A review by andizor
The Discovery of Poetry: A Field Guide to Reading and Writing Poems by Frances Mayes

Did not finish book.

This would be a stellar book for an intro to poetry class, for the novice who doesn't know much about poetry but wants to learn. There are definitely parts of this book that shine: her discussion of language and the use of words to texturize, or surprise, her advice about interpretation, and the exercises that are scattered throughout the book and gathered together at the end for writing poetry. I found much of the poetry included to be old and overused. As an English major and someone who just likes poetry, I wanted more concrete and contemporary pieces. I was familiar with many of the classic poems from other courses and wasn't super engaged with much of the abstract, philosophical poems. I did take stuff away from this though and think that even an experienced teacher or writer could get something out of it.