‘The English Poetic Mind’ (1932) is Williams’ discussion of the source of the poetic impulse, creativity and drive behind three prominent English poets: Shakespeare, Milton and Wordsworth. The text is reflective of Williams’ imaginative and critical approach to literature and his appreciation of poetry and verse. Charles Williams (1886-1945) was a British theologian, playwright, novelist and poet. As a member of the ‘Inklings’ literary group at Oxford, his work supported a strong sense of narrative. For Williams, spiritual exchanges were an undercurrent to life, and his Christian fantasy writing, such as 'Descent into Hell' (1937), earned him many followers. This classic work is now being republished in a new modern edition with a specially commissioned introductory biography.

Reason and Beauty in the Poetic Mind focuses upon the two intertwined themes of Reason and Beauty as they are expressed poetically in English literature. It begins with a chapter on the unique characteristics of poetic creation, "The Ostentation of Verse," and then unfolds in an alternating pattern, analyzing the distinctive appearances of these two concepts in writers as various as William Wordsworth (Reason), Christopher Marlowe (Beauty), Alexander Pope (Reason), John Keats (Beauty), and John Milton (Reason). In the climactic penultimate chapter, there is a meditation on William Shakespeare's depiction of what the author calls "the actual schism in Reason." There follows a brief coda that moves beyond the confines of poetry to a contemplation of the wider religious dimensions that the literary investigation has opened up.

Creativity and the Poetic Mind mingles the voices of well-known writers such as Nikki Giovanni, Donald Hall, John Koethe, Marge Piercy, and Robert Pinsky with newer voices, and includes engaging excerpts from interviews with thirty-eight American poets. Within a sustained argument about creative states of mind, this book innovatively presents and explores the technique of «going to the place» as more reliable in writing poetry than waiting for «inspiration». It explains why poets frequently believe that talking about their own poetry may damage their creativity and why, for centuries, inspiration has seemed to come from somewhere beyond the poet. In addition, it discusses the practicality of poets' thinking that «being creative» and «writing poetry» are two separate skills: inspiration is unreliable, but experienced poets create daily.