What is Reddit's opinion of In the Palm of Your Hand: The Poet's Portable Workshop?

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Now, bear with me, but... studying poetry. Not just reading it. What's called "Close Reading" is much more studious and more beneficial, especially to a young poet. Read slowly and carefully, look beyond just the surface level of meaning. Identifying the tools, the methods, the craft that the poet utilizes, and learning why they did what they did. These things aren't intuitive, they take study, research, practice to pick up, where merely reading will not get you that further understanding of why the words are as effective as they are.

I often recommend the Kowit book "In the Palm of Your Hand: A Poet's Portable Workshop". It shows you the craft tools, and has you employ them in your own writing. Also reading poetry analysis from renowned poets and critics (not as much from joe schmoe on the internet). The good ones will explain why the poet did what they did in a way that will help you get more out of the poetry.

Also, actual workshops as others mentioned are very good for getting out of your own head. Because you of course know what you're trying to say, others only have the words on the page.

Here's a post I made for a young poet recently.

All that and I'd also recommend Steve Kowit's book In the Palm of Your Hand and/or the Dorianne Laux and Kim Addonizio book The Poet's Companion. Both are 'portable workshops' that show you aspects of craft, show you how some poets have used that aspect of craft, and gives you prompts for ways you might use that aspect.

Practice, read. Read, closely, and remember that there is only what is on the page.

Also don't skimp on concrete details. Poems are literally filled with stuff. Real things. Don't forget it and get caught up in ideas. When you're successful, the ideas are conveyed through things that others understand in a sensory manner.

And eventually, once that's second nature, you know what 'rules' are bendable, where you can break from conventions etc.

Mostly, when you read, do it both for pleasure, and critically.

Oh, and be aware of 'like' sounds. It's not just rhyme. Assonance is (one of) a poet's best friend(s).

I know it's not what you want to hear, but unless they're writing with a strong use of enjambment in there rhymed verse it probably is outdated. A few places to check out that support formal poetry would be like Poet Lore, Raintown Review, 32 Poems, Raleigh Review, Measure.

A good place to start is to have them check out Poetry 180. If their work seems like it'd fit in there cool, they're set to submit, but if in the context of Poetry180 the poems look archaic/outdated, I'd recommend they get a modern workshop anthology and learn what's being published right now. I recommend Steve Kowit's In the Palm of Your Hand: The Poet's Portable Workshop, or A Poet's Companion edited by Kim Addonizio and Dorianne Laux.

If they're not writing contemporary poetry there's no need to fret, it's an exciting time, a new journey is about to begin!

Don't worry about rules so much, and definitely don't worry about rhyme and meter. Read contemporary poetry. Poetry 180 is a good anthology to find other poets you like.

Steve Kowit's workshop book In the Palm of your Hand: A Poet's Portable Workshop is a good one because it teaches you craft using contemporary poems as examples, and has you try your hand at it while it's still fresh on your mind.

TL;DR not rules, general guidelines. If you wanna see how different contemporary poetry is, I can link a couple very, very different journals.

A couple things that'll definitely help.

1) Read Poetry 180, like, now. It's free online (from the Library of Congress), and very very good.

2) Get a 'workshop' anthology. The two I most highly recommend are Steve Kowit's <em>In the Palm of Your Hand: A Poet's Portable Workshop</em>, and Kim Addonizio/Dorianne Laux's The Poet's Companion: A Guide to the Pleasures of Writing Poetry. All of the 'anthologizing' poets are really really good (and are in Poetry 180, for that matter), and they are great teachers. I was lucky enough to have a couple classes with Steve Kowit and that man LOVED poetry. You can get either book used on Amazon for under $2 plus shipping, so if you can I'd recommend both.

3) If you're still digging it after the book and the online anthology, look into local community colleges and adult schools for an actual workshop. Definitely take other student's comments with a grain of salt, consider them seriously, but don't assume they're correct. They're just writers too, but getting insight from someone without knowing what your intentions are is incredibly helpful, as without the intentions that you know in your head, they're left just with what's on the page, and can help you bridge the gap between what you're trying to say and what a reader understand's from the words on the page.

That'll get you started, and by the time you're done with those steps you'll totally know how to self-start for the rest of your journey. It really is a lot of close reading once you learn the basics of craft. Observing the craft of others instead of just the stories they tell...

>I’m not looking for books on how to properly write poetry; the different styles, punctuation, line spacing, just the basics to start

I'm not exactly sure what is more basic than punctuation, but most good poetry writing books will have a lot of good poems and some analysis that showed why certain aspects are the way that they are, and why they are good.

In the Palm of Your Hand by Steve Kowit is a great accessible workshop book.

Also A Poet's Companion edited by Dorianne Laux and Kim Addonizio.

Both are great places to start. And I'd recommend reading through Poetry 180 which is free online, accessible and great. When you find poems you like search the poet and read more of their work.