"Zapruder's writing is accessible, easygoing, and welcoming, as if he's sitting right there talking us through the poems." – Kirkus Reviews
"In many ways a marvelous book...This passionate book, aimed at would-be poets, would work well both in a college classroom and in the hands of ordinary readers." – Publishers Weekly
"[A] diligently executed investigation. . . . Conversational yet eloquent, accessible and intelligent, Zapruder considers a range of writing on poetics and the craft of composition and includes close reads and smart explication." – Booklist
"Refreshingly humble and direct... Zapruder is the ideal narrator to debunk mistaken ideas about the art and claim that the ways we teach poetry are what prevent us from enjoying it...WHY POETRY casts its net wide and hauls in a splendid bounty." – San Francisco Chronicle
"The pleasure in Zapruder's book is in going beyond those feelings into an exploration into the hows and whys of poetry. . . . It recaptures that which draws us to poetry as children, while showing us the even deeper pleasures we are capable of as adults." – Chicago Tribune
"Why Poetry is a self-described 'impassioned call for a return to reading poetry.' . . . Zapruder is a brainy and passionate advocate." – Seattle Weekly
"[Zapruder] writes with clear and inviting prose . . . Why Poetry is part-inspiration, part-guidebook, and part literary memoir. . . . Zapruder's spiritual undercurrent raises Why Poetry into something rare: the cogent and lively argument that poetry truly matters, fueled by passion rather than pretense." – The Millions
"Even for people who already eat poetry three times a day, Why Poetry still offers a refreshingly convivial discussion of poetry's purpose in a world where it's too often made to seem like public therapy or pointless frippery." – Paste Magazine
"Poetry frustrates people . . . Every now and then one of the poets, in turn, steps up helpfully to explain how to read the stuff. In his friendly new book, Why Poetry, poet, editor and teacher Matthew Zapruder does this very thing with unusual clarity and generosity." – Newsday
"Zapruder has written a book intended to help mend the rift between poems and readers . . . I am happy to report that he is refreshingly successful in making his case. Why Poetry is intelligent, straightforward, lucid, and cleanly reasoned." – Los Angeles Review of Books
"A consistently surprising work that shows novices how they can navigate poetry while providing a wonderful re-education for anyone who was taught to dissect a poem as if it were a dead frog. Even serious writers will find fresh inspiration here." – Washington Post
"Thinking about why and how I love poetry in the presence of another passionate reader left me feeling renewed. Both the page and the world seemed to burn a little more brightly. I felt a bit more writerly and a bit more human, too." – NPR