Writing Resources
Looking for inspiration? Then close your browser, get out into the world and find some, my friend! But, after you’ve found some, you can come back here for some ideas on what to do with it.
Poets to Read
Nothing is better for your own poetry than reading someone else’s. There are, of course, many excellent poets out there — but these poets are particularly special because (a) they have provided years of mentorship for many of us here in the Edmonton area; and (b) they have taken the time to share their thoughts on the craft with the rest of the world via their blogs/websites. Spend some time on their websites or (even better) with their poetry, and I promise it will renew your own work.
Books to Read
There is something to said for “craft” in poetry. And that something is said in these books. Links go to Audreys Books (a local Edmonton bookseller), but you can use the details to order these from your own local bookstore.
- Micha Archer’s Daniel Finds a Poem
- Marjorie Beaucage’s Leave Some for the Birds: Movements for Justice
- Kate Braid & Sandy Shreve’s In Fine Form: The Canadian Book of Form Poetry
- Natalie Goldberg’s Writing Down the Bones
- Susan Goldsmith Wooldridge’s poemcrazy
- Jane Hirschfield’s Ten Windows: How Great Poems Transform the World
- Alice Major’s Intersecting Sets: A Poet Looks at Science
Places to Go
Sometimes, you need to go where the people are to find the poems. Sometimes, you need to go where the people aren’t to find the poems. Sometimes, a place or a community can give your poem the natural habitat it needs to thrive. Here are some of the writerly places I have been fortunate enough to find myself.
Journals to Read
Canadian literary journals are the go-to for supporting poetry to get out there into the world. Read them, support them, and submit to them. For more journals, this list by CBC Books is a great reference.