Poetry is the use of language to communicate something important to the reader.  A poem should be as much about the reader as the author.  This is what makes us want to read and understand poetry.

Poetry starts with a foundation that has been laid down by all the poets who came before us.  It isn’t necessary for each of us to re-invent it. Alan Ginsberg learned from Walt Whitman who learned from someone before him. The best place to start learning to write better poetry is to read good poetry.

Here are some links with useful and informative articles and some learning resources for poetry writing. I hope you can find something interesting and useful to you.

Charles Simic on writing poetry: “Don’t tell the readers what they already know about life.” Charles Simic is widely recognized as one of the most visceral and unique poets writing today. Simic’s work has won numerous awards, among them the 1990 Pulitzer Prize,  and appointment as U.S. Poet Laureate. Links to more poetry writing resources from the Library Of Congress can also be accessed here.

Tips from John Hewitt: Wisdom from the father of Ulster poetry.

Yale University: Engl310. This is the free online version of “Modern Poetry”, an undergraduate course taught by Yale’s Professor Langdon Hammer, chairman of the Department of English at Yale:

Poetry Magazine: Every issue of Poetry Magazine going back to 1912 including poems, essays, articles and biographies.

Poem Hunter: Find poems by the poet you’re looking for.

Understanding Poetry: Poetry is never just about the things it contains.

From Poetry-online.org: Covers various aspects of writing poetry from a ‘Quick Start’ to writing poetry and also the aims, the different terms and the various poetry forms.

Wikirhymer Rhyming Dictionary Rhymes in all forms: End rhymes, near rhymes, vowel rhymes.

Poets.org: Essays on the craft of writing poetry.”No one expects a man to make a chair without first learning how, but there is a popular impression that the poet is born, not made…” -Amy Lowell

Open Culture: Links to 425 fee courses from major universities, many on literature, classical studies, art, etc.

Poetry Magic:Resource center for the theory and craft of writing poetry.