Although I AM dogmatic, I hate telling people what to do. Just ask my students. In fact that is my worst weakness as a teacher. Thus the title Poetry: An Instruction Manual is totally ironic. I can't even tell someone how to bake a loaf of bread because I assume that the person will want to do it in his or her own way. That Poundian tone of "let the student learn to scan Greek choriambics in his sleep" is totally foreign to me. I say this, because someone obviously unfamiliar with my style emailed me to protest against the very idea of an instructional manual or textbook of poetry. "Let the barbarians in for once" he told me. I googled the guy, because I was curious, and of course he had an MFA from Iowa! I guess they don't use textbooks there, because they are so anti-institutional. I have nothing against people with MFAs from Iowa. That would be an absurd prejudice. But obviously if you have such a degree you must accept the idea that poetry is something with a particular pedagogy. I simply believe my pedagogy has something to offer.