Download A Poet Talks About Creating Poetry

A Poet Talks About Creating
Poetry
To analyze author’s purpose and the
writing process
An Interview
Now that you are familiar with Gary Soto’s work,
what questions would you ask him in an
interview about his writing?
“Questions and Answers about Poetry”
Format: What are the hallmarks of publishing an
interview?
One student will read the interviewer parts and
another will read Soto’s responses.
Highlight parts of the text you find interesting or
enlightening boutr writing poetry.
What We Learned
Make a list of what Soto says about the craft of
writing a poem.
What other questions about poetry writing do
you have.
How might Soto answer those questions?
Revisit “Oranges” and “Seventh Grade”
Now that you are aware of how deliberate Soto
is about his craft, think about these two pieces.
He could have written “Oranges” as a short story
and “Seventh Grade” as a poem, but he
deliberately chose the genres he used.
What are the effects of his genre choices?
“Learning to Bargain”
What insights about writing poetry can you gain
from this poem?
What new information can
You add to your “Narrative
Poem” map?