Chasing The Muse
Since 1987

An Exaltation of Forms: Contemporary Poets Celebrate the Diversity of Their Art

by Annie Ridley Crane Finch and Kathrine Lore Varnes

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An Exaltation of Forms

by Annie Ridley Crane Finch and Kathrine Lore Varnes

reviewed by Kristin LaTour

Stuck writing one kind of poem? Intrigued by other culture's poems? Can't figure out what kind of poem you’re reading or writing? This is the book for you. A collection of essays written on meters and forms by the poets who practice them, this book will get you excited about trying something new, or reading a new poet.

Part I covers meters, all of them. Never read a poem in hendecasyllabics? Here's where to find some. What to see if you can recall what iambic pentameter is? There are plenty of examples. Free verse is also covered, for the meter wary. Move on to different types of stanzas. Seen a quatrain lately? How about the Spanish Decima? Then Part III goes over "Received Forms" like limericks (not all start with the line "There once was a man from Nantucket"), Haiku, and very popular ghazal (pronounced huzzle, with a guttural intonation on the 'h'). More modern forms like hip-hop, prose poems, and the blues, are also included.

If you want to try your hand at something more traditional, the sonnet, sestina and triolet are also given chapters on their own. The final section moves into the more avante garde forms that have become known in contemporary poetry. Performance poetry, the list poem, and Billy's Collin’s invention of the paradelle are detailed. With well known poets such as Marilyn Hacker, X.J. Kennedy, Timothy Steele, Dana Gioia writing the essays, this is not just a book on forms, but also a look into what some poets love about poetry. Each chapter includes a sample of poems to illustrate the form, picked by the poets writing each chapter.

While not a book on how to write each type of poem, the explanation of how each form works and the sample poems lend themselves to self-teaching and experimentation. This is a great reference book as well a great inspiration when the creative well runs a little dry.

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Kristin LaTour has been a member of NWG since 2003 and recently finished an MFA in creative writing poetry. In addition to being a poet, she teaches English at Joliet Jr. College. Her writing philosophy is that one must practice writing just like a musical instrument. It takes time, patience, help, study and constant practice. And it also takes an appreciation for the craft. What musician doesn't listen to the music of others? What novelist doesn't like to read novels? Poets should be reading poetry by old masters and up-and-comers. Her poems have appeared in the journals Pearl, Rambunctious Review, and After Hours. Her chapbook, "Town Limits: Red Beaver Lake, Minnesota," is available from Pudding House Press with excerpts on her website.