Don't overlook Mary Oliver

If you want to learn about writing, from the process to the muse, you should delve into some of the books written by Mary Oliver, who won the Pulitzer Prize for her poetry.

This woman has produced some of the most beautiful and meaningful poetry I have ever read. But she has written several books about writing, too, and it turns out that those are just as passionate as her poetry.

I own two of her books which are instructive for more than those who write poetry.

A Poetry Handbook is a wonderful book that doesn't read like a textbook, though it sounds like one. It should be read by everyone who wants to be a writer.

The other book: Rules for the Dance, is a bit more technical, but if you want to understand how poetry is written it is truly insightful.

I don't write good poetry, but I still try to do so sometimes and maybe I will get better. It is just one more way of expressing yourself through the written word.

Yours in rejection,

Phil