Poetry Manuscripts: Resources for organizing a manuscript

There are lots of resources out there related to putting together a poetry manuscript, from articles on how to organize a manuscript, to classes and workshops that include manuscript review, to working one-on-one with a mentor. I thought it would be a good to idea to gather some of those resources together for those who are interested in such things. Below, you'll find a list of some books and articles that discuss how to organize a poetry manuscript. Next week, I'll provide a list of resources related to manuscript consultations.

[If you're ready to send out your first poetry manuscript and are looking to send them to contests, check out my post that lists 1st-book contests.]

PRINT BOOKS

"Ordering the Storm: How to Put Together a Book of Poems" by Susan Grimm


ONLINE BOOKS

Turning a Manuscript into a First Book by Alberto Ríos

• the chapter specifically related to organization is “2. Organization Strategies”

ON THE INTERNET

==Articles in a Series==

Kelli Russell Agodon of Two Sylvias Press has a four-part series of articles called "Compiling a Poetry Manuscript:"

• "Part 1 of Many" (an overview)
• "Part 2: Order"
• "Part 3: Sections - Yes or No"
• "Part 4: The Final Revisions"

Jeffrey Levine of Tupelo Press has a series of articles on the subject of organizing a manuscript. Here are the links as of Oct. 18, 2014:

• “On Making the Poetry Manuscript”
• “On Making the Poetry Manuscript — New and Improved, Part II”
• “On Making the Poetry Manuscript — New and Improved, Part III”
• “Sneak Preview of a Manuscript Making Throw Down”

==Individual Articles==

“On the Patchwork Approach to Piecing Together a Book” by Heather Christle

“Assembling a Poetry Collection” by Gerald Huml

“How to Order the Poems in a Manuscript” by Leeanne Quinn

"Notes from a First Round Reader" by Marilyn McCabe

“Putting Your Poetry in Order: The Mix-Tape Strategy” by Katrina Vandenberg

"Shaping a Collection of Poems" by Jamaal May

"Still Life with Book: On Ordering Your Poetry Manuscript" by Sandra Marchetti (guest post on Chloe Yelena Miller's blog)

“Thinking Like an Editor: How to Order Your Poetry Manuscript” by April Ossmann

"Trust Your Eye: On Ordering Poetry" by Sandra Beasley



[page last update 18-Jun-2015]