10 Of Our Favorite Books On Writing

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During our online conversation, An Open Book, Cig Harvey and I mentioned some of our favorite books on writing – and promised to make more recommendations. Here’s a quick list containing some of our favorite books on writing.

Cig’s Picks

These are soulful books on the writing life.

Art and Fear
David Bayles & Ted Orland
.
Art Objects
Jeanette Winterson
.
Bird by Bird
Annie Lamott
.
On Writing
Stephen King
.

John Paul’s Picks

These are simple, straightforward, practical craft books covering a variety of genres.

Writing Tools
Roy Peter Clark
Pounds of wisdom from the man who started the writing program at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies (a journalism think tank). Add Essential to the title.

Brevity
David Galef
Solid quick overviews of a surprising variety of short forms. It takes its title seriously.

Method Writing
Jacks Grapes
Mix method acting with writing, get method writing. A unique system that will help anyone become a more compelling and authentic writer.

The Art Of Memoir
Mary Karr
A classic in this genre on how to make a memoir personal, gripping, and unsentimental.

Poem Crazy
Susan Wooldridge Goldsmith
Pure playful joy, it’s a writing book that may be more about creativity.

Handbook Of Poetic Forms
Ron Padgett
Form is a noun and a verb. This book expands a poet’s options.

Writing And Enjoying Haiku
Jane Reichold
One of the clearest classics about the most widely practiced form of poetry.
Like photography, it’s really easy to do and really hard to do well.

For more see 9 Great Books On Haiku Poetry.
View my conversation with Natalie Goldberg here.

Listen to me read my published creative nonfiction and poetry here.

Three Simple Lines / Natalie Goldberg & John Paul Caponigro

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Tuesday, May 24 – 6:00 to 7:00 pm MT – Online At The Santa Fe Workshops

Creativity Continues at Santa Fe Workshops when author Natalie Goldberg joins John Paul Caponigro for an intriguing conversation about how words make images and images make words. Natalie sets the tone and the stage for the evening by reading from her newest book, Three Simple Lines: A Writer’s Pilgrimage Into the Heart and Homeland of Haiku. Then John Paul and Natalie discuss the larger themes of how writing and perception are deeply intertwined and how writing can be both inspiring and useful for visual artists. The program finishes with a lively question and answer session — first between Natalie and John Paul and then open to all participants.

Natalie Goldberg, author of 16 books, including the bestselling Writing Down The Bones, a delightfully companionable exploration of writing as a practice of mindfulness. In Three Simple Lines, she highlights the history of haiku poetry, dating back to the seventeenth century; shows why masters such as Basho and Issa are so revered; discovers Chiyo-ni, an important woman haiku master; and provides insight into writing and reading haiku. A fellow seeker who travels to Japan to explore the birthplace of haiku, Goldberg revels in everything she encounters, including food and family, painting and fashion, frogs, and ponds. She also experiences and allows readers to share in the spontaneous and profound moments of enlightenment and awakening that haiku promises.

 

below – a comparison between Basho’s most famous haiku in Japanese and English

 

Recommended Reading On Haiku

Writing & Enjoying Haiku – Jane Reichold
If you only read one book on haiku, start here.
This is the book I occassionally give to my students.

Haiku – The Sacred Art – Margaret D McGee
An accessible western perspective on haiku as a spiritual practice

The Haiku Seasons – William R Higginson
Focuses on the importance of seasons in haiku
Written by one of the west’s great haiku scholars

Haiku: A Poet’s Guide
Paints a broad picture of the diverse practices within haiku
A classic by one of the west’s great scholars

The Haiku Handbook – William R Higginson and Penny Harter
A concise history
A classic by one of the west’s great scholars

A History Of Haiku / Vol 1 – R H Blyth
A History Of Haiku / Vol 2 – R H Blyth
An expansive history
A classic by one of the west’s great scholars

Ikigai And Other Japanese Words To Live By
Details Japanese words/concepts important to their culture’s philosophy/aesthetic
Not a book on haiku but includes haiku
Includes 28 photographs by Michael Kenna

Find Natalie Golberg’s new book Three Simple Lines here.

9 Great Books On Haiku Poetry

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Haiku_Recommended
Looking for books on great haiku poetry?
Here’s a list of books on haiku that I recommend.

Six on writing and enjoying haiku.

1   Writing and Enjoying Haiku: A Hands-on Guide by Jane Reichhold
2   Haiku: A Poet’s Guide by Lee Gurga
3   The Haiku Handbook: How to Write, Share, and Teach Haiku by William J. Higginson
4   The Haiku Seasons by William J. Higginson
5   How to Haiku: A Writer’s Guide to Haiku and Related Forms by Bruce Ross
6   The Heart of Haiku by Jane Hirshfield

Three outstanding collections of haiku; two historic and one contemporary.

7   The Sound of Water: Haiku by Basho, Buson, Issa, and Other Poets translated by Sam Hamill
8   The Classic Tradition of Haiku: An Anthology by Faubion Bowers
9   The Haiku Anthology edited by Cor van den Heuvel

 

Listen to my conversation with Natalie Goldberg here.

Find my haiku here.