I raced through the first Crafty Poet, so with Crafty Poet II, I took my time. In many ways it's a stronger collection of prompts, tips, and poems--less for beginning poets and more for poets who've worked in the field for years. But there's plenty for everyone in here, and both the prompt poems and the sample poems are often extraordinary, a fascinating anthology within the book, including poems by Natalie Diaz, Camille Dungy, Penny Harter, Barbara Hamby, Gloria Amescua, Dean Young, Laure-Ann Bosselaar, David Hernandez, Paisley Rekdal, Lauren Camp, Ellen Bass, Karla Huston, and so many others I starred and double-starred for reading again and again. But most will come to this book for the prompts--and they won't be disappointed, especially in the latter chapters on adding complications, transformation, special forms, expanding the material, and revision. Diane Lockward has definitely created a worthy follow-up with The Crafty Poet II.

[Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading for a graduate poetry writing course. Lots of great advice, prompts, and example poems from a variety of poets.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Crafty Poet II, the follow-up to The Crafty Poet, is an integral and welcomed addition to my library. For decades I've read many how-to books on writing poetry and struggled with a mountain of poetry prompts. None has proven to be as helpful overall as The Crafty Poet II.

Diane Lockward's meticulously and intelligently arranged, combined, and edited collection does it best because it shows the way. Here, 65 contemporary poets help the reader overcome roadblocks such as how enter into a poem, choosing the right word, enhancing sound, and so much more. Lockward's prompts make so much sense because they are backed by model poems to serve as illustration.

I equate this truly portable workshop to the parable about the power of teaching someone to fish so they can provide for themselves. When poets can see how it's done, they are better equipped to hone their craft. Simply an indispensable book!

[Tina Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have really been enjoying reading the Craft Tips throughout the book, it almost feels like a course in poetry-writing, clearly written and enjoyable to read. I am honored to have three poems in this book, as I am a huge fan of Diane's monthly tips through her news letter. This book would make a wonderful present for the writers on your holiday gift list. Can't wait for Crafty Poet III!

[Adele Kenny · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Crafty Poet II follows Crafty I with even more ideas and strategies for generating poems. There is abundant and helpful material in this volume to offer inspiration along with numerous prompts and suggestions for practical application, and tips for improving craft. This is a must-have for poets of every stripe and a perfect resource for writing teachers at every level.

[Lisken · Rating 5 out of 5]

This and its prequel (The Crafty Poet I) are both fabulously rich poetry resources, full of great model poems, craft interviews, illuminating commentary, and fun imitative challenges. Useful for poets at any stage of development.

[Alarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first Crafty Poet was on my Christmas list. I love Diane Lockward’s poetry and blog, and the workbook came highly recommended by poet friends. It was my favorite how-to ever, so good that I added volume II to my wish list when I was only about 30 pages through it. Having finished both volumes by April, you’ll probably guess that I’m lazy about doing the exercises. However, both books are very good reading as well as helpful inspiration. I’ve already published a poem inspired by book one that will lead off my new poetry collection. When I get stuck for ideas, I go back to my best workbooks.

If you love workbooks, I recommend starting with the first. If you plan to buy only one of the books, volume II has about 60 pages more inspiration. Lockward collected craft tips from a different, highly esteemed group of poets, so the exercises and sample poems are fresh. In her Introduction she says,

“Each model poem is used as a mentor, again expressing the underlying philosophy of the first book that the best teacher of poetry is a good poem.”

That’s my belief, too. What I especially like about these workbooks is the great variety of inspiration. She picked a lot of talented minds to compile this resource. We all react to different stimuli. Another thing that makes these books stand out is the tight focus of the prompts. If you follow them, you’ll have a new poem. I’ve been frustrated with other handbooks that want you to overhaul your entire writing practice. Really?

There are ten sections to this book, each addressing a different aspect of writing, which naturally includes “Entryways into Poems” and “Revision.” Each section includes three craft tips by a wide range of established poets, and the exercises multiply like Russian nesting dolls: each tip is followed by a poem and prompt and two sample poems. These are followed by “The Poet on the Poem,” in which Lockward presents a poem that spoke to her, then interviews the author about his thought processes and choices made in the poem. But, wait, there’s more! Each section ends with a bonus prompt. As you can see, there’s something to be gained by every reader, whether you prefer to be directed or inspired. I also think these books would be great for poetry readers who don’t write themselves, although it just may tempt them to try.