Creativity: A New Psychology

Creativity: A New Psychology by George Swede. Wall & Emerson, 1994, 112 pages, paperback, 6 by 9 inches. $10.00 postpaid from Wall & Emerson, Inc., 8701 Slagle Road, Dayton, Ohio 45458 [address no longer correct]. George Swede, professor of psychology at Ryerson Polytechnic University in Toronto, Ontario, has long been one of North America’s most important haiku voices. In his own haiku collections he has shared hearty and heartfelt moments of humour and wonder. And in his books about haiku and other poetry, he has consistently delivered a needed message. His new book on creativity is neither a haiku collection nor completely about poetry. But, as he writes in a letter, he has “talked about the ideas [the book] contains to many members of the haiku community and I suspect that some might want to buy it.” A complete review of Swede’s findings is not possible here, but if you are interested in learning more about the psychology of creativity (one can apply much of it to haiku), and in broadening your understanding of poetry as process, then this engaging book is worth your time and study.