In this engaging, accessible memoir, Charles Hartman shows how computer programming has helped him probe poetry's aesthetic possibilities. He discusses the nature of poetry itself and his experiences with primitive computer-generated poetry programs and -- illustrated with sample computer-produced verses -- traces the development of more advanced hardware and software.The central question about this cyber-partnership, Hartman says, "e;isn't exactly whether a poet or a computer writes the poem, but what kinds of collaboration might be interesting."e; He examines the effects of randomness, arbitrariness, and contingency on poetic composition, concluding that "e;the tidy dance among poet and text and reader creates a game of hesitation. In this game, a properly programmed computer has a chance to slip in some interesting moves."e;