poetry book club: nick flynn’s poetry and memoir

I am a sucker for memoirs.
For me, the experience is similar to reading poetry. I can catch narrators at their most vulnerable and open, when pain or circumstance propels them to craft an indelible image, or in the case of memoir, narrative. When poets publish memoirs, I find myself comparing their subject matter between two [...]

Posted by Jessica on 08.07.2008 at 12:01 am// Tagged: Book Review, Jessica, Poetry Book Club , , , , , , , ,


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Read Write Poem is an online gathering place for those who love poetry — and for those who suspect that, with a little nurturing, they could grow to love poetry. Whether you are new to writing poetry or have been writing for years, you are welcome here. If you don’t write poetry but love to read and discuss it, this is also the place for you. Read more about the project.


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  • read write poem newsfeed

      "Adam Penna is on a roll. For nearly a decade, he’s written one poem every day, almost without fail. He writes for the love of poetry, believing that poems reveal truths that can easily be missed, and offer a way of connecting the universal human condition with individual experiences.

      Mr. Penna writes poetry because he believes it’s the best type of writing to distill the essence of a simple moment. Simply put, poems transform the ordinary into extraordinary, he said."

      Read the full article, which includes news about his *two* new books, published by different houses. "Success for an everyday poet" is written by Pat Rogers for The East Hampton Press & The Southampton.

      And visit Adam Penna's online poetry journal, Best Poem.

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      Have you visited The Page? It's a spot for gleaning bits of "poetry, essays, language, ideas."

      Cool content, and it looks good, too. Edited by Andrew Johnston, with contributions by Stephen Burt.

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      Dana and Jacob are at it again. If you are interested in learning more about The Seattle Poetry Brothel they are creating, visit My Gorgeous Somewhere for the scoop.

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      A new poem by Sean O'Brien, written in response to the latest phase of conflict between Israel and Hamas:

      Katyusha, Katyusha

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      One of our new participants, Lyn Hopper, will be using our writing prompts as a way to fulfill her personal challenge and be creative every day. Sound like something you'd like to do? I am sure you would be welcomed by Leah Piken Kolidas, the CED diva, into her creative fold.

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  • random
    poetry prompt

      A different word or phrase will appear here each time you visit the site or refresh the page. Your current prompt is — scenic drive

  • random
    collaborating tip

    Write a poem, then take out all the important words, leaving only blank spaces. Send it to one or more collaborators and have them fill in the blanks. All the variants could even be collected in a series.


  • random
    writing tip

    Visit an art gallery or museum (or even search on the Web) and find a painting of a person who intrigues you. Make up a history, a life story, or an event for that person and write a narrative poem about him or her.

  • random
    reading tip

    Many people give up on reading poetry because it’s too hard. But, after you read something difficult, you feel like you can conquer poetry. Quiz your fellow poets to find out what books they’ve found challenging: intellectually, emotionally, or stylistically and give it a try. You may find something that you like, even if you have to bring a long a dictionary, a box of tissues, or both!

  • random
    poetry quote

    I don’t know where the next poem is going to come from — a bit of language, an image, a mood, a recalled experience. Something sets off a train of associations and the poem begins. — Charles Simic