Poetry 101: Bits of Advice for Disinclined Readers of Verse

You may be more inclined to pick up a poem, thanks to the medium’s many benefits and inspirational power.

A detail from "Saint Ambrogio" by Rutilio Manetti. Public Domain

A close friend of mine always has a book going. Having now read all the novels of Jane Austen—she’s just finished “Mansfield Park”—she’s back on the sofa with her preferred histories, biographies, and travel books. Under a pseudonym, she’s even written a moving and sweet portrait of America and travel by rail, “The Train From Greenville.”

But she rarely reads poetry.