Congratulations! You’ve arrived at Day #2 of this month’s writing challenge! Let me share a hint for maintaining stamina through the whole week: I never read others’ poems before I write my own. People share beautiful words here, and I run the risk of sinking …
Good morning! I am a teacher/writer/poet from Iowa who has been participating in the ELA writing challenge since June. Over the past eight months I’ve written 40 poems with this supportive community! If you are new here, prepare for all the feels as you read others’ …
A very special thank you to Stacey Joy for supporting our writing lives this month. Please follow Stacey Joy on Twitter for more resources and inspiration all year long @Joyteamstars. We will see you back here on February 15-19 with Allison Berryhill. Please share the …
Inspiration Today let’s write Dramatic Monologue Poems. Sometimes people ask us to say something to our younger selves, your first-year teacher self, or your before-you-got-married self. Today’s inspiration comes from seeing a picture of me in 5th grade and remembering all the stress from being …
Inspiration Today let’s write Women Wonders poems. Although it isn’t yet Women’s History Month, I celebrate “wonder women” every day. My inspiration comes from the realities of the figurative and literal loads women carry. Process Think about the women in your life — the ones …
Inspiration Today we are writing Hot Lines poetry. Nicholson Baker shared his advice to writers: “Copy out things that you really love. Put the quotation marks around it, put the date that you’re doing the copying out, and then copy it out. You’ll find that …
Inspiration Today, we are writing Abuelito Who poems! Sandra Cisneros is today’s inspiration. Her quote spoke to me, and I have a feeling it’s inspiring more than just today’s prompt. She said, “When you have your heart broken wide, you are also open to things …
Thank you for joining us on our last day of the December writing challenge. A very special thank you to Glenda Funk who developed all the poem inspirations and encouraged us each day. Next month, Stacey Joy will guide our writing from January 18-22. We …
Inspiration Bop: The Bop poem form functions as a poetic argument, much like the persuasive speech we teach in speech and the argumentative essay we teach in English classes. The Bop has a distinct structure, but the refrain, I think, is the glue holding the …
Inspiration One of my favorite poems to teach is “An Echo Sonnet: To An Empty Page” by Robert Pack. (Scroll to page 2 for the complete poem.) The poem appeared on the 2011 AP Lit and Comp exam in the free-response section, tasking students with …