A welcome piece for any writer, wannabe writer, or aspiring poet.

How to Write a Poem
Author: Tania Runyan
151 pp.
T.S. Poetry Press

Our professor ponders
Prosaic and profound.
Painstaking, purposeful, patient –
Inform, reform, perform,
But not
Conform.
Revisit, reposition, rewrite
Revise, repeat
Revise, repeat
Revise, repeat
A ratingfor stars?
Four stars.

Based on the Billy Collins poem “Introduction to Poetry”, How to Write a Poem is the manual you wished your high school teacher had used when you were straining to compose a haiku, cinquain, villianelle, or that “minimum of twelve lines” poem you were required to submit for a grade.  Runyan gives us a “how to” which is both helpful and win points for its brevity. Informative without becoming overly didactic. The final section is comprised of examples and prompts which serve as practical exercises. A welcome piece for any writer, wannabe writer, or aspiring poet.

Brian A. Smith