Writing and Understanding Poetry for Teachers and Students: A Heart's Craft

by Suzanne Keyworth, Cassandra Robison

Overview

Grounded in craft, this book was composed on three premises: That the study and modeling of great poems is integral to understanding poetry and learning to write poems, that scaffolded learning builds a writer’s and a reader’s confidence and knowledge base and increases learning, and that teachers and facilitators of poetry can and should build learning environments we call “our hearts in a safe place.” Each chapter contains an introduction to a main focus, new terms, a model poem, an explication, short prompts heuristic to each chapter’s focus, and a model exercise. Student poem samples are included in each chapter. The last chapter discusses syllabi, portfolios and alternate grading. A Heart’s Craft differs from other poetry” how to books” because it combines art with pedagogy in a unique and effective fashion.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781475814088
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	02/19/2015
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	185
File size:	703 KB

About the Author

Suzanne Keyworth was the advisor for an award winning student magazine at State College of Florida for nearly two decades, and obtained her MA from Hollins University and her MFA from Warren Wilson College. A 6th generation Floridian, she has a chapbook titled When the Distance Closes In as well as a book of poetry, Markers.

Cassandra Robison, Ph.D., now Faculty Emeritus, was faculty advisor for the multi- award winning student literary magazine Imprints at the College of Central Florida where she taught Creative Writing, English, and American Literature. Of Swedish heritage, she has two chapbooks titled Leaving the Pony and Tundra Heart.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 - Some Initial Thoughts on Poets and Poetry, Workshopping Poems, and the Creative Process
Learning from Master Poets or Masterful Poems
What is a Strong Poem?
Portfolios: Preserving and Sharing Work
The Concept of Modeling
Welcoming the Muse
A Journaling Idea
Workshopping Advice: Our Hearts in a Safe Place
Some Helpful Ideas about Workshopping Poems
Workshop Guidelines to Share with Participants
The Model Exercise: If You Stare At Something Long Enough…
Sample Student Poems
Chapter 2 - Beyond the Ordinary: Witnessing the World as a PoetTerms Used in This Chapter
The Model Poem
The Explication

The Model Exercise
Sample Student Poems
Chapter 3 - Imagery—Getting to the Heart of ItTerms Used in This Chapter
The Model Poem
The Explication
Exercises for Students
The Model Exercise
Sample Student Poem
Chapter 4 - Metaphors and Symbols—Finding and Using Creative Analogies
Terms Used in This Chapter
The Model Poem
The Explication
Exercises for Students
The Model Exercise
Chapter 5 - Line Endings, Turns, and Epiphanies—More Essentials Elements of Craft Terms Used in This Chapter
The Model Poem
The Explication
Exercises for Students
Alternate Model Poem
Alternate Model Exercise
Chapter 6 - The Speaker and the Reader: A Dialogue The Model Poem
The Explication
Exercises for Students
The Modeling Exercise
Chapter 7 - Narrative Poetry—Poems that Tell Stories Terms Used in This Chapter
The Model Poem
The Explication
Exercises for Students
The Model Exercise
Alternate Model Poem
The Explication
Alternate Model Exercise
Sample Student PoemsChapter 8 - Communicating Emotional Truths and Avoiding Melodrama
Terms Used in This Chapter
Model Poem
The Explication
Exercises for Students
The Model Exercise
Sample Student Poems
Chapter 9 - Writing in Other Voices
Terms Used in This Chapter
The Model Poem
The Explication
Exercises for Students
The Model Exercise
The Alternate Model Poem
Alternate Model Exercise
Sample Student Poems
Chapter 10 - Sound Devices Terms Used in This Chapter
The Model Poem
The Explication
Exercises for Students
The Model Exercise
Sample Student Poems
Chapter 11 – Punctuation – A Surprisingly Creative Tool
Terms Used in This Chapter
The Model Poem
The Explication
Exercises for Students
The Model Exercise
Sample Student Poems
Chapter 12 – Effective Titles—Hints at Theme
The Model Poem A
The Explication
The Model Poem B
The Explication
Exercises for Students
The Model Exercise
Sample Student Poems
Chapter 13 – Nature as Muse
Terms Used in This Chapter
The Model Poem
The Explication
The Model Exercise
Exercises for Students
The Model Exercise
Sample Student Poems
Chapter 14 - The Prose Poem: A Revelatory Form
Terms Used in This Chapter
The Model Poem
The Explication
Model Poem B
The Explication
Exercises for Students
The Model Exercise
Alternate Model Exercise
Sample Student Poems
Chapter 15 – Writing in Various Forms
Terms Used in This Chapter
Model Sonnets
The Villanelle
Model Villanelle
Exercises for Students
The Model Exercise
Sample Student Poems
Chapter 16 – Portfolios, Presentations, Aural Modeling, and Syllabi:
Portfolios
Literary Magazines
Aural Modeling
Syllabi and Other Types of Workshop Organization
Sample Syllabus
Displaying Portfolio Sharing
Alternate Week 16
Alternate Week 17: Celebration & Presentation

Editorial Reviews

I find this text smart in three important ways. First, since many young people think they can write poems worth hearing in spite of the fact they've never listened themselves, it stresses reading from the get-go. Second, it provides poems written by peers of the book's target audience in response to the authors' craft suggestions so students can model on the work of people their own age. Third and most importantly, the creators of this book are not only academics but also poets themselves, so not only can they teach; they personally know what they're doing- all of which makes this book a very fine addition to the genre.

Lola Haskins

A Heart's Craft: An Introduction to Reading, Writing, and Understanding Poetry is a remarkably versatile resource in that it is beneficial for writers and readers of various levels. Often in my teaching, a developmental writing student will surprise me with beautifully communicated images in his or her writing. This text is the perfect text to introduce such a beginning writer to his or her creative abilities and the poet who within. In addition, as a reading teacher, I also appreciate the clarity of the poetry explications. They are written in such a way as to eliminate much of the mystery, intimidation, and fear developmental readers usually experiences in their encounters with poetry.

Elizabeth Smith

Like most Creative Writing teachers, I have gone through more than one book on how to write poetry. Upon reading just a few lines fromA Heart's Craft: An Introduction to Reading, Writing, and Understanding Poetry, I was immediately engaged. I could tell Cassandra Robison and Suzanne Keyworth had the kind of prose that is both fluent and accessible, not to mention beautiful, which is rare for a how-to book. They touch on the seemingly small things, such as ellipses, to the obviously large ideas, like avoiding sentimentality, even in poems about love and loss. It doesn't surprise me that this pair of writers has written such an excellent book on poetry. I first met them at a conference where they held a workshop. My students attended their session on poetry, and came out with excited, eager eyes, ready to tackle the blank page once again.

Marta Magellan

This book provides educators with a roadmap for using the creative arts to heal emotional wounds and alter behaviors. It is groundbreaking in its use of poetry and other creative writings to do this. This is a book that can be effectively employed by educators and mental health practitioners alike.

Priscilla V. Barone