Frugal Poets’ Guide to Life: How to Live a Poetic Life, Even If You Aren’t a Poet

Far from a poetry how-to, most of this book reminds me of Sarah Ban Breathnach’s Simple Abundance or Alexandra Stoddard’s Living a Beautiful Life. It is a guide to living a rich, full life—specifically designed for creative types who tend to prioritize art over income. Most aspects of life are covered, from what to eat or what to wear to finding true love. Many, if not all, sections had a first life as blog posts, so chapters are loosely themed collections of short essays—actually not very different from a collection of poetry.

Everything comes directly from the author’s experience, so your mileage may vary, but the advice given is generally practical and useful. Also included are solid suggestions for getting your work out there and making a name for yourself (very useful, since I discovered post-graduation that how to market my writing was a great gaping void in my college education). The last several chapters are most directly related to poetry but were at least applicable to my life, though I can see where it would be useful for aspiring poets in the right location (Chicago). Overall, it’s an inspirational read, full of practical life advice that would be most beneficial to young poets/writers/artists just starting out on their own.