Resources and Prompts for National Poetry Month
Photo by Trust "Tru" Katsande on Unsplash
April is National Poetry Month, which is a great opportunity to dive into poetry, whether or not you usually write it.
If you do write it, it’s an opportunity to geek out with all your fellow poetry lovers. If you don’t, it’s an opportunity to try it out. Fiction and even nonfiction writers can learn a lot from experimenting with poetry. Creating evocative imagery, varying sentence rhythm and length, choosing just the right word, playing with language... these can all help you get out of any ruts your prose might have fallen into. Besides, it’s fun! If you’re not a poet, you don’t have to take your poetry so seriously. There’s no pressure to publish, and no one ever has to read it but you.
Below are some resources to help you explore and play with poetry this month:
Poetry books:
Your local library and bookstores will likely have a display of poets to check out. Maggie Dietz and Robert Pinsky have also edited several volumes of the “Favorite Poem Project” series: Americans’ Favorite Poems, Poems to Read: A New Favorite Poems Project Anthology; and An Invitation to Poetry. These are older, but a wonderful way to learn about poets you may not have heard of, as well as visiting old favorites.
Poetry contests:
Dancing Poetry Festival. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $100 top prize. Deadline: April 15, 2023.
Margaret Gibson Poet Laureate Poetry Award. Genre: Poem on nature in a time of global climate crisis. Prize: 1st – $300; 2nd – $200; 3rd - $100. Deadline: April 15, 2023.
Ralph Angel Poetry Prize. Genre: Poetry. Prize: $250 and publication. Deadline: April 30, 2023.
Tadpole Press 100-Word Writing Contest. Genre: Flash poetry or prose. Prize: $1,000. Deadline: April 30, 2023. Theme: Using humor as healing.
Poetry events:
Many cities and towns have special events for National Poetry Month. Check your local library and bookstores for readings, writing workshops, and other events. You can also browse a directory of national events, searchable by state and city.
Share a poem on social media on Poem in Your Pocket Day, April 27 (#pocketpoem).
Attend Poetry and the Creative Mind, a free, virtual reading of favorite poems with a variety of celebrity readers. April 26, at 7:30 PM ET. Readers include National Poet Laureate Ada Limón; National Student Poet, Emily Igwike; actors Daniel Dae Kim, Rosie Perez, and Liam Neeson among others; and activist Malala Yousafzai.
Poetry resources:
Subscribe to Poets.org’s poem-a-day email list, to get a sense of contemporary poetry. You can also listen to the Poem-a-Day podcast.
Readpoetry.com has a great list of 8 Helpful Online Resources for Poets. Each of these links will have its own list of resources, so you can really go down the rabbit hole and explore.
Poetry writing:
Write poetry! You can start with a haiku. Haiku is a traditional form from Japan, and follows a 3-line structure of 5 syllables in the 1st and 3rd lines, and 7 in the 2nd. Traditionally, there is a seasonal reference, and they are strongly focused on nature, but modern haiku can be about anything. They also have a “twist” of some kind that makes the reader rethink or reframe their idea of the poem. Examples can be found here.
If you’re interested in exploring other forms of poetry, these are some wonderful guides, with prompts:
Mary Oliver’s A Poetry Handbook
One Poem a Day: A Writer’s Daily Journal of Words & Inspiration - Nadia Hayes
The Poet’s Companion: A Guide to the Pleasures of Writing Poetry - Kim Addonizio and Dorianne Laux, eds.
Finally, here are some prompts you may want to try:
Write a poem...
…based on your happiest memory, or your worst memory
...about a mundane activity in your life
...about the first time you fell in love
...about something you saw or felt on a walk in your neighborhood
...based on a photo (one of your own, or in a magazine) or a work of art
...that’s totally based on nonsense words or sounds
...that has a snarky tone. Start with the word “Dear...” as though you’re writing a letter
...about a memory with one or both of your parents (or grandparents)
...about your current job, or your first job
...that incorporates at least 4 random words you look up in a dictionary
...based on a random line in a book you have on your shelf, or in a news article
...where you talk about something specific but never name it (a color, an object, a relationship...)
Enjoy National Poetry Month!
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