Are you looking to learn how to write poetry? Fear not: you’re in the right place. This epic list of the 17 best books on writing poetry has you covered. Whether you’re looking for poetry books for beginners, the best poetry journals, or want to level up your poetry writing skills as an intermediate to advanced poet, these 17 essential books about learning poetry writing has something for everyone.
For more books on creative writing, be sure to check out Broke by Books’ list of the 20 + best books on creative writing.
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The 17 Best Books to Learn How to Write Poetry
Blackout Poetry Journal: Poetic Therapy by Kathryn Maloney
One of the most popular forms of poetry today is the art of blackout poetry, in which poets scratch or blackout text to reveal a poem in the words that remain. Get started with Kathryn Maloney’s Blackout Poetry Journal, which includes excerpts from random books in the public domain. This poetry writing journal is a great way to learn how to get started with writing blackout poetry. Start with the second book in the series for a variety of source texts to black out, rather than working with one full book.
How to read it: Purchase Blackout Poetry Journal on Amazon
The Complete Rhyming Dictionary by Clement Wood
A few years ago, I was working on a collection of children’s poetry. I loved exploring different rhyming poetic forms, like the limerick and the double dactyl. I purchased Clement Wood’s The Complete Rhyming Dictionary and was in good hands. This complete rhyming dictionary is a must-have for anyone writing rhyming poetry. What was so impressive was how comprehensive this dictionary was its depth, with over 60,000 entries, of obscure and popular words alike. You’ll easily be able to search by one-, two-, and three-syllable rhymes.
How to read it: Purchase The Complete Rhyming Dictionary on Amazon
The Everything Writing Poetry Book by Tina D. Eliopulos and Todd Scott Moffett
This comprehensive and easily approachable guide to writing poetry has all the knowledge you need to get started with writing poetry. You’ll learn how to write poetry, starting by getting up to speed with styles, structures, form, and expression. This unpretentious book about how to write poetry for beginners will have you penning verse in no time. I especially appreciate deep-dive chapters on the sound of poetry, poetic language, and meter. The Everything Writing Poetry Book packs a lot of instruction in one book and is definitely the equivalent of an intro to poetry writing course you’d get in college.
How to read it: Purchase The Everything Writing Poetry Book on Amazon
How to Write Poetry: A Guided Journal with Prompts by Christopher Salerno and Kelsea Habecker
There’s no better to get started with writing poetry than jumping in and getting your page dirty. In How to Write Poetry: A Guided Journal with Prompts, you’ll be taken through the process of writing poetry. This guided poetry journal pairs lessons on rhyme, meter, tone, persona, as well as movement-specific topics like protest poetry and object poetry, with practical prompts and space to test out what you’ve learned. By the time you’ve worked through this poetry writing workbook, you’ll be well on your way to being a poet.
How to read it: Purchase How to Write Poetry: A Guided Journal with Prompts on Amazon
A Little Book on Form by Robert Hass
This book is a little misleading. Yes, it’s a book on poetic form. But it’s by no means a “little book.” And you know what? That’s totally okay. I’m happy to learn how to write poetry with this guide to poetic form authored by the Pulitzer Prize-winning, National Book Award-winning and former U.S. Poet Laureate Robert Hass. And there’s definitely a lot of wisdom on writing poetry in this essential book on how to write poetry. You’ll learn the core poetic forms, from ones you’ve heard of, like sonnets, with more obscure forms like the ode, the elegy, and Georgic. Yes: this definitive book on form belongs in the library of any poet.
How to read it: Purchase A Little Book on Form on Amazon
Merriam-Webster’s Rhyming Dictionary by Merriam Webster
Writing rhyming poetry? Get all the words you need with Merriam-Webster’s Rhyming Dictionary. This comprehensive rhyming dictionary counts more than 70,000 rhyming words, as well as an alphabetical listing of rhyming sounds plus pronunciation for each entry. Brand names are also included for those looking to rhyme with proper nouns.
How to read it: Purchase Merriam-Webster’s Rhyming Dictionary
My Poetry Journal by Pretty Nifty Publishing
This poetry writing journal will teach you how to write poetry in a jiffy. My Poetry Journal contains 48 creative prompts about a variety of topics—from fairy tale characters to giving thanks to snowflakes—and plenty of blank space to get to work on converting your inspiration into poems. This poetry writing workbook is a great book for learning how to write poetry.
How to read it: Purchase My Poetry Journal on Amazon
One Poem A Day by Nadia Hayes
Poetry writing for beginners starts with making writing poems a daily habit. Get started with writing poetry with Nadia Hayes’ One Poem a Day. This poetry writing workbook includes creative prompts—like finishing a sonnet, filling in the blanks of a partially completed poem, penning haiku, and writing free verse—and plenty of space to scratch out your own poems.
How to read it: Purchase One Poem a Day on Amazon
The Poet’s Companion by Kim Addonizio and Dorianne Laux
This sacred text on how to write poetry was first published in 1997, but still, more than twenty years later, it remains a classic. Brief essays on poetry topics like simile and metaphor, voice and style, and repetition will launch you into becoming a confident poem, but its the chapters on the writing life and cultivating a core identity as a poet that make this book special. The Poet’s Companion also includes a long list of twenty-minute writing exercises for that extra spark of creativity.
How to read it: Purchase The Poet’s Companion on Amazon
A Poetry Handbook by Mary Oliver
Who better to teach you how to write poetry than legendary American poet Mary Oliver? Although Oliver died in 2019, her legacy lives long in her enduring brilliance, and in A Poetry Handbook, one of the best poetry writing books, beginning poets can glean some of Oliver’s wisdom. Though this book about learning how to write poetry is brief at just 130 pages, it’s chock full of priceless advice and instruction on how to write poetry for beginners. Oliver covers topics like how to read poems, sound, free verse, imagery, and the all-important revision. If I were to recommend just one book on poetry writing, it’d be Mary Oliver’s A Poetry Handbook.
How to read it: Purchase A Poetry Handbook on Amazon
Poetry: Tools & Techniques by John C. Goodwood
In John C. Goodwood’s Poetry: Tools & Techniques readers get all they need to know to write not just any old poetry, but good poetry. This book is definitely for poets who feel confident writing verse but want to level up their game a big way. Intermediate and advanced poets will learn a lot from Goodwood’s book, which covers topics like overusing common parts of speech, assonance and alliteration, punctuation, structuring a poem, and effective openings and effective closings. Poetry: Tools & Techniques has all the craft knowledge and instruction of a college seminar in writing poetry.
How to read it: Purchase Poetry: Tools & Techniques on Amazon
The Practicing Poet: Writing Beyond the Basics by Diane Lockward
Diane Lockward’s The Practicing Poet is a poetry writing guide for intermediate and advanced poets who want to level up their craft. Going beyond the basics of writing poetry, Lockward’s book is structured around ten sections each dedicated to key poetic concepts, like managing sentences and line breaks and perfecting tone, as well as big-concept lessons on finding new material, publishing, manuscript formatting, and even giving a reading.
How to read it: Purchase The Practicing Poet on Amazon
Smash Poetry Journal by Robert Lee Brewer
This poetry writing journal will help you on your way to learning how to write poetry. Containing 125 writing ideas to spark your creativity, ignite your inspiration, and explore yourself as a person and a poet, Smash Poetry Journal also contains mini lessons on writing poetry for beginners. Have writer’s block? Or just don’t know how to start a poem? Let the Smash Poetry Journal be your ticket to amplifying your creativity.
How to read it: Purchase Smash Poetry Journal on Amazon
Write a Collection of Poetry in a Year by MV Frankland
Want to compile your first collection of poetry? Then MV Frankland’s Write a Collection of Poetry in a Year is the right book for you. It might sound intimidating to craft a poetry collection in just a year, but Frankland walks you through it step by step, starting with writing, revising, and perfecting one poem a week. If you’re an ambitious poet who has your sights on publication, this book will help you get ready to share your poetry with others through a published collection. This book also contains useful information on the nitty-gritty’s of being a professional poet, covering topics like networking, creating an online platform, and publishing (traditional and independent).
How to read it: Purchase Write a Collection of Poetry in a Year on Amazon
Writing Haiku by Bruce Ross
One of the most popular poetic forms is the humble haiku. Even if you find writing a sestina or villanelle intimidating, you can surely manage a haiku. Get started on learning more about haiku with Bruce Ross’ Writing Haiku, your trusty guide to crafting effective haiku and related forms like tanka, renga, and haiga. You’ll come away having perfected your haiku poetry through examples, prompts, and exercises.
How to read it: Purchase Writing Haiku on Amazon
Writing Poetry: Creative and Critical Approaches by Chad Davison and Gregory Fraser
If you’d prefer a more collegiate approach for learning how to write poetry, check out Writing Poetry: Creative and Critical Approaches. One of the best poetry books for beginners, this book is not just about writing poetry, but how you analyze and appreciate poetry on a critical level. After getting my MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults, I definitely appreciate learning the craft of writing. And in Writing Poetry: Creative and Critical Approaches you’ll hone your craft wisdom that will make you not only a better reader of poetry, but a better poet overall.
How to read it: Purchase Writing Poetry: Creative and Critical Approaches on Amazon
Writing Poetry to Save Your Life by Maria Mazziotti Gillan
Our final book in this list of the best books on writing poetry is Maria Mazziotti Gillan’s Writing Poetry to Save Your Life. This poetry writing workbook is chock full of inspiring prompts and creative exercises that will make you do deep inner emotional work while also helping you hone your identity as a poet. The idea is to tap into cathartic expression that fuels the best poems and poets of all time.
