A Poet Talks About Creating Poetry

To analyze author’s purpose and the writing process

An Interview

Now that you are familiar with Gary Soto’s work, what questions would you ask him in an interview about his writing?

“Questions and Answers about Poetry”

Format: What are the hallmarks of publishing an interview?

One student will read the interviewer parts and another will read Soto’s responses.

Highlight parts of the text you find interesting or enlightening boutr writing poetry.

What We Learned

Make a list of what Soto says about the craft of writing a poem.

What other questions about poetry writing do you have.

How might Soto answer those questions?

Revisit “Oranges” and “Seventh Grade”

Now that you are aware of how deliberate Soto is about his craft, think about these two pieces.

He could have written “Oranges” as a short story and “Seventh Grade” as a poem, but he deliberately chose the genres he used.

What are the effects of his genre choices?

“Learning to Bargain”

What insights about writing poetry can you gain from this poem?

What new information canYou add to your “Narrative Poem” map?