Poetica de Poetica by Joe Masi

Poetica de Poetica is an entertaining-yet-instructive journey through the basic elements of poetic craft: metaphor, free verse, analogy, and more. With skill and humor, Joe Masi invites us into his enjoyable poetry classroom, treating us to memorable examples of basic building blocks every poet should learn and know.

Praise for Poetica de Poetica:

"Poetica de Poetica is a delightful little primer for beginning poets that reminds me of Strunk and White's The Elements of Style in its humor, concision, and clarity. Masi gives the beginner not only useful advice but also examples that echo Elements of Style. Don't "Use weak nouns that hop along/on their adjective crutches//Clog a line's arteries/with passive verbs." Do "Pick nouns and verbs that require/no adjective, adverb hangers-on." I recommend Poetica de Poetica, not only for the poet just starting out, but also as a humorous reminder to the experienced poet who is perhaps getting too smug." ~Art Elser, author of A Death at Tollgate Creek and To See a World in a Grain of Sand.

"As the title implies, Joe Masi's Poetica de Poetica is both a series of poems about poetry—and a smart, savvy instruction manual on poetic craft. The poet deftly navigates an instructive journey through the basic elements of poetry, all while thoroughly entertaining the reader. At 88 years young, Joe possesses a remarkable, fresh voice—one distinguished by both his humor and poetic skill. Don't miss this one." ~Joy Roulier Sawyer author of Tongues of Men and Angels and Lifeguards

"Joe Masi is a brilliant wordsmith, Jack of all trades, and consummate humanist. His new Poetica de Poetica is a captivating synopsis dealing with the etiology of poetic inspiration and literary craftsmanship. It is a tight, succinctly written symphony of creative issues and inspirations, conducted deftly by Joe's inimitable insight and acumen. Highly recommended, even for non-poets." ~Thomas A. Myers, author of Cancer as an Opportunity

About the Poet:

Joe Masi was born in 1930 and grew up as a townie in Greenwich, CT. The recipient of a work scholarship to Princeton, he lettered in both football and track, and graduated with a degree in economics in 1952. In 1951, Joe was featured in a five-page spread in LIFE, which chronicled his career as a B-team quarterback, daily facing off against the No. 4 football team in the nation.

For many years, Joe worked as a management consultant for Deloitte, and in his retirement years has intently pursued honing his poetic craft. His work appears in such publications as Anti-Aging Articles, Baseball Bard, Evening Street, Poet's Haven, Trajectory, and WestWard Quarterly. His latest project is an unpublished poetry memoir, Depression Baby.

Joe is a member of Lighthouse Writers Workshop in Denver, the largest literary center in the West, where he has studied with faculty members Joy Roulier Sawyer and former Denver poet laureate Chris Ransick. He has also both taught and created original coursework in ethics and American politics at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.