Great book! Really enjoyed it. Still enjoying it actually, I dip into random chapters over breakfast most mornings just to kick-start my Juno :)
I'm forgetful and so need constant reminding about how to use line breaks, correct grammar, how to open doors in poems, how to use tricks like repetition and interruption. Ordinary genius has all of this and more and I love Addonizio's frank, straight-talking approach: ‘poetry is a bitch’ she says ‘ it wants your energy, your intelligence, your spirit, your time’.
It’s all about commitment to the craft which can take years of hard apprenticeship.
There are some great ideas for creative writing classes in here along with exercises that will stretch your beliefs as well as your imagination. There are in-depth discussions on metaphor, meter, redrafting and revision; close reading to learn from the experts and find your own poetic voice. As poets, we need to pay attention to the music of what happens, we are looking for the essence of the land and in this regard, awareness is everything, Addonizio reminds us that all we have to do is check-in with the evidence of the external world, it won’t ever fail us.
I’d strongly recommend this book to new and advanced writers of any genre, it’s about opening yourself up to the magic of words, letting yourself be inspired, trusting yourself and exploring the wonders of your own imagination. What can be more thrilling than discovering, tapping into and further nurturing your own creative self, your own poetic voice?
My only criticism is that Addonizio doesn’t go far enough, I was hoping for more lyrical secrets, more pearls of poetic wisdom, more shimmer as she calls it.