Discovery of Poetry : A Field Guide to Reading and Writing Poems

The bestselling author of Under the Tuscan Sun brings poetry out of the classroom and into the homes of everyday readers. Before she fell in love with Tuscany, Frances Mayes fell in love with verse. After publishing five books of poetry and teaching creative writing for more than twenty-five years, Mayes is no stranger to the subject. In The Discovery of Poetry, an accessible "field guide" to reading and writing poetry, she shares her passion with readers. Beginning with basic terminology and techniques, from texture and sound to rhyme and repetition, Mayes shows how focusing on one aspect of a poem can help you to better understand, appreciate, and enjoy the reading and writing experience. In addition to many creative and helpful composition ideas, following each lyrical and lively discussion is a thoughtful selection of poems. With its wonderful anthology from Shakespeare to Jamaica Kinkaid, The Discovery of Poetry is an insightful, invaluable guide to what Mayes calls "the natural pleasures of language-a happiness we were born to have."

Frances Mayes is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Under the Tuscan Sun, Bella Tuscany, and In Tuscany, as well as five books of poetry, most recently Ex Voto. Until last year, she taught at San Francisco State University, where she was Chair of the Creative Writing Department. Mayes has published poems in the Atlantic Monthly, the Iowa Review, Ploughshares, Mother Jones, the New England Review, the Mississippi Review, and more. She divides her time between San Francisco and Cortona, Italy.