During my recent visit to a state poetry society's annual meeting, a man asked me how to write free verse. "What are the rules?" he … [Read More...]
How to Read a Poem
Poetry for life. Start here.
“ This will be the main textbook for the poetry unit from now on.”
—Tom Hunley
It started simply enough.
A book by Tania Runyan, about how to read a poem—based on the Billy Collins poem "Introduction to Poetry."
Then the stories started pouring in, and we listened with awe. Readers new to poetry, teachers, people who'd come late to poetry, they told us:
this book can change everything.
Let it change your classroom, your students, or your life.
“ This book will not sit on my shelf, but on my desk.”
—Lexanne Leonard
Creativity Secrets
Reading and writing poetry is a creative pursuit. Our book on creativity can help make you a better reader and writer of poems. Don’t miss it. Check out Spin: Taking Your Creativity to the Nth Degree.
More Teaching Tools
For librarians, teachers, group leaders: we have teaching tools that will make it easier for you to plan your poetry and writing programs, including prompts, infographics, poem analyses and a poets coloring book.
$1,000 Scholarship
We’re committed to helping people experience “poetry for life.” Poetry might already be part of your life, and if it is, then this scholarship might suit you. A one-time award of $1,000, you can use it to pursue any major.
Get Featured!
Do you have a story about How to Read a Poem? We want to hear it (and maybe feature it!). Tell us how it affected your personal journey with poems, or how you successfully used it in the classroom.Featured Posts
Nothing Gold Can Stay
As September flickers out like a candle, this line of poetry marches through my brain: "Nothing gold can stay." Yes, the line's from a famous Frost … [Read More...]
How to Read a Poem: Big Dirty Butterfly
My tween daughter blows through the kitchen. "Mom, we need to make papier mache worlds in social studies this week. Each kid needs to bring either a … [Read More...]