A 'hands-on' approach to poetry, this workbook assists teachers and students to examine the inner workings of poetry critically and analytically. 'User-friendly' in design and very accessible to students with English as a second language, it encourages students to investigate both the general issues and the technical detail of some 60 poems by mainly South Africa writers, with some Zimbabwean and Mozambican poems also included.

By singling out ideas generated by the published poems, the author urges students to write their own poems. Robin Malan has acquired a considerable reputation not only as an educationist but also, from his extensive knowledge of Southern Africa literature, as a compiler of anthologies. He was for many years head of the English department Waterford Kamhlaba College in Swaziland and now lives in Cape Town.