Poetry is often viewed as an art that reaches across time, place and language to create an experience. But how does it do that? The poem as artifice, the ars poetica, the apology of poetry, and the poetry manifesto are all ways that poets use their craft to engage with the larger world around them.
Unlike a fiction or nonfiction book review, it is not necessary to try and "summarize" a poetry collection, as this can be misleading to potential readers. Instead, it is best to highlight some of the central thematic concerns and poetic style of the collection. This will give the reader a good idea of whether or not this is a poetry collection they would like to read.
Poetry reviews are a bit of a balancing act, as they must strike a balance between critical insight and entertainment. If a review is too dull or academic, it will lose its reader's attention. Conversely, if it is too entertaining or lighthearted, it will not be taken seriously as criticism.
To help you write a more effective poetica review, consider treating the poems in the collection as puzzle pieces. This will allow you to focus on the poet's methods, themes and forms in a more systematic way. It will also help you identify the most important quotes from the collection, and decide how best to present them in your review.
