NATIONAL POETRY MONTH

Poetry Matters: Writing a Poem from the Inside Out. Grade 5-9-A concise, nuts-and-bolts guide to creating poetry. The book begins by defining poems as "emotional X-rays" that seek to delve into a person's inner being. Chapters deal with images; creating "music," or sounds and rhythms; how to generate ideas for poems; the construction of the words on the page; and more. Tips on fine-tuning are also given, from experimenting with wordplay to finding a voice and narrowing the focus of a piece. Major poetic forms are defined, including haiku, ode, and free verse, and there is a section on ways to share your work. Interspersed are Fletcher's personal insights and interviews with three poets-Kristine O'Connell George, Janet S. Wong, and J. Patrick Lewis-who discuss what inspires them and how they go about creating their work. The many examples of poetry throughout embody the author's advice by showing how writing techniques actually function in poems. Since this thought-provoking book covers more of the internal, less-tangible aspects of poetry, it may be more suited for readers who have some experience with the genre. Kristen Oravec, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Strongsville, OH J808.1 FLE

The Norton Anthology of Poetry. Long the classic anthology of poetry in English, The Norton Anthology of Poetry, Fifth Edition, adds to its wealth of known and loved poems a rich gathering of new poetry. Beginning with Beowulf, newly represented by selections from Seamus Heaney's dazzling translation, and continuing to the present day, The Norton Anthology of Poetry includes over 1,700 poems by 340 poets in the Regular Edition. Many major figures—from Chaucer and Shakespeare to Ashbery and Walcott—have expanded sections, and a range of outstanding younger voices have been newly added. Concise annotations, biographical sketches, an Essay on Versification by Jon Stallworthy, and, new to this edition, an Essay on Poetic Syntax by Margaret Ferguson help readers understand and enjoy the poems. 821.008 NOR

The Everyman Anthology of Poetry for Children. The Everyman Anthology of Poetry for Children is a treasury of great poems chosen for the sheer pleasure they offer to readers of all ages. Compiler Gillian Avery's aim was to avoid condescending to children and "to assemble a collection of poems that the owner will not outgrow." With that in mind, she has included very few works that were written solely for a young audience. The more than 250 pieces gathered here range from ballads to epics, from inspired nonsense to memorable reflections on love and death. A wide variety of poets grace these pages, from Mother Goose to Shakespeare, from Emily Dickinson to Noel Coward, from Robert Frost to Ogden Nash. Coleridge's "Kubla Khan" and Rosetti's "Goblin Market" will enchant young readers as much as T. S. Eliot's "The Naming of Cats" and Lewis Carroll's "The Mock-Turtle's Song" will entertain them. Adorned with engravings by the eighteenth-century artist Thomas Bewick, this collection belongs in every family's library. J 821.008 AVE

Seven Ages: An Anthology of Poetry with Music. Some 40 leading actors including Michael Caine, Judi Dench, and Glenda Jackson contribute to this anthology of more than 100 poems, selected from Lord David Owen's 1992 U.K.-published book Seven Ages: Poetry for a Lifetime. Shakespeare's "The Seven Ages of Man," read by Sir Ian McKellen, punctuates the program; the change from age to age is illustrated with relevant music, like Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons." CASSETTE 821.008 SEV

 

Other titles include:

A Small Friend- Carl Sandburg's Guitar: An Anthology of Guitar- Inspired Writings NC-P 809-319917 SAN

The Library of World Poetry edited by William Bryant 808.81 LIB

A Treasury of Great Poems: An Inspiring Collection of Best-Loved, Most-Moving Verse in the English Language by Louis Untermeyer 821.082 TRE

Climb Into My Lap: First Poems to Read Together edited by Bennett Hopkins E 811.008 CLI