Voice & Verse

My friend and mentor, the poet Peter Levitt, writes that "poetry is a conversation between strangers," and Lawrence Ferlinghetti wrote, "Poetry is the shortest distance between two people." I want to communicate to you the joys and discoveries I have made in my 60 years of teaching poetry, from kindergarten to graduate school. I hope that this book will open a few doors, suggest new projects and adventure-filled lessons, and perhaps introduce some of the strange and inspiring poets I have met along the way: a few in person, but mostly in the pages of their marvelous, inimitable volumes.I believe that one of the benefits of this book-and I hope it does not seem self-congratulatory to say so-is that it will introduce readers to many books they may not know or have heard of. My many years of reading, collecting, studying and teaching poetry have brought me into contact with wonderful resources and networks. For example, the late Stephen Berg, poet and co-founder of APR (American Poetry Review) became a friend, which led me to his excellent edition of poems and essays by 28 contemporary poets entitled "My Business is Circumference." This book, along with another I came across years ago edited by Anthony Ostroff (also a poet), entitled "The Contemporary Poet as Artist and Critic," will give readers an exciting introduction to the world of contemporary poetry. In both books, poets are also brilliant interpreters of other poets' work. Both of these books are virtually a course in themselves for anyone wanting to learn about the craft of poetry.Teaching poetry is certainly a highly individual and personal activity, but we can all learn from each other, so I offer this book to my fellow teachers, poets, and students of poetry in hopes that they might benefit from my adventures in this endlessly fascinating realm.Most of all, I hope you have fun reading this book. -Paul Cummins