A Field Guide to Contemporary Poetry and Poetics

by Stuart Friebert (Editor), David Walker (Editor), David Young (Editor)

One of the hallmarks of FIELD magazine has always been its attention to what poets have to say about poetry. Many of these essays--by William Stafford, Denise Levertov, Gary Snyder, Adrienne Rich, Donald Hall, Robert Bly, and Sandra McPherson, among others--have become classics. This revised and expanded collection of essays from the magazine provides a rich and stimulating perspective on the state of contemporary poetry, as seen through the eyes of the poets themselves.

Genres: Poetry, Anthologies, Nonfiction

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1979

Reviews

[hh · Rating 4 out of 5]

lots of good thinking in here.

[Pat · Rating 5 out of 5]

So far:

Donald Hall's "Goatfoot, Milktongue, Twinbird: The Psychic Origins of Poetic Form" is worth the price of admission (which was free for me, since this is a library book). Also see section 2 on The Poetic Line, which was why I checked it out in the first place.

David Young ("Language: The Poet as Master and Servant", pp. 155-178) also
1) Explained to me very well just why it was I have never enjoyed Harold Bloom's poetry criticism.
2) Introduced me to Reg Saner and his "Camping the Divide: Indian Peaks, Colorado", which, apart from the first two lines, is REALLY good.

Highly recommended to all my fellow sonneteers.

-PF

[Ash · Rating 5 out of 5]

Always interesting collection of essays to peruse. Features thoughtful criticisms from big names such as David Young, Donald Hall, etc. It is a proper guide for anyone interested in poetic form and contemporary poetic thought, especially for beginners, as many of the poets and critics disagree with each other and discuss their views in depth.

[R. Steven]

Nice for exploring the vast space that is poetry.

[Jordan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hard to find a better anthology on poetics and craft than this one.

[David Hirt · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was influential in my own growth as a writer. Lots of good essays that open up verious aspects of writing poetry. Well organized and readable.

[Tracy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A must-read for anyone serious about 20th century poetry and poetics. I wish it were not true that 29 of the essays are written by men and only 13 by women, but that's just the way it is.

[Karen Silvestri · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the better books of poetics that I've read. I will keep this one on my shelf to read many times.