Science Fiction Poetry Association

The Science Fiction Poetry Handbook
by Suzette Haden Elgin

Mike Allen & Bud Webster, Editors

science fiction poetry handbook cover

"Suzette Haden Elgin combines linguistic expertise with a poet's sensibility to give us this inspiring and amusing guide to poetics, with special attention to the rewards that science fiction and fantasy provide, and the restrictions they demand. Anyone who aspires to writing fantastic poetry should read this handbook carefully."

—Joe Haldeman

Brims with acute, provocative, and helpful information, set forth in a self-effacing prose with a witty poetry all its own. I especially like her 'Fifteen Ways to Presuppose Your Gnome,' a devilishly clever guide to subverting the reader's disbelief in unlikely phenomena, and also her practical advice about marketing and promotion. Indeed, for these well-considered tips alone, I would say that Elgin's Handbook belongs in the library of every working writer, poet or not."

—Michael Bishop

SFPA's first official book, The Science Fiction Poetry Handbook,was published March 1, 2005, by Sam's Dot Publishing.

Written by Suzette Haden Elgin, who founded the Science Fiction Poetry Association in 1978, the book breaks down the language of poetry into its component parts and explains how to make a poem work from the inside out. It also moves beyond craft to talk about selling to poetry markets and, even more interestingly, career promotion techniques, such as how to arrange and run workshops and panels.

Table of Contents

Chapter One – Defining the Science Fiction Poem
Chapter Two – Graphics Patterning: How the Poem Looks
Chapter Three – Phonological Patterning: How the Poem Sounds
Chapter Four – Lexical Patterning: How Poets Choose Their Words
Chapter Five – Syntactic/Semantic Patterning: How Poets Use Grammar Rules
Chapter Six – Through the Old Credibility Gap [Including "Presuppositions: Even My Gnome...." and "Fifteen Ways to Presuppose Your Gnome"]
Chapter Seven – Marketing and Promoting Your Work
Chapter Eight – Poetry Readings, Workshops, and Other Events
Chapter Nine – A Brief History of the SFPA
References and Suggested Readings
The Rhysling Record [A list of the poets and poems that have won the SFPA's annual Rhysling Award, the SFPA's equivalent of a Nebula award]

.pdf of Promotional Handbook Flyer

Suzette Haden Elgin invites your questions, comments, and suggestions. Please visit her SF Poetry Handbook page, where you will find an excerpt and links to discussion questions and FAQs. A link for contacting the author can be found at the bottom of her SFWA Welcome page.

Order the Handbook
You can order The Science Fiction Poetry Handbook today. The cover price is $11.95* plus shipping (add $2.00 for shipping within the U.S., $3.00 for Canada, or $7.00 for International). Send check or money order in U.S. funds made out to SFPA and mailed to:

SFPA Treasurer
PO Box 4846
Covina, CA 91723

Or you can order The Science Fiction Poetry Handbook online:

*SFPA members pay only $8.95 plus shipping. Not a member? Now is the perfect time to join! See the Membership page for more information.