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Bob Mee

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Review:

Writing Poetry - Matthew Sweeney & John Hartley Williams

Hodder Arnold, 338 Euston Road, London NW1 3BH
220 pages £8.99

For some time now, we’ve been directing writers towards this book. First published in 1997, it was re-released recently, and remains in our opinion a vital help for poets of all levels of experience. It’s especially helpful to those who don’t yet understand how the business side of things works, and is full of advice on what to expect and what not to expect, as well as some essential plain-talking. For example, the age-old but often-ignored advice to poets to read, not just write, is explained early in the book - and very well: “Just as it’s impossible to be a professional footballer if you never watch football matches, it’s impossible to write poems if you don’t read them.” I like, too, the use of the quote from Robert Frost: “Poetry is a
fresh look and a fresh listen,” which they use as the basis for the argument for poetry as a potent force in an ever-changing world, ever-changing language. Sweeney and Hartley Williams work off each other with questions, answers, explanations, and the result is a vibrant exploration of the craft and task of writing. They also manage to convey what, I guess, most of us feel: that this weird thing called poetry is enthralling, entrancing, elusive... and once it’s got you, it rarely lets you go.

Page(s) 53

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