The Art of Thinking Like a Poet

Imagination and creativity matter more than ever. 

Summoning bot-slick answers to important dilemmas drains our identities and robs us of our own voices.

Thinking and responding like a poet, or an artist, restores our vision, and invigorates how we lead and collaborate. 

Imagination is everyone’s business.

Creativity is one of the most sought-after qualities in today’s leaders. It is also difficult to identify and measure—and seemingly in short supply. All too often, “thinking outside the box” lacks spark and imagination. 

Frances McCue is a poet, writer, teacher, and arts instigator, offering a fresh approach to leadership and life, revealing how poetry and the ways poets think can inform and inspire creative activity in other walks of life.

She has published six books, including The Car That Brought You Here Still Runs and the poetry-novel The Bled. McCue is co-founder of Pulley Press, a new publishing imprint that celebrates poets and poetry from rural places, and was also Founding Director of Richard Hugo House for its first decade. She is a Teaching Professor at the University of Washington.

Poetry asks us to pay attention, question familiar assumptions, and find language for what matters. 

Explore the Frances McCue Book Collection

Click on each title to learn more.