Nine Gates: Entering the Mind of Poetry, by Jane Hirshfield
A lucid exploration of poetry and poets that would be useful for beginners, teachers, and veteran poets. If you're interested in Japanese poetry, you'll also be in luck as the author has done some translation work in that area, and at least two chapters make use of her knowledge. Overall, she uses poems and poets from a variety of countries and eras to illustrate her points, and she's never confusing. These essays are illuminating and inspiring. The next time I teach poetry (crossing fingers), I'll be sure to incorporate material from this book.
