I bought this book just on a whim. It sounded interesting, the reviewers thought it was pretty good and so I sent off for it. That was two years ago, and I have read and reread it pretty much constantly ever since.His style is friendly, engaging, encouraging, occasionally chiding (in the nicest possible way) and very very inspiring. Each section focuses on specific aspects of writing - writing from memories, working with imagery and metaphor, how (and why) to revise, word music, experimental forms, traditional forms etc etc. Even a section on "Aweful Poems"! And believe it or not, that section was one of the most enlightening.
He uses copious examples from contemporary poets to illustrate the points he is trying to get across, and ends each chapter with a series of exercises to make certain that you understand what youve been reading. Sounds tame, sounds boring, sounds mechanical, but oh, it is not!
The final section - Nuts and Bolts - deals with the business of poetry as a business; the pros and cons of Poetry Workshops, where, when and why to start submitting your poetry. That sort of thing. And one of the nicest touches is the poem selected to end the book - Fleur Adcocks "Future Work" (on page 263, go on, have a look). It pretty much sums up the whole feeling of this book.
The only downside is the certainty of writers cramp afterwards ...
