The 3 Books That Actually Taught Me to Read Poetry

*Insert The Tortured Poets Department reference here.*

Hi, book friends.

Happy National Poetry Month! (And happy Taylor Swift release week — which is, remarkably, related. We are truly blessed.)

A lot of people struggle to feel satisfied reading poetry, myself included. It’s easy enough to appreciate poems on the surface, but doesn’t it always seem like there’s a whole hidden layer (or five) underneath? Surely I’m missing a bunch of wordplay and symbolism and clever line breaks and other genius techniques, right? It doesn’t help that I only had time for two or three English classes in college. None of them taught me how to read poetry.

So a few years ago, I decided it was time to teach myself.

I read three incredibly helpful books as part of this quest, and now I can’t stop giving them to anyone who shows an inkling of interest in the subject.

Without further ado, here they are. I recommend reading them in this order, too.

How to Read Poetry Like a Professor by Thomas C. Foster

Foster is a retired English professor whose classes were so beloved that his students begged him to write how-to books. He’s got quite a few published now (if you’re a non-English-major reader like me and haven’t read How to Read Literature Like a Professor, I recommend that one too), and they’re all joyful and funny and super approachable without being condescending or textbook-y. This was a fantastic entry point into the topic and gave me all the vocabulary I needed to move forward.

How a Poem Moves by Adam Sol

If I could only pick one of these three books, I think this is the one I’d shove into your hands the hardest. Sol is a Canadian-American poet and professor. After serving as a juror for the Griffin Poetry Prize, he wanted to a) spotlight some of the great poems that didn’t get chosen, and b) provide a “field guide” for folks who didn’t a lot of poetry so they could appreciate the form as much as he did. So he launched the How a Poem Moves blog (it’s still active, sort of — I stay subscribed for the occasional post), which eventually turned into this book.

And friends, it’s so helpful. He basically just gives you a poem to read and then deep-dives into all the cool things the poet does and shows you exactly how he read it. Over and over again. It’s like taking a class with him to get lots of poetry-reading practice, but without any homework. I loved it.

Don't Read Poetry: A Book about How to Read Poems by Stephanie Burt

This one is less of a how-to guide and more of an homage to the world of poetry, but it was a delight to read and helped break apart what could have become an over-focus on technique in my quest to understand poems. Stephanie Burt is a real expert, writing with a casual confidence that feels accessible but also makes it clear how much she loves the form and knows about the poetry world. Instead of talking about rhyme, then meter, then line breaks, etc, she examines poetry through murkier, more wiggly lenses: emotion, character, form, wisdom, and community. She uses excellent examples — classic and contemporary and everywhere in between — and examines them with care and clarity. I don’t recommend starting your journey here, but I definitely recommend including it on the itinerary!

And a bonus newsletter/podcast recommendation, for practice

Once you’re feeling a little more confident and ready for some practice, I love and highly recommend The Slowdown. Just pick your poem-consumption method — podcast (audio) or email newsletter (written) — and sneak one poem into your life every single day. The show has had a few different hosts over the years and is produced in partnership with The Poetry Foundation, and it’s always excellent.

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Tell me in the comments: How did you learn to read poetry, or how do you practice reading poetry now? Who are your favorite poets? Are you celebrating National Poetry Month in any special way?

As always, thanks for sharing your corner of the internet with me! It would mean a lot if you were to take a second to like this post.

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— Deedi (she/her)