Marbles on the Floor: How to Assemble a Book of Poems was conceived from a poetic dialogue on how to shed light on the art and science behind the material construction of a poetry collection, and to generate a conversation around an art form too-long hermetically obscured. This anthology of interconnected essays (craft, lyric, and critical) explores the art and technique of poetry manuscript assembly as articulated by poets in all stages of their careers. Stylistically innovative, the essays range in conception from lyrical meditations, close readings, extended metaphors (including bookshelf assembly, cooking, caring for one’s mother, and bonsai trees), and an F.A.Q for writers seeking to ask the hard questions of their manuscripts, and themselves. Theorizing the poetry manuscript process through creative and aleatory means and celebrating the richness and depth of our poetic origins and legacies, this anthology, a primer in autopoiesis, is a timely, invaluable, and compact resource for creative writing teachers, as well as emerging and established poets honing their craft. Writers in other genres (fiction and non-) will also benefit from this widely applicable yet nuanced and craft-based discussion of how to bring a book into being from vital contemporary perspectives on the narrative and lyric traditions.

Contributors: Diane Seuss, Heather Treseler, Christopher Salerno, Annie Finch, Stephen Kampa, Alyse Knorr, Harvey Hix, Karyna McGlynn, Philip Metres, Kazim Ali, Cyrus Cassells, and Victoria Chang