To share your reaction on this item, open the Amazon app from the App Store or Google Play on your phone.

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

eBook features:
  • Highlight, take notes, and search in the book
  • In this edition, page numbers are just like the physical edition
You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

Poemcrazy: Freeing Your Life with Words 1st Pbk. Ed Edition, Kindle Edition

4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 244 ratings

Following the success of several recent inspirational and practical books for would-be writers, Poemcrazy is a perfect guide for everyone who ever wanted to write a poem but was afraid to try. Writing workshop leader Susan Wooldridge shows how to think, use one's senses, and practice exercises that will make poems more likely to happen.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Poemcrazy is the poetic analog to Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird or Natalie Goldberg's Writing Down the Bones, two classic works on how to forget that you "can't write" and just start the pen moving. Susan Wooldridge is a swimming instructor in the wide ocean of language, encouraging us to move ever farther from the shore, dive deep, and dance on the waves.

Review

“This is a wonderful book—smart, wide-eyed, joyful, helpful, inspiring. You’re going to love it, and love writing poetry more for having read it.”—Anne Lamott, author of Bird by Bird
 
“Wooldridge wants each of us to connect with our inner poet. Savvy . . . optimistic, warm, unpretentious.”—
San Francisco Chronicle
 
“Written with exuberance and great heart,
Poemcrazy is a collection of high-spirited meditations and strategies which provide both writing teachers and students a wealth of approaches to poetry.”—Wild Duck Review
 
Poemcrazy is, in its simplest sense, a book of ideas and techniques for people who teach poetry. But Wooldridge’s enthusiasm takes it into another realm, in which poetry is a state of mind, a way of being spiritual and powerful, a glimpse at the secrets of the inner self.”—Arizona Republic
 
“Jubilant . . . More than an instruction book for tapping the creative and beginning to write,
Poemcrazy is also about being alertly alive. It is a field guide to imagination.”—Chico News and Review
 

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B002QJZ9K4
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Crown; 1st Pbk. Ed edition (September 26, 2009)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 26, 2009
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 375 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 226 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 244 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Susan Wooldridge
Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read book recommendations and more.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
244 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers

Customers say

Customers find the book offers a refreshing approach to writing poetry. They enjoy the writing prompts and the author's passion for writing. The book inspires them to write more, providing great food for thought and capturing their attention from the start. Readers describe the book as enjoyable, lighthearted, and enjoyable to read. They also mention that the exercises in the book are fun and instill a childlike joy.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more
44 customers mention "Poetry"44 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's poetry. They find the writing prompts and Susan Wooldridge's writing style refreshing. The book inspires them to write more, with its gentle writing style and notes. It reads like a conversation with a friend and provides insights that readers can relate to.

"This book reads like a conversation with a friend and gave insights I could relate to and creative exercises." Read more

"...is a fitting title for Susan Wooldridge's delightful, liberating book on the writing of poems and the teaching of writing poetry...." Read more

"...It’s a beautiful and gentle guide towards writing. Such a treasure! It should be required reading in all schools. A treasure to foster creativity." Read more

"...I like Wooldridge's writing style very much; I would describe it as gentle, casual and very clear...." Read more

42 customers mention "Inspiration"42 positive0 negative

Customers find the book inspiring and engaging. They appreciate the creative exercises and stories that keep them captivated. The author's ideas help readers see the world in new ways and provide encouragement for beginners. The book is especially interesting for educators and people interested in writing.

"...with a friend and gave insights I could relate to and creative exercises." Read more

"This book changed my life. Within the first few lines, my creative mind began to salivate. It gave me permission to call myself a writer...." Read more

"...a couple of good ideas and exercises and a lot of filler, this one is rich and inspiring from cover to cover." Read more

"...All the chapters are either short or very short. I found that very refreshing, like sips of cool water. Take a small drink, stop and think...." Read more

33 customers mention "Enjoyment"33 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's light-hearted approach to writing poetry. They find it a pleasant read, good for beginners, and full of encouraging stories. The memoir is part writing manual, part muse, and readers appreciate the personal reminiscences. However, some feel there was not enough writing practice at the end.

"...An outstanding book for writers! Some of my favorite passages from the book: "Poems arrive...." Read more

"...It’s captivating and so creative! Part memoir, part writing manual, part muse. I have re-read it so many times, the pages are worn...." Read more

"...Delicious!" Read more

"...This book is also autobiographical and I recommend it." Read more

8 customers mention "Fun"8 positive0 negative

Customers enjoy the book's fun activities. They find it interesting to think about words and how they affect us. The book provides great ideas for group games that instill a childlike joy. It also offers exercises to stimulate creativity.

"...Her book is full of fun and, for me, fruitful poetry exercises...." Read more

"...There are some fun ideas for group games. Also if you teach there are some good suggestions for poetry exercises...." Read more

"...Through her insights, poetic prose, gentle encouragement, and fun exercises, Susan Wooldridge brings out the poet in all of us...." Read more

"...Every word and idea she shares is inspiring, down-to-earth, and really fun...." Read more

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2024
    This book reads like a conversation with a friend and gave insights I could relate to and creative exercises.
  • Reviewed in the United States on December 28, 2005
    "Poemcrazy: Freeing Your Life With Words" is a fitting title for Susan Wooldridge's delightful, liberating book on the writing of poems and the teaching of writing poetry. More than a poet, Susan Wooldridge is an amazing poetry teacher. Her book is full of fun and, for me, fruitful poetry exercises. Above all else, her book cultivates a sense of play in the writing of poems.

    In order to reach a "poem-drenched state of mind," Wooldridge advocates tapping into one's unconscious mind. To this end, Wooldridge recommends keeping a notebook by your bed to jot down details from your dreams before you forget them. I actually tried this, but my groggy morning-self kept forgetting to write about my dreams before they evaporated. What did work well for me, however was her suggestion of writing interesting words down on bits of paper, then picking handfuls of words out of a "wordpool" to sort into poems. Sometimes, the desire to be a good poet can be stifling. Wooldridge's free-spirited approach to poetry gave me license to write with a playful heart.

    Wooldridge's teaching philosophy is summarized quite well in her introduction: "in a safe, free setting anyone of any age can gather words, play with language and write poems." (xii) I love her non-elitist attitude. It is all too common for published poets and poetry critics to complain about the excessive amount of "talentless" amateur poets. I believe that anyone interested in writing poems should be encouraged to do so . . . and be given a copy of "Poemcrazy".
    13 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on September 16, 2024
    I love this book so much I read it every time I need inspiration to get my own creative juices flowing. An outstanding book for writers!

    Some of my favorite passages from the book:

    "Poems arrive. They hide in feelings and images, in weeds and delivery vans, daring us to notice and give them form with our words."

    "Dozens of swallows were lined up this morning like plump clothespins on the power lines."

    "The language and form of a poem creates a blue bubble I can float into the world as if my secrets are in an impenetrable container with boundaries, yet see-through like a bottle."

    "Too bad life is written in pen. If it were written in pencil we could erase our mistakes and try again."
  • Reviewed in the United States on July 1, 2022
    This book changed my life. Within the first few lines, my creative mind began to salivate. It gave me permission to call myself a writer. It’s captivating and so creative! Part memoir, part writing manual, part muse. I have re-read it so many times, the pages are worn. It’s a beautiful and gentle guide towards writing. Such a treasure! It should be required reading in all schools. A treasure to foster creativity.
    4 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on August 9, 2006
    I am an artist who facilitates creative process groups so I've read or browsed dozens of books on writing and creativity. This is one of the best. Written by someone who is clearly a talented artist herself, this book stimulated my own creativity. Unlike other books that have a couple of good ideas and exercises and a lot of filler, this one is rich and inspiring from cover to cover.
    7 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on August 8, 2024
    Step into, out of & through your shadow into the Land of Words. Hear & listen to Susan's word love while she shows you how to create & love your own place/space of "words, scribbles, drawings, & pasted-in pictures."
    Delicious!
  • Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2005
    Reading this book was soothing to my spirit, calming, a balm.

    I like Wooldridge's writing style very much; I would describe it as gentle, casual and very clear.

    I love how she consistently makes references to the outdoors, nature and the pastoral way of living throughout.

    Within its pages you will become acquainted with such things as: wordpools, word tickets and the image angel.

    The book is divided into 5 sections; each section averages right around 10 to 12 chapters. All the chapters are either short or very short. I found that very refreshing, like sips of cool water. Take a small drink, stop and think. Take another sip... At the end of most chapters there is a "Practice" which is nothing more than a simple non-threatening creative exercise or suggestion; they are genuinely good ideas in my opinion, practical and clear.

    I think that the overall message from the author is that poetry is freedom when all the restrictions are removed and when you allow yourself to look for poems everywhere, because that's where they are, everywhere.

    I recommend this book without any reservations.
    62 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2014
    Well, as one who has practiced and taught poetry, though this book offers a take on encouraging writing poetry, it isn't anything I would regard as a serious book about writing poetry. It is a series of exercises but I'm not sure the muscles that need strengthening are put to any real test. To tell you the truth, I fell asleep reading it. Want to learn how to write poetry? Read it. I suggest a very good poetry anthology. I suggest "The Poetry Anthology, 1912-1977, Sixty Years of America's Most Distinguished Verse Magazine," though today's Poetry Magazine is certainly not yesterday's "Poetry." So pick up the edition edited by Daryl Hine and Joseph Parisi, or read a book of poems by William Stafford or Bert Meyers or Sara Teasdale or Elizabeth Bishop or Josephine Miles perhaps, or maybe just good old Walt Whitman. Yours very sincerely, Nicholas Campbell, author of "Here Lies 'the Selected Poems of' Nicholas Campbell."
    6 people found this helpful
    Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • Miss M Mc C
    5.0 out of 5 stars Good book
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on August 25, 2019
    Lovely, informative, interesting, positive, funny book.
  • A Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
    Reviewed in Australia on June 8, 2020
    Really great book for anyone interested in writing or reading poetry. I was enthralled being a big poetry fan. Marvellous suggestions on how to write poems in the chapters.
  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars I had been writing on and off for years and had taken a pretty extensive workshop some years ago but wanted to see ...
    Reviewed in Canada on March 6, 2016
    A few months ago, I decided to read some books about writing poetry with the hope of improving mine. I had been writing on and off for years and had taken a pretty extensive workshop some years before but wanted to see what other help was out there. With that in mind, I came across the excellent AllPoetry website and a whole pile of books that promised to teach me how to be a better poet. Among the books were The Poetry Home Repair Manual, Creating Poetry, A Poetry Handbook, In the Palm of your Hand and poemcrazy.

    If you are reading this review then chances are that you want to become a better poet and could benefit from a comparison of the books listed above. Here is mine.

    A Poetry Handbook – I am glad I have this book in my life. It gives me Mary Oliver whose character seems to inspire on its own. I don't think I will be re-reading it any time soon but, looking back at some of the choices that I've made since I've read it, I can say that it has already changed my life in very concrete ways. The greatest lesson here is that poetry is a relationship and requires deep commitment. This book is a must.

    Creating Poetry – if this was the only resource for poetry-writing technique, it would be sufficient. However, it is downright boring compared to all the other books listed here. Maybe its great, but I didn't feel like reading most of it when I had so many more engaging books to choose from.

    In the palm of your hand – this is the book that I would recommend to the beginner. It goes over a lot of important technical territory in an engaging and entertaining way. There is a section on 'bad poetry' and another on 'revision' – all aspiring poets should read these. Also, the poems given as examples inspire.

    The Poetry Home Repair Manual – I learned several important technical ideas from this book. It is worth reading for those. That said, I didn't find most of the poems cited as examples to be to my taste. This book did not inspire me very much but I'm glad I read it.

    poemcrazy is the least technical but most inspiring of all the books listed. Despite also being the shortest, it is the only one that I am still reading and, in some parts, re-reading. The author is essentially trying to teach you to live in ways that are likely to result in the appearance of poetry in your life. And you know what? It actually works. You could spend a week or a month experimenting with each of the fifty-odd brief chapters. Unlike all the other books listed, this one is playful. I am absolutely happy and grateful to have it around.
    2 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Diane Michell
    5.0 out of 5 stars A very inspiring book told by a poet who also ...
    Reviewed in Canada on August 22, 2015
    A very inspiring book told by a poet who also teaches and encourages people of all ages to use the power of words to further their life and their creativity.
  • Katherine Adlam
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great Book
    Reviewed in Canada on March 20, 2013
    I sat down and read this book right through. It is more an inspirational book on writing poetry rather than how to go about it. But I highly recommend it.

Report an issue


Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?