Gilbert - The Poets Cookbook: Details for over 50 forms, types of meter, structure, rhyme and over 100 writing exercises.

Dear fellow poet, welcome to The Poet's Cookbook.

First off, this isnt a book that is about how you should write poetry, it is a (hopefully) light-hearted and humorous approach which explores how you can write poetry. Im not into rules. I like experimenting and exploring ideas and if you allow me to be a little pretentious (thanks very much) I like the pursuit of creativity and believe that pursuit of creativity requires us to break free of some of the rules (for some reason this conjures up the image of Jack Bauer pursuing a terrorist) However, I do also think that we can learn from some of the rules, conventions and mechanics of different types of poetry no matter how much we think we know.

I think that the analogy of a cookbook is useful (hence the name of this book). If you have ever cooked a meal from a cookbook you will know that you don't have to follow the recipe exactly to reach a delicious result. The recipes are often simply a direction, it doesnt matter if you do things a bit differently, swap a few ingredients around. For instance if you were making a lasagne you may decide to use lamb mince instead of beef mince, you may not have any basil so instead you decide to use cumin and cinnamon, and you may be out of pasta sheets and so instead decide to use layers of grilled aubergine. The end result might not recognisably be a lasagne but by following the methods and directions you have created some other taste sensation (a delicious moussaka). However, if you were to go to the supermarket and just buy lamb mince, aubergine, tomatoes and cheese and then hit the kitchen with any knowledge of how cooking works then the likelihood is that you wont create something nearly as good.

I guess my point is this, if you look around for poetry, online, at open mic events, even in some books, often the instead of moussaka there is only cheesy lamb on a bed of aubergine and tomato mush. Which just isn't as good. And if you want to know why I don't think cheesy lamb on aubergine mush is good then you will see if you read the section in this book on free verse poetry.

Whether you are new to writing or whether you are a more experienced hand, I hope that there is something for everyone in this book, that it will be challenging and will help you to grow in your craft.