Overview

Crafting Poems and Stories is an inspiring new guide to creative writing. Comprehensive in its treatment of poetry and fiction, this book offers the features that students most often request, including concise definitions of basic terms of poetry and short fiction, focused discussion of craft, exciting literary models, and engaging hands-on exercises. It is an accessible guide that renders the material of introductory creative-writing courses more readily engaging, so that beginning writers can see greater progress reflected in their poems and short stories over the course of a single semester. Features: • Includes 60 poems and 9 complete stories, ranging from classic to contemporary • Each chapter includes craft-focused discussion questions and writing prompts and exercises • Includes appendices on workshopping poetry and fiction and on resources for writers seeking publication

Full Product Details

9781554814947

Table of Contents

Reviews

“There is so much to love about Crafting Poems and Stories, from the helpful overviews to the excellent exercises, the masterfully curated short stories and poems, the smart advice on revision, and the increasingly valuable information on workshopping and publishing. But what I love most is how Ethel Rackin demystifies the process of creative writing. The emphasis on poems and stories as something crafted, something that any student, regardless of age or experience, can create, makes imaginative writing far less intimidating and far more inviting. This inclusive book arms beginning writers with the tools to approach creative writing with a sense of belonging.” — Dean Rader, University of San Francisco “Crafting Poems and Stories by Ethel Rackin offers essential creative-writing foundations in a lively, streamlined, and welcoming volume. For those of us who teach in multiple genres, or even find ourselves creating works that dash or tiptoe between poem and story, Ethel Rackin’s text is particularly valuable, allowing these two genres to coexist harmoniously under one roof.” — Mary Biddinger, The University of Akron “Crafting Poems and Stories is everything I have been looking for in a new creative-writing text. The book is thorough, specific, diverse, and very accessible. The readings are stimulating and include not only canonical works but also many living authors from across the spectrum. I especially appreciate the craft questions and exercises, which are sure to inspire students to engage and grow. I can’t wait to put this book to work!” — Christopher Salerno, William Paterson University

There is so much to love about Crafting Poems and Stories, from the helpful overviews to the excellent exercises, the masterfully curated short stories and poems, the smart advice on revision, and the increasingly valuable information on workshopping and publishing. But what I love most is how Ethel Rackin demystifies the process of creative writing. The emphasis on poems and stories as something crafted, something that any student, regardless of age or experience, can create, makes imaginative writing far less intimidating and far more inviting. This inclusive book arms beginning writers with the tools to approach creative writing with a sense of belonging. -- Dean Rader, University of San Francisco Crafting Poems and Stories by Ethel Rackin offers essential creative-writing foundations in a lively, streamlined, and welcoming volume. For those of us who teach in multiple genres, or even find ourselves creating works that dash or tiptoe between poem and story, Ethel Rackin's text is particularly valuable, allowing these two genres to coexist harmoniously under one roof. -- Mary Biddinger, The University of Akron Crafting Poems and Stories is everything I have been looking for in a new creative-writing text. The book is thorough, specific, diverse, and very accessible. The readings are stimulating and include not only canonical works but also many living authors from across the spectrum. I especially appreciate the craft questions and exercises, which are sure to inspire students to engage and grow. I can't wait to put this book to work! -- Christopher Salerno, William Paterson University

Author Information

Ethel Rackin Professor of Language and Literature at Bucks County Community College, has been teaching creative writing for over twenty years. She is the author of the poetry collections The Forever Notes (Parlor Press, 2013), Go On (Parlor Press, 2016), Evening (Furniture Press, 2017), and In Time (Word Works Books, 2025). Her writing has appeared in The American Poetry Review, Colorado Review, Kenyon Review, New England Review, Poetry Daily, Poetry East, Verse Daily, and many other journals.

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