The Crafty Poet Goes Audible

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Several years ago eBookit.com made an ebook version of my first print craft book, The Crafty Poet: A Portable Workshop. I was very pleased with their work and would happily recommend them to anyone in need of the services they provide. They are efficient, communicate well with their clients, and provide great work. I was, in fact, so pleased that I also used eBookit for the ebook version of The Crafty Poet II.

Recently, eBookit branched out into offering conversion of print books into audiobooks. It never occurred to me that I might want that, but one day they contacted me and said that because my ebook had been a consistent bestseller with them, they would like to do a complimentary audiobook of The Crafty Poet.  Of course, I said, Sure!

A month or so later the audiobook was finished. The recording was done by Lily Ricciardi, one of eBookit's professional readers. She has a beautiful voice and did a great job. The book is reproduced in its entirety except, of course, for the Table of Contents, the bio notes, and the Index.

I wondered initially how someone might use an audiobook of this sort, as opposed to, say, a novel. But it seems that people are enjoying it as they go walking and as they pound away on the treadmill. Some listen and learn in bed. Someone told me she begins her morning writing session by listening for 10 minutes; what she hears then inspires her writing that day. Excellent! Others listen while traveling in the car or plane. Obviously, I had a lot to learn about audiobooks.

This audiobook of The Crafty Poet is available at Amazon. It's free along with an additional free audiobook if you sign up for a free trial of Audible. If you just want to buy it outright, it's priced at $17.46. Odd price, but that's it.  Of course, the print book is still available if you don't yet have that. Either way, print, ebook, or audiobook, you get lots of craft tips by some of our finest contemporary poets, model poems and prompts, bonus prompts, and Q&As about individual poems with the poets who wrote the poems.

Visit any of The Crafty Poet pages to hear a sample of the audiobook.

What's Been Going On Around Here

It's been pretty busy around here. Since I haven't had time to post as often as I used to, this post will begin a round-up of recent news. More will follow in subsequent posts.

First some Terrapin Books news. My new press has proven to be a very challenging enterprise and a very rewarding one. I'm proud to say that thus far we have one anthology in print, The Doll Collection, and four single author poetry books: Confessions of a Captured Angel by Neil Carpathios, The Persistence of Longing by Lynne Knight, Cutting Room by Jessica de Koninck, and Bluewords Greening by Christine Stewart-Nunez. Two more collections are in progress: The End of Grief by Patricia Clark and Route 66 and Its Sorrows by Carolyn Miller.

We've had two open reading periods and expect to have another one within a few more months. (Check the website for updated information.) The press saw a better than 30% increase in the number of submissions during the second reading period.

We've also already been receiving some poetry love from the poetry world. A review by Grace Cavalieri of Neil Carpathios' Confessions of a Captured Angel appeared in the Washington Independent Review of Books. Dream Circuit, a poem by Lynne Knight from The Persistence of Longing, was featured on Verse Daily. And Viriditas, a poem by Christine Stewart-Nunez from Bluewords Greening, was featured at The Missouri Review online. Christine was also a featured poet at the South Dakota Festival of Books.

Two craft books, both edited by me, are also now in print: the original The Crafty Poet: A Portable Workshop is now available in a revised edition which includes a full table of contents (i.e., includes all poem titles and poets' names) and an Index at the back of the book. The brand-new sequel, The Crafty Poet II: A Portable Workshop, has just been released. Here's what it looked like when the shipment of contributors' copies arrived:

Since arriving at my house, all books have gone out to contributors. Some books have been spotted in various places across the US. Here's one spotted at the Virginia Center for Creative Arts. Thanks to contributor Hilde Weisert for donating a copy of the book so that other poets might use it.

Check out the very nice "#1 New Release in Poetry Anthologies" that appeared at Amazon shortly after the publication of The Crafty Poet II:

That's what's been happening with Terrapin Books. More news coming soon.

The Poetry of Pizza

I knew that my book, The Crafty Poet: A Portable Workshop, had inspired the creation of many poems, but never imagined that it would somehow inspire the creation of a new pizza! And yet Caleb Michael Price, pizza chef, poet, and student of Melissa Studdard in Texas, has created a new pizza, the Crafty Poet Pizza. Check it out on the chalkboard at the shop where Michael crafts his pizzas along with fellow chef, Zach. The Crafty Pizza includes avocado, basil, roasted tomatoes, and more! Wow! Too bad they don't deliver to New Jersey. Thanks, Melissa, for being the kind of teacher who inspires her students in multiple ways. And thanks, Michael, for this tasty tribute to The Crafty Poet.

Now speaking of The Crafty Poet, I announced here a few months ago that Terrapin Books, my new poetry press, had issued a revised edition of the book. The content remains exactly the same as does the pagination, but there is now a complete Table of Contents, i.e., one that includes the titles of all the poems and the names of all the poets. Most importantly, there is a full Index at the back of the book. This is very useful when you are looking for a poet or a poem—and especially useful in the classroom. Also I changed the paper from cream to white for enhanced print clarity. And I moved the page numbers to the left and right for easy thumbing through pages.

And yet in spite of these upgrades, people persist in buying the original version of the book. Nice, but I really wish that anyone who wants to buy the book would kindly purchase the revised edition. Why? Well, because of the upgrades, because this edition is put out by Terrapin, and because royalty payments come directly to the press and help support it. So, please, direct your students, your fellow poets, and colleagues to the revised edition. Thanks!

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The Crafty Poet Now in a Revised Edition

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This is an update about my craft book, The Crafty Poet: A Portable Workshop. Many of you are already familiar with this book as it now approaches its third birthday. You already know that it includes work by such poets as Kim Addonizio, Kathryn Stripling Byer, Sydney Lea, Jan Beatty, and Baron Wormser. You know that the book includes Craft Tips, model poems, prompts based on the model poems, sample poems written to the prompts, and Q&As with poets. However, I want to let you know that I am now carrying this title with Terrapin Books which will also publish the sequel, The Crafty Poet II, sometime this summer.

I also want to let you know that Terrapin Books has just issued a Revised Edition of the original book. This edition includes a full table of contents which includes titles of all poems, including the sample poems, and all the poets' names. Another significant change is the addition of an Index at the back of the book. The Index includes the names of all poems, poets, and craft tips. The Index should be especially handy for teachers using the book in a class.

For this revision I switched to white paper from cream for enhanced readability. I also moved page numbers from the center bottom to bottom right and left for easier paging through the book.

Other than those changes, the book remains the same. If you already have the original Crafty, you don't need the new one. All pagination and content remain the same. However, if you don't have the book and were planning to get it, get the revised edition. If you are planning to use the text for a course or a workshop, you will want the revised edition. And of course, if you're planning to give the book as a gift, you'll want the revised one.

Bits & Pieces of This & That

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Since I've been posting features of poets for the past month, I've fallen behind in the bragging department. Time to catch up. Here's what got me excited and made me happy recently.

First, The Crafty Poet received two more nice reviews. As the book is zeroing in on its second birthday, I am very happy that it continues to attract attention and praise. The first review is by Philip Chase and appears in the 2015 issue of the Journal of New Jersey Poets. As that is a print journal, I scanned the review and posted it on my website. I am very fond of this opening sentence: "With plenty of practical advice, insightful interviews, useful exercise, and original poems from an array of voices and styles, Diane Lockward's aptly titled The Crafty Poet: A Portable Workshop is an invaluable tool for anyone looking to delve into the craft of creating poetry." The entire review can be found HERE.

The second review is by Linda Simone and appears online in Writer's Relief. This reviews begins with this nice sentence: "If you’re looking for the magic bullet to combat writer’s (or poet’s) block, The Crafty Poet, A Portable Workshop by poet Diane Lockward may be the book for you." Read the entire review HERE.

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I'm also happy to report that The Crafty Poet E-Book is doing nicely. On the generous recommendation of Scott Wiggerman and David Meischen, co-editors of Wingbeats and Wingbeats II, I used the services of eBookIt for the conversion. I have been extremely pleased with their service and recommend them to anyone looking to convert a print book into an ebook. While I had not expected them to do any editing, they did and my editor did a really great job. Then my rather complicated table of contents required manual inputting which they did for a very reasonable fee. I especially appreciated the open line of communication. Any questions I had were quickly answered. The cost of this service was recovered in less than the first two months of the book's availability. For each of the three months that the ebook has been available, it has been a bestseller. As a result, it has been given a fancy badge on its page. The Crafty Poet ebook is available at eBookIt, Amazon, B&N, and elsewhere.

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Then I had the great happiness and honor of having a poem featured by Garrison Keillor at The Writer's Almanac on Monday, June 22. Linguini was read by Keillor on his broadcast that goes out daily on 600 radio stations. The poem also went out via Keillor's daily newsletter. First published in Poet Lore, the poem later appeared in my second poetry book, What Feeds Us.

In the poem publication department, my poem "Thinking Like a Buddhist" appears in the current issue of Driftless Review.

Then I also have two poems, "We Were Such a Fine Plum Pudding" and "The Gift of a Rat" in the current issue of Compose Journal. This is a beautiful online journal that includes poetry, fiction, and art. The editors also do a great job of promoting the journal and the authors via social media.

My bad news is some nasty poison ivy on my arms which has me dousing my limbs in rubbing alcohol and spreading on copious coats of Wal-dryl. No more weeding for me.

Tidbits of This and That

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I am very fortunate to have received two new reviews for The Crafty Poet: A Portable Workshop. Both reviews are beautiful. And both came in December, like gifts. The first is by Christine Swint, posted at her site, Balanced on the Edge. Included in the review is this lovely comment:
Because there are so many poems by innovative, contemporary poets, The Crafty Poet is more than a portable workshop; it is an anthology of poems written in the kind of fresh, rich, and lively language we writers want to emulate. . . Read the full review HERE.

I was also tickled to see that Christine subsequently made good on her vow to get using the prompts for her own poetry and posted about her experience with the Sonnenizio, a form covered in my book. Read about it HERE.

The second review is by Christina Veladota and is posted at her site, maybesopoetry. She says, among other things:
The Crafty Poet: A Portable Workshop is an essential text for any poet. Diane Lockward has curated for us an abundant collection of inspirations and advice, and together with her many noteworthy contributors she succeeds in “making the day with nothing to say a thing of the past.” Read the full review HERE.

In publication news I have a poem, “Shopping at the Short Hills Malls,” in the December issue of The Cortland Review, one of the oldest online poetry journals and I think the first to include audios of each poet reading the poems. I’m particularly pleased to be in this issue as each editor was invited to solicit work from one poet. Editors were each asked to invite a poet whose poems they liked and who they felt was making some kind of contribution to the larger poetry community. My appreciation goes to editor Amy MacLennan, the Managing Editor.

I also have a new poem in the current issue of Valparaiso Poetry Review. While my publication in The Cortland Review was my debut there, VPR editor Ed Byrne has kindly included my work several times. The poem in the current issue is called “Sweet Images,” and is a form poem, a form I really liked working with.

Finally, I have a new poem, “And Life Goes On As It Has Always Gone On,” in the latest issue of the print journal, burntdistrict. Like most print journals, this one pays only with a contributor’s copy. But editor Jen Lambert also offered contributors with new books the opportunity to send a full-page ad. That was, to me, worth more than the minimal fee that a handful of journals are able to offer.

Happy Birthday to The Crafty Poet

It’s now been a year since The Crafty Poet: A Portable Workshop  entered the world. It’s been a very exciting year and I couldn’t be happier with the reception the book has received.

One of the sources of happiness has been knowing that a number of colleges and universities have adopted the book as a textbook. As a former teacher, it’s thrilling to have my book enter the classroom. These schools include:

Bellevue College, WA
California State University, Long Beach
Central Washington University, Ellensburg, WA
Kean University, NJ
Lake Superior State University, MI
Lone Star College System, TX
Seattle University, WA
Sussex County Community College, NJ
Montana State University, Billings
University of the Virgin Islands, St. Thomas
Valparaiso University, Indiana
Washington & Lee University, VA                                         

I was also delighted to learn that The Crafty Poet will be the textbook for a course called “Read It, Write It,” soon to be taught at a Pennsylvania prison.

The book was also used as the textbook in an online summer course, “The Art of Poetry Writing,” taught by poet Melanie Faith and sponsored by WOW (Women on Writing).

I’ve received notes from a number of poets who are using the book in poetry workshops. Last month the book was used as the textbook in a workshop taught at a Sufi gathering in Mendocino, California. This fall the book will be used in a workshop led by C.A. LaRue for the Jambalaya Poets in Louisiana. LaRue recently held a contest for a free virtual spot in the workshop.

I was fortunate to have two local book parties, both held at libraries. Both of these were attended by more than a dozen of the poets in the book, all of whom read and discussed their poems from the book.

I took my show on the road in May and gave a group presentation at the Massachusetts Poetry Festival. Again, I was joined by a number of poets from the book. We had a fabulous time.

Bloggers and online reviewers have been very generous in the attention and praise given to the book. An early review was written by Martha Silano at her blog, Blue Positive. A more recent review was written by Lynn Domina at her review site.

The Crafty Poet: A Portable Workshop is reviewed by editor Joshua Hjalman Lind in the Hartskill Review, a new print journal. Lind says "...these prompts are helpful, guiding the reader through exercises very much like a personal trainer who motivates us to get off the couch." He also says that the book is "useful as a collection of fine poems, from which one can learn much about how poetry works." And he concludes with this: "It is clear that Lockward is a sensitive reader and mentor, and her efforts to compile and communicate useful writing tips will help a lot of aspiring poets." I was pleased to see that several of the contributors to this issue of the journal are also contributors to the book: Kelly Cherry, Janet McCann, Joel Allegretti, Wendy Ingersoll, and Charlotte Mandel.

Back in the fall The Crafty Poet was named a Best Book for Writers by Poets & Writers. The Crafty Poet is currently #1 on the list of Best Books on Writing Poetry at Goodreads.

Thanks for being part of the party! Cupcakes for everyone!

Good Stuff Going On Here and There

I've had a handful of poems recently published here and there as well as a few other tidbits going on.

My poem, "Pyromania," appears in the new print anthology, This Is Poetry Volume I: Women of the Small Press. Edited by Michele MacDannold and published by Citizens for Decent Literature Press, the collection includes the work of forty contemporary women poets. "Pyromania" first appeared in Prairie Schooner. It is also in my book, What Feeds Us. I'll have one more poem in Volume II which should appear six months from now.

In the online world I have five poems in the annual issue of Avatar Review. I've never had a journal accept that many poems in one fell swoop. Kind of sweet. Two of the poems have audios.

Then my poem, "The Morphology of Mushrooms," appears in the current issue of Cider Press Review. This is my first appearance in this online journal since it switched from print to online. The new poetry editor, Ruth Foley, is doing a great job. My poem was written to one of the prompts in my book, The Crafty Poet: A Portable Workshop. I practice what I preach. Well, sometimes I do.

I recently did a five-question interview on process with Laura E. Foley at Dear Outer Space. This is part of a writers on writing series that Laura does twice a week. She sent ten questions and I chose five to respond to. Many secrets are revealed.

A few months ago Nic Sebastian invited me to submit some poems to The Poetry Storehouse where poems are given new life by becoming part of video remixes. I submitted my poem "Orchids" from my book, What Feeds Us. Nic recorded the poem. Then she turned the poem and the recording into a remix with gorgeous still images. Shortly thereafter, I got double lucky when videographer Paul Broderick chose to do another remix using an entirely different set of images and video clips. Both of these videos are exquisite. Nic subsequently interviewed me about my experience with the remixes. "Remixing the vocabulary of orchids: an interview with Diane Lockward" is posted at the Moving Poems Forums, hosted by Dave Bonta.

As if that weren’t enough excitement, Erica Goss, in her column "The Third Form" at Connotation Press, did an article in which she features five pairs of videos. In each pair both videos use the same poem. One of the pairs is the two videos of “Orchids.” Erica, by the way, contributed a lovely poem, “The Scent of Orange Blossoms,” to The Crafty Poet: A Portable Workshop. 

The Crafty Poet: Group Reading 3

On Sunday, June 22, a group of contributors to The Crafty Poet: A Portable Workshop gathered at the Bernardsville Public Library for a group reading and discussion of the book. I consider myself very fortunate to have had three group readings for the book, each of them well attended, each of them a lot of fun. I also consider myself very fortunate that so many of my contributors have been willing and happy to travel a distance and give up a day in order to participate. I thank them!

The book from which we read

 

Me welcoming the audience and then discussing my Craft Tip, "Finding the Right Words"

Ann DeVenezia reading her sample poem, "Waiting for My Friend," and discussing
the model poem and prompt which led to her poem

Susanna Rich reading her 3 sample poems, "Radish," "The Snake Milker's Daughter," 

and "Gassing Up in New Jersey

Tina Kelley reading her sample poems, "My Man, the Green Man" 

and "To the Inarticulate Man Who Tries"

Michael T. Young reading his sample poem, "Advice from a Bat," a poem based on the prompt
for Amy Gerstler's "Advice from a Caterpillar"

Joel Allegretti reading his sample acrostic poem, "In a Station"

Gail Fishman Gerwin reading her sample acrostic poem, "Rosebuds Ungathered," and then "Behold"

Ken Ronkowitz reading his sample poem, "Carpe Diem," and discussing
the role of cliches in the poem

Adele Kenny discussing her Craft Tip, "Petals on a Wet, Black Bough," 

and later her model poem, "Snake Lady"

Wanda Praisner reading her sample poem, "After Love"

Charlotte Mandel reading her sample poem, "Flood Washed," a poem
modeled on one by Stanley Plumly

Basil Rouskas reading his sample poem, "Scents of Summer,"
a poem which relies on the sense of smell

Antoinette Libro reading her sample poem, "Baggage"

Following the reading, we had a reception at which cookies were served and eaten.
The audience joined us and engaged in some conversation with the poets.
The S'Mores I made completely disappeared.

It was a delicious day!

Group Reading for The Crafty Poet: A Portable Workshop

Please Join Us

Group Reading for The Crafty Poet: A Portable Workshop

Sunday, June 22 

JOEL ALLEGRETTI

ANN DEVENEZIA

LAURA FREEDGOOD

GAIL GERWIN

TINA KELLEY

ADELE KENNY

ANTOINETTE LIBRO

DIANE LOCKWARD

CHARLOTTE MANDEL

WANDA PRAISNER

SUSANNA RICH

KEN RONKOWITZ

BASIL ROUSKAS

MICHAEL T. YOUNG

SANDY ZULAUF

Bernardsville Public Library

1 Anderson Hill Road

Bernardsville

2:00 PM   Free

Refreshments

Contact Madeline English: 908-766-0118

Diane Lockward: dslockward @ gmail dot com

Directions

The Crafty Poets at the Massachusetts Poetry Festival

Last Thursday I headed up to Salem, Massachusetts, for the Massachusetts Poetry Festival, organized by Michael Ansara and January O'Neil. I then spent the entire weekend immersed in poetry. I was reminded all weekend how important it is for us to do this sort of thing from time to time, that is, to just indulge ourselves in poetry without the distractions of work and home.

Back in the fall I'd sent in a proposal to present The Crafty Poet: A Portable Workshop Group Reading. I sent out a query to all 101 poets in the book and asked who would like to participate. I was overwhelmed by the response. A number of my poets live in the Salem area and others were willing to travel there. I cut off the list at twelve as we'd only have one hour. Once my proposal was accepted, I notified my poets and at that point two had to back out. That was fine, though, as I'd been asked to pare down the group a bit. We ended up with a total of nine poets, including me.

My plan was to go through the book using the Table of Contents as our agenda. This would allow us to give our audience an idea of how the book had come together, offer them some craft tips, and read them some of the model poems and the sample poems. The poets all showed up a bit early. Then the people began to arrive and arrive. We needed to have more chairs brought in—twice! We packed the room and even had a few people on the floor.

I could not have been happier with our presentation. Each of my poets (notice how possessive I am about them?) used just the right amount of time. Each of my poets was wonderful. The audience remained engaged the entire time, perhaps because of the variety in our presentation. As the last poet was in process, an arm appeared at the doorway holding a "5 minute alert" sign. I had exactly enough time to send our audience off with one of the bonus prompts.

Here's how our presentation went:
1. Section II: Diction.  After introducing the book and telling a bit about how it evolved from this blog and my Poetry Newsletter, I talked briefly about my own Craft Tip, "Finding the Right Words."

2. Section III: Sound.  Claire Keyes talked about her sonnenizio, "Sonnenizio on a Line from Yeats." First, she described the form and gave us the "rules." Then she read her wonderful poem.

3. Section III: Sound.  Jeffrey Levine gave us an overview of his Craft Tip, "The Devotions of the Ear," and read some lines that illustrated music in poetry.

4. Section IV: Voice.  Joel Allegretti described the acrostic form as modeled by Jeanne Marie Beaumont's "After." Then he read "In a Station," his sample poem written to the prompt.

5. Section VII: Syntax.  Jeffrey Harrison gave an overview of his Craft Tip, "Fooling with Syntax." In the book, this is followed by his own "Swifts at Evening," a syntactical marvel of a poem that consists of one extended sentence and is formatted as a concrete poem.

6. Section VIII: Line / Stanza.  Nancy Bailey Miller first read "Two Gates," the model poem by Denise Low. She then told us a bit about what the prompt required and read "Face to Face," the sample poem she'd written to the prompt.

7. Section VIII: Line / Stanza.  Matthew Thorburn read "Still Life," one of the book's ten "Poet on the Poem" poems. Then he talked about the Q&A that follows his poem and gave us great insight into ekphrastic poetry.

8. Section X: Writer's Block / Recycling.  Kristina England told us about Jeffrey McDaniel's model poem, "Compulsively Allergic to the Truth," and then a bit about the prompt that follows the poem. She finished by reading her own sample poem, "About Today."

9. Section X: Writer's Block / Recycling.  Nancy White read "beauty," another of the book's "Poet on the Poem" poems. She shared with the audience some of the Q&A that follows the poem.

After the reading, many books were bought, and I later learned that the bookstore had sold out. Very cool.

I then had lunch with poets Joel Allegretti and Matthew Thorburn. We were joined by poet Susana Case who had a reading later in the day. This added to the pleasure—a lunch filled with poetry talk.

As I approached the Hawthorne Hotel, my temporary home, these signs were displayed 

all over the place. (photo by Susana Case)

Me and crafty poet Kristina England

Crafty poet Claire Keyes reading her fabulous sonnenizio

Crafty poet Matthew Thorburn and Susana Case in the bookstore

If you have an opportunity to attend the Massachusetts Poetry Festival next year, seize it! The three day event is filled with readings, workshops, and panels. The place is crawling with poets and poetry lovers. Plus Salem has lots of nifty restaurants and historical attractions. And Salem has the Peabody Essex Museum which is probably the most beautiful museum I've ever been in. I am very grateful to have been included this year.

Poem-a-Thon: Are You Up for a Challenge?

Could this be the year you take on the 30-day challenge for April? Take a look at this one from the journal, Tiferet. Your participation will help raise funds for the journal. If you see the project through to the end, publisher Donna Baier Stein will send you the gift of a free copy of The Crafty Poet: A Portable Workshop. Read the information here. Then send your response to: editors@tiferetjournal.com

Similar to other fund-raising marathons, you get other people to commit to a dollar amount per poem. If you complete thirty poems during April, you send the pledged amount to the journal and receive your free copy of The Crafty Poet. Then you can use that to keep on writing in the months ahead. Your poems do not need to be finished, polished poems. According to Stein, drafts are fine. And if you can't complete the challenge, so what? At least you will have tried and helped support a worthy cause.

Good luck!

Me and the Massachusetts Poetry Festival

Several months ago I submitted a proposal for a presentation in this year's Massachusetts Poetry Festival. A few days ago I received the good news that my proposal had been accepted. This will be my first time at the festival, and I'm very much looking forward to it. I've heard all good comments about the previous festivals. This year's event will be held May 2 - 4 in Salem.

One of the highlights of the festival is the great lineup of poets. Readings are given throughout the festival. Here's the list of this year's featured poets:

Kim Addonizio • Lucie Brock-Broido • Rafael Campo • Carol Ann Duffy • 

Oliver de la Paz • Cornelius Eady • Rhina Espaillat • Forrest Gander • David Ferry • 

Ilya Kaminsky • Li-Young Lee • Philip Levine • Susan Rich • 

Marge Piercy • Vivian Shipley • C.D. Wright

In addition to readings by these featured poets, there will be a generous selection of panels and group presentations. There will also be a number of workshops which you can sign up for. Although the cost of admission has not yet been posted, it has been incredibly reasonable in the past. There is a minimal additional fee for workshops—last year it was $5.

Called "The Crafty Poet: A Portable Workshop Group Reading," my presentation will bring together several of the poets in the book. I expect this to be a terrific and varied group. A few of these poets contributed model poems, a few contributed Craft Tips, and one contributed a Q&A poem to the book. We will have a mixture of poems and craft chatter. We hope to send our audience home nicely nourished by wonderful poems and fired up to write some new ones.

I don't yet know which date or time slot my presentation will be assigned, but I plan to be in Salem for the entire festival. I've already booked my hotel room for four nights. If you come to the festival, I hope to see you there.

Be sure to frequently check the festival website for updates and the schedule and sign-up information which will soon be posted.

Crafty Poet Update and Good Cheer

An Aspiring Poet

I am so pleased with the response that The Crafty Poet: A Portable Workshop has thus far received. One good thing about having 101 different poets in the book is that I have a lot of ambassadors spreading the word. The book has recently had a nice handful of new reviews.

Poet Lynn Domina has created a wonderful blog where she does reviews of poetry books. This past week she included a review of The Crafty Poet which she describes as "both craft book and anthology, but its unique characteristic is the direct relationship between the included poems and the exercises." The entire review delighted me, but these closing words made my day: "Reading through this book, I find myself torn by competing desires: to linger over many of the poems, and to rush to my desk to try the prompts. A book that inspires me to do more than is possible—what a good book that is. I’m glad The Crafty Poet found its way to my hands, and I’m looking forward to leafing through my notebook in a year or so, counting up the poems that owe their conception to this book."

I was recently interviewed by Carol Berg about The Crafty Poet. That interview now appears in the current issue of Ithaca Lit. I enjoyed sitting back and reflecting on the process of doing this book—the challenges, the poets who contributed, the differences between doing this kind of book and a collection of poems. Carol asked just seven questions, so there’s not a lot of fluff and stuffing to get through.

Ruth Foley wrote a nice review at Five Things. She recommends The Crafty Poet and The Daily Poet as companion books. I’ve made that recommendation myself, so was happy to see that Ruth agrees that these two books belong in every poet’s bookbag.

Grace Cavalieri, who is surely one of the most generous poets/reviewers in America, also wrote a lovely review of The Crafty Poet in the Washington Independent Review of Books. Grace reads a book of poetry a day! Then she reviews many of them.

I'm also happy to report that eight different colleges and universities are already using The Crafty Poet as a textbook.

Lest we forget that I am a poet, I’ve recently had a few poems published in online journals.

Sinkholes appears in the current issue of Valparaiso Poetry Review. Many of you will recognize the story in the poem. It was one that haunted me, the idea that the earth could just open up and swallow somebody’s son.

Then I also have two poems in Mezzo Cammin: An Online Journal of Formalist Poetry by Women. The first, "My Arty Ars Poetica: A Cento," is made up of lines taken from the bio notes in a journal that asks contributors to send in something about their writing process or how they wrote their poem. The other poem, "A Salmon Swims in My Bones," is a concrete poem, one of maybe three I’ve ever written.

A Trio of Holiday Gifts for Poets

Poets love nothing more than books. A book is always the right gift for a poet, and if it’s a poetry book, then it’s the perfect gift. We poets devour books of poems, but we also love craft books and prompt books. Why? Because we’re always honing our skills and always looking for new ideas for poems. So I have a trio to suggest for your poet pals. And don’t forget to be good to yourself as well!

Now some of you might wonder why I’d be recommending craft books other than my own. Here’s why: Most poets need and want multiple books on craft. We can’t get enough of them. My own shelves are loaded with craft books. Each one has something to offer that the others don’t. That’s certainly true of the three I’m about to recommend. Together, they should keep you and your friends growing and writing for a long time. I have them arranged here in what seems to me a logical order, from craftiest to promptiest.

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 1. The Crafty Poet: A Portable Workshop, by Diane Lockward, Wind Publications, 2013

This book includes craft tips, model poems, and prompts based on the craft elements in the model poems. In addition, each of the ten sections includes a Q&A with one poet about the craft elements in a single poem. Each section ends with a short bonus prompt that can be used over and over again. The material is organized by craft concepts such as Diction, Imagery / Figurative Language, Line / Stanza, and Syntax. Fifty-six poets, including 13 former and current state poets laureate, contributed the craft tips, model poems, and Q&As. An additional 45 accomplished poets contributed sample poems written to the prompts, two for each prompt. The book is craft-oriented and is ideal for classroom, workshop, or individual use. Of the three titles recommended here, this one places the most emphasis on craft.

Named a Best Book for Writers by Poets & Writers Magazine
In this resource for poets, Lockward offers practical advice and insights about establishing sound, voice, and syntax in poetry while also providing writing prompts and other poems as inspiration.

Comments:
I received your The Crafty Poet in the mail today and found that I was only a few pages in when I was compelled to go get a pen. Not sure why, since I just held it in my hand while I read, but I'm pretty sure it had something to do with sitting down to a feast without a fork.
                     —Jane Ebihara

Writers and teachers of writing: If you’re looking for a book that illuminates the nuances of poetic craft, then you’ll find The Crafty Poet to be a terrific teaching tool. It’s also a powerful text for individuals seeking to break through creative blocks. You’ll encounter model poems with accompanying prompts, interviews with poets, discussions of process and inspiration, and more.
                    —Caitlin Doyle 

This book has a spectacular array of model poems and information from poets on how they see the craft. It will get you writing and it will help you keep on writing poems.
                    —Sheila Bender

Sample Bonus Prompt

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2. Wingbeats: Exercises & Practice in Poetry, edited by Scott Wiggerman and David Meischen, Dos Gatos Press, 2011

This is a collection of sixty-one prompts contributed by fifty-eight poets, including Naomi Shihab Nye, Ellen Bass, and Oliver de la Paz. The book is organized into seven sections under such concepts as Springboards to Imagination, Exploring the Senses, and Structure and Form. The exercises range from quick and simple to involved and multi-layered. Prompts include such intriguing titles as "Metaphor: Popcorn, Popcorn, Leaping Loud," "Aping the Masters: Poems in Imitation," and "My Mother's Clothes." The book's focus is on prompts, but most of them are preceded by some discussion regarding purpose and benefits; you will find some craft material included in those discussions. The contributing poets were asked to follow a suggested format, so you will find clear step-by-step instructions and sample poems that were written to the exercises. Ideal for the classroom, workshop, or individual writing space.

Comments:
Wingbeats is a fabulous toolbox of innovative and practical ideas that literally every teacher of poetry workshops and at every level, from elementary poets-in-the-schools through the graduate MFA, will find indispensable. Covering a vast range from image to sound to form, the exercises are all concrete and clearly presented—a marvelous way to mine the imaginations and experiences of today’s most dynamic poets. Invaluable!
                    —Cole Swensen

No teacher, no aspiring poet should be without the gentle guidance of this book.
                    —Gabriele Rico

This is sophisticated play. I found exercises that have taken me beyond my ordinary patterns and limitations. Wingbeats will get your pen moving.
                    —The Coachella Review

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3. The Daily Poet: Day-by-Day Prompts for Your Writing Practice, by Kelli Russell Agodon and Martha Silano, Two Sylvias Press, 2013

The 365 prompts in this collection were all written by the two authors, both of them well-published poets. The book evolved out of several years of their regular writing dates during which they challenged each other with prompts. The book is arranged like a calendar with one prompt for every day of the year, though the user is free to skip around. Quite a few of the prompts begin with a reference to some historical event that occurred on that day. While the book is strictly brief prompts, many of them ask you to employ craft elements. This book is suitable for a beginning poet or one with a lot of experience but in search of some new ideas. It can be used in a classroom to supplement assignments, in workshop groups, or at home by the poet working alone.

Recommended by The Huffington Post Books:
. . . you could use The Daily Poet year after year and track how your writing evolves. Or you can just crack open the book, pick one out at have at it. They're all equally thought provoking.

Comments:
I see this as an investment in writing exercises for many years over as you can use the same prompt at different times and find it will take you different places. It's my recommendation that you add it to your own library and enjoy the journey.
                          —Michael Wells

The variety of prompts also encouraged creative exploration of topics I might not have considered fertile ground for poetry (candy cigarettes, anyone?). For me, this is the book’s greatest gift to its user: its power to dig deep inside the rabbit holes of your poet’s brain and/or subconscious and pull out work that might never have been pulled out without it.
                          —Molly Spencer

Whether you write to prompts on your own or you use them when you meet with writing groups or with a friend at a coffee shop, there is something here for everyone.
                          —Donna Vorreyer

Sample Prompt

If you need to select just one of these books, I hope I've given you enough of a description that you can choose. But what I really hope is that you will choose all three.

Bits & Pieces of This & That

The new issue of Valparaiso Poetry Review has now been posted. As always, you’ll find lots of good reading in this journal. This issue includes the work of 36 poets, one of whom is me. Here’s the entire list:

Elly Bookman, Jared Carter, Stephen Cloud, Kelly Cressio-Moeller,  Barbara Crooker, Katherine Sanchez Espano, William Ford, Kate Fox,  Kalima Hamilton, Kathleen Hellen, Elise Hempel, Graham Hillard,  Edison Jennings, Michael Johnson, Jen Karetnick,
Sandra Kohler, Liz Langemar, Mercedes Lawry, Laurence Lieberman,  Frannie Lindsay, Diane Lockward, Kim Lozano, David Mason, Rose McLarney,  Judith H. Montgomery, John A. Nieves, April Ossmann, Colin Pope,  Connie Post, Doug Ramspeck, Robin Richstone, Lee Rossi, John Ruff,  Joannie Stangeland, Larry D. Thomas, Charles Harper Webb
My poem is Sinkholes. Check it out.

I was pleased to find my new book, The Crafty Poet: A Portable Workshop, as one of nine recommended titles on Poetry Super Highway’s Holiday Gift List. It makes me very happy to know that my book has made it into the hands of other poets and that they, in turn, are recommending it to still other poets.

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I do a few back flips (mentally, that is) each time I hear that the book is stimulating the writing of new poems. This tweet from Julie Brooks Barbour put a smile on my face: "Thanks to The Crafty Poet by @Dianelock, I drafted a poem this morning."

White Elephant Contemporary Poetry Gift Exchange

As if all that weren’t enough good news, it seems that The Crafty Poet took part in the 3rd Annual White Elephant Contemporary Poetry Gift Exchange in Arizona, led by poet and teacher Shawnte Orion. Shawnte wrote about the event at his blog, Battered Hive. Here’s what he wrote about The Crafty Poet:

I also gave away a copy of Diane Lockward's portable workshop The Crafty Poet which includes insight and writing exercises from 56 top poets and two sample poems for each prompt so you can see what other poets come up with. I didn't read my poem that was one of the sample poems based on the Richard Jones’ prompt. But I did read Cecilia Woloch's “Fireflies” and Jeffrey McDaniel's 

Compulsively Allergic to the Truth

I'm sorry I was late.
I was pulled over by a cop
for driving blindfolded
with a raspberry-scented candle
flickering in my mouth.
I'm sorry I was late.
I was on my way
when I felt a plot
thickening in my arm.
I have a fear of heights.
Luckily the Earth
is on the second floor
of the universe.
I am not the egg man.
I am the owl
who just witnessed
another tree fall over
in the forest of your life.
I am your father
shaking his head
at the thought of you.
I am his words dissolving
in your mind like footprints
in a rainstorm.
I am a long-legged martini.
I am feeding olives
to the bull inside you.
I am decorating
your labyrinth,
tacking up snapshots
of all the people
who've gotten lost
in your corridors.


Jeffrey's poem is one of the model poems in The Crafty Poet. It is followed by a prompt based on the poem and two sample poems written to the prompt.

The Crafty Poet Book Party

The book launch reading for The Crafty Poet: A Portable Workshop was held on Sunday, November 10, at the West Caldwell Public Library. We had a perfect day for it and a heart-warming turnout. A total of seventeen poets came to read. Here are some photos, in the order of the reading. I used the structure of the book to structure the reading.

This is an early picture of the audience arriving. We had 52 people for an afternoon of poetry.

This is me, Diane, welcoming the audience and introducing the book.

Section I. Generating Material / Using Time
Ann DeVenezia was our first poet. Here she reads "Waiting for My Friend," a sample poem
written to the prompt that accompanies Karin Gottshall's model poem, "More Lies."


Section II. Diction

Susanna Rich reads "Radish," a sample poem written to the prompt that accompanies 

Rod Jellema's "Because I Never Learned the Names of Flowers." Susanna later also read 

"Gassing Up in New Jersey, Just Before Midnight."

Me talking a bit about my Craft Tip, "Finding the Right Words." (I seem to be looking for them
on the ceiling.)

Tina Kelley reading "My Man, the Green Man," a sample poem written to the prompt
that accompanies Caitlin Doyle's model poem, "The Foley Artist's Apprentice." Tina later
also read "To the Inarticulate Man Who Tries."

Michael T. Young reads "Advice from a Bat," a sample poem written to the prompt that
accompanies Amy Gerstler's model poem, "Advice from a Caterpillar."

Section III. Sound

Sandy Zulauf reads "Doctor Poets," a sample poem written to the prompt that accompanies
Suzanne Zweizig's model poem, "American Supermarket Idyll." Sandy will present his poem
and the book as a gift to his doctor on his next visit.

Section IV. Voice

Joel Allegretti reads his acrostic poem, "In a Station," a sample poem written to the prompt
that accompanies Jeanne Marie Beaumont's acrostic, "After."

Gail Gerwin reads "Rosebuds Ungathered," another acrostic poem.

Ken Ronkowitz reads "Carpe Diem," a sample poem written to the prompt that accompanies
Jennifer Maier's model poem, "Post Hoc."

Section V. Imagery / Figurative Language

Bronwen Butter Newcott reads "Love," the model poem that begins this section.

Wanda Praisner reads "After Love," the sample poem she wrote to the prompt for Bronwen's poem.

Section VI. Going Deep / Adding Layers

Charlotte Mandel reads her poem, "Flood Washed," a sample poem written to the prompt 

for Stanley Plumly's model poem, "In Answer to Amy's Question What's a Pickerel."

Broeck Blumberg reads "Grief Beyond Sorrow," her sample poem written to the prompt 

for Richard Jones' model poem, "White Towels." 

Section VII. Syntax

Delaware Poet Laureate JoAnn Balingit discusses her craft tip, "The Promise of Syntax," 

and then reads one of her poems illustrating a syntactical device.

Section VIII. Line / Stanza

Marie-Elizabeth Mali reads "Second Year of Marriage," the model poem that begins this section.

Basil Rouskas reads "Scents of Summer," a poem that he wrote using the prompt 

based on Marie-Elizabeth's poem.

Section IX. Revision

Laura Freedgood reads "Breakfast in Patmos," a sample poem written to the prompt
that accompanies Adele Kenny's poem, "Snake Lady."

Section X. Writer's Block / Recycling

We didn't have any poets present for this section, but we hope we sent everyone home
with lots of enthusiasm for revising poems and writing new ones.

Following the reading we had a reception with homemade cookies made by me—brownies, white chocolate chip and chocolate chip cookies, toffee delites, date nut bars, and lemon love notes. While people munched and talked poetry, I signed books which felt like a perfect way to end the party.

The Crafty Poet is available HERE.