The Art Of series is a new line of books reinvigorating the practice
of craft and criticism. Each book will be a brief, witty, and useful
exploration of fiction, nonfiction, or poetry by a writer impassioned by
a singular craft issue. The Art Of volumes will provide a series of
sustained examinations of key but sometimes neglected aspects of
creative writing by some of contemporary literature's finest
practioners.
"Poetry is the sound of language organized in lines." James Longenbach
opens this provocative book with that essential statement. Through a
range of examples--from Shakespeare and Milton to Ashbery and
Glück--Longenbach describes the function of line in metered, rhymed,
syllabic, and free-verse poetry. The Art of the Poetic Line is a vital
new resource by one of America's most important critics and most
engaging poets.