Back cover endorsements:

Marjorie Maddox knows poetry. If I had to pick one book to introduce students to the joy of writing poems, this would be it. Maddox creates a book full of original poems to show us the inside out of every kind of poem you could ever want to write. I dare you to read a page or two without reaching for your pen and composing a poem of your own. From alliteration to sonnets and the villanelle, Marjorie Maddox makes metaphors meaningful and memorable. —Charles Ghigna - FatherGoose®

It is clear that Marjorie Maddox loves poetry and loves her audience. The poems of the book—“How to Write a Villanelle,” “How to Touch a Poem,” to name two—illustrate the topics. For instance, “How to Touch a Poem” starts with “Forget distance or that anemic wave / you save for mere acquaintances and great aunts.” Sometimes people may not write poetry because they don’t know how to approach it, and Maddox removes the barriers. If you have ever thought about writing poetry and needed concrete tips, this is the book for you.—Kim Bridgford, editor, Mezzo Cammin

 “Inside Out … combines original poetry with inviting activities to guide young people in writing poetry themselves. More than two dozen inventive poems present key concepts, elements, and forms of poetry, each … accessible and engaging. For example, her poem, “Simile Explains Metaphor,” cleverly uses the teen-speak of “like” to illustrate how similes and metaphors work in just six lines. Puns, paradoxes, and alliteration, as well as clerihews, acrostics, and sonnets, are all presented in pithy poems that provide a laser focus on the poetic element being introduced. Then Maddox offers nine in-depth “insider exercises” grounded in the previous poems with helpful steps and fun challenges for young writers. It’s a unique combination of playful poems about poetry and crackerjack exercises for aspiring writers.”— Sylvia Vardell, author of Poetry Aloud Here! and co-editor of the Poetry Friday anthologies with Janet Wong

Early Praise!

from Booklist!

Issue: March 1, 2020

Advanced Review – Uncorrected Proof

Inside Out: Poems on Writing and Reading Poems with Insider Exercises.

By Marjorie Maddox
Apr. 2020. 64p. Kelsay, $16 (9781950462445). Gr. 9–12. 811

The poems in this collection not only show how to write different types of poems but also cleverly define the various forms and writing “tools.” Following a series of poems that illustrates how words can be used to appeal to each of the five senses, other entries tackle topics such as similes and metaphors, onomatopoeia, iambic pentameter, and sestinas, showing by example even as the lines offer young poets tips on creating their own verse. Descriptive poems bring experiences to life, utilizing both classic and modern references in such a way that will cause readers to marvel at the power of language. Nine exercises follow the initial poems, offering additional explanations, suggestions, and tips for writing alone or among others. They also provide thoughtful questions for the writer to answer. A glossary gives helpful, detailed definitions that clarify any uncertainties students may still have. An excellent, interactive resource for high- school classrooms as well as young-adult nonfiction sections in school and public libraries.

— Selenia Paz

from PSLA Teaching and Learning – Literature Review

Maddox, Marjorie. Inside Out:  Poems on Writing and Reading Poems with Insider Exercises. Daffydowndilly Press, 2020. 978-1-950-46245-5. 61 p. Grades 7-12.

Pennsylvania author Marjorie Maddox’s ingenious little book of poems is chock-full of mentor texts that will not only educate, but also delight, budding tween and teen poets.  Most of the poems explain a poetic form or concept while at the same time serving as an example of it. “Couplet,” for instance, is a couplet describing a couplet: “Poet twins all dressed in rhymes / stroll side-by-side in two straight lines.”  Maddox’s poetry is easy to understand and yet full of clever wordplay and delightful images. Also included in the book are creative and fun poetry exercises with clear, detailed instructions, as well as a glossary of poetic terms. 

THOUGHTS: This is a unique, useful, and flat-out charming book. Aspiring young poets will love it, and so will teachers looking for resources for poetry units in middle and high school language arts classes. Highly recommended for middle and high school libraries.

 811  Poetry, Maggie Bokelman, Cumberland Valley SD

“Opening the Door: How Stepping Inside the Poem Can Help Your Students—Even Those Who Hate Writing— Read, Understand, Create, and Enjoy Poetry” on Inside Out: Poems on Writing and Reading Poems with Insider Exercises

“Let’s face it: Some students LOVE poetry. It’s their secret passion, guarded closely. They scribble it in notebooks. They sneak-read it between classes.

For others, it’s a public proclamation. They sing poetry, dance it, prance with it around the classroom while reciting it. They raise their hands and volunteer their favorite authors.

However, for many students, well, there’s not so much love. For them, poetry resides in a decrepit, old, locked house AND someone has thrown away the key. No way are they even walking up the front path.

If any of this sounds familiar, read on. Based on my thirty years of teaching poetry at the primary, secondary, and university levels, Inside Out: Poems on Writing and Reading Poems with Insider Exercises brings together the eye-rollers, the proud enthusiasts, and the quiet creators. How? By inviting them all inside the poem…” For the complete article and sample exercise, go to the link below.

“Thank you, Marjorie! Poetry is often tough in classrooms, so this is such an in with all students! “ from Unleashing Readers where you also can read my guest blog post

“The authors has succeeded in melding 23 lovely poems--real poems that touch the heart---with lucid hands-on instruction on reaching in and grasping the beating heart of what you're about and about what you want to say. I especially like the short chapters that once and for all define terms that we constantly use and misuse when discussing literature: sestina, haiku, and all the other terms that may have caused shudders in high school and college English classes. I heartily with no holds barred recommend this book to readers no matter what their reading preferences may be.”—author D. Brizer

“Inside Out is a collection of original poems, but it’s much more than that; it’s a learning tool that shines a light on everything and anything a poet would ever want to know, from how to write a villanelle, sonnet, or acrostic to how to effectively use metaphor, alliteration, and just about every other poetic device out there…” Matt Forrest Esenwine

Read my guest blog post at Matt’s Radio, Rhythm & Rhyme!

“Ready for some fun? Step into the world of poetry and you step into your life and the lives of others. Slide into the lives and experiences of others and you saunter into a wide-open world of observation and insight. And in this many-faceted universe of sparkling details, there are poems. 

And more poems. 

And even more waiting to be written and read, available to circle you back to your life, and the lives of others, and that sometimes hard, often beautiful, always thought-provoking real and imaginative abode we call home…”

Read my entire guest blog post at Sylvia Vardell’s Poetry for Children!

”…I’m not a teacher, but I wouldn’t hesitate to offer this book to any teacher for their classroom. But more important, I want to send it to all my poet friends. Because here’s the thing. We all get stuck. We all take ourselves just a little bit too seriously, sometimes. We need a basket of tools ready for when the muse is late or a deadline looming. Inside Out: Poems on Writing and Reading Poems – Insider Exercises needs to be one of your tools. Marjorie Maddox invites us to try “poeting” as a “hands-on operation – / the more finger prints, the better,” (19). While that is from her poem, “How to Touch a Poem,” I think what Maddox truly did was remind me of what my true calling has always been – to have fun with words.”

-Tasslyn Magnusson for MOM EGG REVIEW

“In her new book Inside Out: Poems on Writing and Reading Poems with Insider Exercises, Marjorie Maddox offers an inventive and practical tool for teaching poetry—the body of the poem itself. This new “how-to,” which includes concrete lessons on poetry as well a healthy dose of whimsy, will put your MG and YA students on a fast track towards creating their own work. As she writes in the introduction, “Inside Out teaches writing (and reading) from inside the poem, with plenty of tips and tricks for everyone in and out of the classroom.”… an excerpt from Jessica Gigot’s review at Skagit River Poetry Foundation

"Have you ever befriended a poem?" Marjorie Maddox asks in her book, INSIDE OUT POEMS. In this book, she takes a subject which could easily become rather dry and tedious and makes it a delight. With a whimsical and lighthearted touch, she doesn't just explain the major poetic forms and literary devices. She gives you original examples of metaphor, personification, simile, dramatic monologue, pun, paradox, alliteration, onomatopoeia, enjambment, caesura, eye rhyme, couplet, clerihew, triolet, iambic pentameter, English sonnet, Italian sonnet, sestina and villanelle….” Highland Park Poetry

Featured on ReadMasters for UK Teachers! Take a listen!

“Clever is as clever does. Poetry lovers, are you hungry for some “mind-doodling, eye-dazzling, ear-bending, new-fangled, old-fashioned fun”?

Look no further than Marjorie Maddox’s fab new book, Inside Out: Poems on Writing and Reading Poems (Daffydowndilly Press/Kelsay Books, 2020)! …Inside Out is the perfect way to celebrate National Poetry Month, at home or in the classroom. Do check out this writer and teacher friendly delight, which brims with clever wordplay, refreshing images, and evocative challenges, all presented from a novel vantage point. Turn these poems inside out and back again, and watch your writing flourish.”—A Peek Inside Marjorie Maddox’s Inside Out: Poems on Writing and Reading Poems with Insider Exercises at Jama’s Alphabet Soup..

Book Launch of Inside Out and I’m Feeling Blue, Too! at Redheaded Stepchild Reading Series Here!

“It's no secret that people are afraid of poetry. As a college professor, I'm always looking out for poems and exercises to show my students that "poetry" is not a bad word. I love Marjorie Maddox's new book -- a slim volume that examines poetic terms and forms (such as simile, metaphor, couplet, sestina, etc...) through the use of playful original poems and fun writing exercises. This book is geared towards young writers (middle-school age) but I know that many of the exercises could be adapted for older audiences, and indeed I believe many colleage-age students will enjoy some of the writing activities, especially in an introductory creative writing class.” –Karen J. Weyant

“I didn't know what to expect when I opened "Inside Out," but I found myself smiling from the very first poem. This book is not only a wonderful learning tool for the novice poet but serves as inspiration for writers of all ages and experience looking to have some fun with words. Maddox, an expert in her craft, offers examples of each type of poem written right into the poetry itself. The fact that the poems can stand-alone lends to the genius of Maddox's creativity. The exercises are an added bonus for continued inspiration. A wonderful addition to any writer's bookshelf!” –Susan Pogorzelski, author of Lilac in Winter

“Marjorie Maddox shows us from the inside out (and she knows what she’s talking about—look at her impressive list of credits at the end) how to write all types of poems. Listen to some of the chapter titles: Alliteration Acrostic. How to Text a Triolet. Fishing for Sestinas. How to Write Yourself Out of a Paper Bag. There are lots of great exercises to go with each chapter. This is for students of all ages, not just young writers, and creative writing teachers will find it useful, too. “Play around with words,” is Maddox’s advice, and isn’t that what all good poets do!”-Barbara Crooker, author of The Book of Kells

AUTHOR’S NOTE at Mom Egg Review:

“I didn’t plan on publishing a book during a pandemic. You may not have planned on reading it then, either. But, since most of us are now inside, Inside Out: Poems on Writing and Reading Poems with Insider Exercises will, I hope, find its way inside the lives of your middle-grade and YA children, as well as become an inner part of your own writing practices. If you are also a teacher, this is also a book for you, especially if you are looking to engage your or your students’ inner muse while staying inside….”

INTERVIEWED BY JADE BROWNE, A STUDENT AT SOUTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY IN FLORIDA: POET INTERVIEW

“Marjorie Maddox has written a book that I would have adored during those teaching years….wonderfully creative poems that each demonstrate a poem form! …There is more! The second half of the book is titled "Insider Exercises", beginning with "Befriending A Poem". In these, writers are connected to the earlier poems through various creative activities. Explore more about "concrete and abstract" or "colors", perhaps "smells".  Direct ideas such as "write similes about eating spaghetti" and whole-class exercises in onomatopoeia. When teaching new topics, like these poetry elements, it always felt good to me to offer lots of choices, but under that same umbrella. Marjorie Maddox manages this with expertise in this new book about poetry writing, yet she remains clear in the definitions of the poem forms and elements.  I'm sure I will use some the ideas in this wonderful book in my own writing, and as I said in the beginning, I wish I had had it when I taught!- from Linda Baie at Teacher Dance

And More Praise…

“Last week I had the pleasure of reading Inside Out: Poems on Writing and Reading Poems with Insider Exercises by Marjorie Maddox…Intended for YA readers (like much of YA also can be enjoyed by adults!), the collection includes 27 poems that take on poetry through poetry…The second set of poems addresses poetry tools, such as concrete and abstract language, metaphor and simile, personification, alliteration, line length, etc…The final set of poems are about various forms, for example the sonnet, the sestina and the villanelle, written of course in those forms…The book ends with nine accessible and collaborative exercises that build on poems from the collection. [NOW CHECK OUT THE POEMS LIZ CREATED FROM THESE EXERCISES!] by Liz Steinglass, author of Soccerverse, at Poetry for Children and Their Grownups

“Whether you are a student or an experienced writer, there is much to be gained from this exciting new volume. Marjorie Maddox is a widely published poet and children’s author as well as a college professor. Her love for teaching poetry and her creativity are evident on every page. Each poem in this collection, although it stands well on its own, serves as an example of the form being taught, proving that the best way to learn a poem is from the inside out. Many enjoyable exercises are included for personal or classroom practice. Here you will find a fresh and innovative approach for teaching poetry to young adults of any age.”—author A. W. Murphy.

“MM: Poetry and play, poetry and prompts—it’s all delicious, isn’t it? In Inside Out: Poems on Writing and Reading Poems with Insider Exercises, we begin by stepping inside the poem and using every one of our senses: sight, smell, taste, touch, and hearing. A heaping plate of ideas for tweens, teens, teachers, parents, and poets of any age, Inside Out invites you to play and ponder using poetry’s most scrumptious ingredients.

Here’s one to get both your taste buds and your thinking cap tingling!…”

Read my entire guest blog post at Irene Latham’s Live Your Poem!

“Imagine taking a dance class in which you spend the first three weeks at a desk hearing lectures. Here’s how to do the jitterbug. Here’s how to do the waltz. Hold your partner like this. Put your left foot there, and do this with your right foot, just like the diagram says. You take notes, yawn, and glance at the attractive classmate sitting across from you, who is glancing back. You haven’t moved a muscle all morning…

No, no, no, you say. From the very start, the dance class belongs on the dance floor, where the teacher demonstrates the jitterbug, the waltz, the samba, with a partner to the beat of the music. Hey, this looks like fun. I think I can do that.  I am going to do that.

The preceding thought experiment illustrates the pedagogy of Inside Out: Poems on Writing and Reading Poems with Insider Exercises by poet Marjorie Maddox…”—Robert Lowes

More praise!

“Ah, Write! A Review of Inside Out: Poems on Writing and Reading Poems with Insider Exercises” by E. A. Miller Mlcak at The Whale Road Review

“Inside Out by Marjorie Maddox fills a gap in instruction for young poets. Most books on poetic form offer a prose explanation followed by a stodgy example, or worse still, just a note that so-and-so’s poem uses this device. Maddox’s book places the young reader and writer at its center, with poetry that is incredibly accessible, without a whiff of treacle or a patronizing tone.….Maddox’s sense of joy, her exuberance in writing these poems, makes more familiar forms alive again….the power of the poems that Maddox has written, each a little jewel about writing.”

“The Coronavirus Pandemic has stolen many ordinary pleasures. People following CDC guidelines to socially distance try to avoid restaurants, cinemas, indoor concerts, and inside gatherings with family and friends. Added to those kinds of restrictions are school limitations, with students studying virtually and/or attending classes part-time. It seems that the accumulation of “no’s” in our collective lives has been counterbalanced by precious few “yes’s.”

At this time when optimism often is in short supply, Marjorie Maddox’s latest book—Inside Out: Poems on Writing and Reading Poems with Insider Exercises—feels like a much-needed “Yes!”. Yes…anyone can write a poem. Yes…writing poetry is fun. Yes…reading and writing poetry can help to process today’s most challenging issues….” Reviewed by Pam Anderson at Tinderbox Poetry Journal

Inside Out: Poems on Writing and Reading Poems with Insider Exercises “is downright fun, in fact. I can’t remember a time when an instructor manual made me smile, over and over again…. Inside Out is addressed to young writers, but it has an appeal to writers of any age and experience. Maddox has created a simple, straightforward, and fun way to read and write poetry. It’s pure genius.” Glynn Young at Tweetspeak Poetry, 7 April 2020. Click on the link to see all of the review.

Featured on the show Pick-Me-Up Poetry with Dawn Leas

“In INSIDE OUT: POEMS ON WRITING AND READING POEMS WITH INSIDER EXERCISES, Marjorie Maddox practices what most writing teachers preach: show, don't tell. And in doing so, she proves that poetry can be (and is) fun to teach and write. I've already used this book for several online lessons for middle-school and high-school students. It will continue to be a go-to resource not only for future K-12 lesson plans, but also for adult workshops I teach.”-author and educator Dawn Leas.

Poetry—“a magician’s bag of cool tricks”

“How I wish I’d had this book when I was teaching Introduction to Poetry Writing!

Inside/Out may be geared to younger poets, but I’m sure my college students would have responded happily—and poetically—to Maddox’s playful approach at introducing them to metaphors, similes, personification, etc., and would have found it irresistible  to jump in and try their hand at a clerihew (who knew?), a villanelle, or a sonnet. Teachers of writing at all levels will find here a rich trove of writing exercises for individual writers and small groups. And poets of all experience levels will find themselves falling in love with making music in poetry. Poetry written in rhyme and meter has received short shrift in the modern and contemporary poetry world, but it’s making a comeback. In this marvelous guide, Marjorie Maddox reveals why that is a joyous thing.” —Judith Sornberger, author of I Call to You From Time

"Always look for the 'meta.'" from poet and teacher Paul W. Hankins. For the full glorious review, go here:

”This is something I say often in Room 407. I try to tuck some of this into my own artwork and the poetry I create. 'Meta' is the term I would use to describe Marjorie Maddox's new collection from Kelsay Books, INSIDE OUT: POEMS ON WRITING AND READING POEMS WITH INSIDER EXERCISES. As you can see, the 'meta' here seems to begin with a title that suggests the generative nature of poetry…

Much of this book is like walking around in multi-colored stanzas with a combination of what might be the U.S. Poet Laureate meets Willie Wonka. There is a playfulness within the text that does not get in the way of presentation of poetry and poetic forms. The "fun" of, and within, the forms will make Maddox's book a go-to for classroom teachers looking to invite poetry into their classrooms….

I am so glad to have stumbled upon this collection of poems. It is releasing during a time when many a book could get lost. Without fanfare and launch, these are the collections that some of us may know and pull from our sleeves to share at a conference only to watch for you to scribble down the author and the title. Save that conference registration fee.

Marjorie Maddox's book is the one for which you were looking to get your poets cooking. Accessible and full of playful attitude, reading this book made me really think about how much I am missing a classroom full of writers right now.”-poet and teacher Paul W. Hankins. For the full glorious review, go here!

Writing While Young: Calling all teachers and parents. In these strange new days of ours, a great way to engage bored and lonely young people is poetry … writing about themselves, about the world, about themselves in the world. Just in time comes Inside Out: Poems on Writing and Reading Poems, by Marjorie Maddox, a professor of English and creative writing at Lock Haven University who has published an impressive 20 collections of poetry and prose. Written for young writers, the book bristles with writing tools and ideas designed to show kids that “poetry” isn’t a bad word. “Chat with personification, dance with iambic, fish for sestinas, and text with a triolet,” Maddox writes on a welcome page. “In 27 poems plus Insider Exercises, this book will jump-start your writing.” Chapters on how to see, hear, taste, smell, touch, and “befriend” a poem lure the reader into the poetry world, where Maddox provides a bevy of explanations and examples of such poetic elements as simile, alliteration, enjambment, and couplet. She then moves on to exercises designed to limber up the reader’s poetry muscles…this useful and alluring book–Sally Zakariya from But Does It Rhyme?

“This clever collection of poems and writing exercises begins with verses on how to see, hear, taste, smell, and touch a poem and then delves into poetic devices and forms….Inside Out by Marjorie Maddox is an excellent resource to jump start creativity in the classroom or at home. “—Jacqueline Jules at Pencil Tips and Writing Workshop Strategies from Children’s Authors and Illustrators

“As a teacher and English instructor, I have seen many students over the years struggle to “befriend” poetry – and witnessed the joy of those students who finally “get it.” Poetry opens up a world of sensory delight to those who do finally get to grips with it: the joyful feel of well-crafted lines as they roll off the tongue and the pleasure of puzzling out the layers of meaning in a particularly dense description….There are literally hundreds of books available on reading and writing poetry, but Inside Out is special because it both teaches and demonstrates poetic technique at the same time. Marjorie Maddox is an experienced teacher and writer of poetry whose approach to language is embodied: she encourages students to feel their poems with their bodies and not just their brains. Inside Out takes a similar approach, allowing students to see, smell, taste, befriend, and have a tug of war with poetic techniques and ideas…. If you are teaching poetry, I cannot recommend this collection highly enough. Particularly for home-educating parents, who may not be entirely comfortable with poetry themselves, Inside Out takes away the guesswork with explanations of poetic techniques that are clear and fun at the same time. Budding writers are sure to love the interactive writing prompts. Definitely give this one a try!–educator and scholar Jennifer Harrison at ReadWritePerfect.com

Take a listen!

“…Without losing its magic, each poem in “Inside Out” is simultaneously an educational model of poetic skills and an entertaining, artistic standalone piece. The knowledge packed into this slim and portable collection appeals best to middle school-aged and young adult readers. It is a savvy tool for poetry workshops and clubs led by educators, guardians, librarians, and community organizers. 

Equipped with step-by-step guidance and an encouraging voice, the collection suggests that “There are no right or wrong [line] breaks, just different effects” and to “Play around with words.” Maddox’s “Inside Out” assures those of every age that poetry is open to any reader or writer willing to “choose what and who that poem is.” —Nicole Miyashiro reviews Inside Out at BookMark, WPSU’s book review show!

“Inside Out is absolutely delightful. I truly wish that someone had written this book 40 years ago when I was in junior high school. Of course, Marjorie Maddox was not writing amazing books of poetry and teaching poetry 40 years ago. This book makes me regret the unfortunate absence of a time machine. Younger me could have used a teacher like her…. Although the book is meant for classrooms and workshops aimed at tween and teen readers, this significantly older reviewer wanted to try some for himself. It is easy to see students of any age delighting in this book. The poems are fun, the exercises are smart and enjoyable, and the goal of sharing her love of poetry has been met entirely. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I think I’ll go write a poem of my own.”-Scintilla