why reading poetry makes you a better writer

Writers are often told one of the best ways to get better at their craft is to read. Read broadly, the advice goes, the good and the bad, but stick mainly with fiction and the types of work you're looking to produce.

I hardly ever see anyone recommend reading poetry.

Reading poetry is for everyone, but writers of all types should absolutely be at the forefront here. Poetry makes you a better writer because it allows you to experience language in a different way, exposing you to unique forms, structures and language that can inspire and expand your own writing. It can also help you develop your own voice and style by exposing you to different techniques and approaches to language.

Poetry also requires close reading and analysis, which can improve your critical thinking skills and attention to detail. By examining the choices that poets make in their writing — particularly around economy — you can gain a deeper understanding of how language works and how to craft your own writing more effectively.

For me at least, poetry also fast-tracked my love of language and was the first type of writing to knock my socks off with thunder and power.

Perhaps most importantly, reading poetry simply makes you a better human. Science even agrees. And in my experience at least, at the center of all the best writing is — like a good old fashioned Tootsie pop — a delicious glob of goodness. Without empathy and curiosity, without our humanity, our writing will always be cold and affectless.

So, if you're already in this train, who are some of your favorite poets? Lately, I've been making my way through a few Forrest Gander collections.