All the Fun's in How You Say a Thing

Timothy Steele's books include Toward the Winter Solstice, a collection of poems published by Ohio University Press. Among Steele's honors are a Wallace Stegner Fellowship in Creative Writing from Stanford University; a Peter I. B. Lavan Younger Poets Award from the Academy of American Poets; and a Guggenheim Fellowship. He is a professor emeritus at California State University, Los Angeles, where he taught literature and writing for twenty-five years.

Steele himself says that a formally experienced poet would not require a book on meter to learn his trade. That is surely true; yet I can testify, as one who has been writing in meter for over fifty years, that Steele's book has been delightful and instructive reading for me. - Richard Wilbur All the Fun's in How You Say a Thing takes its title from a line by Frost, a poet whose commitment to clarity of expression Steele clearly shares in this modest, neatly organized, and lucidly written explanation of English meter. Steele incorporates into his graceful study a wealth of linguistic insight. Steele's sharp and witty book is the perfect Poetry Month selection: an expert guide that speaks to all levels of readers. (Kirkus Reviews) Steele places the many styles of poetry in historical context and clearly explains such elements as rhyme, rhythm, elision, and the use of stanzas. Students of poetry as well as practicing poets who wish to hone their craft will find this new book immensely helpful. (Library Journal)