{"id":531,"date":"2024-12-25T04:21:58","date_gmt":"2024-12-25T04:21:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/susanwooldridge.com\/staging\/menu\/"},"modified":"2025-05-27T18:33:06","modified_gmt":"2025-05-27T18:33:06","slug":"books","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/susanwooldridge.com\/staging\/books\/","title":{"rendered":"Books"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Books<\/h1>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Susan’s books are a gateway to imagination, an invitation to listen and express the wild, unexpected aspects of self.\u00a0 P<\/span>oems that emerge from everyday experiences and observations remind us that <\/span>writing poetry is a transformative, life-affirming process<\/span>.<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t
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poemcrazy: freeing your life with words<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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poemcrazy<\/em>\u00a0is on numerous lists of \u201cbestselling\u201d or \u201cfavorite\u201d books about poetry on the internet. Painters and songwriters as well as film makers and actors report that\u00a0poemcrazy<\/em>\u00a0helps them loosen up, play and embrace a more creative way of being in the world. A photographer wrote in Camera Arts magazine that he uses\u00a0poemcrazy<\/em>\u00a0in his \u201cPhotoshop Master\u201d class because \u201cit says everything about the creative process.\u201d<\/span><\/p>

“This is a wonderful book\u2013smart, wide-eyed, joyful, helpful, inspiring. You’re going to love it,, and love writing poems more for having read it.”\u00a0\u00a0 ~\u00a0<\/span>Anne Lamott, author\u00a0of\u00a0<\/span>Bird by Bird<\/i><\/span><\/div><\/blockquote>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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Poet Alison Luterman (author of\u00a0The Largest Possible Life<\/em>) writes, \u201cSusan\u2019s poems arrive breathless with the wonder and power of language, drenched in the magic of the natural world, and touched with mysticism.\u00a0 With one foot grounded in humor and the other in awe, she takes on topics ranging from driving a car full of vegetables to the eros of geese, but her true subject is always the mysterious intersection of the human and what lies beyond our power to describe.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Foolsgold: Making Something from Nothing (and freeing your creative process)<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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For a year, Susan made a small collage box every day with objects she found on her walks and she describes the process and healing results. Filled with personal stories about transforming what life brings your way,\u00a0Foolsgold<\/em>\u00a0helps open us to more creativity in all areas of our lives, with all the world as our \u201cstudio.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Reviews for Susan's books<\/h2>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
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    \n San Francisco Chronicle<\/span>\n Review for poemcrazy<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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    \u201cWooldridge wants each of us to connect with our inner poet. Savvy . . . optimistic, warm, unpretentious.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

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    \n Darren Filkins<\/span>\n review for poemcrazy<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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    \u201cLoving your book poem crazy here in London. It is a delight and a daily inspiration. it is a chef\u2019s spice cabinet. A bunch of flowers. A box of chocolates. A curly curly. Thank you.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

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    \u201cThis is a wonderful book\u2014smart, wide-eyed, joyful, helpful, inspiring. You\u2019re going to love it, and love writing poetry more for having read it.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

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    \n Wild Duck Review<\/span>\n Review for poemcrazy<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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    \u201cWritten with exuberance and great heart, Poemcrazy <\/span>is a collection of high-spirited meditations and strategies which provide both writing teachers and students a wealth of approaches to poetry.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

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    \n Chico News and Review<\/span>\n Review for poemcrazy<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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    \u201cJubilant . . . More than an instruction book for tapping the creative and beginning to write, Poemcrazy<\/span> is also about being alertly alive. It is a field guide to imagination.\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

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    \n Mare<\/span>\n Amazon review for Foolsgold<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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    I purchased this just because I love poemcrazy so much. A lot of grief was processed in Foolsgold - divorce & the death of a parent. Having experienced neither of those things, I was impressed and touched by the way Wooldridge chronicled them and made her emotions tangible. Once again she spilled her soul across the page & left me stunned. Drink this one with a mug of tea or glass of wine or both, because it's intense and had me in tears at times! Shipped well, high quality hardback. I took the bookflap off because I destroy them quickly & actually like the simple golden tones of the book cover itself better than the busy image on the flap.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

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    \n Renee<\/span>\n review for poemcrazy<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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    \"Poemcrazy: Freeing Your Life With Words\" is a fitting title for Susan Wooldridge's delightful, liberating book on the writing of poems and the teaching of writing poetry. More than a poet, Susan Wooldridge is an amazing poetry teacher. Her book is full of fun and, for me, fruitful poetry exercises. Above all else, her book cultivates a sense of play in the writing of poems.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>

    In order to reach a \"poem-drenched state of mind,\" Wooldridge advocates tapping into one's unconscious mind. To this end, Wooldridge recommends keeping a notebook by your bed to jot down details from your dreams before you forget them. I actually tried this, but my groggy morning-self kept forgetting to write about my dreams before they evaporated. What did work well for me, however was her suggestion of writing interesting words down on bits of paper, then picking handfuls of words out of a \"wordpool\" to sort into poems. Sometimes, the desire to be a good poet can be stifling. Wooldridge's free-spirited approach to poetry gave me license to write with a playful heart.<\/span><\/p>

    Wooldridge's teaching philosophy is summarized quite well in her introduction: \"in a safe, free setting anyone of any age can gather words, play with language and write poems.\" (xii) I love her non-elitist attitude. It is all too common for published poets and poetry critics to complain about the excessive amount of \"talentless\" amateur poets. I believe that anyone interested in writing poems should be encouraged to do so . . . and be given a copy of \"Poemcrazy\".<\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

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    \n Savannah Jordan<\/span>\n Review for poemcrazy & Foolsgold<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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    Foolsgold: Making Something from Nothing and Freeing Your Creative Process<\/em> is a sweet read. I think combining it with another book, poemcrazy, freeing your life with words<\/em> by the same author would get many on the road to writing poetry..I use parts of both book now to do some public speaking - stirring the sub-conscious of others to write. A primer of sorts. Lots of how-to books out there but this isn't one..it's the authors way of giving of herself and yet teaching us to try. [Both] good books.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

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    \n Dakoka Gail<\/span>\n Review for Foolsgold<\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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    Susan Wooldridge is my favorite poetry book writer. This one is just as good as Poemcrazy.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p><\/div>\n

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