Annie Finch Livres

A spellbinding collection from one of America's most original and magical poets

Poet Annie Finch shares her lifelong passion for meter and scansion with poetry lovers and poets in this uniquely useful book. From the basic tools and fundamental 3 steps of scansion to the most complex metrical delights, How to Scan a Poem covers it all: accentual poems, anapests, trochees, iambs, dactyls, and more, with sample poems you can scan right in the book and explorations of the all-important connections between meter and meaning. The art of Deep Scansion you will learn here invites you to enter the poet's own voice, mind, and inner ear in the most intimate of ways. "Scansion is widely considered to be a way of thinking-and yet it is a way of hearing, a way of feeling, a way of listening, a way of dancing. Truly, scansion is a way of living." -Annie Finch

A woman's mythological journey unfolds through two intertwined narratives: a feminist epic poem and a dreamlike opera libretto. Guided by seven Goddesses, Marie/Lily confronts profound challenges including loss, rape, and abortion, ultimately discovering her community and spiritual strength. This work captures the essence of the goddesses within every woman, celebrating the transformative power of feminist spirituality.

This comprehensive and joyous celebration of metered verse brings together some of the best rhythmic lines in literature. After a century dominated by free verse, there is a new excitement about rediscovering poetry’s ancient musical and performative roots. Iambic pentameter is the most familiar meter for most readers, but it only scratches the surface of the extraordinary diversity of rhythmic patterns that poets have employed over the ages. That astonishing variety is fully explored in this one-of-a-kind anthology, packed with great poems that beg to be read aloud. Measure for Measure is organized by meter, with brief explanatory headnotes covering accentual meter, trochees, anapests, dactyls, iambs, ballad meter, and more exotic species like amphibrachs, dipodics, hendecasyllabics, sapphics, and more. The entrancing examples of each meter are drawn from a wide range of poetic traditions, from Ovid and Sappho to Shakespeare and Milton, encompassing the Romantics, the Victorians, ballads, folk songs, poets of the Harlem Renaissance, and modern-day poets. Whether performed aloud or enjoyed in silence, Measure for Measure is a treat for the ear, the heart, and the mind.

In this micro-book, acclaimed Poetry-Witch Annie Finch harvests her Spells, spun at the intersection of magic, word, and world. Celebrated for her extraordinary love and knowledge of poetic craft and commitment to female, earth-centered spirituality, Finch has created a haunting innovative voice and radically traditional aesthetic.