Writers Books

When I leave San Quentin's death row, and I feel I am not qualified to carry the lessons I've learned, the truth I have seen, I read Asha's words and find strength. Her words are a gift to all of us, words I find myself reading again and again. Thank you, Asha. May you find continued courage to speak.

one line in the title poem for Audre Lorde: " "you left me there with / your head raised and still dreadlocked walking/ toward the beginnings of your death"

one poem: 4:15 a.m./ a jailhouse luv story: "in this institution that is rank with the bizarre & vicious oder of/ annihilation,/ we have only ourselves to hold up as light and possibility/ and i hold you up & i hold you in as/people tell me i am crazy,/loving you across barbed wire & time/ but i believe in our love because you struggle with me"

OK next poem your turn to pick.... as you can tell I love this poet.

I stumbled across Bendele during an Amazon.com search for new poets and ordered this book as a gift based only on the reviews. I feel SO lucky to have found it. Bendele writes raw, powerful, honest poetry that causes the reader to draw in a deep, sudden breath time and time again as each poem surprises and enlightens. Bendele says the things that need to be said, and she does it so well that her message is unforgettable and undeniable.

And the best thing? You may be reading her poetry silently to yourself, but it reads like it's being spoken aloud to a packed auditorium. As a reader you get the sense that you're on the edge of something big and brilliant - the end of denial, and the acknowledgment of survival and hope in a painful and unjust world.

Please, Ms. Bendele, more, more, more!

Asha Bandele is the Maya Angelou of my generation. I have read this book over a hundred times and have bought numerous copies for my friends (both men and women). Asha blesses each page with her truth and ability to express it so fluently. She gives back to all that are reaching out for a positive yet realistic voice.

Asha Bandele has a way with words. As always she calls us to dissect ourselves. To dig away at the surface in order to reach the core. Her words of poetry float over each page, and is able to attack the mind and force us to think. She is able to deliver and articulate what we think but so often afraid to say. She is the voice of my generation. A voice demanding to be heard.

This is not as advertised the most comprehensive selection of Kafka's writings ever published. But it is a very good selection , and includes some of the most important of the shorter work, the stories, the parables, the diary entries. The uncanny power of Kafka's writing is present line- by - line. And with this power is that tremendous suggestibility which seems to lend his work open to so many different kinds of interpretation.
One travels with Kafka very often into a strange world which resembles our own and may even provide at times a much deeper perspective of our own than we ordinarily have, but almost always too leaves us with a feeling of irresolution, of enigma, of what is often a terrifying beauty and strangeness .
Reading these samples one comes into contact with one of mankind's great literary geniuses. One can be grateful for this while at the same time understanding, that this particular genius, does not make our lives or our understanding of the world, any easier.

As a freshman, I had read The Metamorphosis in a course of basic English composition. How I wish I could take the day back! I was wrong, so wrong to force my Jungian dream analysis perspective onto my poor professor. In the autumn of my childhood, I was a two-bit psych major looking for a cheap thrill by Tuesday morning. I targeted Kafka like a teenager parallel parking a HumVee at his driver's license test. I argued with brazen naiveté that the spilled apple represented a mandala! Ok, so I wasn't a prodigy.

This time around, however, I decided to take Kafka literally--pardon the pun. Also, other personal writings packaged inside this volume are immensely helpful in refining my Metamorphosis road map. For instance, in the section heading "Selections From Letters To Felice", Kafka talked about his difficulty getting to sleep, writing long into the morning. In parenthesis he noted his demand for dreamless sleep. Metamorphosis may be nightmarish, but there is no merit to the dream hypothesis. The more I know about Kafka, e.g. his loathing of bureaucracy, the better equipped are we to make clear observations and intelligent interpretations of this complicated story.

The problem with understanding Metamorphosis is that it isn't formulaic. That doesn't mean we can't predict the Samsa family will succeed in coming together again after the unfortunate Gregor's death. It took us a long time to get to that point, and most of what was in between were frustrating obstacles. We have to ask why Kafka would treat his protagonist thusly, is his a sick mind? What he's trying to show us isn't of his own devising; Kafka's calling is equally unfortunate, for he had been called to the ungrateful duty of revealing the ugly side of industrial based culture.

Nobody cares for anybody else in this story, if they have no material economic use. If you are sick, your supervisor will appear at your doorstep at 7:00 in the morning, before you can get out of bed. Your immediate family will try, but eventually their patience and resources will also expire. The key to this story, I believe, is Gregor's younger sister.

This story is really about Grete, who was enthralled by her big brother Gregor, as baby sisters are known to be. Sniffle. Gregor's resemblance to an older brother fades, and little sister must learn now to take care of herself, which she does. I'm reminded of the Pink Floyd song See Saw, "she grows up for another boy, and he's down". Grete didn't exactly meet another boy, but she did grow up, and her big brother finally "bugged" her enough that she had to leave him.

Metamorphosis is the story of Grete growing up, and more interestingly, her growing into replacement part status in the cogs of industrialized Europe. She, too, dispatches Gregor with decisive haste, cutting her losses as cruelly as the three lodgers beg to sue Mr. Samsa, the senior, over Gregor's outrageous appearance. The irony of Metamorphosis occurs in the phenomenon of the "family tie". The magic and power of the family tie is diminished between Gregor and the other Samsas, until Gregor is free to die in order to prevent further devastation to his family. But the family tie was also the Samsa's salvation, prevailing in the end to give the Samsa's some ground on which to rebuild their lives together.

Finally, I see in Kafka's short prose writing, whether they are his stories or letters, elements used by Kurt Vonnegut, as exemplified in his Welcome to the Monkey House. This could be in the brevity of his stories, his common vernacular, absurd, imaginary elements. I wanted to say sci-fi, but I don't think it's so much science as it is Kafka or Vonnegut saying, "look, give me this one posit of nonsense, and I promise the rest of it will make sense".

I picked this up solely for the diverse spectrum of Kafka's writings that it covers, and it's really a pretty darn good sampling of the authors works. Most of the other reviewers have covered the book well, but there are a few important points I would like to stress with this:

The translation is not the outdated, biased, Willa & Edwin Muir translation. They were the original translators of Kafka into English, and were somewhat inclined to pigeonhole his works into their interpretation. I haven't had any qualms with the works as they are in here.

But I would recommend skipping Erich Heller's introduction if you haven't already read a lot of work on or by Kafka. Don't let this spoil the beauty of being able to feel out your own interpretation of the author as you read him. In fact, avoid all criticism and interpretation until you're looking specifically for something like that.

I would highly recommend, though, if you're looking for some perspective on what to consider when reading and interpreting this, the book (several different titles for several different publishers) Kafka/Introducing Kafka/R. Crumb's Kafka, a graphic-novel sort of history of Kafka and his work by Robert Crumb(!!) and David Zane Mairowitz. It's excellent and gives a fair perspective on the Kafka and his social/historical/psychological context.

Kafka has exerted tremendous influence on a great many writers and communities of writers around the world. Although most of his writing comes from a 10-year span of his life just before he died, the impact of that writing on literature, cinema and many other elements of our culture can't be denied.

He embodies a complex writer whom you'll either love or you'll hate. I picked up my copy of this edition back in 1990, and have kept it a part of my essential library ever since.

I'm well aware there are better translations, better editions, etc. out there from a Kafka scholar's perspective.

But for my purposes it's more than adequate as an encapsulation of the man's writings. This may be pure sentimentality on my part of course.

For anyone who wants to read more than the old standbys of the Metamorphosis and the Trial, and to see some great examples of Kafka's total work, this volume is a wonderful gateway.

Its size is particularly useful for travelers and the very sorts of people who might populate Kafka's world.

In particular, I rather like Poseidon.

This edition gets a very positive recommendation for first-time Kafka readers, and even those who have a little more experience with him.

Introduced to Kafka by a news section comparing American Military Tribunals for Afghani POW's to Kafka's work "the trial", provoked me to pick up a copy of The basic Kafka from the local library's annual book sale. Realizing that this book didn't have the story "the trial." I put it down for a few months, eventually picking it up again and reading the most enjoyable short stories I have ever read.

The highlights of this book are "The metamorpheses", "Josephine the Singer", and "The Hunger Artist" all of which contain a strong social statements in an almost surreal setting. The influence of existentialist thought on Kafka's writings, anyone interested in the application of existentialism on literature would be wise to begin here. Concise stories that are just as interesting as thought provoking.

There are also diary entries and letters for those who wish to delve into Kafka's personal life. I just skimmed through this section, but it was apparent he was a mysterious and intelligent man. This book is recommended to anyone whether their interest in modern schools of thought are high or not. Even if the stories dont exhibit a strong social messag, the stories themselves are interesting enough to carry you through this introductory book with ease.

Finally a decent book for young writers starting out. This book covers some of the more advanced techniques. Also don't forget to check out the second book in this collection. Containing even more of the great writing techniques featured in this book. This book will take your work to the next level. This book contains hundreds of tips and activities.[...].

Ever wished you could hire an expert to "fire up" your reluctant writers and get them excited about writing? "Be a Writer: Your Guide to the Writing Life" is the next best thing -- it's a self-help book written for tweens and teens and the author, Steve Peha, is the kid-friendly writing coach we've wished for.

Activity suggestions are sprinkled throughout the chapters, but this is not a textbook in the typical sense... think of it more as a paperbacked motivational writing seminar. This book is a great choice for students who are reluctant writers by nature. It could also be good therapy for students who have lost their excitement for writing after years of prescriptive school assignments (such as book reports and 5 paragraph essays). If your student is already a prolific writer, take a look at the next book in the series -- "Be a Better Writer" by Steve Peha.

-- homeschooling parent and "waitress" at[...]

This book is an excellent resource for writers at all levels. It reads a bit like a "Writing for Dummies" but even better. Fun and engaging. The tips, activities and examples are clearly identified and well-matched with chapter content. Each chapter begins with a list of things you need to know (if you decided not to read it) which gets the reader directly to the point.

It is recommended for 12 - 18 year-olds, but it is presented in such an engaging manner it could serve a much broader audience.

Looking for a jumpstart in your writing career, young writers? This simply written, clearly organized guide gives practical strategies to remove writers' block and focus your writing endeavors. Whether you are writing your first great novel, a memoir, an essay or a book review, the helpful tips and tricks presented here will take the anxiety out of getting started.
Particularly useful are the sections at the beginning of each Chapter entitled 10 Things You Need to Know Even if You Don't Read This Chapter. The young writers in our house have devoured this guide and received valuable inspiration and coaching.

TEN THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW EVEN IF YOU DON'T READ THIS CHAPTER - This is how each of the eleven chapters of "Be a Writer" begins. This valuable book will help bridge the gap between wanting to be a writer and actually Being a Writer. And I doubt that it will stop there, as you'll find this a handy reference guide that you can return to time and time again.

"Be a Writer" just about covers it all, from writing an essay - drafting, revising, editing - all the way through to tackling the task of writing your first novel. I found the second part of chapter 2: "Pre-Writing to be Writing" a very sound way for anyone to tap into their creative reserves. This is a practice that I've been faithful to since the beginning of my writing career, and it has yet to fail me. Better yet, Pre-Writing has been the precursor to each of my eight novels. - Mel Mathews - Author of LeRoi, Menopause Man, SamSara...

What this book is.... is a wonderful, interesting, and useful tome of unusual words. I won't try to impress readers with my literary pedigree on why I love this book but just give the facts. I needed a book to learn new words and increase my vocabulary.CHECK! I wanted a book that would give me words to allow me to better convey my understanding of subject matter like religion, language, and philosophy in an impressive and intelligent way. CHECK! I wanted a book to help me find the RIGHT word quickly and easily. CHECK! I wanted words that were accessible and useful, not archaic and esoteric words that impede and retard communication by their cryptic nature. CHECK! I wanted to know the proper pronunciation. CHECK! I wanted an index. CHECK! I wanted usage examples and word origins. CHECK! I wanted something small to read wherever. CHECK! And finally, I wanted a diversity of subject matter. CHECK!
I would also like to tell anyone thinking of buying this book to do so. I can now describe the world around me in quite impressive fashion. Seldom am I at a loss for words and this book is a part of the reason why. The hardcover edition is compact and attractive. Great job Mark.

To read Websters is to fall asleep. To read Miles Westley's dictionary is to be engaged and fascinated. This is a remarkable compilation. Consider the pages turned by the author to arrive at such a dictionary. A real treat to read or simply peruse.

I was lost in a thicket of verbiage, stumbling over vines of adverbs and lacerated by stinging nouns, trying to hack my way toward precisely the right word while writing something unspeakably boring. Then I found Miles Westley's "The Bibliophiles Dictionary" and I was saved.

But let us get something straight, right at the outset. This is not your average dictionary. It's not really even a reference work. It is a book built for browsing, for opening at random and sampling whatever happens to fall before your eyes. (It is, in that sense, excellent bathroom reading, but I digress.)

Like any good book about words the Bibliophile's Dictionary is idiosyncratic and weird, organized roughly into categories but adamantly analphabetic. In what other book can you find "Ursuline" (an order of nuns established in 1572 and devoted to the education of girls) in close proximity to "Knights of Columbus," or "Propinquity" (proximity) found so propinquitously near "Ultramontane" (of or relating to the Alps). There's no making sense of it, you just have to go with the flow.

Now, I do have some caveats. Chapter 5, for example, "The Lowly and Corrupt," features subsections named "Lustful," "Cowards and Moral Weaklings," "Drunk and Gorged," and "Lazy Slobs." This pretty much covers everyone I know, and I refuse to allow my friends to be denigrated in such callous fashion.

Still, I would say that the BD is easily the second best book I have read in the past 12 months. I am, of course, too modest to name the best book, given that I wrote it (Computer Privacy Annoyances, available on this very site and at fine bookstores everywhere). OK, maybe I'm not so modest.

Seriously, give this book a look. If you aspire to write, it belongs on your desk between Strunk and White's Elements of Style and Roget's Thesaurus. If you just love words, put it on your coffee table, or in the bath. You'll find it hard to put down.

I flip to a random page each night, absorb a few words that I never knew existed, and then attempt to casually incorporate them into my conversations with good friends the following day.

Viola - the reaction written across people's faces is worth every penny and then some. The furrowed eye brough, the wrinkled nose, the subtle tilt of the head, the raised chin, the sudden and incontrollable itch on the forehead, the fluttering of the eyelids, the deer in the headlights, that look of utter amazement and on and on.

I can't wait to try this out when the Hare Krishna's knock on my door.

Miles Westley's Bibliophile's Dictionary is another winner for aspiring writers; this offering a book of words and phrases which gather unusual phrases organized into specific categories such as myths and household objects. If you're seeking an atypical collection of words to amaze and puzzle - and to sprinkle liberally into tired writing to give it some spice - Bibliophile's Dictionary is for you, encouraging both browsing and reference.

My Dad read this book to me as a child many times. It's a special story. He bought me my own copy as a teenager and now I'm purchasing a copy for my two children. There are very few stories that tell the story of the old west from a bear's perspective. My 8 year old son went to Yellowstone last year and it offers even more meaning to him now. It's a wonderful book for young and old.

My grade two teacher read this book for the class many ,many years ago and it truly touched me. A bear cub who is orphaned at the hands of the human learns to cope and survive to one day exact his revenge on the hated human. The book is written through the eyes of the bear it seems and you can't help but feel his pain and rage as he struggles through life alone. Whab, the name of the bear, is taken advantage of as a cub and through life. As he grows and becomes more bitter and angry,he will at times meet up with his old enemies from the woodland and through his eyes they all seem so much smaller now. This book is not all anger and bitterness but has some very tender moments as well. As well as this book is written, I never imagined I could ever feel pity or sympathy for such a creature as a grizzly. Ernest Thompson seton is a gifted writer and I have passed this gift on to many friends and aquaintances over the years. If you are looking for a book that your children will pass on to thier children for generations ; get this book. D.Seguin Edmonton Canada

I was first introduced to Whab the grizzly bear & his adventures by my mother. Since then I have often read this book to myself, as a small child, as an adolescent & as a grown man. Over the years Whab has become a true friend & there is something comforting about how the grizzly overcomes the challenges he faces throughout his life. Perhaps his challenges are our challenges. I have read this book to my boys & in their classrooms many times & we have discussed lifes lessons as seen through the eyes of Whab. I often give this book to children & to adults as a present.

I haven't read it in decades. I'm buying a copy for my library - maybe I'll be able to read it to the grandkids - or vice versa :) A fairly short story about the life and death of a grizzly. What stands out in my mind after all these years is the way the aging process is made part of life. Probably best for the budding naturalist rather than those who think predation is a dirty word and all carnivores should be muzzled. A great philosophical work for those who want to teach some of Nature's ways to the young. Its a pretty transparent allegory of our lives. Deals (gently but clearly) with topics like death, fear, competition - winning and loosing. I'd say ages 8 to 13, best read together with your child. (At least the first time!) I also loved his Two Little Savages - about camping & the outdoors.

I first read this book as a kid in the 1950's. A neighbor loaned it to me. I was fascinated by it, the first time I had read a book devoted to one animal in a personified way. It still evokes exactly the same feelings now as it did then. While a pure scientist might object to how personified and dramatized it is, based on reading other books on bears and grizzlies in particular, it seems pretty fact-based to me. A reader might wonder where the book, essentially a chronology, is going, but it does build to the conclusion, which is not earth-shattering but as touching and emotional as it is simple. It really conveys many things that we humans can relate to and feel. I've given it to my oldest child to read, and will eventually give it to the others.

The book is an easy read, has a simple style, and really helps the reader picture how things look from the animals' perspective. Animals do have intelligence and emotions, recent learnings show that even sharks do, so this book is probably more relevant and true to life than when it was written.

I recommend it to readers from about age 10 to the oldest adult will all enjoy it and come away thinking and feeling in ways they didn't expect.

This is a truly outstanding product. Martha Alderson has done her homework! She has developed a system that will save any writer years of education via trial-and-error.

I have Martha Alderson's book and I've had private consultations with this awesome teacher. Yet, while writing my current novel, I had forgotten about the 7 secrets in creating great scenes that not only reveal the action and emotional plotlines but also enrich the story like a fine tapestry. I thought that since I had one novel published, I could craft the next one with ease. Wrong. In the Scene Tracker, Martha tells the viewer to write down the answers to her questions (about the protagonist), thus creating a profile, and refer to this profile when writing a scene. This one piece of advice alone is priceless. I've watched both the Plot Planner and the Scene Tracker; now I feel ready and energized to tackle the next rewrite. Thank you, Martha!

I had no idea I could do so much with my scenes until I purchased the Kit. I love the book, but am not always the greatest when it comes to learning new information through reading. I do much better at seeing things demonstrated.
This kit has it all. The book is a great reference, but the DVD is how I really grasped the concepts. One ah-ha moment after another.
I make copies of the Scene Tracker template from the CD and fill the information in as it comes to me. That way, when I'm ready to write, I have everything I need right there in front of me.
I'm much more eager to show up for my writing now and find I do not procrastinate like I used to, because I am no longer stumped with what to do next. Ideas are flowing like crazy.
What a gift.
Thank you.

The Scene Tracker Kit has taken my technique to new planes. It's an incredible tool that helped me determine where the holes were in my story and then maximize the impact of every scene by fine-tuning plot dynamics and character development. Highly recommended!

As a new writer the Scene Tracker Kit was just what I needed to get my story structured and completed! Before I got this kit I found myself frustrated, stumped, and well just not really enjoying my writing. Not anymore! This kit has saved me many many hours of rewrites, and frustration, with an easy to use system and very informative web site. There is also a free eZine that (monthly) continues to provide excellent tools and tips.
Martha Alderson's Scene Tracker Kit is a great gift of her writing wisdom, insight and powerful motivation skills that writers of all levels will benefit from. I will continue to reference this throughout my writing career. Thanks Martha!

Even when Ray Bradbury isn't writing, his friends and fans and disciples are writing about him. This book will give you a couple of hours of joy, and make you wish you had read all 500 of Bradbury's published works, seen all his movies and television productions, heard all his radio plays, seen his stage productions, heard all his recorded books and stories, attended all his lectures, seen all his media interviews. Once hooked on Bradbury, no-one goes into recovery. Ray Bradbury's works are written for future generations of optimal behaviorists who want to see the world and its people survive and thrive.

--Jim Reed, author, DAD'S TWEED COAT: SMALL WISDOMS HIDDEN COMFORTS UNEXPECTED JOYS. Learn more about Reed: jimreedbooks.com

This coffee table book is a must have for Bradbury fans. Full of pictures and illustrations of his various stories and books are interweaved with text written by friends and associates of Bradbury's throughout his professional carreer. The book spends a great deal of time on his personal correspondance with William Gaines (comic book publisher and later MAD magazine). The correspondance shows a literary master who was truly fond of comics,then considered a trash medium during the 1950's. The book also spends a good deal of time on notes by Francois Truffaut, the french cinema genious who filmed farhenheit 451. Bradbury is also shown as a man who loved Hollywood from the time he was a small boy. This book is a great addition to have, both for the written word and the beautiful artwork.

There's a point in this book where the author says "You have to be an amazing writer to inspire so many illustrations and paintings." And that's why Bradbury is so great. After reading a book like The Martian Chronicles, you can easily imagine what he was describing. And if you can draw or paint, you'll want to create those images on canvas.

That's why almost every piece of artwork in this book is so beautiful. Just take the Illustrated Man as an example. Each artist who was commissioned to create a cover for the book had the task of showing an almost-naked man covered in tattoos. But the tattoos had to show scenes from dozens of short stories. One artist made the Illustrated Man an obese, shirtless guy in a carnival sideshow. Another gave him technicolor cartoons across his back and shoulders, depicting roaring lions and men in spacesuits. The third image is the most famous --- a nude man with his back to the viewer, sitting, with all of the skin below his neck covered in images.

This approach is repeated throughout the book --- different artists interpret the most vivid images from Bradbury's best books and stories. Over a hundred paperback book covers are reproduced (including a few that I was obsessed with when I was ten years old), along with movie posters, paintings, movie stills, and comic book pages.

The text is just as good. This book serves as a biography of Ray Bradbury, tracing the arc of his career from science fiction author to short story writer for 'the slicks' to comic book writer, novelist, playwright, and screenwriter. Bradbury's relationship with EC comics is recounted through the correspondence between Bradbury and William Gaines. It's very interesting, especially when Bradbury catches Gaines stealing his stories and offers to write more for EC instead of suing.

If you're a Bradbury fan, you'll love this. It's the kind of book you'll pull off the shelf every month and flip through, just to marvel at all of the strange and beautiful images. If you don't know Bradbury's work, you'll still enjoy all of the artwork. Maybe the images will inspire you to read his books..

This treat of a book is unique in that it is not merely a collection of illustrations from Bradbury publications over the years, but seeks to document the whole spectrum of "visualizing" the rich prose of Mr. Bradbury, an almost impossible task! This includes films, stage productions, marginal doodles by Bradbury himself, books and films that inspired Bradbury in his early years, and much more - a rewardingly broad approach to crafting the book.
In addition wholeheartedly agreeing with the wonderful points noted by other reviewers, I would like to point out that the book features much rare material by Joseph Mugnaini, the definitive Bradbury artist, in the form of concept sketches for covers, stage backdrops, and some of the original paintings that inspired the Bradbury-Mugnaini partnership in the first place. The contribution of Mugnaini's works to Bradbury's success, as a visual carnival barker beckoning readers into Bradbury's world is tough to underestimate.
The book is beautifully printed, with one absolutely tragic exception - the reproduction of Charles Addams' original illustration for the story "Homecoming" is horrible! It is terribly blurry and there are some kind of liquid stains on the original work, which hung in the Bradbury home for many years. For comparison, look at the (reversed) reproduction used as the dust jacket for Bradbury's recent "From the Dust Returned" novel/collection. Just unfortunate that the one illustration botched - was the lone collaboration between two magnificent twentieth-century masters of the macabre. Still OVERWHELMINGLY worth owning however.

Now that Sam Weller's "The Bradbury Chronicles:the Life of Ray Bradbury" is selling like water at the bookshops,we'll see the importance of Jerry Weist's "BRADBURY,AN ILLUSTRATED LIFE,A JOURNEY TO METAPHOR".I didn't read yet Weller's book,but I know that Frederik Pohl didn't like it.I own a copy of "Bradbury,an illustrated life...", since it appeared.And I loved it.What a gorgeous "objet d'art"!The ailing Bradbury must be proud to have inspired a book as beautiful-and good-as this one.The text by Jerry Weist is well written,professional,competent.The Foreword,by Bradbury's archivist ,collector and friend,Donn Albright,is very informative about a few of Bradbury's illustrators.The Introduction,penned by Bradbury himself,is enlightening.
As an admirer of Science-Fiction illustration and collector of SF Memorabilia ,this work was a visual feast to my eyes ,taste and, sensibility.
Called my attention:firstly,the reproductions of book and magazine(AMAZING STORIES,WONDER STORIES QUARTERLY)covers,interior illustrations,movie stills and posters(the famous one-sheet poster for the silent "THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA" and the glorious six-sheet poster designed for William Cameron Menzies's/H.G.Wells's "THINGS TO COME")and the Sunday comic strips(TARZAN,BUCK ROGERS),that influenced Bradbury's visual taste and literary preferences.Secondly,the reproductions of publications(fanzines)like IMAGINATION and FUTURIA FANTASIA(with Bradbury as editor)that enriched his beginnings as a science-fiction fan ,nurturing his creative juices and his friendship with the future great illustrator Hannes Bok,plus the moving photos made when Ray was visiting New York City during the (First)1939 WORLD SCIENCE FICTION CONVENTION financed by his buddy Forrest J. Ackerman, or made in Los Angeles ,like the amazing photo showing a youthful Ray at a meeting of the Los Angeles Science Fiction Society(LASFS) in 1940,when nineteen-year-old Bradbury was just beginning his writing career.This photo is sensational because it shows us other famous(now)members of the LASFS:FORREST J. ACKERMAN,MOROJO,RAY HARRYHAUSEN,ARTHUR K. BARNES,EDWARD E. "DOC" SMITH,CHARLES HORNIG,ROBERT HEINLEIN(seated at the table,only his face showing).Also appearing in the photo :JACK WILLIAMSON and EDMOND HAMILTON(standing near the wall in the background).The other photograph that moved me was taken(circa 1946/47)probably in Los Angeles, too. In this one , Ray appears side by side with the couple EDMOND HAMILTON/LEIGH BRACKETT and with Hamilton's sister.Thirdly,I was enraptured by the exquisite beauty of the interior B&W drawings(Oh,the marvelous B&W drawings by HANNES BOK,LEE BROWN COYE,BORIS DELGOV, VIRGIL FINLAY&LAWRENCE STERN STEVENS) illustrating Bradbury's stories in pulp magazines ;the outstanding colour paintings printed as illustrations for Bradbury's stories in the 'slicks'(ESQUIRE,THE SATURDAY EVENING POST,COLLIER'S,and so on).His stories(for instance,"A Sound of Thunder","The Beast from 20000 Fathoms","The Illustrated Man" and "Mars is Heaven")were,then, interpreted by great artists like STANLEY MELTZOFF,REN WICKS,JAMES R. BINGHAM&JAMES BAMA;the futuristic cover designs for Hardcovers ,like GEORGE BARROWS'S Arkham House(American edition) and MICHAEL AYRTON'S Hamish Hamilton(British edition) cover designs for "DARK CARNIVAL",ARTHUR LIDOV'S cover illustration for "THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES"(1950)and JOSEPH MUGNAINI'S cover painting for the british edition(1963)of "SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES" ;the catching paperback's covers for the BANTAM edition of "THE MARTIAN CHRONICLES"(1951)and the BALLANTINE editions of "FARENHEIT 451" &"THE OCTOBER COUNTRY"(1953&1956 respectively,both JOSEPH MUGNAINI'S covers).Deserve special mention the series of JOSEPH MUGNAINI'S(1912-1992) litographs,preliminary watercolor sketches,original B&W drawings and paintings inspired by Bradbury's stories and books.The italian-born MUGNAINI was considered the best interpreter of Ray's dreams.
Finally,the chapter dealing with 'EC COMICS and Ray Bradbury:The Untold Story' is precious.Jerry Weist is in his terrain here.As he says in the opening of the chapter:"The story of how Ray Bradbury came to have his writing adapted by a small,energetic company named Entertaining Comics in the 1950's is now a legendary chapter of comics history".How very true this is.I was enchanted by fantastic reproductions of originals by FRANK FRAZETTA,AL WILLIAMSON,AL FELDSTEIN(his recreations are amazing).And it is always rewarding for me to admire the fabulous adaptations&splash-page arwork by the great WALLACE(WALLY)WOOD,a real genius of the comics.'Last,but not least' I was thrilled reading and seeing the archive of photos and Film Memorabilia reproduced.My favorites:the promotional photographs of Ray with the lovely Barbara Rush during the production of "IT CAME FROM OUTER SPACE"(Universal,1953);the Half-sheet &Insert posters & Window lobby card for the same film and the known(signed) One-sheet poster for "THE BEAST FROM 20.000 FATHOMS" .
Many years ago I saw "THE BEAST FROM 20.000 FATHOMS" at an old movie theatre in my home town.It was an unforgettable experience for me.A few years later ,I read the famous Bradbury's terrifying short story "MARS IS HEAVEN",the first yarn by this great writer that I read.I was definitely hooked.From then on I've been reading almost all his SF&Horror stories and a good number of his novels(novels?).
So,I love this book and I warmly recommend it.

I was only recently introduced to Harry Crews, but this memoir should be required prior to reading any of his compelling fiction. One does not need to know about Mr. Crews to enjoy his fiction, but to read this book first is to build an affinity for the author. His memories of southern Georgia during the great depression and war years are the most accurate in tone of any non-fiction that has come out of the South. He has been linked to Flannery O'Connor, but to me he seems to be a more existential William Faulkner.

Although this book is not a typical work by the literate master of the hard South, it is a testament to his talent. This book made me see and feel the life of a 6 year old dirt farmer in Bacon Co, Georgia, and also give some insight into the basis of characters in Crews' fictional works. This is one of the best quasi-memoirs ever written, and even has a slight belief in human goodness not seen in his other work. Mr. Crews' more typical works (such as Feast of Snakes or All We Need of Hell) are very good novels in their own right, yet Childhood stands apart and above all of his other books combined. If you read nothing else by Harry Crews (which is not a good idea--you should read many of his books), this is the one to choose.

I would suggest this book to anyone who has ever read anything published by Harry Crews; specifically to those who haven't read anything by him, but who are interested in this magnificent author. After reading it, I found myself wondering how Crews was able to escape childhood, much less become of the the greatest Southern authors since Faulkner. Truly a fantastic book that will stand the test of time and inevitably cast Crews as one of the greatest authors of the 20th century!

Several associations, as I was born in Bacon County in the unincorporated community of ScuffleTown.I have never written A review of a book before. I really enjoyed the book because of all the associations of the area of my birth. My qeestion in my review would be. "How does one get from Bacon County to becoming A Professor at the UF?"

I was assigned this book in a tutorial class on the "mind of the south" by a professor during my senior year of college. I was immediately drawn to the author's experiences with tenant farming; being the son of a mother whose own father was a farmer that oversaw several tenents to his own farming operation prior to, and shortly after WWII. Crew's accurate depection of tenant farmer life was valididated, to this reader at least, by his portrayal of an agricultural system that was difficult to not only rural agricultural African Americans, but their white supervisors. Crews has done a wonderful job of incorporating the distinctly southern phrases and dialogue of the rural, agrarian south. I though my own mother was the only person who pronounced "hurricane" as "harrakin". Charachters such as Willalee Bookatee and his family were strikingly similar to those poor blacks, and whites, described in my mother's stories of working in the tobacco fields of rural NC. This book will shed some much needed light on the fact that the hard-core, rural south is not so far removed from the remodeled "New South".

This book is more suited for one who has started writng poetry. There are numerous exercises which may discourage the novice.

At the same time it covers well all aspects of poetry. On reflection my original judgement may have been somewhat hasty.

A fun and easy-to-read introduction to poetry for anybody. A must for a beginning poet. There is something to chuckle about on every page, I wrote a poem about one:

Assignment No. 12

Read something that seems impossibly difficult.
John Drury, you say things so impossibly easy,
You may as well be a Zen teacher.

Do you care to explain what you meant,
Or shall I tie you to a chair and torture you
To get a confession out of you?

Wait, Billy Collins told us to waterski
And wave at your name on the shore.
I know it was an assignment, not a poem.
But you wrote it so poetically,
I won't bring out a hose to beat you
To find out what you really meant.

Anyway, that's why I love to write poems:
I can leave a line hanging in the air,
Without explaining why or what it means,
For readers to imagine and discover.

"The first line of any poem is a kind of door, an entrance into the rooms of the stanzas, an opening. There are many kinds of doors, some plain, some ornate..." ~John Drury

Creating Poetry is not a book, it is a muse disguised as pages of paper within a cover! I cannot express my appreciation enough for this beautiful gift. John Drury's wisdom and attention to detail is inspiring and the warmth with which he writes inspires you to write poem after poem.

You can literally read this book and compose poems instantly as the inspiration flows through you. I was amazed at how Creating Poetry invoked the muse so effectively! Most of my poems appear as a singular thought or moment and then the first sentence will keep repeating itself until I start writing, then a poem flows through the pen. Reading this book, you need to keep paper and pen nearby because poems will appear as if called from a never-ending well of creativity.

"Some poets do depend on a flash of inspiration, maybe a good first line, before they sit down to work...waiting is their discipline. Like all poets, they are constantly preparing for the poems they will write." ~ John Drury

John Drury explores a wide variety of poetic forms and teaches poets how to develop style and feeling that will be conveyed to the reader and enhance the experience. For a long time I wrote poems without knowing what I was doing. In fact, my first book of poems appeared so spontaneously, I had no idea I could even write poems.

One of the suggestions he gives in this book is to read lots of poems and to indulge in the experience of reading them frequently. I cannot agree more! He also talks about playing music while you write. These suggestions are all very helpful. Some of the brilliant ideas include thoughts on myths. You can put yourself into the story and write about yourself as a mythical creature or you could write a poem about a painting or sculpture. The main sections introduce you to:

Developing your poetic sensitivity
Learning the fundamental tools of poetry
Refining sight - image, metaphor, symbols, vision
Sensitizing yourself to the music of words - alliteration, assonance, rhyme, sound effects
Developing the rhythmic qualities that make poems sing
Understanding the basic units of which poems are made - visual shape, stanzas, lines
Taking advantage of poetic forms - Ballad, Haiku, Ode, Villanelle, Song, Pantoum
Becoming aware of fine nuances - tone, understatement, dramatic monologue
Opening to potential sources - love, dreams, chance, thinking, memory, journals
Things to write about - stories, people, occasions, modern life, objects, subjects
Appreciation for Life - history, science, music, myths, painting, photographs
Bringing each poem to completion - revision, omissions, endings

Reviewing poetry stirred my interest as I noticed similarities within the uniqueness of style. What was it that so captured me in some poems and drew me in deeper into a poet's world? How do poets create a connection of souls in just a few lines? Often what a poet needs is an idea and then the full experience appears.

This book inspired me to write poems about love, silence, cinnamon, bookshelves, reviewing, bubble baths, candles, travel, eternity, hunger, dreams, music, friendship, autumn, wolves, castles, plum blossoms and even a poem about ships in a sea of emotion.

Reading "Creating Poetry" will inspire you to the point where reading this book may in fact inspire you to write 50-70 poems! You can read a book and write your own book at the same time! I'm working on publishing the book this book inspired, but I keep writing more poems! Creating Poetry Creates Poets!

~The Rebecca Review

There are a few books in my personal library which I have acquired without really knowing the exact reasons for my ultimate decisions at the point of purchase. It could be the spur of the moment. Or something just grabs me. I really don't know.

This is one particular book (in fact, the only one of its genre, which I had bought) that fell under those impulses.

But there is something I am very sure of & that is, I am often fascinated by people who write literature, plays & poems, as well as the aesthetics of their creative work. I once heard this story from a government minister: "Math & Science give you the capability to build a gun. Literature & Poetry help you make the decision when to use it."

Neverthless, I took the trouble to read - & reread - this book on how to begin a poem. Through the hundreds of practical exercises to get going, I even invoked my muse & wrote a few short poems along the way. Not the best, but not bad for a beginner after all!

Personally, I really appreciate the author's constant encouragement: explore, practise, open yourself to all the potential sources of poetry - all around you & within you. I also like his beautiful presentation through twelve thematic chapters (each a self-contained unit), to name a few as follows:

- Preparing: developing your poetic sensitivity;
- Language: learning the fundamental tools of poetry & using them effectively;
- Sight: refining sight & insight to make your poetry come alive within themind's eye...& the heart's eye, too;
- Sound: sensitizing yourself to the music of words - both singly & in combination;
- Movement: developing the rhythmic qualities that make poems sing...& shout, match, croon & whisper;
- Voice: becoming aware of the fine nuances of how the words are said & connected, revealing each poem's implied speaker & "stance";
- Finishing: bringing each poem to successful completion;

As far as I am concerned, the author has also done a terrific job in addressing the imagery, metaphor & different methods of constructing & experimenting with new poetic forms.

On the whole, even though I cannot compare this book with others (this is the only one of its genre in my library & the only one I have perused), I would like to rank it with the highest marks.

Beginners and veteran poets alike are sure to find inspiration in this complete guide to writing poetry.

There is inspiration here in the form of exercises to invoke your muse, as well as practical advice on the "nuts and bolts" of writing and submitting your work.

Just about every aspect of writing poetry is covered, making this a wonderful resource for any poet.

I have shelves and shelves of books on writer's techniques, the writer's life, writer's dreams, writer's habits, overcoming writer's block, etc., etc., etc. They are on my shelves because after I read them, that's where I put them. Creativity Rules! does not share space with those books. It's on my desk next to my writing spiral. It's like a basic fiction writing class in which the author speaks in a soothing voice--low and encouraging. Each tiny lesson builds on the tiny lesson before it, and before you know it, you've got some ideas and then a sentence or two and then - what's this? - a story. If you've been dissatisfied with other how-to books, give this one a try. You'll be writing before you know what hit you.

No one writes like Vorhaus. His books are practical, funny, and they provide actionable techniques developed by professional working writers, not academics. I was feeling stuck and despairing before I revisited "Creativity Rules!" and now I'm back on track, generating ideas for characters, plots, etc. Vorhaus' genius lies in isolating techniques, breaking them down to small chunks that even a blockhead like me can understand. He then has you drill those chunks until you get fluent with them. Eminently useful and a pleasure to read. Not recommended for people who "would like to write someday"--this book is meant to be used by writers who write.

I recieved this book as a gift (Thank you, Raxum!) and from the first few minutes I worked from it, I was scribbling away.... not exactly "filling pages" yet, but writing SOMETHING. It's more than I've done in a long time.
The book is written in a style that makes sense and leaves me wanting to try out the ideas, to see if they WILL work for me.
Overall, I find it a great and fun book to work with.

I can't tell you how long I've been looking for this kind of information. All the theory I've read about stories seemed to make perfectly good sense until I sit down to actually write a solid story on my own. Then I suddenly start drowning in my own words, feeling often as though I am losing my mind (I'm not joking). This book holds all those insights and keys to good writing that have been eluding me for so long. And it's so simple! All I can say is bless this guy's soul for sharing this with the world. I cannot praise Vorhaus and his ridiculously simple book enough!

P.S. Another good book (especially for the intricacies of weaving a complex story) is Building Better Plots, by Robert Kernen.

"Creativity Rules" covers the fundamentals of writing compelling fiction and will absolutely unlock more of your creative potential. This book successfully teaches how to be more creative AND shows exactly how to flesh out the ideas into good stories.

John Vorhaus's books on writing are some of the only ones worth reading. Every writer owes it to himself and his readers to get this awesome tutorial.