*Reposted from 4/5/2020
OK guys, I've checked again and April is still here, and in America that 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 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".
