by Jill Crammond-Wickham
The opposite of a cloud could be
A white reflection on the sea,
Or a huge blueness in the air,
Caused by a cloud’s not being there.
– Richard Wilbur, “Some Opposites”
As the old saying goes, opposites attract. As I discovered in my IRL (in real life), writing group last week, this holds true for poetry as well. The poems everyone wrote blending two opposite experiences into one poem were amazing in their scope and meaning, both intended and accidental.
Last year around this time, Christine explained it this way: “What happens when you pour balsamic vinegar over extra-virgin olive oil? The oil rests on top of the vinegar in the cruet, but if you shake the contents, you create a delicious salad dressing.”
I am resurrecting this prompt simply because I love it so much, and because it produces the most wonderful poetry! I hope you will love it, too!
For your poem this week, try combining two elements that don’t seem to go together at first glance. Here’s the process:
- Think of a happy memory, a moment that brings you joy. Write five to 10 lines about that moment, and then put the poem away.
- Write about a moment or time of distress, sadness or anger. Once again, write five to 10 lines.
- Get out the first poem and combine it with the second by alternating lines.
Don’t want to work with memories? Try combining some of these other opposites:
- Warmth and cold
- Fear and courage
- Beauty and ugliness
- Humor and seriousness
Patricia Lee Lewis, poet and workshop leader, introduced Christine to this type of poem. Patricia in turn learned about the process in an experimental writing workshop she attended by Carolyn Forché.
Please come back next Thursday and leave us a link to your poem!
by Christine Swint
Did you write about changes? Or maybe the image or Wordle inspired you this week. Whatever you wrote, leave a link to it here. In the comments.
Please, link back here in your posts, either with a hyperlink to Read Write Poem or by using the badge in your post. Sidebar links are great but it helps our “internet health” when you link in every post you contribute to the project. And please add “Read Write Poem” in your tags, if you don’t mind.
For the new folks: Please take a few moments to read the About pages, including our Copyrights page. If you have any questions about the project after reading through those pages, email us at info (at) readwritepoem (dot) org.
by Deb Scott
Change. It is a ceaseless flow, isn’t it?
I’m both sad and excited to announce that, after a year and a half of managing Read Write Poem, I am stepping away from the day-to-day administration tasks so I can spend more time on my own writing. I will be staying on as news manager, but I won’t be heading up the site’s administration anymore.
Additionally and along with Christine, there are a few others who need a change: Juliet has many, many writing projects seeking her attention, as does Tom, always busy and needing more time. Sometimes we all have to make tough choices to refocus our limited creative resources. Please wish us good luck!
Starting June 1, Dana Guthrie Martin, Read Write Poem’s founder, will be back, along with participants Dave Jarecki, Kristen McHenry and Nathan Moore, who together will form the community’s management team. Dana will post an announcement June 1with more details about the new management team and what you might expect from Read Write Poem in the future.
One of the remarkable aspects of Read Write Poem has been the incredible creative energy that surrounds it. I think it’s a special place, one that offers beginners and folks that have been writing for years — and everyone in between — a welcoming resource to find prompts, news, ideas, inspiration and camaraderie in all things poesy. It’s been an honor to hang out with you, the participants and contributors. I look forward to more Read Write Poem!
by Jessica Fox-Wilson
This Read Write Word post marks a special occasion. Contained in this lovely image is our 250th word that we’ve used in our prompts. That’s right, 250 words without any duplication. I think this speaks to the inventiveness of our participants, as well as the diversity of words available to us as poets. This week, Kathy helped bring us to this total. We really have participants like Kathy to thank for the bounty of words we’ve used.
To participate in this word prompt, all you need to do is incorporate as many words as you can into a new poem. (Don’t worry, we won’t count how many you use.) When you’re done, simply post a link to your poem in the comments for this post or for Thursday’s Get Your Poem On post.
If you think you’d like to help us reach 300, or heck, even 1,000, simply email us a list of your favorite words to info (at) readwritepoem (dot) org.
by Christine Swint
There came a time when the risk to remain tight in the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom.
– Anaïs Nin
Since today’s prompt is the last one I’ll be writing with Read Write Poem, I thought it would be apropos to write about change, or changes. I’m going through a few changes myself right now, with Ouroboros Review and Pindrop Press, the publishing ventures Jo Hemmant and I have begun, as well as a new course of study I’m beginning in the city where I live. These new developments mean I’ll need to stop writing prompts for a while.
Change is a constant aspect of life, which is a sort of paradox, isn’t it? Even though we aren’t always aware of it, it’s there, a ceaseless flow. You could write about molecular changes, changes in the weather, a change of heart, a transformation in a relationship, a spiritual awakening, or a change in direction. Writing about change is one of those all-purpose prompts that includes everything in the cupboard plus the kitchen sink.
When I think about change one of my favorite poems comes to mind, “Sailing to Byzantium” by William Butler Yeats. In this poem the speaker is on a quest to define and envision paradise and immortality. I think that’s what my changes are about.
Here is the penultimate stanza:
O sages standing in God’s holy fire
As in the gold mosaic of a wall,
Come from the holy fire, perne in a gyre,
And be the singing-masters of my soul.
Consume my heart away; sick with desire
And fastened to a dying animal
It knows not what it is; and gather me
Into the artifice of eternity.
Come back next Thursday, and leave us a link to your poem.
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read write poem news- read write poem napowrimo anthology
June 20, 2010 | 1:36 pmThe Read Write Poem NaPoWriMo Anthology is still in production. Selection, placement, layout and copyediting are taking longer than anticipated. Thank you for your patience. I hope to have the piece completed in July. For those who have emailed asking if they can be included, the May 7 deadline for submission of work stands. Those who met that deadline will be included. Please check the post on this site listing who I received submissions from by that date. If you submitted your work by the May 7 deadline in accordance with our guidelines and your name is not listed, send an email to info (at) readwritepoem (dot) org.
- read write poem napowrimo anthology
May 5, 2010 | 3:09 pmRemember that Friday* is the deadline for submitting work to the Read Write Poem NaPoWriMo Anthology. Check out the guidelines for submission in the main column (to the left). On May 8, we’ll post a news item listing everyone we’ve received work from. If you submitted work and your name is not on that list, please let us know. Thanks!
*I initially said “tomorrow,” but I meant to say “Friday.”
- napowrimo congratulations, and a reminder
April 24, 2010 | 12:05 pmIt’s the final week of the Read Write Poem NaPoWriMo Challenge! Just 7 days left. With that, a reminder that Read Write Poem will culminate with the anthology featuring work from those who complete the challenge. A post with details for submitting to the anthology will be published May 1. Be sure you remove any information from the site that you want preserved — such as group content and personal messages. Those elements of the site will be removed May 1 as well. The main site will remain up as an archive.
- ‘underlife’ tour at january gill o’neil’s blog
April 20, 2010 | 8:11 pmJanuary Gill O’Neil’s virtual book tour has moved to her site and is underway now. Check out the lineup at Poet Mom.
 Archive for read write poem news »
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thank you and farewell As of May 1, 2010, Read Write Poem is no longer active.
In late May, an anthology featuring work from those who completed the Read Write Poem NaPoWriMo Challenge will be published here and on issuu.com.
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