Write poetry in the great metrical tradition of Dante, Shakespeare, Dickinson, Frost, and the poets of the current Formalist revival. In this contemporary guide, you'll learn how to write metrical poetry in all the major forms, from blank verse and quatrains to sonnets and villanelles. Each chapter provides step-by-step instruction that's accessible and easy to understand for even the beginning poet. This book includes unique features difficult to find anywhere else: Essential but non-intimidating instruction on meter and rhyme; Focused assignments detailing how to make your first attempt at a specific form; Illuminating discussions on pop culture, figures of speech, difficult themes, and other important topics; An engaging overview of poetry's history, and why it's important to learn the traditional forms; Complementing the instruction are many classic and contemporary poems, including recent work by Richard Wilbur, Wendy Cope, X.J. Kennedy, Dana Gioia, Rachel Hadas, Wyatt Prunty, Alicia Stallings, and many others; Writing Metrical Poetry is the perfect course in metrical poetry for the person working alone or working in the classroom.