Other books that might interest you

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  Writings on Writing

  May Sarton

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  May Sarton’s lifetime of work as a poet, novelist, and essayist inform these illuminating reflections on the creative life   In “The Book of Babylon,” May Sarton remarks that she is not a critic—except of her own work. The essay addresses questions that have haunted Sarton’s own creative practice, such as the concept of “tension in equilibrium”—balancing past and present, idea and image. She also cites poems written by others to describe the joy of writing and how we must give ourselves over to becoming the instruments of our art.   “The Design of a Novel” is about fiction writing—where ideas come from, how theme and character determine plot, the mistakes many fledgling authors make, and how and why the novel differs from the poem. Further texts examine the act of composing verse, one’s state of mind when writing poetry, the role of the unconscious, how revising is the loftiest form of creation, and how to keep growing as an artist. Throughout the collection, Sarton also warns about the dangers of trying to analyze the creative process too closely.   A book that doesn’t separate art from the artist’s life, Writings on Writing is filled with Sarton’s trademark imagery and insights, letting us know we’re in the hands of a master.

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  Learn Spanish for Beginners -...

  R.M. Lewis

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  FINALLY you are going to learn a 2nd language like you've always told yourself you would!
  
   
  There is no better place to start than the Spanish Beginner's Guide by Discover Language. This guide offers a comprehensive approach to the basics of the Spanish language. Learn Spanish for Beginners is a book for all kinds of learners, whether you are particularly interested in rules and spelling, or if you are trying to build on your vocabulary, this guide covers all of it.
  
   
  In this book you'll learn…
  
   
  •    ALL the beginner level vocabulary there is to know•    Basic greetings and other common Spanish expressions•    Past, present and future tense of verbs•    10 different types of pronouns and when/how to use them•    Rules for correct spelling and punctuation•    And Much More!
  
   
  Spanish is a beautiful language to learn and the 3rd most widely spoken language in the world. Learn Spanish for Beginners is a very good way to start learning because it highlights the often difficult parts of learning a new language and explains it so it can be understood more easily. We do our best by presenting all of the highly important details so the reader can best comprehends what he/she is doing.
  
   
  Audiobook is highly recommended as the most effective way of learning a new language.
  
   
  With almost half a billion (and growing) Spanish speakers in the world, there is no better time than right now to learn Spanish.

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  On Poetry and Craft - Selected...

  Theodore Roethke

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  "One of the virtues of good poetry is the fact that it irritates the mediocre." 
  Theodore Roethke was one of the most famous and outspoken poets and poetry teachers this country has ever known. In this volume of selected prose, Roethke articulates his commitments to imaginative possibilities, offers tender advice to young writers, and zings darts at stuffed shirts, lightweights and fools. 
  "Art is our defense against hysteria and death." 
  With the assistance of Roethke's widow, this volume has been edited to include the finest selections from out of print collections of prose and journal entries. Focused on the making and teaching of poetry,On Poetry and Craft will be prized in the classroom-and outrageous Roethke quotes will once again pepper our conversations. 
  "You must believe a poem is a holy thing, a good poem, that is." 
  Theodore Roethke was of an illustrious generation of poets which included Sexton, Plath, Lowell, Berryman, and like them he received nearly every major award in poetry, including the Pulitzer Prize and twice the National Book Award. In spite of his fame, he remained a legendary teacher, known for the care and attention he gave to his students, poets such as James Wright, Carolyn Kizer, Tess Gallagher, and Richard Hugo. Roethke died on August 1, 1963, while swimming in a friend's pool. 
  "But before I'm reduced to an absolute pulp by my own ambivalence, I must say goodbye. The old lion perisheth. Nymphs, I wish you the swoops of many fish. May your search for the abiding be forever furious." 
  On Poetry and Craft 
  I am overwhelmed by the beautiful disorder of poetry, the eternal virginity of words. 
  The poem, even a short time after being written, seems no miracle; unwritten, it seems something beyond the capacity of the gods. 
  We can't escape what we are, and I'm afraid many of my notions about verse (I haven't too many) have been conditioned by the fact that for nearly 25 years I've been trying to teach the young something about the nature of verse by writing it--and that with very little formal knowledge of the subject or previous instruction. So it's going to be lik

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  The 65 Practices of Moderately...

  Jeffrey Skinner

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  A private eye turned moderately successful poet leads readers on a satiric, hopeful tour of how to make a life in the arts, while still having a life. Revealing, hilarious, and peppered with sly takes on the ins and outs of contemporary American poetry (chapters include "The Silence of the Iambs," "The Revisionarium, Ask Dr. Frankenpoem," and "The Periodic Table of Poetic Elements"), Jeffrey Skinner offers advice, candor, and wit. 
  Revision is the process a poem endures to become its best self.Or, if you are the poet, you are the process a poem endures to become its best self.Endures because a first draft, like all other objects in the universe, has inertia and would prefer to stay where it is. The poet must not collaborate.Best self because the poem is more like a person than a thing, and does not strenuously object to personification.Yo, poem.But let's not get carried away. It's your poem and you can treat it as you wish; sweet talk it; push it around if that's what it takes. Alfred Hitchcock notoriously said of the actors in his movies, "They are cattle." 
  Jeffrey Skinner is the author of five books of poetry, most recently Salt Water Amnesia (Ausable Press, 2005). His poems have appeared in The New Yorker, The Atlantic, The Nation, The American Poetry Review, Poetry, BOMB, and The Paris Review, and his work has earned awards from the National Endowment for the Arts, The Ingram Merrill Foundation, and the Howard Foundation.

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  Hangeul: Korea's Unique Alphabet...

  Robert Koehler

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  Hangeul, the indigenous writing system of Korea, was promulgated in 1446. It is an ingenious system that utilizes modern and scientific linguistic theories and principles of Korean traditional culture to perfectly express the sounds of the Korean language. Crafted by some of the leading scholars of the age, including the brilliant King Sejong the Great, the alphabet has been widely lauded by scholars the world over for its advanced phonetic system and ease of use. Noted linguist Geoffrey Sampson, in his work Writing Systems: A Linguistic Introduction, even went as far as to say, "Whether or not it is ultimately the best of all conceivable scripts for Korean, Hangeul must unquestionably rank as one of the great intellectual achievements of humankind." 
  This work examines the unique characteristics of the Hangeul writing system and its impact on Korean society. The first chapter looks at why Hangeul is regarded by so many scholars as the world's preeminent writing system. The second chapter looks at the structure of the alphabet, examining the linguistic and philosophical concepts that underlie the system. The third chapter explains the historical process by which Hangeul was invented, while the fourth chapter provides an in-depth look at King Sejong the Great, the monarch widely credited with the creation of the writing system. The fifth chapter canvasses the subsequent development of the alphabet over the ensuing centuries and its impact on Korean culture and society, while the sixth chapter looks at how Hangeul has helped promote the use of information technology in Korea. The final chapter looks at how Hangeul inspires Korean culture and arts, including genres such as fashion and dance. 
  About the Series 
  This series, copublished by the Seoul Selection and the Korea Foundation, seeks to provide foreign readers with a fundamental knowledge of various aspects of Korean traditional culture. Much of the material is taken from KOREANA, the Korea Foundation's quarterly magazine on Korean arts and culture. The series is compiled and edited by Seoul Selection's editorial staff.

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