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Poetry Forms and Patterns

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Poetry Forms and Patterns

Western Forms

Acrostics
Al Rocheleau, online poetry guru first with Atlantic Monthly then with the popular Orca forum, gives a thorough, understandable explanation, with example.

Ballad
Helpful explanation of the ballad, especially the 6-line ballad stanza; by Conrad Geller of Inklings and the head of the Committee on Public Doublespeak of the National Council of Teachers of English.

Ballad
Al Rocheleau, online poetry guru first with Atlantic Monthly then with the popular Orca forum, gives a thorough, understandable explanation, with example.

Blank Verse
Al Rocheleau, online poetry guru first with Atlantic Monthly then with the popular Orca forum, gives a thorough, understandable explanation, with example.

Blank Verse
From Writing Workshop's Firesheets

Blank Verse
From The Craft of Poetry, a poetry course devised by Vince Gotera and Damon McLaughlin

Cinquain
John Hewitt's intro to the cinquain, with examples.

Cinquain
Excellent definition and examples, with several links to other sites, including the complete Adelaide Crapsey cinquains.

Clerihews
Clear explanation, with examples from Thinks.com, where you will find lots of other fun with words.

Couplet
From The Craft of Poetry, a poetry course devised by Vince Gotera and Damon McLaughlin.

Dramatic Monologue: An Introduction
Thorough explanation by George P. Landow, with links to examples.

Epistle
John Hewitt's brief intro to the Epistle, with an example.

The Grossblank
A new form created by Larry Gross; with examples.

The Limerick
Good intro to limericks, with examples and links to 11 other limerick sites.

The Ode
Brief and very general definition by Alice Vo Edwards and Angeline Tiamson, with links to othe examples, including Walt Whitman.

Poetry Formats
Brief explanations of acrostic, ballad, ballade, blank verse, cinquain, clerihew, free form, free verse, ghazal, haiku, limerick, pantoum, paradelle, renga, rengay, rondeau, rubiyat, senryu, sestina, sijo, sonnet, Spenserian stanza, tanka, triolet, villanelle, and virelay. Some with examples. A handy place to start.

Quatrain
From The Craft of Poetry, a poetry course devised by Vince Gotera and Damon McLaughlin

Repeating and Interlocking Forms
Definitions and examples of Kyrielle, Rondeau, Rondel, Rubaiyat, Triolet, Sestina, Terza Rima, Terzanelle, Villanelle, Lai and Virelai, and Pantoum.

Sestina
From The Craft of Poetry, a poetry course devised by Vince Gotera and Damon McLaughlin

Sestinas
Al Rocheleau, online poetry guru first with Atlantic Monthly then with the popular Orca forum, gives a thorough, understandable explanation, with example.

Sonnet
Al Rocheleau, online poetry guru first with Atlantic Monthly then with the popular Orca forum, gives a thorough, understandable explanation, with example.

Sonnet
From The Craft of Poetry, a poetry course devised by Vince Gotera and Damon McLaughlin

Sonnet Central
Best sonnet site around. Definitions, instructions for writing, articles and sonnets from 600 years of sonneteers, from Petrarch to the 20th century, plus a Sonnet Magnet board for instant composing and other attractions as well; you can even submit poems to the site and read those of others.

Tercet
From The Craft of Poetry, a poetry course devised by Vince Gotera and Damon McLaughlin

Tercet and Triad
John Hewitt's brief intro to the 3-line verse, with examples.

Villanelle
Al Rocheleau, online poetry guru first with Atlantic Monthly then with the popular Orca forum, gives a thorough, understandable explanation, with example.

Villanelle
Simplified explanation of the form, with examples

Villanelle and Terzanelle
From The Craft of Poetry, a poetry course devised by Vince Gotera and Damon McLaughlin

Asian Forms


Ghazal
An explanation of, and a plea for, "the canonical form of the ghazal," by Agha Shahid Ali.

Ghazal
The AHA Poetry page maintained by Jane Reichhold. Includes essays, examples and a few links.

The Ghazal Page
Journal devoted to the ghazal in English, maintained by Gino Peregrini [Gene Doty]. Submit your ghazals, read articles and other info, including links to other good sites.

Haijinx
A new international online journal that focuses on the role of humor in haiku.

Haiku: Beyond the 5-7-5
Al Rocheleau, online poetry guru first with Atlantic Monthly then with the popular Orca forum, gives a thorough, understandable explanation of haiku and senryu, with examples.

Haiku Is What?
Ruth Davidson's fine introductory article on haiku.

Haiku Universe
Dhugal J. Lindsay's excellent site on haiku, tanka, renga, renku, and other Asian forms. Extensive lists of links.

How to Make Renga/Renku
From Dhugal Lindsay's Haiku Universe

Pantoum
Al Rocheleau, online poetry guru first with Atlantic Monthly then with the popular Orca forum, gives a thorough, understandable explanation, with example.

Pantoum
From The Craft of Poetry, a poetry course devised by Vince Gotera and Damon McLaughlin

Paper Lanterns
Debi Bender's extensive site is crammed with information on sijo, haiku and other Asian forms; lots more good stuff of use to poets, too. Excellent site. Other Asian forms: Dodoitsu, Haibun, Haiga, Haiku Imayo, Katuta, Mondo, Nikki, Ren, Linked Forms, Sedoka, Tanka, Waka.

Poetry In The Light
Excellent site for haiku and a wide variety of other Japanese forms and for Korean sijo,; also articles and reviews.

Renga
Larry Gross's introductiion to renga, with template for seasonal renga.

Renga: The Four Elements Renga
Explains and illustrates this renga variation originated by Larry Gross

Rengay
Hortensia Anderson's explanation of the rengay, with examples and links to other pages dealing with Japanese forms

Renku Home
William J. Higginson's extensive site explaining renku and other linking patterns

Sijo
Larry Gross's explanation of sijo and how it works

Sijo
Excellent introductory article by Elizabeth St Jacques
Jacques. This 2-month Seminar on World Haiku Open Forum was built around these 14 introductory commentaries.

Sijo Blossoms
Elizabeth St Jacques excellent site for sijo

Sijo Seminar
Seminar on the traditional Korean poetic genre, p'yong sijo, led by Dr. Larry Gross, assisted by Elizabeth St Jacques

Tan Renga
Larry Gross's introductiion to this verse that looks like a tanka and works like a renga.

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