The Alchemy of Poetry

A Reader's Guide to Understanding Poetry

Elizabeth Guy, The Social Designer Australasia, First Rider Publishing

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English

First Rider Publishing
31 March 2021

The Arts: General & Reference; Language Reference & Linguistics; Poetry by individual poets; Literary studies: general

'Elizabeth Guy is Dead Poet's Society's John Keating' - Paul Knight

Poetry makes sense of life; it offers us truths; it brings us unimagined worlds; and it liberates our pain. In moments of great joy or sadness, it is poetry which says the impossible, ensuring that the poignancy and loveliness of our humanity never passes into nothingness.

Great Art belongs to everyone; thus, it is crucial that we continue the dialogue between ourselves and the poems. It is in this dialogue that we witness the alchemy of poetry: the way it transmutes from a language form and feature to a universal elixir.

What is the point of living if there is no Art? And poetry is the most concentrated of all Art. It is the oldest of all literary forms. Poetry offers ritual and cadence: sacrifice and secrets. It is audacious and disturbing but always - and this applies to all great poetry - yours. Mine. Ours.

So, we read poetry to face the truth. To stand there and dig in, to stumble over words we don't get, to find a phrase that flicks a light on in our memory, to cat-paw over and over an image that was laid down long ago. Most of all, we read poetry to remind ourselves of what really matters: to witness the soaring light that tears up our small lives.

By: Elizabeth Guy
Cover design or artwork by: The Social Designer Australasia
Other: First Rider Publishing
Imprint: First Rider Publishing
Edition: 2nd ed.
Dimensions: Height: 279mm, Width: 216mm, Spine: 27mm
Weight: 1.211kg
ISBN: 9780645111309
ISBN 10: 0645111309
Pages: 528
Publication Date: 31 March 2021
Audience: General/trade , ELT Advanced
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Active

Dr Elizabeth Guy is a full time writer and a part time tutor and education consultant. She has been reading, writing and teaching Literature for the past 30 years. She was awarded a PhD from the University of Sydney (The Poetics of the Nation State) in 2001. Elizabeth has worked in Sydney, NSW at tertiary and secondary levels and Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. She has also studied and tutored at the University of Stirling, Scotland, the University of the South Pacific, Fiji and the University of Santiago, Chile.

Reviews for The Alchemy of Poetry: A Reader's Guide to Understanding Poetry

The Alchemy of Poetry by Elizabeth Guy successfully identifies the ways in which poetry transforms words into a life of their own. This is a superb poetry anthology. Elizabeth Guy is original, meticulous and provocative in her writing of poetry and it is through her intelligence and talent that poetry has come alive for her readers. Elizabeth Williamson (Educator & Academic) If there is a deep forbidden corner in which sits the heights and depths of life - her book, The Alchemy of Poetry, will be there. In other words, Elizabeth Guy is fearless. Dr Susan Britton (University Educator) Elizabeth Guy's analysis of ekphrastic poetry in The Alchemy of Poetry evokes and inspires; she articulates nuanced and complex poetic meaning that is embedded in visual codes. And it is this which becomes our own sense of wonder. Monica Boardman (Artist & Influencer) Passionate about literature, written expression, and sharing worlds and viewpoints through text, Elizabeth Guy's The Alchemy of Poetry is an engaging and creative read. Her analysis of poetry invites readers to explore the world from different perspectives. Elizabeth Alotta (Author, Researcher & Academic) Elizabeth Guy's fierce intellect in The Alchemy of Poetry makes complex concepts accessible for her readers. Her deep love of literature and art is underpinned by a comprehensive understanding of a breadth of contextual factors across time periods and cultures. Debra Clarke (Historian & Reader) So, go buy a copy of The Alchemy of Poetry - it begins that conversation between yourself and poetry, a conversation that will go on well after you have put the book down! Christopher Chevalier (Reviewer & Blogger)