Matthew Zapruder Books

"In Why Poetry, award-winning poet Matthew Zapruder takes on what it is that poetry - and poetry alone - can do. Zapruder argues that the way we have been taught to read poetry is the very thing that prevents us from enjoying it. In lively, lilting prose, he shows us how that misunderstanding interferes with our direct experience of poetry and creates the sense of confusion or inadequacy that many of us feel when faced with it ... Anchored in poetic analysis and steered through Zapruder's personal experience of coming to the form, Why Poetry is engaging and conversational, even as it makes a passionate argument for the necessity of poetry in an age when information is constantly being mistaken for knowledge. While he provides a simple reading method for approaching poems and illuminates concepts like associative movement, metaphor, and negative capability, Zapruder explicitly confronts the obstacles that readers face when they encounter poetry to show us that poetry can be read, and enjoyed, by anyone"-- Provided by publisher

Highlighting the vibrancy of contemporary American poetry, this volume features seventy-five innovative poems selected by guest editor Matthew Zapruder. Known for his accessible and democratic approach, Zapruder curates works from a diverse range of print and online magazines, showcasing both well-known and emerging voices. Each poem is accompanied by insights from the poets, offering readers a deeper understanding of their creative processes and the themes that resonate in today's poetic landscape.