Inside Out

Marjorie Maddox knows poetry. If I had to pick one book to introduce students to the joy of writing poems, this would be it. Maddox creates a book full of original poems to show us the inside out of every kind of poem you could ever want to write. I dare you to read a page or two without reaching for your pen and composing a poem of your own. From alliteration to sonnets and the villanelle, Marjorie Maddox makes metaphors meaningful and memorable.

-Charles Ghigna - FatherGoose(R)

It is clear that Marjorie Maddox loves poetry and loves her audience. The poems of the book-"How to Write a Villanelle," "How to Touch a Poem," to name two-illustrate the topics. For instance, "How to Touch a Poem" starts with "Forget distance or that anemic wave / you save for mere acquaintances and great aunts." Sometimes people may not write poetry because they don't know how to approach it, and Maddox removes the barriers. If you have ever thought about writing poetry and needed concrete tips, this is the book for you.

-Kim Bridgford, editor, Mezzo Cammin

Inside Out ... combines original poetry with inviting activities to guide young people in writing poetry themselves. More than two dozen inventive poems present key concepts, elements, and forms of poetry, each ... accessible and engaging. For example, her poem, "Simile Explains Metaphor," cleverly uses the teen-speak of "like" to illustrate how similes and metaphors work in just six lines. Puns, paradoxes, and alliteration, as well as clerihews, acrostics, and sonnets are all presented in pithy poems that provide a laser focus on the poetic element being introduced. Then Maddox offers nine in-depth "insider exercises" grounded in the previous poems with helpful steps and fun challenges for young writers. It's a unique combination of playful poems about poetry and crackerjack exercises for aspiring writers.

- Sylvia Vardell, author of Poetry Aloud Here! and co-editor of the Poetry Friday anthologies with Janet Wong