I've found this a marvellous book for getting ideas and planning writing. I work in the primary sector. The book helped me think differently about teaching poetry and helped my class write some great poems.

This guide to writing poetry uses examples from other poems and ideas of how to use them to inspire your own poetry. It is split into different sections, using different ideas for inspiration in each section.

However, I would not recommend this to my class, due to the inclusion of an offensive swear word fairly early on in the book.

Just brilliant! This book is so rich with creative prompts, I felt inspired straight away. It is ideal for anyone wanting to get into or develop skills in poetry, as well as for teachers who might want to get kids into creative writing activities. Even if you just want to keep your brain active.
I think the author has done an amazing job and the book is great value as there are hundreds of ideas, prompts and tips.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance digital copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

Absolutely brilliant book for encouraging anyone to write poetry. I have already bought a copy for my school library and English teachers have been very inspired by it. Written in a simple, non-patronising style and lots of examples from students. A must for any budding poet or teacher of poetry.

A lovely book that motivates and educates in a tidy well-written package that will make a great gift for a loved one or yourself if you're partial to the craft or want to take up a pandemic hobby.

All writers should read this, and all readers should too. It provides such relevant insight into the act of creativity that it will help anyone who is interested in expression, meaning and truth.

This book is a wonderful, interactive guide to making poems crammed with ideas that are immediate and easy to engage with. The format is interactive, encouraging readers to experiment and try techniques for themselves. Each chapter shows how exisiting poems can be used as a template to create your own work, a technique that creates more accessible space than a blank page. I was inspired to follow the example provided and search for my own. Highly recommended for readers of all experiences.

A wonderfully insightful book, encouraging people to write their own poetry.
I really did enjoy this book
I think that you should take a look
I do believe you'll be inspired
And it will get those synapses fired

Kate Clanchy has been teaching people to write poetry for more than twenty years. In this book, Kate uses other people’s poetry to inspire the reader to write their own poems.

This is an interesting book which emphasises how poetry is part of a conversation and encourages the reader to join in. I’ve followed Kate on Twitter for a while and enjoy reading her students’ poems which she shares. I dabbled with writing poetry as a teenager but over the years have built up too many inhibitions to write them anymore. But this book has given me many tips and inspiration to try again.

This book is great for people who want to write poetry for the first time and those who want to improve their techniques. I’d also recommend this book to anyone who would simply like to read a collection of beautiful poetry.

Thank you to NetGalley and Picador for the opportunity to read and review this title.

I liked the idea of this book. Having studied creative writing at university, I have a fondness for poetry - both writing and reading it.

I did enjoy reading it and ended up taking away some ideas, which Kate Clanchy puts across well through the book, one example being an exercise of writing definitions of concrete and abstract nouns to then inverting them, resulting in an unusual and very creative poem being written from them.

One element I didn’t enjoy so much was that – and I'm not sure whether it was the format in which I was reading the book (on my phone) – sentences seemed to cut off and move to the next line in odd places which did make for a slightly more difficult reading experience, but it didn't detract too much from the content.

One sentiment I particularly liked and related to was 'Editing poems is scary - often far scarier than writing them, because you actually have to read your own words!' - I feel most writers are able to empathise with this! There are numerous little tips and tricks for writing and rewriting pieces of poetry sprinkled throughout this book - like diamonds in a pool of gems.

Overall, some intriguing tips standing in line alongside some wonderful exemplar pieces by a variety of poets, which I likely otherwise would never have read. With such a wide range of processes and potential activities included, there is certain to be something which works for anyone looking to produce their own poetry.

This is a wonderfully simple and straightforward guide for anyone wanting to take their first step writing poetry.
Clanchy has made this feel so straightforward and easy to follow for anyone - no experience required. Not only does she collate some beautiful poems to enjoy reading, but she then guides you through step by step to create your own version, which is quite honestly the level I need as someone with zero confidence in their writing!
There is also plenty of education around language and the way we write in English, so it was fascinating to learn a little more! I would recommend this to anyone who wants to experiment with poetry with no pressure or expectation - Clanchy is just like a supportive and inspiring teacher who knows how to create her lessons for the lowest ability in the room!

I requested this book because I have always loved Kate Clanchy’s writing and wanted to see what she was saying.

This is an exciting book which aims to make poetry writing accessible to all by demystifying it. I love that she starts with ‘magic spells’ because ‘ almost nobody’ finds it easy to believe their experiences belong in a poem. Clanchy offers scaffolding to get writers started and I can see that the first task, to take from real life, could be attempted by writers of any age: ‘ nothing is too mundane for this poem’. Clanchy then breaks the task down line by line and writes with such confidence that it is impossible not to grab a pen and give it a go yourself!

Clanchy’s writing is persuasive and confidence-inspiring. She works hard to validate all experience and help individuals draw in their own perspectives to write. This book clearly encourages everyone to try writing their own poem; the emphasis is on ‘own’ - Clanchy goes to great lengths to include a wide range of voices in her book to make this act as widely accessible as possible.

I can imagine this book inspiring any mildly curious person to follow the instructions and write a poem. I can also see how useful this will be to teachers in the classroom and many of the activities in this book would translate into suitable lessons or creative writing opportunities; this is of no surprise, given Clanchy’s teaching background,

This is a fabulous book. It is instructive through it’s deconstruction of the myth that poems are difficult to write and understand. Buy it, read it, try it - you won’t be disappointed!

How to Grow Your Own poem was a book I was interested to read, as I follow Kate Clanchy on Twitter and love reading her students’ poems, but when I first opened it and saw that yes, it really is a book about how *you* can write poetry, rather than a book about how she’s taught her students to do that, I was less sure that I was the target reader. I write, but not really poetry (although I have dabbled.)

HOWEVER, once I started reading this, I finished it in less than 24 hours. Yes, I still think it’s intended mainly for people who want to try writing poetry, but lots of its insights would be relevant for other kinds of writer too, and I think even non-writers who just like reading poetry would find it an interesting read - so much so, that I’m contemplating buying a copy for my mum, who doesn’t write at all.

In short, highly recommended!

‘I believe that composing poem is a fundamental human activity...’ This book takes you by the hand and shows you how to write your own poem. Poetry is everywhere, and Kate Clanchy shows you where to find it, how to look for it. Full of practical exercises, it can be used and adapted to teach at different stages at school. However, it can be used by adults and it would be very useful for teachers who want to write their own mentor texts; writers-teachers. In fact, you will find so much in ‘How to grow your own poem’ that you need to savour it with care, and certainly revisit this book a few times. You are not only getting a book but also a guide into the world of poetry.

This book is a joy to read. As in Kate''s other titles her passion and commitment for the pupils she teaches is evident. Her skilled creative instruction allows their voices to be heard but more importantly this book will help many more pupils (and teachers) cultivate a self belief to rely on as they grow in their journey as budding poets. Pukeko@KiwiGrant21

This book is a gem: a two for one. While .the title encourages you to grow your own poem it also gives you the confidence to read poetry without the search for an enigmatic meaning. Rooted in the personal, Kate's voice encourages and gently cajoles you to take a chance. Great teachers give value to their student's voice and this book tells you that you have something worth saying. Importantly it is accessible, understated and hugely enjoyable. I have just added it to my students' recommended reading list. I can't wait to see what they do with this in their hands..

A goldmine for teachers; essential reading for budding poets.

Clanchy writes from that rarest of dual perspectives: that of a prizewinning writer with an Orwell Prize and an MBE for services to literature, AND of an experienced teacher of secondary English. The combination is unbeatable here in terms of providing practical strategies for building confidence to write stimulating poetry using the readily applicable structures and techniques of established poets. Clanchy provides dozens of wonderful poems as examples, each covering a different aspect of writing. Then she annotated these with useful (and usefully brief) guidance, before revealing the extraordinary poetic responses of her own students to the same stimuli.

I will be using this in my classroom, and encouraging my pupils to read it, for years to come. But it's also a wonderful resource for absolutely anyone wishing to write creatively.

With thanks to netgalley for an early copy in return for an honest review
What a fabulously warm and inviting book it's a real go to book that I can dip in and out of with many thanks I can highly recommend.