Flexible enough for any poetry course, this text is designed to make your students lifelong lovers of poetry. It combines classic poetry with today’s hippest verse, mixing in delicious portions of contemporary life, humor, and universal themes. In-depth chapters on authors such as Emily Dickinson and Billy Collins reveal the real-life contexts in which poets create. There is also plenty of support for students — with thorough chapters on the poetic elements, six sensible chapters on critical reading and writing, and many helpful sample close readings, writing assignments, and student papers.