THE POET’S COMPANION POETRY BY KIM ADDONIZIO The Philosopher’s Club Jimmy & Rita POETRY BY DORIANNE LAUX Awake What We Carry THE POET’S COMPANION A Guide to the Pleasures of Writing Poetry KIM ADDONIZIO AND DORIANNE LAUX W. W. NORTON & COMPANY NEW YORK • LONDON Copyright © 1997 by Kim Addonizio and Dorianne Laux All rights reserved Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Addonizio, Kim (date) The poet’s companion: a guide to the pleasures of writing poetry / Kim Addonizio and Dorianne Laux. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references. ISBN: 978-0-393-34088-4 1. Poetry—Authorship. I. Laux, Dorianne. II. Title. PN1042.A35 1997 808.1—dc21 96-40451 CIP W. W. Norton & Company, Inc. 500 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10110 www.wwnorton.com W. W. Norton & Company Ltd. Castle House, 75/76 Wells Street, London W1T 3QT For our daughters, Tristem and Aya; and for our students, who continue to inspire us. Contents Introduction SUBJECTS FOR WRITING Writing and Knowing The Family: Inspiration and Obstacle Death and Grief Writing the Erotic The Shadow Witnessing Poetry of Place THE POET’S CRAFT Images Simile and Metaphor The Music of the Line Voice and Style Stop Making Sense: Dreams and Experiments Meter, Rhyme, and Form Repetition, Rhythm, and Blues More Repetition: Villanelle, Pantoum, Sestina A Grammatical Excursion The Energy of Revision THE WRITING LIFE Self-Doubt Writer’s Block Writing in the Electronic Age Getting Published TWENTY-MINUTE WRITING EXERCISES Appendix A: Books on Poetry and Writing Appendix B: Anthologies for Further Reading Appendix C: Finding Markets for Your Poems Appendix D: More Resources for Writers CREDITS