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This all-new book, by the co-author of Companion , invites you to discover and enjoy your poetic self.Inspired by the gratifying success of Companion , Kim Addonizio presents exciting new insights into the creative process, craft, and the lessons of her own creative subjects--love, loss, identity, community--are here, along with a heady variety of writing exercises (and innovative ways to use the Internet). Chapters on gender, race, and class challenge readers to explore their creative vision more deeply, Addonizio, hailed for her passionate, award-winning poetry, shares her breakthroughs and frustrations frankly, including samples of rejection slips. She offers not only encouragement but also a wealth of knowledge about form and structure, metaphor and rhythm, revision, and that elusive goal: publishing."Poetry is not a means to an end," Addonizio maintains, "but a continuing engagement with being alive." Her generous guide is for beginners and experienced poets, for groups and in the classroom--indeed for anyone eager to glimpse the angel of poetry.

Kim Addonizio is the author of five books of poetry and coauthor with Dorianne Laux of The Poet's Companion: A Guide to the Pleasures of Writing Poetry. A finalist for the National Book Award, Addonizio has also received a Guggenheim Fellowship, two NEA Fellowships, and a Pushcart Prize. Her other books include two novels from Simon Schuster. She lives in Oakland, California, and can be visited on the Web at www.kimaddonizio.com.