5 Lessons Learned from 7 Years of Writing Poetry

5 Lessons Learned from 7 Years of Writing Poetry

Welcome back, poets!  This will be my final post as a columnist for DIY MFA. This is a bittersweet departure for me, but I’m excited to begin another chapter of my life! It’s truly been an honor writing for you all and I thought I’d leave you with some of the lessons I’ve learned from… Read more »

The Poet’s Toolbox: Four Book Cover Design Trends

Welcome back, poets! Today I thought I’d do something different and talk about one of my favorite things—book cover design!  If you’re planning on traditionally publishing a full-length poetry collection or chapbook, you will typically work with a designer and the publisher to come up with a book cover design you’re all happy with. While… Read more »

The Poet’s Toolbox: Point of View

The Poet’s Toolbox: Point of View

“I like that clean cloth. I like that fog that came in. I think the fog must have come in sometime a long time before I did and never went out. I like that blue thing feeling. In life I’ve loved sun and field and pumpkin and have claimed in distress to hate blue things and have then been afraid it was a dark sin.” 

from “Blue Thing Feeling”

The Poet’s Toolbox: Revision Strategies

The Poet’s Toolbox: Revision Strategies

Welcome back, poets! For me, revision has always been the hardest part of writing poetry. Should I cut lines out or add them in? Is the final line strong enough, or would the poem be served better by ending earlier? Is my title doing enough work? And how in the world do I know when… Read more »

The Poet’s Toolbox: What is Poetry of Witness?

The Poet’s Toolbox: What is Poetry of Witness?

Welcome back, poets! In my last post, I talked about confessional poetry—a brief history, defining characteristics, and a couple exercises to get you started writing some confessional poetry of your own. Today, I’d like to talk about poetry of witness, a mode that I’d argue is a close cousin of the confessional (with some key… Read more »