The Poetry Home Repair Manual: Practical Advice for Beginning Poets

This book is a gem. The author’s genuine respect for aspiring poets is crystal clear, as are his guidelines for how to write authentic, effective poems. He’s also funny! He believes poetry is a gift best shared. Well, his book is a gift shared, and I’m grateful. It’s just too short, I don’t want it to end. Great stuff!

Great book. Well written, honest and helpful.

Of all the writing manuals devoted to poetry, this is the best. It gently leads the writer to play with language. I just tried the suggestions one chapter a week (or even a few days) and was very pleased with the pieces that evolved.This book would be helpful to those writing prose as well, as it draws ideas out of a writer rather than giving "how-to" directions.

Ted Kooser, America's Poet Laureate, offers up a book of no-nonsense, straightforward advice for poets. Unlike some books about the craft of poetry, Kooser's book is not stuffy and elitist, nor is it romantic and inspiring. "The Poetry Home Repair Manual: Practical Advice for Beginning Poets" is just as its title advertises . . . infinitely practical, though, at times, a bit boring.I greatly appreciated Kooser's insistence on the importance of accessibility in poetry. Far too many poets, in my opinion, seem to feel that good poetry needs to be complicated, like a puzzle only decipherable by intellectuals and poetry sophisticates. Kooser contends that the modern resistance to poetry stems from the notion most of us get in school that reading poetry is supposed to be tedious work. His "Poetry Home Repair Manual" "advocates for poems that can be read and understood without professional interpretation."(2)My favorite part of the book is where Ted Kooser compares poems to windows in which the speaker looks out at the world. The poet can either shed light on the world outside, or leave the outside dark so as to focus on the speaker's reflection in the glass. Though Kooser's book was full of easily understood advice on the craft of poetry, it would have been worth reading for the window analogy alone.

This book is a gem! It should be required reading for every class in every school! I've learned so much about writing, poetry, and thinking--thinking about how I think and about how to express myself in all types of written and verbal communication. This is one of those books that I do not want to end, so when I get near the last few chapters I start over and invariably find more and more to read and understand. Ted Kooser is a miracle author who never talks above your head, is practical in his advice, uses easy to understand examples, and is funny, lively, full of usable information, and teaches volumes without the reader ever knowing he is being taught....I know that sounds confusing, but Mr. Kooser is a master at helping the reader to learn in the most delightful and inspiring way. He demystifies the creative process and really does make the reader think that he/she could possibly become a good writer and a good poet. I've never read a book that I really love more...fiction or non fiction. I just took a grad class in poetry and Mr. Kooser was the most highly recommended author in our class by the professor...and I now see why he is so beloved! Count me in as a huge fan!

I must confess two things: I'm already a Kooser fan and I only found him because he's the current poet laureate of the United States.But since I came upon him he's become my favorite, not only for his superb writing, but for the person who shines through in every sentence in his poems and in this book, The Poetry Home Repair Manual. What this book isn't, is a list of all the do's and don'ts, of forms and rules. It's not a list at all, but an invitation to have a fireside chat about poetry, get cozy and talk about our favorite subject. And because Ted is a gifted teacher he can't help but share the kinds of observations that let us come away with tremendous insight and learning. What this means is that, as a result of reading The Poetry Home Repair Manual, you will become a better poet (if what you do is write poetry), and someone whose insight into poetry has increased so much that poetry becomes revealed like never before (if you are a reader of poetry). Now here's the bonus: Because Ted Kooser is generous instead of elitist, kind instead of exacting, and possesses a gentle heart and a wise mind you will have access like never before to use your own discernments with regard to poetry. Only last night I was able to put aside a poet with whom I never connected, without guilt. Five stars are not enough! Ted sets you free.

I have had a handful of poems published, so I am not a raw beginner. But I continue to learn from Ted Kooser's book every time I pick it up--and I pick it up a lot!Kooser's advice is both encouraging and challenging--and it is both because he demystifies poetry and makes it sacred at the same time. Look harder. Write clearer. . Write more.He advises you to strip away the smoke and mirrors and pretend (believe) you are actually trying to communicate to other human beings. The risk is that you may discover you have nothing to say. But the value is that you will sharpen your powers of observation and make your poems real. And then, with practice and the internalizing of good poetry written by others, you will find your own voice and your own way of holding up something to the world and saying "Look at it this way! Isn't that amazing?"This book is filled with good advice, and at different moments, you may need different pieces of it. This is one to own, mark up, make your own. And then turn to it whenever you need a nudge, or encouragement, or reproof. You will find it all in these few pages. Read more

initially, i didn't realize this was used when i ordered it. given that, this is a good purchase.

大学で使ってます

Very helpful book for all poets

Spent some years trawling through reviews and buying many books on writing poetry.How do you choose a book which is of genuine use?I've learnt one thing: Only buy ones written by good practicing poets!And Ted Kooser is definitely one of them.I would liken the majority I've read to a car engine manual.They talk in detail about all the technical aspects but only Kooser tells you where the ignition switch is!And what's more, he shows you how to turn the ignition-switch on!His wise words kindle the spark which initiates genuine poetry.Buy two copies - your first will be annotated and dog-eared in no time at all!Life is too short to read irrelevant rubbish.Read Ted Kooser, read his poetry, and start writing - you won't be disappointed, and you won't disappoint your future readers!

While this book does have a lot of useful insight and commentary into writing poetry, as a beginner I think it fails at being good for beginners. He's neurotically focused on writing for an audience instead of fostering a love of the craft in the reader. Finishing a chapter often made me feel disinterested and discouraged, as if I had a first guitar teacher who instead of teaching me the basics expected me to be performing like a member of Metallica in front of a stadium of people.