Inspiration: What is your ultimate goal in your life? Geesh, this is a big, deep question to which you may not be ready to respond, but imagine for a minute or two what you would like people to say about you years from now. How …
28, April 28th, Overcoming
Inspiration: What was your greatest struggle? How did you overcome it, and how has it changed you for the better? Form: Try to write your poem in couplets today. A couplet is a poem made up of two-line stanzas with the final word of each …
25, April 25th, Quatrain Plus One (about today)
Inspiration: We’ve had a lot of free verse this month (free to rhyme or not, free to break lines as you wish or need, free to stanza or not), but how does the structure of a quatrain impact our expression, intention, and meaning? Try a …
23, April 23rd, Gratitude
Inspiration: Write a poem of gratitude: noun, the quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness. Re-read someone’s poem that was brave, sensitive. Remember a book or story that felt like the author wrote it for you. Recall a classmate or teacher who …
20, April 20th, Symbols and Extended Metaphors
Inspiration: A bridge is a powerful metaphor, and when you start looking for bridges in poems, you find them everywhere. Your poem could be about a real bridge or an imaginary or ideal bridge. It could be one you cross every day, or one that simply seems …
19, April 19th, 9 Lines (a Nonet)
Inspiration: A nonet is a nine-line poem. A nonet can be written on any subject and rhyming is optional. The poem starts with a line that has 9 syllables in it. The second line contains 8 syllables, the third line has 7 syllables, and it continues to count down …
18, April 18th, Supporting Others
Inspiration: Have you ever noticed that friends can be a big help when you are frustrated or feeling like a failure? Why is that? Well, friends want to take away your pain, but positive words or saying “not everyone is good at X” are not always helpful …
19, April 19th, Visual Writing
Inspiration: Often poets use images, paintings, or photographs to inspire writing. Today, pick one of these pics to spark your poem (or choose your own image and link to it). Consider one of these ideas to get you poem-ing: Write the inner thoughts of a …
15/30, A Poem and 15 Middle School Verse Novels
I am 15 days into my 30 days of verse novels. The image of this post includes the covers of 15 great middle school verse novels that junior high students are reading right now. And there are many, many more. I will feature all of …
13, April 13th, Breaking-up (sweeties, not-so-sweet friends, or just sweets)
Inspiration (though you can write about anything): Write a break-up poem – names are optional. It might be a break up with sweetie, but it could be about breaking up with a bad habit. Your break up poem might be sad, but it can also be …