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WRITING A POETRY REVIEW
Let's start with the technical stuff – the conventions of the poetry review.
Be sure to check the specific format of articles where your review will appear, but these
are the general rules:
The heading is usually in the following format:
Vibrant Verses by Sammy Scribbler, £9.99, Wigwam Press
Sometimes the number of pages and publisher's address are also included.
Any poem titles should be in single quotation marks (eg 'Snow'); book titles should be italicised (eg Ariel)
If you are quoting more than three lines from a poem, set it out as on the original page and quote the
title afterwards in brackets, indented further, if you have not already named the poem. Do not use
quotation marks, but indent the quotation and if you are finishing in the middle of a line, use three dots
to indicate this:
I know not how it is with you –
I love the first and last,
The whole field of the present view,
The whole flow...
(from ‘Songs of Travel X’ by Robert Louis Stevenson)
Shorter quotes can be incorporated into the text, using single quotation marks, and a slash to indicate a
line break and a double slash to indicate a strophe or stanza break eg ‘The whole flow of the past. //
One tittle of the things that are, / Nor you should change nor I…’
Always double check your quotations, including punctuation. Being misquoted is high on the list of a
poet's many disgruntlements.
Approaches
There are three broad categories of criticism, though most reviewers adopt a mix of these approaches:
Critical Analysis – a more academic approach with an emphasis on the text and its meaning and the
techniques employed by the poet;
Contextual Criticism – a response informed by the poet's other work and their personal details, eg their
family background, literary influences and alliances;
Personal Response – centered on the reviewer's own emotional response to the work in the book.
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Using a style appropriate to the publication or website is important.
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Style
If writing for a literary journal, you can assume most readers will be familiar with certain facts and
terminology, though some critics forget that journals are read by students and occasional readers and fail
to consider this. An academic tone is fine in its correct place, which is the academy. A light, chatty tone is
also hard to bring off and is best avoided, even if the work under review is humorous. Reviews on blogs and
websites tend to be a little lighter and more opinionated.
Scottish Poetry Library
download your free copy from our Reading Room, www.readingroom.spl.org.uk
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Dos and Don'ts for Reviewers
Don't review a book by someone you know well, whether you like them or not, and especially not if
there is some sort of grievance between you;
Don't get personal in a review – comments on the poet's clothes in the author photo or jibes at the
interests they write about are not relevant;
Don't assume a poem in the first person is about the poet and risk misconstruing their lifestyle and
opinions;
Do make sure you have some interest in the book you are reviewing, even if you are not keen on the
contents – don't undertake to review a book of love poems if you know you have a strong dislike of
personal poetry;
Do review with a potential reader in mind and not the writer, who you may wish to flatter or debunk;
Do include some quotes to give the reader a flavour of the work but do not pad out a review with too
many; try to use pertinent and representative quotes and ensure they can be understood outwith their
context;
Do offer other writers' names to give the reader context, but be careful how you use these – critics are
prone to false assumptions about influences;
Don't head straight into a discussion of the text – offer some background or context to invite the reader
into the review;
Do always make sure you understand the context of a poet's style – there's little sense in criticising
writing in a certain genre (experimental or light verse, say) merely for being that; a good reviewer will
know the context and judge whether the work succeeds within that genre;
Do plan out your review to fit the word count – it should include a catchy beginning, a discussion of the
text and a summary of some sort;
Do keep in mind that a sentence or two about each of many poems (which the reader often won't have
read) makes for a dull review;
Do include some careful description of the writer's style, avoiding tired language and reviewer's clichés;
Do offer your honest opinion, but try to offer a balanced account of the text; even if you love it to bits,
suggest why some might not take to it;
Lastly (and though it sounds obvious, it is often not heeded), read the book! At least twice. I've too
often seen reviews which only mention poems in the first twenty pages – you can guess what happened
there!
Roddy Lumsden
Roddy Lumsden has published five books of poems including Mischief Night: New & Selected Poems
(Bloodaxe 2004) and Third Wish Wasted (Bloodaxe, 2009).
He works as a tutor at City University and Morley College in London, where he also edits a pamphlet series
and organises a monthly poetry night.
He is also a puzzle and popular reference writer.
Scottish Poetry Library
download your free copy from our Reading Room, www.readingroom.spl.org.uk