Naming the Unnameable

Book excerpt: Naming the Unnameable: An Approach to Poetry for the New Generation assembles a wide range of poetry from contemporary poets, along with history, advice, and guidance on the craft of poetry. Informed by a consideration to the psychology of invention, Michelle Bonczek Evory¿s writing philosophy emphasizes both spontaneity and discipline, teaching students how to capture the chaos in our memories, imagination, and bodies with language, and discovering ways to mold them into their own cosmos, sculpt them like clay on a page. Exercises aim to make writing a form of play in its early stages that gives way to more enriching insights through revision, embracing the writing of poetry as both a love of language and a tool that enables us to explore ourselves and understand the world. Naming the Unnameable promotes an understanding of poetry as a living art and provides ways for students to involve themselves in the growing contemporary poetry community that thrives in America today.