This year I've decided not to try to write a poem a day during National Poetry Month. With my third collection just out, I have April readings in Portsmouth and Bristol in the UK and Providence and Claremont in the US, and I'm just beginning a new book project with the Bath Abbey for which I've only just begun research. If you'd like to find a community to pursue NaPoWriMo, I recommend either going through the official site linked here or adapting use of Jo Bell's poem-a-week site to the poem-a-day format by using her prompts when you need outside inspiration. Feel free to reply in the comments with other sites useful for NaPoWriMo.
Showing posts with label NaPoWriMo. Show all posts
Showing posts with label NaPoWriMo. Show all posts
Tuesday, 25 March 2014
Tuesday, 30 April 2013
National Poetry Writing Month: Done! (Whew!)
This afternoon I managed to write the draft for a last poem for National Poetry Month, and I'm relieved, pleased and tired. How have others done?
I enjoyed the process much more when I was on spring break; when I came back to teaching, in the final weeks of term, writing a poem a day felt like more of an assignment than an indulgence. I'm tempted to pass on it next year and do something similar in the summer instead. We'll see.
I'd be glad to hear what exercises people tried that they found most effective or successful, as I use such exercises in my teaching and try to stick to the ones that prove most useful.
Congratulations, everyone!
I enjoyed the process much more when I was on spring break; when I came back to teaching, in the final weeks of term, writing a poem a day felt like more of an assignment than an indulgence. I'm tempted to pass on it next year and do something similar in the summer instead. We'll see.
I'd be glad to hear what exercises people tried that they found most effective or successful, as I use such exercises in my teaching and try to stick to the ones that prove most useful.
Congratulations, everyone!
Wednesday, 24 April 2013
NaPoWriMo, one week to go!
Who's still doing a poem a day? (I am!) If you've fallen behind, there's still time to catch up!
Saturday, 20 April 2013
Poetry Prompts, Nos. 20-30
How did I come to feel obligated to provide a prompt for each day of National Poetry Month this year? I don't understand it, but I feel it and persist nonetheless.
20. Sandra Lim has some splendid titles in her first collection, Loveliest Grotesque. Use one of these as the title for your own poem: "Curious This"; "The Horse and Its Rider"; "Reasoning in a Raw Wind"; "Ballad of the Last Chance"; "Year of the Gallows Birds"; "You Could Feel That Freedom Coming on Too".
21. Find a photograph or online image of the place you live from at least fifty years ago, and describe the place as though you were there now.
22. Write an ode to your favourite vegetable. For inspiration, here's Pablo Neruda's "Ode to the Artichoke."
23. Think of something unpleasant that happened to you as a child--a bee sting, an embarrassment, a natural disaster, a car accident, an illness, etc.--and write about it in third person. Don't tell us how the child feels--show it through her actions, the description of the environment, etc., and don't be afraid to fictionalize what happened for the sake of the poem.
24. Look at a poem of yours that you never finished or don't feel is really working, and choose your favourite line. Using it as the opening line, write a poem that takes on a subject or direction different from the one in the original poem.
25. If you have a pet, show, in a poem, how its behaviour influences your own. Don't say what kind of animal it is anywhere in the work. Your description can identify it, or you may prefer greater ambiguity, such that the poem might apply to a number of different creatures.
26. In a place where you have lived before (or where you live now), list some specific names of the flora and fauna of that environment: the names of one or two birds; other animals (squirrels, coyotes, rabbits, etc.); one or two kinds of trees, plants and wildflowers. Now place yourself, as a character, in this environment, with one particular worry on your mind. In the poem, let the details of your concern intermingle with the details of the environment, and bring in other senses in addition to sight to give a stronger impression of the place.
27. Write a poem in response to a song. Argue or identify with the song's import as you describe a particular experience, whether real or fictional.
28. Write an anti-ode about something you don't like or an action you don't like to do. Use vivid, concrete details to make your dislike palpable without saying it.
29. Write a poem about an object that belongs/belonged to one of your parents. You might find it easier to convey the object's meaning if you describe your parent using (or whatever word's appropriate) that object in a particular moment in time.
30. Remember a song you loved as a teenager. What might you have been doing as you heard it (driving, sitting on your bed, dancing, etc.)? Describe one scene involving your younger self and the song in such a way that the reader readily discerns how the song made you feel. Again, don't be afraid to fictionalize for the sake of the poem.
That's all, folks! I'd be glad to hear whether any of these prove useful.
20. Sandra Lim has some splendid titles in her first collection, Loveliest Grotesque. Use one of these as the title for your own poem: "Curious This"; "The Horse and Its Rider"; "Reasoning in a Raw Wind"; "Ballad of the Last Chance"; "Year of the Gallows Birds"; "You Could Feel That Freedom Coming on Too".
21. Find a photograph or online image of the place you live from at least fifty years ago, and describe the place as though you were there now.
22. Write an ode to your favourite vegetable. For inspiration, here's Pablo Neruda's "Ode to the Artichoke."
23. Think of something unpleasant that happened to you as a child--a bee sting, an embarrassment, a natural disaster, a car accident, an illness, etc.--and write about it in third person. Don't tell us how the child feels--show it through her actions, the description of the environment, etc., and don't be afraid to fictionalize what happened for the sake of the poem.
24. Look at a poem of yours that you never finished or don't feel is really working, and choose your favourite line. Using it as the opening line, write a poem that takes on a subject or direction different from the one in the original poem.
25. If you have a pet, show, in a poem, how its behaviour influences your own. Don't say what kind of animal it is anywhere in the work. Your description can identify it, or you may prefer greater ambiguity, such that the poem might apply to a number of different creatures.
26. In a place where you have lived before (or where you live now), list some specific names of the flora and fauna of that environment: the names of one or two birds; other animals (squirrels, coyotes, rabbits, etc.); one or two kinds of trees, plants and wildflowers. Now place yourself, as a character, in this environment, with one particular worry on your mind. In the poem, let the details of your concern intermingle with the details of the environment, and bring in other senses in addition to sight to give a stronger impression of the place.
27. Write a poem in response to a song. Argue or identify with the song's import as you describe a particular experience, whether real or fictional.
28. Write an anti-ode about something you don't like or an action you don't like to do. Use vivid, concrete details to make your dislike palpable without saying it.
29. Write a poem about an object that belongs/belonged to one of your parents. You might find it easier to convey the object's meaning if you describe your parent using (or whatever word's appropriate) that object in a particular moment in time.
30. Remember a song you loved as a teenager. What might you have been doing as you heard it (driving, sitting on your bed, dancing, etc.)? Describe one scene involving your younger self and the song in such a way that the reader readily discerns how the song made you feel. Again, don't be afraid to fictionalize for the sake of the poem.
That's all, folks! I'd be glad to hear whether any of these prove useful.
Monday, 15 April 2013
NaPoWriMo: The Halfway Point
It's 15 April, and because of the heavy workload I have with the return to teaching, I drafted a poem this morning to make sure I'd get it done. While I have thus managed my 15 poems in 15 days and am excited by the results thus far, the end of spring break is going to make the second half of the month significantly more difficult in terms of finding writing time.
How are others doing at this point? I hope the prompts have proved helpful to those wanting outside inspiration.
How are others doing at this point? I hope the prompts have proved helpful to those wanting outside inspiration.
Wednesday, 10 April 2013
Day 10!
It's day ten, and I'm happy to say I have ten quite different poems drafted. (Coincidentally, today I also completed my tenth hour of driving lessons.) I feel a little nervous saying this, but on third or fourth reading I'm pleased thus far with the results. Some are weak, sure, but I've been ambitious and risky, and the poems feel stronger for it. How are others doing?
Tuesday, 9 April 2013
More poetry prompts
To my surprise and delight, some people have been using the prompts I provided as starters for their National Poetry Month poems, and as I offered nine, I thought it time I posted some more. That is, I feel the need to continue providing such sustenance through the month. I'd be pleased to hear of people's experiences with these.
10. Write a poem in second person where the you being addressed is a specific person (rather than a general/public or reader you).
11. Remember an image that has moved you and describe it (without comment, without sentimentality) in 2-5 lines. That is the end of your poem--now write toward it.
12. Think of something you do every day, and tell someone else how to do it in step-by-step imperatives that provide close descriptive detail of the actions and any objects. Some possibilities include changing a diaper, preparing butternut squash, choosing a watermelon, and styling your hair.
13. What are you feeling right now? What are the three abstract nouns that would best describe it? Right now I might say mine would be lust, ennui, and fatigue. While the narrative of events leading to those feelings would be mundane and probably uninteresting, is there another, more condensed narrative--something that could happen in, say, ten minutes--that might convey the same combination of feelings? In a prose poem, write the narrative that helps to convey those feelings, and let the title clue the reader in to that general mood. (This was my approach with my poem 'Melancholia' in This Line Is Not for Turning: An Anthology of Contemporary British Prose Poetry.)
14. Write a poem that is an actual numbered list, and let the nature of the list come not from the title but the accumulation of details. Some possibilities include: seven regrets without named parties; five historical events I wish I'd been present for and one that I had; my experiences with everyday people in different cities I've visited.
15. Write a poem in response to something in the news, but rather than falling back on your own perspective, imagine another person's. For example, how might a former miner's child respond to the news of Thatcher's death? Or, from another angle, how might one of her advisors respond? Try to make the response nuanced, a complex of multiple emotions rather than settling for the predictable, simplistic one.
16. Write a poem that uses two or three beats/stresses per line. If unsure what to write about, take the view out of a window, starting at a distance and becoming increasingly more detailed and intimate. If you need more inspiration, dip into Basil Bunting's Briggflatts (http://carrieetter.blogspot.co.uk/2009/07/basil-buntings-complete-poems.html); it's not in two-beat lines but conveys the idea of such a poem well.
17. Consider a news item you'd like to write about, and find a good-sized article about it online, preferably in a quality newspaper or journal. Take five phrases from the article that seem to sum up different points or events involved. In your poem these will be in quotation marks or italicized, and your work is to write between them.
18. Use five of the following six words in a poem: dirt, hand(s), path, tree (or a kind of tree), sky, weight.
19. Remember someone you knew now dead, and remember one of their interests or hobbies (i.e. my father was obsessed with the weather and cycling; my mother watched medical dramas and house restoration programs and used to sew). In a poem, talk to the person about it, and end with a question.
I hope these prove useful.
10. Write a poem in second person where the you being addressed is a specific person (rather than a general/public or reader you).
11. Remember an image that has moved you and describe it (without comment, without sentimentality) in 2-5 lines. That is the end of your poem--now write toward it.
12. Think of something you do every day, and tell someone else how to do it in step-by-step imperatives that provide close descriptive detail of the actions and any objects. Some possibilities include changing a diaper, preparing butternut squash, choosing a watermelon, and styling your hair.
13. What are you feeling right now? What are the three abstract nouns that would best describe it? Right now I might say mine would be lust, ennui, and fatigue. While the narrative of events leading to those feelings would be mundane and probably uninteresting, is there another, more condensed narrative--something that could happen in, say, ten minutes--that might convey the same combination of feelings? In a prose poem, write the narrative that helps to convey those feelings, and let the title clue the reader in to that general mood. (This was my approach with my poem 'Melancholia' in This Line Is Not for Turning: An Anthology of Contemporary British Prose Poetry.)
14. Write a poem that is an actual numbered list, and let the nature of the list come not from the title but the accumulation of details. Some possibilities include: seven regrets without named parties; five historical events I wish I'd been present for and one that I had; my experiences with everyday people in different cities I've visited.
15. Write a poem in response to something in the news, but rather than falling back on your own perspective, imagine another person's. For example, how might a former miner's child respond to the news of Thatcher's death? Or, from another angle, how might one of her advisors respond? Try to make the response nuanced, a complex of multiple emotions rather than settling for the predictable, simplistic one.
16. Write a poem that uses two or three beats/stresses per line. If unsure what to write about, take the view out of a window, starting at a distance and becoming increasingly more detailed and intimate. If you need more inspiration, dip into Basil Bunting's Briggflatts (http://carrieetter.blogspot.co.uk/2009/07/basil-buntings-complete-poems.html); it's not in two-beat lines but conveys the idea of such a poem well.
17. Consider a news item you'd like to write about, and find a good-sized article about it online, preferably in a quality newspaper or journal. Take five phrases from the article that seem to sum up different points or events involved. In your poem these will be in quotation marks or italicized, and your work is to write between them.
18. Use five of the following six words in a poem: dirt, hand(s), path, tree (or a kind of tree), sky, weight.
19. Remember someone you knew now dead, and remember one of their interests or hobbies (i.e. my father was obsessed with the weather and cycling; my mother watched medical dramas and house restoration programs and used to sew). In a poem, talk to the person about it, and end with a question.
I hope these prove useful.
Friday, 5 April 2013
NaPoWriMo, Day 5 Progress Report
It's barely day five of National Poetry Month. I've got four poems for the four days, and I love how I feel: gratified by the completed work, excited by the variety and possibility of some quality among them, and whirring with thoughts about word choice, form, and imagery. How are others doing?
Wednesday, 3 April 2013
Prompts for Poems
I hadn't planned on providing a prompt a day, but I see that by starting out that way, I may have created that expectation. Here, then, for day 3, is a prompt I offered in 2011 that has led to some strong work. These 7 more, from last year, will cover me through day 10! I promise to offer more, or links to more, again by the eleventh.
Tuesday, 2 April 2013
Day 2: Another Prompt
My Poetry School students did so well with this exercise I invented, I thought I'd share it as a prompt for National Poetry Month.
Thinking of one event you'd like to write about--it needn't but could be personal (or historical, etc.), write a poem consisting only of questions, maximum 20 lines. Indeed, it could just be one question extended over a number of lines.
I know what gave me the idea for this exercise. Years ago, Donald Justice published a poem, "Twenty Questions," in Seneca Review, and I wrote a poem in response, "Twenty Answers," published later in the same magazine. The catch, if that's the right word, is that my answers were also questions.
If you try this approach, I'd be glad to hear of your experience with it.
Thinking of one event you'd like to write about--it needn't but could be personal (or historical, etc.), write a poem consisting only of questions, maximum 20 lines. Indeed, it could just be one question extended over a number of lines.
I know what gave me the idea for this exercise. Years ago, Donald Justice published a poem, "Twenty Questions," in Seneca Review, and I wrote a poem in response, "Twenty Answers," published later in the same magazine. The catch, if that's the right word, is that my answers were also questions.
If you try this approach, I'd be glad to hear of your experience with it.
Monday, 1 April 2013
And so National Poetry Month begins!
After all that build-up seeking fellow poets to join me in writing a poem a day, the month has arrived, and fortunately, I'm still on spring break. This time I have several projects I'd like to continue with: Gretel, 'open field' poems that tell the Hansel and Gretel fairy tale from her point of view, in third person; The Modie Box, a prose poem about my mother and her death, focused on the box file in which I keep her letters and cards to me, my letters to her, and various mementos (Modie is the first name I called her, perhaps clearer as Moddy). Additionally, I'd like to replace one of the Imagined Sons in my manuscript of the same name with a new piece, and so plan to try to write several new Imagined Sons poems. I also want to prepare a couple poems for themed contests and magazine issues, including this important competition raising money and awareness of cardiac risk in young people. I hardly need any additional inspiration to make it through the month!
But I always have ideas for poems and don't understand writer's block per se. That won't keep me, however, from offering prompts for those who find them useful. I'll start by promoting a couple of favourite forms, the pantoum and the prose poem. If you haven't written one of them, give it a go. For more on the pantoum, see this page at the Academy of American Poets; here's their page on the prose poem. On the latter, I'd also be glad if you explored my site Sudden Prose, devoted to both prose poetry and flash fiction, with many splendid examples.
What plans do others have for National Poetry Month? I'd be glad to hear.
But I always have ideas for poems and don't understand writer's block per se. That won't keep me, however, from offering prompts for those who find them useful. I'll start by promoting a couple of favourite forms, the pantoum and the prose poem. If you haven't written one of them, give it a go. For more on the pantoum, see this page at the Academy of American Poets; here's their page on the prose poem. On the latter, I'd also be glad if you explored my site Sudden Prose, devoted to both prose poetry and flash fiction, with many splendid examples.
What plans do others have for National Poetry Month? I'd be glad to hear.
Friday, 15 March 2013
National Poetry Writing Month, April 2013
Every year since 2008 I've attempted to write 30 poems in 30 days (or the like, say sections of a longer poem) for National Poetry Month, and every year I've called for company here on my blog. Here's the list of people who've agreed to join me in trying to write a poem a day for National Poetry Month (April), 2013. There's no need to post them anywhere, but throughout the month I'll regularly post notices to ask how people are doing with the challenge. If you'd like some prompts to get you started, there are seven I posted here.
1. Lucie Parmiter, Bath
2. Jo Bell, Honeystreet, Wiltshire
3. Carolyn Jess-Cooke, UK
4. Éireann Lorsung, Ghent, Belgium
5. Hazel Hammond, Bristol
6. Mark Olival-Bartley, Munich, Germany
7. Linda Black, London
8. Lucy Sixsmith, Moscow, Russia
9. Samantha Wynne-Rhydderch, New Quay
10. Pippa Hennessey, Nottingham
11. Mao Oliver-Semenov, Krasnoyarsk, Russia
12. Melissa Buckheit, Tucson, Arizona
13. Sheila Hamilton,Wirral
14. Josephine Corcoran, Trowbridge
15. Zoë Sîobhan Howarth-Lowe, Bath
16. Anne Brechin, Prague
17. Kit Fryatt, Scotland
18. Jenny Martin, Surrey
19. Dan Coffey, Ames, Iowa
20. Dawn Trook, San Francisco
21. Simon Williams, Dartmoor
22. Aki Schilz, Ecuador
23. Sue Guiney, Cambodia
24. Aisling Tempany, Cardiff
25. Sarah Salway, Canterbury
26. Adam Gedge, Bath
27. Dru Marland, Bristol
28. Catherine Edmunds, Bishop Auckland
29. Bill Herbert, Newcastle upon Tyne
30. Claire Trevien, Oxford
31. Jinny Fisher, Somerset
32. Pascale Petit, London and Paris
33. Patricia Debney, Canterbury
34. Neil Fulwood, Nottingham
35. Andrew Bailey, Chichester
36. Cheryl Moskowitz, Bounds Green and Brooklyn
37. Andrew Ty, Manila, Phillippines and Xiamen, China
38. Anna Twizell, Bath
39. Jeffrey Kahrs, Seattle
40. Sean Martin, Milnthorpe, Cumbria
41. Samantha Boarer, Bath
42. Emily Harrison, Swindon and London
43. Hugh Behm-Steinberg, Berkeley
44. Joan Hewitt, Tynemouth
45. Vanessa Gebbie, Sussex and Ibiza
46. Sue Spencer, County Durham
47. Angela Topping, Northwich
48. Chris Hamilton-Emery, Cromer
49. Vanessa Owen, Bangor
50. Matthew Sperling, London
51. Colin Will, Dunbar
52. Peter Wind, Aarhus, Denmark
53. Heidi Williamson, Norfolk
54. Cathy Dreyer, Ginge, Oxfordshire
55. Sam Loveless, Chippenham
56. Polly Moyer, Bristol
57. Kath Fox, Nottingham
58. Sheree Mack, Tynemouth
59. Miranda Barnes, Bath
60. Jen Wilson, Newcastle
61. Wendy French, London
62. Sue Boyle, Bath
63. Jennifer Militello, Goffstown, New Hampshire
64. Tony Williams, Northumberland
65. Vanessa Harbour, Winchester
66. Rachel McCarthy, Exeter
67. Lee Duggan, Bangor, Wales
68. Graham Burchell, Dawlish
69. Roz Goddard, Cradley Heath, West Midlands
70. J.T. Welsch, York
71. Sue Sims, Bristol
72. Carole Heidi Holland, Market Drayton
73. Wendy Klein, Tidmarsh, Berkshire
74. Tilla Brading, Porlock
75. J. van den Ackor, Seattle
76. Robert Walton, Bristol and Cardiff
77. Gillie Harries, Bristol
78. Agnes Davis, Bristol
79. Richie Brown, Aberdeen
80. Cristina Navazo-Eguía Newton, Upper Stratton, Swindon
81. Paul Deaton, Bristol
82. Frances-Anne King, Bath
83. Anthony Wilson, Exeter
84. Roselle Angwin, Devon and The Hebrides
85. Pam Johnson, London
86. Valeria Melchioretto, London
87. Paul Hawkins, Bournemouth
88. Anne Kealy, Somerset
89. Bill Greenwell, Darlington
90. Jake Cantona, Dorset
91. Hilda Sheehan, Swindon
92. Keith Parker, Durham
93. Babs Knightley Short, Devon
94. Simon McCormack, Bournemouth
95. Sophie Herxheimer, London
96. Kaddy Benyon, Cambridge
97. Rachel Glass, North Yorkshire
98. Elaine Marifosque, Phillipines
99. Robin Houghton, Lewes
100. E.E. Nobbs, Prince Edward Island, Canada
101. Rebecca, Auckland, New Zealand
102. Julie Maclean, Australia
103. Suzi Fulham, London
104. Siegfried Baber, Bath and Belgium
105. Susan Utting, Berkshire
106. Matt Haw, Bath
107. Emma Lee, Leicester
108. Christina Dunhill, North London
109. Michael Scott, Swindon
110. Teresa Davey, Swindon and County Down, Ireland
111. Anna-May Laugher, Reading
112. Deborah Harvey, Bristol
113. Rob A. Mackenzie, Leith
114. Caroline Davies, Wing, Buckinghamshire and West Ireland
115. Howard Miller, Macon, Georgia
116. Jon Stone, London
117. Kirsty Irving, London
118. Cat Conwy, London
119. Reiss McGuinness, Bath and Newcastle-upon-Lyme
120. Pey Colborne, Bath
121. Matt Haigh, Cardiff
122. Beth Camp, Spokane, Washington
123. Mary Hamer, London
124. Rena Bunder Rossner, Jerusalem
125. Larry Bradley, Vermont
126. Janet Rogerson, Manchester
127. Steven Waling, Manchester
128. Harry Man, London
129. Frank Dullaghan, Dubai
130. Rose Riedel, Indianola, Washington
131. Jen Crawford, Singapore
132. Karen Green, London
133. June Sciortino, London
134. Fiona Russell, Scotland
135. Sue Holland, Shropshire
136. Carole Bromley, York
137. Nick Compton, Bath and Leicestershire
138. Megan Cox, Herefordshire
139. Sudeep Sen, Delhi, India
140. Marilyn Francis, Radstock
141. Ian Lewis, Leicester and Harborough
142. Nick Hetherington, Kildare, Ireland
143. Crysse Morrison, Frome and California
144. Kerry-Lee Powell, New Moncton and Banff, Canada
145. Ágnes Lehóczky, Sheffield
146. Adam Horovitz, Slad Valley, Gloucestershire
147. Pippa Little, Newcastle upon Tyne
148. Janet Fisher, Huddersfield
149. Janette Ayachi, Edinburgh
150. Yu Yan Chen, Singapore
151. David Seddon, Congleton, Cheshire
152. Libby Walkup, Chicago
153. Jane Commane, Warwickshire
154. Candide Peel, Lechlade, Gloucestershire
1. Lucie Parmiter, Bath
2. Jo Bell, Honeystreet, Wiltshire
3. Carolyn Jess-Cooke, UK
4. Éireann Lorsung, Ghent, Belgium
5. Hazel Hammond, Bristol
6. Mark Olival-Bartley, Munich, Germany
7. Linda Black, London
8. Lucy Sixsmith, Moscow, Russia
9. Samantha Wynne-Rhydderch, New Quay
10. Pippa Hennessey, Nottingham
11. Mao Oliver-Semenov, Krasnoyarsk, Russia
12. Melissa Buckheit, Tucson, Arizona
13. Sheila Hamilton,Wirral
14. Josephine Corcoran, Trowbridge
15. Zoë Sîobhan Howarth-Lowe, Bath
16. Anne Brechin, Prague
17. Kit Fryatt, Scotland
18. Jenny Martin, Surrey
19. Dan Coffey, Ames, Iowa
20. Dawn Trook, San Francisco
21. Simon Williams, Dartmoor
22. Aki Schilz, Ecuador
23. Sue Guiney, Cambodia
24. Aisling Tempany, Cardiff
25. Sarah Salway, Canterbury
26. Adam Gedge, Bath
27. Dru Marland, Bristol
28. Catherine Edmunds, Bishop Auckland
29. Bill Herbert, Newcastle upon Tyne
30. Claire Trevien, Oxford
31. Jinny Fisher, Somerset
32. Pascale Petit, London and Paris
33. Patricia Debney, Canterbury
34. Neil Fulwood, Nottingham
35. Andrew Bailey, Chichester
36. Cheryl Moskowitz, Bounds Green and Brooklyn
37. Andrew Ty, Manila, Phillippines and Xiamen, China
38. Anna Twizell, Bath
39. Jeffrey Kahrs, Seattle
40. Sean Martin, Milnthorpe, Cumbria
41. Samantha Boarer, Bath
42. Emily Harrison, Swindon and London
43. Hugh Behm-Steinberg, Berkeley
44. Joan Hewitt, Tynemouth
45. Vanessa Gebbie, Sussex and Ibiza
46. Sue Spencer, County Durham
47. Angela Topping, Northwich
48. Chris Hamilton-Emery, Cromer
49. Vanessa Owen, Bangor
50. Matthew Sperling, London
51. Colin Will, Dunbar
52. Peter Wind, Aarhus, Denmark
53. Heidi Williamson, Norfolk
54. Cathy Dreyer, Ginge, Oxfordshire
55. Sam Loveless, Chippenham
56. Polly Moyer, Bristol
57. Kath Fox, Nottingham
58. Sheree Mack, Tynemouth
59. Miranda Barnes, Bath
60. Jen Wilson, Newcastle
61. Wendy French, London
62. Sue Boyle, Bath
63. Jennifer Militello, Goffstown, New Hampshire
64. Tony Williams, Northumberland
65. Vanessa Harbour, Winchester
66. Rachel McCarthy, Exeter
67. Lee Duggan, Bangor, Wales
68. Graham Burchell, Dawlish
69. Roz Goddard, Cradley Heath, West Midlands
70. J.T. Welsch, York
71. Sue Sims, Bristol
72. Carole Heidi Holland, Market Drayton
73. Wendy Klein, Tidmarsh, Berkshire
74. Tilla Brading, Porlock
75. J. van den Ackor, Seattle
76. Robert Walton, Bristol and Cardiff
77. Gillie Harries, Bristol
78. Agnes Davis, Bristol
79. Richie Brown, Aberdeen
80. Cristina Navazo-Eguía Newton, Upper Stratton, Swindon
81. Paul Deaton, Bristol
82. Frances-Anne King, Bath
83. Anthony Wilson, Exeter
84. Roselle Angwin, Devon and The Hebrides
85. Pam Johnson, London
86. Valeria Melchioretto, London
87. Paul Hawkins, Bournemouth
88. Anne Kealy, Somerset
89. Bill Greenwell, Darlington
90. Jake Cantona, Dorset
91. Hilda Sheehan, Swindon
92. Keith Parker, Durham
93. Babs Knightley Short, Devon
94. Simon McCormack, Bournemouth
95. Sophie Herxheimer, London
96. Kaddy Benyon, Cambridge
97. Rachel Glass, North Yorkshire
98. Elaine Marifosque, Phillipines
99. Robin Houghton, Lewes
100. E.E. Nobbs, Prince Edward Island, Canada
101. Rebecca, Auckland, New Zealand
102. Julie Maclean, Australia
103. Suzi Fulham, London
104. Siegfried Baber, Bath and Belgium
105. Susan Utting, Berkshire
106. Matt Haw, Bath
107. Emma Lee, Leicester
108. Christina Dunhill, North London
109. Michael Scott, Swindon
110. Teresa Davey, Swindon and County Down, Ireland
111. Anna-May Laugher, Reading
112. Deborah Harvey, Bristol
113. Rob A. Mackenzie, Leith
114. Caroline Davies, Wing, Buckinghamshire and West Ireland
115. Howard Miller, Macon, Georgia
116. Jon Stone, London
117. Kirsty Irving, London
118. Cat Conwy, London
119. Reiss McGuinness, Bath and Newcastle-upon-Lyme
120. Pey Colborne, Bath
121. Matt Haigh, Cardiff
122. Beth Camp, Spokane, Washington
123. Mary Hamer, London
124. Rena Bunder Rossner, Jerusalem
125. Larry Bradley, Vermont
126. Janet Rogerson, Manchester
127. Steven Waling, Manchester
128. Harry Man, London
129. Frank Dullaghan, Dubai
130. Rose Riedel, Indianola, Washington
131. Jen Crawford, Singapore
132. Karen Green, London
133. June Sciortino, London
134. Fiona Russell, Scotland
135. Sue Holland, Shropshire
136. Carole Bromley, York
137. Nick Compton, Bath and Leicestershire
138. Megan Cox, Herefordshire
139. Sudeep Sen, Delhi, India
140. Marilyn Francis, Radstock
141. Ian Lewis, Leicester and Harborough
142. Nick Hetherington, Kildare, Ireland
143. Crysse Morrison, Frome and California
144. Kerry-Lee Powell, New Moncton and Banff, Canada
145. Ágnes Lehóczky, Sheffield
146. Adam Horovitz, Slad Valley, Gloucestershire
147. Pippa Little, Newcastle upon Tyne
148. Janet Fisher, Huddersfield
149. Janette Ayachi, Edinburgh
150. Yu Yan Chen, Singapore
151. David Seddon, Congleton, Cheshire
152. Libby Walkup, Chicago
153. Jane Commane, Warwickshire
154. Candide Peel, Lechlade, Gloucestershire
Wednesday, 2 May 2012
NaPoWriMo: Done. Dusted.
In the thirty days of April, I wrote 16 independent, prose-poetry sections (of which we used 14) for the commissioned piece, "Meditations," on Peter Coker's 1958-9 painting, "Sunflowers," eight sections taken from the words of Esther Summerson's first chapter in Charles Dickens's Bleak House (I didn't realise till today I'd completed the chapter!), and five independent poems. Thus it turns out that for all my activity in April, I missed the 30 in 30 goal by one, but I'm nonetheless delighted. I think "Meditations" has turned out well (if not excellent, as I'd hoped) in spite of the time pressure I faced, I'm excited about the Bleak House project, and several of the independent poems I think are good. So hurrah! How did others fare?
Thanks to everyone who joined me. Stories of your own experiences consistently encouraged me to strive for my best and to make the most of the time, and I dearly appreciate them. Thanks so much.
Thanks to everyone who joined me. Stories of your own experiences consistently encouraged me to strive for my best and to make the most of the time, and I dearly appreciate them. Thanks so much.
Thursday, 26 April 2012
NaPoWriMo blown (sort of)
A few days ago I no longer could manage a poem a day, as the sinus infection I thought I'd conquered at the start of the month had returned. However, the intense projects I've been working on--a montage of pieces on Peter Coker's painting, "Sunflowers," for Sylph Editions and a series of poems using Esther Summerson's narration from Bleak House--mean that I have 28 pieces on day 26. I think that means I'll make 30 poems in 30 days, if not a poem a day, and I'm thrilled with that. How are others getting on?
Monday, 23 April 2012
NaPoWriMo with one week to go
Now that I'm back to work, I'm starting to struggle.... How are others doing?
Sunday, 15 April 2012
NaPoWriMo--the halfway point!
I've written poetry every day for fifteen days now, and I love the feelings it brings--giddiness, satisfaction, pleasure. How are others doing?
Wednesday, 4 April 2012
Some NaPoWriMo prompts
My friend Kristina Close is struggling to stay with NaPoWriMo, so I've recommended one site of prompts to her and thought I'd offer some myself.
1. Write a poem about something you collect or used to collect. Focus on the rich details that distinguish the items in the collection from one another.
2. Write a 16-20-line pantoum whose opening line (and hence ending line) contains a concrete image.
3. Write a poem that begins with seeing a person who resembles someone who's dead.
4. Write a poem composed of fragments, with the odd lines focusing on a concrete scene and the even lines focusing on a metaphysical issue. (Such a poem might work best double-spaced.)
5. Write a prose poem that begins and ends with the same image.
6. Write an angry, bitter poem to someone who has wronged you, but instead of relating the events or the wrong autobiographically, think of what could metaphorically represent that same event and write about that instead. For example, if someone stole your boyfriend, perhaps she moved into your castle.
7. Write a poem using five of the following six words: errand; body; world; dusk; snow; light.
That's good for now. I'd be glad to know people's experiences of these prompts if they try them.
NapoWriMo, day 4
I've written three poems in three days, and any other month, I'd be delighted, but it's April, and this has become usual. I'm trying not to evaluate whether the three very different poems--one a nature poem in fragments, one more linear, one a prose poem--have any value, so as to stay focused on the momentum. I'd be glad to hear others' experiences....
Sunday, 1 April 2012
National Poetry Month begins!
Here's the list of those joining me in trying to write a poem a day for the month of April:
1. Joanne Limburg, Cambridge, UK
2. Jennifer Clarvoe, US
3. Aisling Tempany, Cardiff
4. Daniel Luff, Bath
5. Claire Lerpinière, near Bath
7. Jennifer K. Dick, Mulhouse, France
8. Reiss McGuinness, Bath and Sheffield
9. Kit Fryatt, Dublin
10. Cat Conway, London
11. Barbara Marsh, Hackney
12. Marthe Reed, Lafayette, Louisiana
13. James "J.P." Pavett, Bath, Somerset and Ferndown, Dorset
14. Katy Wilson, Bath
15. Alex Clere, Bath and Tamworth
16. Isobel Armstrong, Southampton
17. Jenny Martin, Great Bookham, Surrey
18. Kathryn Simmonds, London
19. John Wheway, Bath
20. Kristina Close, Cleeve Hill, Cheltenham
21. Tom Weir, Leeds
22. Kenny Campbell, St Andrews
23. Samantha Boarer, Bath and Newton Abbot
24. Matt Haw, Bath
25. Abigail Maskill, Halifax and Bath
26. Laura Hill, Borehamwood and Bath
27. Katherine Frost, Folkestone and Bath
25. Abigail Maskill, Halifax and Bath
26. Laura Hill, Borehamwood and Bath
27. Katherine Frost, Folkestone and Bath
28. Connie Voisine, Belfast, Ireland
29. Frank Dullaghan, Dubai, UAE
30. Dikra Ridha, Bath
31. Libby Walkup, Chicago
32. Jack Tinmouth, Whitchurch, Bristol
33. Simon McCormack, Bournemouth
34. Ginny Wiehardt, Brooklyn, NY
35. Éireann Lorsung, Nottinghamshire
36. Charlotte Owen, Bath
37. Emily Maycock, Newton St Loe
38. Laura Burns, Bristol
39. Mark Olival-Bartley, Munich, Germany
40. Simon Williams, South Devon, UK
41. Peter Daniels, London
42. Sarah Rudston, Bath
43. Zoe Howarth-Lowe, Bath
44. Rob A. Mackenzie, Edinburgh
45. Violet Echo Dahl, Bath and Oxford
46. Lindsey Holland
47. Graham Burchell, Dawlish
48. Sharon Larkin, Cheltenham
49. Bob Walton, Bristol
50. Diana Gittins, Exeter
51. Lucy Sixsmith, Bath
52. Lily Kerfoot, Dartmoor and Bath
53. Sarah Lariviere, Paris
54. Nathan Say, Las Vegas
55. Jason Mark Curley, London
56. Hazel Hammond, Bristol
57. Valeria Melchioretto, London
58. Susan Taylor, Dartmoor, Devon
59. Sarah Law, London
60. Melissa Studdard, Houston, Texas
61. Eileen Moeller, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
62. Kit Kennedy, San Francisco, California
63. Joan Mazza, Mineral, Virginia
64. Marie Dullaghan, Dubai, UAE and Essex, UK
65. Charlotte Owen, Bath and Bradford, Yorkshire
66. Michelle Boisseau, Virginia, Ohio, and Kansas City, Missouri
67. Ben Hall, Bath
68. Scott Lutz, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
69. Louise Stephens Alexander, Edinburgh
70. Kimberly Campanello, Dublin
71. Siobhán Campbell, Washington, D.C.
72. Linda Black, London
I'll post a message asking 4-5 days asking how people are progressing, how the process is affecting the creative process, etc., and I'd be grateful for your responses.
Sunday, 25 March 2012
You are summoned
to join me in writing a poem a day for National Poetry Month this April. Happily, during the first three weeks I'll be on spring break, so I can really make the most of the challenge.
The following have already agreed to join me:
1. Joanne Limburg, Cambridge, UK
2. Jennifer Clarvoe, US
3. Aisling Tempany, Cardiff
4. Daniel Luff, Bath
5. Claire Lerpinière, near Bath
6. Natalia Spencer, Bristol
7. Jennifer K. Dick, Mulhouse, France
8. Reiss McGuinness, Bath and Sheffield
9. Kit Fryatt, Dublin
10. Cat Conway, London
11. Barbara Marsh, Hackney
12. Marthe Reed, Lafayette, Louisiana
13. James "J.P." Pavett, Bath, Somerset and Ferndown, Dorset
14. Katy Wilson, Bath
15. Alex Clere, Bath and Tamworth
16. Isobel Armstrong, Southampton
17. Jenny Martin, Great Bookham, Surrey
18. Kathryn Simmonds, London
19. John Wheway, Bath
20. Kristina Close, Cleeve Hill, Cheltenham
21. Tom Weir, Leeds
22. Kenny Campbell, St Andrews
23. Samantha Boarer, Bath and Newton Abbot
24. Matt Haw, Bath
25. Abigail Maskill, Halifax and Bath
26. Laura Hill, Borehamwood and Bath
27. Katherine Frost, Folkestone and Bath
25. Abigail Maskill, Halifax and Bath
26. Laura Hill, Borehamwood and Bath
27. Katherine Frost, Folkestone and Bath
28. Connie Voisine, Belfast, Ireland
29. Frank Dullaghan, Dubai, UAE
30. Dikra Ridha, Bath
31. Libby Walkup, Chicago
32. Jack Tinmouth, Whitchurch, Bristol
33. Simon McCormack, Bournemouth
34. Ginny Wiehardt, Brooklyn, NY
35. Éireann Lorsung, Nottinghamshire
36. Charlotte Owen, Bath
37. Emily Maycock, Newton St Loe
38. Laura Burns, Bristol
39. Mark Olival-Bartley, Munich, Germany
40. Simon Williams, South Devon, UK
41. Peter Daniels, London
42. Sarah Rudston, Bath
43. Zoe Howarth-Lowe, Bath
44. Rob A. Mackenzie, Edinburgh
45. Violet Echo Dahl, Bath and Oxford
46. Lindsey Holland
47. Graham Burchell, Dawlish
48. Sharon Larkin, Cheltenham
49. Bob Walton, Bristol
50. Diana Gittins, Exeter
51. Lucy Sixsmith, Bath
52. Lily Kerfoot, Dartmoor and Bath
53. Sarah Lariviere, Paris
54. Nathan Say, Las Vegas
55. Jason Mark Curley, London
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)