There was a bunch of poetry in my May reading.
The Making of a Poem: A Norton Anthology of Poetic Forms edited by Mark Strand and Eavan Boland
I wanted to have a book about poetic forms. I considered borrowing one from the library, but wanted one I could keep and refer to whenever I wanted, so I clicked around, read about various books, found this one, and bought it. Sadly, a day afterwards, we heard that Eavan Boland died. She was a groundbreaking poet and I highly recommend her work.
The book is excellent and just what I wanted. Each chapter is devoted to one form and begins with the form at a glance in which the structure of the form is presented as a list of components. Then there is a history of the form and a discussion of its evolution. From there, the text moves to the form in a contemporary context. This is followed by many examples of poems written in the form from different time periods. Finally each chapter ends with a closer look at one of the example poems. For anyone interested in poetry and poems, this is a wonderful resource.
Sylvia Plath Poems Chosen by Carol Ann Duffy
I hadn’t really read Plath’s poems, except for possibly one or two in anthologies or poetry emails. I probably won’t be reading more. They were fine, but not really my cup of tea and I wouldn't seek them out. This collection showed up in the 'new releases' section of the library ebook page, so I borrowed it.
Mean Time by Carol Ann Duffy (audiobook read by the poet)
the poet’s 4th poetry collection. I enjoy listening to audiobooks like this, because when the poet reads her work, she reads it in the way she meant it to be read, which could be different than how I would read it on the page.
No More Masks!: An Anthology of Twentieth Century American Women Poets edited and with an introduction by Florence Howe
Bill spotted this is a pile of books on the floor of a charity shop last year. He pointed it out to me, I snapped it up and brought it home. It was one of those treasures that we come across occasionally. I’m thrilled to have it—it’s a keeper. As with any anthology, it contains some work I love, some work I don’t care for, and some that is in between, but overall, it’s a wonderful collection. It was first published in 1973 and this is a revised and expanded version, published in 1993, so it is something of a classic.
Happy reading!
4 comments:
Love Norton Anthology of any kind...used in college...I loved teaching poetry. The kids would be nuts the first day or two...but they eventually got it...love the books. You guys find some of the best books...keep reading and writing.
Yes, the Norton Anthologies are great. That was a big factor in my choice of books. There were a few that sounded OK, but I went with the Norton :-)
We never know what we'll find in the charity shops--this is definitely a country of readers, so lots of books around.
Wow! I'll take the paperback for 50 cents! :-)
Goodness!
You were so fortunate to get No More Masks!
Well done Bill for spotting it :)
All the best Jan
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