Yes ma'am—April 2020 is still trickling by... which means...
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 22, 2020
National Poetry Month 2020 Activity Pack Day 22
1) Let's start out with this short documentary filmed with Donald Hall when he was 89. I'd call it a 'thoughtful bummer', which is a pretty accurate description of poetry, to be honest. It's interesting, and is a poignant way to begin today, ruminating on life and loss.
Here is a short video of a younger Donald Hall talking about his meeting and experiences with T.S. Eliot from the very interesting channel Web of Stories - Life Stories of Remarkable People.
2) TV TIME! First let's watch this Big Think video of Billy Collins talking about his attraction to Samuel Coleridge's poetry and other 'great' poets.
Here is Donald Hall from 1995 reading his short poem "Old Roses"
And here is Jane Hirschfield reading her ode to her skeletal system and mortality in the poem "My Skeleton"
3) Now go read one, or preferably all of the following three 'recently' published poems:
“Hello, My Parents Don't Speak English Well, How Can I Help You?” by Su Cho in Four Way Review Issue 17.
"Elegant Spots" by Dionne Custer Edwards in Storm Cellar Quarterly Volume 8 Issue 1.
"The Openings in My Life" by John Grey in Fourth and Sycamore February 13, 2020.
4) Go read all of the following three poems that were published more than two years ago:
5) Now let's watch this video where Jane Hirshfield talks about the civic responsibility of the poet and what inspires her own writing.
