How to be a Poet

How to be a Poet combines advice and encouragement from experienced poets and editors in topical chapters, and is aimed at new and more established poets. There is plenty for everyone: how to write and edit poems, how to get published, performing live, and more, encouraging you to read, write and participate. How to be a Poet is the brainchild of poet Jo Bell and editor Jane Commane. As a natural follow-on to the 52 Project of 2014, this book aims to help poets taking the next step in developing, working and participating in the wider creative community as a writer.How to be a Poet combines practical advice and topical mini-essays that examine both the technical and creative dimensions of being a poet. It’s a no-nonsense manual where we’ve replaced the spanners with lots of ink, elbow grease and edits. At each step, we ask plenty of questions: what makes a poem tick over perfectly, how do we get it started when it stalls, and which warning lights should you never ignore?