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The Portable Poetry Workshop, by Jack Myers

A former poet laureate of Texas, Myers packs his book with hands-on activities, making this the most practical, thorough, and accessible "how to write poetry" book on the market.

Ordinary Genius: A Guide for the Poet Within, by Kim Addonizio

A candid guide by an award-winning poet, full of great insights—"The creative process is...a continuing engagement with being alive"—and exercises.

Creative Writing Prompts from Creative-writing-now.com

I turn to this site's scores of thought-provoking, open-ended prompts ("Write a poem using all of the following words: snake, honey, thaw"; "Write a poem in the form of a lullaby") on days when the creative pump runs dry. It always does the trick!

Poetry Prompts from Writersdigest.com

I have a poet crush on Robert Lee Brewer, a senior editor for Writer's Digest, who delivers a writing prompt every Wednesday—and even shares a behind-the-scenes look at how he used that week's prompt to create a poem of his own.

More on Sparking Your Creativity

• Poet Samantha Reynolds' 6 rules of writing
• How to unleash your creativity
• 3 ways to tune out the world and find your creative voice