Poetry: to write good poems, you must read good poems

Erato, the Muse of Poetry.

I’m not much for poetry—neither writing it nor reading it. I’ve spent my life, however, surrounded by people who do both. When I teach, almost every semester at least one student approaches me after class to ask if I’d read his or her poetry. While I do read their poetry, I explain that I am not qualified to judge whether a poem is good or not. Instead, I urge my students (and everyone else who wants to write poems) to read, read, read. There is a good resource for a variety of poetry as well as discussions on poems and poets. The Poetry International Web has poems in English, plus poems by non-English writers. The poems are translated when needed, and are also in the original language. Click on this link Poetry International Web for inspiration, and to hone your poetry-reading skills.