Ever wondered about how to really interpret poetry? Puzzled about metre, rhyming and stanzas? Presented in language thoroughly accessible for all, poet and writer Ruth Padel demystifies poetic style, structure and meaning in this comprehensive anthology of modern poems

Based on the author’s popular column in The Independent on Sunday, each poem is accompanied by an informative and entertaining explanatory excerpt by Padel. Featuring an assortment of contemporary poets from Carol Ann Duffy to Seamus Heaney, the collection thematically encompasses universal subjects of love, sex, family, death, as well as more obscure matters – for instance, loneliness when listening to the shipping forecast. A poem for each week of the year, Padel’s exploration of the literary form expertly combines technical analysis with imaginative, creative interpretation – sure to make any reader fall in love with the modern verse.

‘She argues away the idea that contemporary poetry is "difficult": all it needs is a little work and the rewards are great’ Sunday Times