Showing posts with label Poem-based exercise. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Poem-based exercise. Show all posts

4/7/21

National Poetry Month Activity Pack Day 5

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*Reposted from 4/5/2020


OK guys, I've checked again and April is still here, and in America that means 
Every day for National Poetry Month I'll be posting a few fun or interesting poetry links or videos, a Throwback writing prompt from this site, a few poems published in the last couple years and a couple classic poems—things that are poetry-related interesting or fun.

You will have a change to write poetry even if you've never done it before—the writing prompts aim to demystify the process of writing a poem. This will not take the place of the 2020 Writing Exercise Series, but will be in addition to it, so there will be a bevy of poetry to bathe your mind with.

So. Let's begin.

April 5, 2020
National Poetry Month 2020 Activity Pack Day 5


1) Yesterday we listened to David Kirby talking about creating poetry, now let's listen to him reading his poem "These Arms of Mine".



2) That was awfully quick, let's listen to one more fun poem before reading. Here is Thomas Lux reading his witty poem "I Love You Sweatheart".


3) Now go read one, or preferably all of the following three 'recently' published poems:

"On Hearing of Yellowstone’s Latest Swarm of Earthquakes" by Travis Truax in Aquifer: Florida Review Online.
"For Lillian, Whoever She Is" by Matt Morris in Frigg Magazine Issue 54.
"Sparrow Shadow, Florida" by John Hazard in Atticus Review January 22, 2020.

4) Go read all of the following three short poems that were published more than two years ago:

"Dim Lady" by Harryette Mullen—with bonus Sonnet 130, for obvious reasons.

4) We've listened to a number of poems this month already, but not any performance poetry. I've been a fan of the tremendously witty Beau Sia for years. This performance of his poem "Love" is from the show Def Poetry Jam and skewers the idea of a love poem in the meandering, controlled stream of consciousness sort of way that I think David Kirby would very much appreciate. There is swearing in this video, so NSFW


5) And for good measure, here's a short video of Sharon Olds reading her sensuously geographic poem "Topography".



6) And now let's step into a time machine and go all the way back to December 16th, 2015 for this "Five Random Constraints" writing prompt titled "Hilltop Kangaroo". This will be fun—you can do this. This set of arbitrary requirements might be the creative spark you need today.

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2021 Update:

7) Bonus new poems! These additional poems were published in 2020 or 2021. Fresh off the presses.
"Jumpers" by Seth Jani in Waterwheel Review October 2020.
"Stage 4" by Whittney Jones in Red Tree Review Issue 1.
"Unearthlings" by Allison A. deFreese in River Heron Review Issue 4.1

8) Bonus video! I'm a big fan of poets reading their own work, so enjoy this recording of New York School great Frank O'Hara reading his poem "Present".

4/6/21

National Poetry Month Activity Pack Day 4

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 *Reposted from April 4, 2020


OK guys, I've checked again and April is still here, and in America that means 
Every day for National Poetry Month I'll be posting a few fun or interesting poetry links or videos, a Throwback writing prompt from this site, a few poems published in the last couple years and a couple classic poems—things that are poetry-related interesting or fun.

You will have a change to write poetry even if you've never done it before—the writing prompts aim to demystify the process of writing a poem. This will not take the place of the 2020 Writing Exercise Series, but will be in addition to it, so there will be a bevy of poetry to bathe your mind with.

So. Let's begin.

April 4, 2020
National Poetry Month 2020 Activity Pack Day 4


1) Listen to this short radio clip of poet David Kirby discussing his views on how poetry is the product of the deliberate and the accidental.



2) Go read one, or preferably all of the following three 'recently' published poems:

"Tin" by Matthew Murrey in Apple Valley Review Vol.14 No.1.
"Over 100°, La Mesa" by Zebulon Huset in Maudlin House March 17, 2020 (Sorry).

3) Go read all of the following three short poems that were published more than two years ago:


4) Check out the following two video poems by Kai Carlson-Wee from Button Poetry "Cry of the Loon" and "Holes in the Mountain".


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5) Step into the time machine and travel back to April 2, 2017 and try this exercise: "Complete a Piece Sunday: Dueling Cinquains" which walks you quickly through the cinquain form and guides you to writing your own "double cinquain".

6) Word of the Day x 3: Go to the Merriam-Webster Word of the Day website and look through the listings for January, February and March, picking one word from each month. Write a poem using those three words. 
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2021 Update:

7) Bonus new poems! These additional poems were published in 2020 or 2021. Fresh off the presses.
"3 Very Short Poems" by C. Cimmone in Dead Fern Press 1. ("The Day I Wrote His Obituary", "Psychosomatics", "Mortal Remains of a Used Up Woman")
"Stone Canoe" by Scott Waters in Bombfire March 13, 2021.
"To Live at Lemon Cove" by Paul Veracka in Dwelling Literary "Mini Crib" Issue 2021

8) Bonus video! I love this poem by the awesome poem Danez Smith, and think you will get a kick out of it too.  Check out Danez Smith reading "Dinosaurs in the Hood".

National Poetry Month Activity Pack Day 3

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 *Reposted from 4/3/2020


Yes, I've checked and April is still here, and in America that means 
Every day for National Poetry Month I'll be posting a few fun or interesting poetry links or videos, a Throwback writing prompt from this site, a few poems published in the last couple years and a couple classic poems—things that are poetry-related interesting or fun.

You will have a change to write poetry even if you've never done it before—the writing prompts aim to demystify the process of writing a poem. This will not take the place of the 2020 Writing Exercise Series, but will be in addition to it, so there will be a bevy of poetry to bathe your mind with.

So. Let's begin.

April 3, 2020
National Poetry Month 2020 Activity Pack Day 3


1) Watch this 20 minute documentary about author of over 20 books of poetry and winner of the National Book Award, Ruth Lilly Prize and Wallace Stevens Award as well as the former Poet Laureate of New Jersey, Gerald Stern which is mostly him reading poems and showing pictures—and despite how I explained that, is actually really interesting.




2) Go read one, or preferably all of the following three 'recently' published poems:

"The Tree in the Midst" by John Shoptaw in Poetry Magazine April 2020.
"mountains before mountains were mothers" by Aimee Herman in Cream City Review Vol. 43 No. 2. (and listen to the audio)
"The Weight of Him" by Laura Foley in One (from Jacar Press) Issue 20.

3) Go read all of the following three short poems that were published more than two years ago:


4) Check out the following two-minute video of Phillip Levine reading his poem "Belle Isle, 1949".



5) Instead of going back in time to do an exercise from Notebooking Daily past, today write an ekphrastic poem (a poem in some way inspired by another piece of art) based on the following image, which you can, should you choose to accept the challenge, submit to the Rattle Ekphrastic Challenge which has a deadline of April 31st and is free to submit.


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2021 Update:

7) Bonus new poems! These additional poems were published in 2020 or 2021. Fresh off the presses.
"Tall Grass Blues" by Pablo Piñero Stillmann in Prelude 4.
"Publishing, the Old-Fashioned Way" by N. Minnick in Brazenhead Review Summer 2020.
"Planet of the Monster Girls" by Jessie Lynn McMains in Crow & Cross Keys February 24, 2021

4/5/21

National Poetry Month Activity Pack Day 2

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 Reposted from 4/2/20


Yes, April is here, and in America that means 
Every day for National Poetry Month I'll be posting a few fun or interesting poetry links or videos, a Throwback writing prompt from this site, a few poems published in the last couple years and a couple classic poems—things that are poetry-related and not terribly boring, because, let's face it, sometimes poetry can get boring. It's often a lot of thinking and being serious and pondering linguistics and the fine details of Greek mythology and not enough fun. These will sometimes be all serious and poignant, but most of them will be fun and entertaining.

You will have a change to write poetry even if you've never done it before—the writing prompts aim to demystify the process of writing a poem. This will not take the place of the 2020 Writing Exercise Series, but will be in addition to it, so there will be a bevy of poetry to bathe your mind with.

So. Let's begin.

April 2, 2020
National Poetry Month 2020 Activity Pack Day 2


1) Watch this little video with Campbell McGrath where he talks about how to write a poem. It's nice and short, but still insightful.


2) Go read one, or preferably all of the following three 'recently' published poems:

"Incantation After the Storm" by Beverly Burch in Cortland Review 84.
"Lord of the Flies" by Dorianne Laux in Rattle's Poets Respond March 17, 2020.
"The Turtle Cure" by Cherene Sherrard in Blackbird Vol. 18 No. 2.

3) Go read all of the following three short 'classic' poems:


4) Check out the following three short videos about poet Stephen Dunn. First watch this profile from Cortland Review in their Poets in Person series.


Now check out this reading of his poem "Poem For People That Are Understandably Too Busy To Read Poetry" put together with some stills from Lost in Translation.


And finally watch this short video of him reading the poem "Tiger Face" with a little banter at the beginning.


...and finally:

5) Step into the time machine and travel back two years ago to April 2nd, 2018 and try this National Poetry Month 5 words prompt. The requirement that 3 of the words must start a sentence is both doable and relatively tough given the words.

6) Random Title 5 Minute Exercise: Use this random phrase generator and pick a title—only refresh up to three times, so don't be overly picky. Once you have your title, set an alarm for five minutes, and race to write your poem. Don't overthink things, make choices and move forward. You can return to it later or you can just save it and move on. Maybe someday you'll find a few lines that work for another piece, or maybe it turned out decently, or was a decent start that you can expand upon. The point is to knock something out in 5 minutes, take it serious but don't stress about it.

2021 Update:

7) Bonus new poems! These additional poems were published in 2020 or 2021. Fresh off the presses.
"Phrase Book" by Bin Ramke in Cladesong 10.
"Where I Wore Bells" by Doris Ferleger in Glint Issue 11.
"Zofi (For my Grandmother)" by Margaret D. Stetz in jmww January 22, 2021.

4/4/21

National Poetry Month Activity Pack 1

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 *Reposted from 4/1/2020


Yes, April is here, and in America that means 
National Poetry Month!


Everyday for National Poetry Month I'll be posting a few fun or interesting poetry links or videos, a Throwback writing prompt from this site, a few poems published in the last couple years and a couple classic poems—things that are poetry-related and not terribly boring, because, let's face it, sometimes poetry can get boring. It's often a lot of thinking and being serious and pondering linguistics and the fine details of Greek mythology and not enough fun. These will sometimes be all serious and poignant, but most of them will be fun and entertaining.

You will have a change to write poetry even if you've never done it before—the writing prompts aim to demystify the process of writing a poem. This will not take the place of the 2020 Writing Exercise Series, but will be in addition to it, so there will be a bevy of poetry to bathe your mind with.

So. Let's begin.

April 1, 2020
National Poetry Month 2020 Activity Pack Day 1


1) Watch this little Ted Talk with Billy Collins which is a bit of him talking, and then animations of a number of his short poems.


2) Go read one, or preferably all of the following three 'recently' published poems:

"Elegy: South Island, New Zealand" by Annie Stenzel in Gone Lawn 36.
"Chronic 2001" by Matt Muth in Sundog Lit 16.
"Sugar or Blood" by Campbell McGrath in American Poetry Review Vol. 41 No. 1.

3) Go read all of the following three short 'classic' poems:


4) So, you've read "Wild Geese" and heard it in your own voice, now you're going to listen to it in Mary Oliver's voice twice. First with the visual of her reading the poem, and then with a video put together by Live Learn Evolve. Try to identify places where you read the poem differently in your head from how it sounded with Oliver reading it? Don't worry about time, both videos will take you less than three minutes. It's National Poetry Month! You can spare 3 minutes to really ruminate on a wonderful poem.


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5) Now write a poem in the spirit of Oliver's Wild Geese"—take the ten minutes or half hour or however long and do it. Don't just think about it, even if you only get a fragment, produce something and save it to perhaps work into a piece later. Get descriptive with nature, relate some aspect of humanity or society with the natural world, or write it however you'd like. Just write something. 

If you're completely uninspired, try to write a poem as quickly as you can that is fewer than 18 words and gets from a migratory bird to either the concept of individuality or community.

...and finally:

6) Step into the time machine and travel back to September 17, 2019 and try this Literary Mad Libs writing prompt: "Summer Song". You start with doing a mad lib I concocted from a William Carlos Williams poem, and then take your favorite bits and using guided exercises you form a piece around them.

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2021 Update:

7) Bonus new poems! These additional poems were published in 2020 or 2021. Fresh off the presses.
"Great Inland Sea" by Elizabeth Clark Wessel in FOLDER 68.
"Ace Hotel, Downtown LA Exterior, Jesus Saves Reverse" by Ron Bentley in Banyan Review Issue 5.
"Scrambled Eggs, 1968" by Charles Rammelkamp in Heroin Love Stories March 25, 2021.

4/30/20

National Poetry Month 2020 Activity Pack Day 30

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April 2020 has one more left! So let's live up...
Every day for National Poetry Month I'll be posting a few fun or interesting poetry links or videos, a Throwback writing prompt from this site, a few poems published in the last couple years and a couple classic poems—things that are poetry-related interesting or fun.

You will have a change to write poetry even if you've never done it before—the writing prompts aim to demystify the process of writing a poem. This will not take the place of the 2020 Writing Exercise Series, but will be in addition to it, so there will be a bounty of poetry to feast your eyes upon.

So. Let's begin.

April 30, 2020
National Poetry Month 2020 Activity Pack Day 30


1)  Lets start off with Edward Hirsch giving his take on how to effectively read a poem. I probably should have posted this the first day, but oh well.


2) TV TIME! Let's first watch Paul Muldoon give us all the advice he'd give a young poet—a little tough love we can all use.



Here's Paul Muldoon discussing "Overrated Poetry" and more specifically, how a good poem can come from any source at any time. And yes, that is a different video.


Here is a video interpretation of Pablo Neruda's "Tonight I Can Write the Saddest Lines" translated by W.S. Merwin.


And finally here is another video interpretation of "Alone with Everybody" by Charles Bukowski



3) Now go read one, or preferably all of the following three 'recently' published poems:

“she could put on her left ear hearing aid but not her right & sometimes she could not put on her left either” by Maureen Owen (second poem) in Posit Issue 23.
"Molly Pecon Moment" by Patty Seyburn (second poem) in Ghost Town Issue 10.
"Cliff Path" by Anne Britting Oleson  in Mad River Review Volume 4 Issue 1. 

4) Go read all of the following three poems that were published more than two years ago:


5) We've seen Paul Muldoon, so now let's look at Irish poet Seamus Heaney in this video which includes a reading of the poems "Digging", "Plowing" and other poems with some funny interruptions and a short interview from what looks like the 1980s.


6) The time machine is set all the way back to March 22, 2016 for this "Narrative Thread" exercise based around a sentence. You can use it as the first sentence, or just the basis for your piece.

4/29/20

National Poetry Month 2020 Activity Pack Day 29

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April 2020 has a few heydays remaining... so it's still...
Every day for National Poetry Month I'll be posting a few fun or interesting poetry links or videos, a Throwback writing prompt from this site, a few poems published in the last couple years and a couple classic poems—things that are poetry-related interesting or fun.

You will have a change to write poetry even if you've never done it before—the writing prompts aim to demystify the process of writing a poem. This will not take the place of the 2020 Writing Exercise Series, but will be in addition to it, so there will be a bounty of poetry to feast your eyes upon.

So. Let's begin.

April 29, 2020
National Poetry Month 2020 Activity Pack Day 29


1)  Lets start out with some comedy. Yesterday we watched Stephen Fry talking very seriously, today let's watch a couple of his poetry-related sketches from the sketch comedy show he had with Hugh Laurie when they were much younger men. First he plays a school English teacher chastising... well, you'll see.


And here is "Suitable Poetry Sketch" about poetry safety.


2) TV TIME! Let's stick with comedians and check out this "Hair Poem" by George Carlin.


Here's Carlin a little more serious with a SLAM poem called "Modern Man"


Here is a reading of Russell Edson's short American Surrealist poem "Fall"


3) Now go read one, or preferably all of the following three 'recently' published poems:

“Lowcountry Elegy” by Vivian I. Bikulege in The Petigru Review Issue 13.
"At Seventeen" by Carl Boon in jmww July 13, 2018.
"Whispers of Poland" by Tiffany Stachnick in Landlocked Issue 2.1. 

4) Go read all of the following three poems that were published more than two years ago:


5) Since we started light, let's get a little more studious (yet still interesting) at the end here with Academy of American Poets Chancellor Linda Gregerson talking about the history of the sonnet.



6) The time machine is set all the way back to August 8, 2014 for this "Killing the Pain" object exercise with multiple variations to try.. Even writers without much experience can have a piece coaxed out of them with this one.

4/28/20

National Poetry Month 2020 Activity Pack Day 28

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April 2020 remains... which means...
Every day for National Poetry Month I'll be posting a few fun or interesting poetry links or videos, a Throwback writing prompt from this site, a few poems published in the last couple years and a couple classic poems—things that are poetry-related interesting or fun.

You will have a change to write poetry even if you've never done it before—the writing prompts aim to demystify the process of writing a poem. This will not take the place of the 2020 Writing Exercise Series, but will be in addition to it, so there will be a bounty of poetry to feast your eyes upon.

So. Let's begin.

April 28, 2020
National Poetry Month 2020 Activity Pack Day 28


1)  What a terribly sad day yesterday with Eavan Boland passing. The world was only better for her being a part of it, and her words shall live on. So, let's start out with this video of Stephen Fry discussing meter and his love of classic poetry. I adore Fry, and though I don't share his infatuation with classical poetry, it's always great to see someone talk about their passions.


2) TV TIME! Let's go to the land of Neo-formalism for two videos by LA poet Timothy Steele. First the poem "In the Italian Alps"


Now let's listen Timothy Steele's lovely tetrameter poem "Jardin des Tuileries".


And finally, Edward Hirsch reads his poem "Self Portrait", with an animation effect that is interesting from the multi-media journal Rattapallax


3) Now go read one, or preferably all of the following three 'recently' published poems:

“Daisies” by James B. Nicola in Stickman Review V18N2.
"Evolution Theory" by Suzanne Verrall  in Star 82 Review Issue 8.1.
"The Thing That Keeps Me" by Holly Day in Studio One Volume 44, 2019. 

4) Go read all of the following three poems that were published more than two years ago:


5) Here is an insightful video of Edward Hirsch talking about what poets can learn from fiction writers and what fiction writers can learn from poets, among other things in this ranging 6 minute video.


6) The time machine is set to November 19, 2019 for this "Title Mania" exercise from the Fall Writing Exercise Series. Easy peasy! and see where your imagination/pen/keyboard takes you.

4/27/20

National Poetry Month 2020 Activity Pack Day 27

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April 2020 remains... which means...
Every day for National Poetry Month I'll be posting a few fun or interesting poetry links or videos, a Throwback writing prompt from this site, a few poems published in the last couple years and a couple classic poems—things that are poetry-related interesting or fun.

You will have a change to write poetry even if you've never done it before—the writing prompts aim to demystify the process of writing a poem. This will not take the place of the 2020 Writing Exercise Series, but will be in addition to it, so there will be a bounty of poetry to feast your eyes upon.

So. Let's begin.

April 27, 2020
National Poetry Month 2020 Activity Pack Day 27


1)  Let's start out with this quick video of Charles Wright talking about poetry being a reason for living and reading some of his work

2) TV TIME! Not about Covid19, but here is a lovely and sad poem by Irish poet Eavan Boland called "Quarantine".


Here is the same poem, but with an animation/video and read by an actor.


And here is a >1 minute video of Charles Wright reading his short poem "No Angel"


3) Now go read one, or preferably all of the following three 'recently' published poems:

“The Melancholy Sound of Fog Horns” by Stephen Dunn in Beltway Poetry Quarterly Issue 21:2, Spring 2020.
"Treetops" by Jill Mceldowney in Bodega Magazine 91, March 2020.

4) Go read all of the following three poems that were published more than two years ago:


5) Now that we've listened to some Eavan Boland's poetry, let's watch her discussing her upbringing and poetry in the world at large.


6) The time machine is set to April 5, 2018 for this "Cooking with a Pet" exercise from 2018's National Poetry Month prompt series. and see where your imagination/pen/keyboard takes you.

4/26/20

National Poetry Month 2020 Activity Pack Day 26

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April 2020 is still here... which means...
Every day for National Poetry Month I'll be posting a few fun or interesting poetry links or videos, a Throwback writing prompt from this site, a few poems published in the last couple years and a couple classic poems—things that are poetry-related interesting or fun.

You will have a change to write poetry even if you've never done it before—the writing prompts aim to demystify the process of writing a poem. This will not take the place of the 2020 Writing Exercise Series, but will be in addition to it, so there will be a bounty of poetry to feast your eyes upon.

So. Let's begin.

April 26, 2020
National Poetry Month 2020 Activity Pack Day 26


1)  Let's start out with this quick video with spoken word poet Sarah Kay talking about how to approach poetry with people that may feel they don't 'get' poetry from the "Brief But Spectacular" series.


2) TV TIME! First lets watch Robert Bly read his poem "Snowbanks North of the House" at his writing cabin on Moose Lake in Minnesota back in the 1980s.



Some years later, at the same cabin, here is Bly reading his poem "Winter Poem" while playing his Appalachian dulcimer.



And finally, let's take 5 minutes to watch a short video about the life of Pablo Neruda narrated by Ilan Stavans.



3) Now go read one, or preferably all of the following three 'recently' published poems:

“A Sunday Afternoon of Listening to Lionel Richie Sing” by Cheryl R. Hopson in Indianapolis Review Issue 11, Winter 2020.
"Aubade with Ravens" by Jessica Lynn Suchon in The Pinch November 22, 2019.
"Self-Portrait as Land Snail" by Nickole Brown in Bellingham Review November 15, 2019. 

4) Go read all of the following three poems that were published more than two years ago:


5) Now that we've read John Ashberry's poem, let's play fly on the wall for a Harvard poetry PhD class discussing that poem.


6) The time machine is set to November 30, 2016 for this "First Line" exercise where you begin with the given line and see where your imagination/pen/keyboard takes you.

4/25/20

National Poetry Month 2020 Activity Pack Day 25

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Yep—April 2020 is still straggling along... which means...
Every day for National Poetry Month I'll be posting a few fun or interesting poetry links or videos, a Throwback writing prompt from this site, a few poems published in the last couple years and a couple classic poems—things that are poetry-related interesting or fun.

You will have a change to write poetry even if you've never done it before—the writing prompts aim to demystify the process of writing a poem. This will not take the place of the 2020 Writing Exercise Series, but will be in addition to it, so there will be a bounty of poetry to feast your eyes upon.

So. Let's begin.

April 25, 2020
National Poetry Month 2020 Activity Pack Day 25


1)  Let's start out with this short clip of filmmaker Jim Jaramush talking about the poetic influences for his movie Paterson, of course Williams who long-made Paterson, NJ his home, but also a funny anecdote about Wallace Stevens.


2) TV TIME! Since we heard a little about Paterson, here is the scene from the movie in which Adam Driver reads William Carlos Williams' "This is Just to Say"




Here's a short clip where Adam Driver's character writes a poem.


Here is Larry Levis reading "The Wish to be Picked Clean" recorded in 1979.



And finally here is James Dickey reading his poem "For The Last Wolverine" from 1969.


3) Now go read one, or preferably all of the following three 'recently' published poems:

“Body of Rags, International Bridge Between the US & Mexico” by Ray Gonzalez in Poetry Magazine March 2019 (audio at link as well).

4) Go read all of the following three poems that were published more than two years ago:


5) I really enjoyed this short 'day in the life' style documentary about Stephen Dunn. Pulitzer prize winning poet, sure—but the guy also doesn't mess around with the ping pong.



6) The time machine is set to the blissfully ignorant time of February 28, 2015 for this "Narrative Thread" writing prompt inspired by the movie Falling Down..

4/24/20

National Poetry Month 2020 Activity Pack Day 24

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Yep—April 2020 is still rolling along... which means...
Every day for National Poetry Month I'll be posting a few fun or interesting poetry links or videos, a Throwback writing prompt from this site, a few poems published in the last couple years and a couple classic poems—things that are poetry-related interesting or fun.

You will have a change to write poetry even if you've never done it before—the writing prompts aim to demystify the process of writing a poem. This will not take the place of the 2020 Writing Exercise Series, but will be in addition to it, so there will be a bounty of poetry to feast your eyes upon.

So. Let's begin.

April 24, 2020
National Poetry Month 2020 Activity Pack Day 24


1)  Let's start out with this quick video about Sherman Alexie talking with Alberto Ríos' about 'accidental poetry' and keeping creativity fresh with his son by improvising new song lyrics to famous songs for what he called "family opera".


2) TV TIME! Alberto Ríos was the 'First Poet Laureate of Arizona', a 6-time Pushcart Prize winner, Guggenheim and National Endowment for the Arts fellow, National Book Award nominee and was the Chancellor for the Academy of American Poets from 2014-2020. It is because of that last fact that we have videos of him reading poems every year in the same set up in the Academy's "Dear Poet" series from 2016-2020. Watch him age four years before your very eyes! Oh, and enjoy the poems. First we have "When Giving is All You Have" in 2016.


Next is Alberto Ríos reading his poem "Refugio's Hair" in 2017. 


Here is Alberto Ríos reading "Don't Go Into the Library" in 2018.


Here is Alberto Ríos reading the poem "A House Called Tomorrow" in 2019


And finally, here is Alberto Ríos reading "Nani" in 2020.


3) Now go read one, or preferably all of the following three 'recently' published poems:

“Overhead Tiffany, My Grandmother’s Light” by Jonathon Riccio in Gris-Gris Issue 10, Winter 2020.
"Cocktail" by Daisy Bassen in Packingtown Review Volume 13, Spring 2020.
"Migraine" by Lexie A Reese in Peacock Journal February 2019. 

4) Go read all of the following three poems that were published more than two years ago:


5) Since we were on a Dear Poet kick (it's a great and quite varied/long series) here is Terrance Hayes' Dear Poet entry from 2018 reading his poem "Barberism"

4/23/20

National Poetry Month 2020 Activity Pack Day 23

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Yep—April 2020 is still rolling along... which means...
Every day for National Poetry Month I'll be posting a few fun or interesting poetry links or videos, a Throwback writing prompt from this site, a few poems published in the last couple years and a couple classic poems—things that are poetry-related interesting or fun.

You will have a change to write poetry even if you've never done it before—the writing prompts aim to demystify the process of writing a poem. This will not take the place of the 2020 Writing Exercise Series, but will be in addition to it, so there will be a bounty of poetry to feast your eyes upon.

So. Let's begin.

April 23, 2020
National Poetry Month 2020 Activity Pack Day 23


1)  Let's start out with this 15 minute documentary from 1966 about Frank O'Hara with him talking about paintings, movies, a film he was making with the painter/filmmaker Alfred Lindsey shortly before he passed, and reading a number of poems including "The Day Lady Died" and "Having a Coke with You" as well as others.


2) TV TIME! First let's watch Time Magazine ask John Ashberry ten questions.


Here is John Ashberry reading the poem "Song"


And finally, here is Charles Simic reading three short poems "Ghosts" "County Fair" and "Sunday Papers"


3) Now go read one, or preferably all of the following three 'recently' published poems:

“Plucking Away” by Di Jayawickrema in Jellyfish Review April 14, 2020.
"Elsewhere" by Emily Jungmin Yoon in New England Review 41.1.
"Volley of Darkness" by Marilyn McVicker in Front Porch Review April 2020. 

4) Go read all of the following three poems that were published more than two years ago:


5) Now let's watch Yale Series of Younger Poets 2010 winner Katherine Larson reading her poem "Metamorphosis"