Poetry: A Writers'' Guide and Anthology is a complete introduction to the art and craft of writing poetry. The authors map out more than 25 key elements of poetry including image, lyric, point of view, metaphor, and movement and use these elements as starting points for discussion questions and writing prompts. The book guides the reader through a range of poetic modes including:

- Elegy
- Found poems
- Nocturne
- Ode
- Protest poems
- Ars Poetica
- Lyric
- Narrative

Poetry also offers inspiring examples of contemporary poetry covering all the modes and elements discussed by the book, including poems by: Billy Collins, Sherman Alexie, Aimee Nezhukumatathil, Natalie Diaz, Traci Brimhall, Terrance Hayes, Richard Blanco, Danez Smith, Natasha Trethewey, Mark Halliday, Eileen Myles, Mary Jo Bang, Tracy K. Smith, Ocean Vuong, and many others.