The Crafted Poem: A Step by Step Guide to Writing and Appreciation

David A. Kent teaches English at Centennial College and is the editor of
Christian Poetry in Canada.

In The Crafted Poem Susan Ioannou has reprinted her poetry columns published (1980-85) inthe Arts Scarborough Newsletter. Each section treats an aspect of the poetic process or the poetic product and provides an illustrative text by a contemporary poet. The book also includes a self-help section that contains practical advice on getting published — the hows and wheres. Ioannou’s premise is that poetry is a craft to be learned, and so she also offers techniques for stimulating the imagination as well as psychological counsel about how to cope with those inevitable rejection letters. While the book is undeniably helpful to the audience for which it is intended (aspiring young poets), its level is basic; it is a primer of good advice and sensible observations, a poet speaking to would-be poets. There are, of course, dangers to be advised of: too quickly resorting to a thesaurus (like the naive freshman English student), the praising of formulaic characteristics in verse, and the notion that inspiration (inducing “receptivity”) can actually be manufactured. Somehow, this compendium of helpful hints isall too typical a manifestation of consumerism, with its interest in tailoring products for the market. Too often, it seems, a little learning about poetry, however clearly and persuasively written, can be a dangerous thing.