read write prompt #90
by Nathan Moore
Take a look at this image. What are your first thoughts? Do you wonder about the cultural or historical significance of what is happening? Why is this crowd gathered? Is this a festival? What are they celebrating?
Do you immediately think about the image in symbolic terms? Do you start to think of what the figure balancing a flaming star might represent in terms of art, spirituality or passion?
Does your mind instantly go to the formal aspects of the image? Do you linger on the color the flames reflect on the figure’s body? The stark contrast of fire against a night sky?
Street performers are fascinating. They shine an intense light on the boundary between crowd and performer. In a way, they take our own daily performances as members of the crowd and exaggerate them, make them strange. In a similar way, festivals — at their best — turn our daily lives upside down through an estrangement of our “normal” world.
However you choose to find your way into this image, write about what you envision. I look forward to reading what you’ve come up with next week.
 NYE on Paseo Reforma -- Street Performer by bradleyolin (Note: If you include bradleyolin’s photo in your post along with your poem, make sure you credit him.)
 Nathan Moore is community director and a columnist for Read Write Poem. In his spare time, he plays with his children and with fire. Never at the same time. He blogs at Exhaust Fumes and French Fries.
|
get the read write poem badge! 
Wear it loud, wear it proud! Display the Read Write Poem badge on your site. Just click here or on the image above to get the code! read write poem news- yes, yes, here’s another virtual book tour stop for ‘a walk through the memory palace’
February 6, 2010 | 11:37 amFind the latest tour stop for Pamela Johnson Parker’s debut collection, A Walk Through the Memory Palace at Jillypoet, Jill Crammond Wickham’s blog, where you can find an interview with Pamela that discusses how she creates manuscripts.
Previous stops include Daniel Romo at his blog, Peyote Soliloquies and James Brush at his blog, Coyote Mercury.
You can find all our plans for the tour here.
- the best of the web is in our ranks
February 6, 2010 | 11:35 amSarah J. Sloat’s poem,”Attending the Tasting” (published in The Literary Bohemian) has been selected for Best of the Web 2010. Congratulations, Sarah!
- another (w00t!) read write poem member on the joe milford poetry show
February 6, 2010 | 11:34 amOn the Joe Milford Poetry Show tomorrow (Feb. 6): W.F. Roby at 9 AM (PST). Find the show here!
Joe describes Will as a “great language poet and bad-ass.”
- ‘literary podcasting made simple with wordpress.com’
February 6, 2010 | 11:33 amDave Bonta has published a how-to article that might be of interest to WordPress users: “Literary Podcasting Made Simple with WordPress.com,” based on his and Beth Adams’ experience at Qarrtsiluni.
Thanks, Dave, for continuing to help make the community aware of technological resources that can expand our art.
- the latest (virtual) book tour stop for ‘a walk through the memory palace’
February 3, 2010 | 3:53 pmThe latest tour stop has been posted for Pamela Johnson Parker’s debut collection, A Walk Through the Memory Palace. Find out how Daniel Romo responded to the work at his blog, Peyote Soliloquies.
James Brush provided our first tour stop at his blog, Coyote Mercury.
You can find all our plans for the tour here.
- planning for napowrimo in april, and you are invited!
February 2, 2010 | 6:12 pmHello, hello dear Read Write Poem community members! We are in the planning stages for NaPoWriMo. (What? Is that a groan I hear, or an excited exclamation?)
We are planning another prompt-every-day for those folks who love to write a daily poem in April (which is, as most of you know, National Poetry Month in the United States — although there is an international following of writing poetry every day in April, too, so it is not just about the States).
Anyway! This is a call for prompts because we want to run your ideas, one every day, in April. So here’s what to do:
- Prompts must be no more than 250 words, and we will take the first 30 that we receive.
- Include “NaPoWriMo Prompt” in the subject line of your email as well as your username (e.g., the name you use when you log in) so we can match you up with your prompt and give you the link love.
- Email your submission (in the body of the email — no attachments please) to prompts (at) readwritepoem (dot) org!
We’ll let you know when we’ve got the 30, but don’t delay because it takes a lot of time to format the posts and we want to be ready come April Fools’ Day. Woohoo!
- new senior contributors at read write poem
February 2, 2010 | 11:51 amWe are thrilled to announce that Ren Powell and Dave Jarecki are moving into the senior contributor role at Read Write Poem. Both have been writing feverishly for the site, as well as providing ideas for content and for the community as a whole. In short, they make this site a more lively, and better, place.
Ren and Dave will fill the roles vacated by Carolee Sherwood and Jill Crammond Wickham, who have moved into the manager role.
Everyone please thank Ren and Dave for their hard work and commitment to Read Write Poem.
- rounding out the virtual book tour of sarah j. sloat’s ‘in the voice of a minor saint’
January 31, 2010 | 1:53 pmOur last stop on the Virtual Book Tour of Sarah J. Sloat’s In the Voice of a Minor Saint is with Ren Powell. Find Ren’s review at More Babel.
Joseph Harker provided our first stop in December, and you can find David Moolten’s review at Edible Detritus. David’s was followed by Dave Jarecki’s. Dave’s review is at his blog. Find Jill Crammond Wickham’s at Jillypoet: Mom Trying to Write.
In case you missed the introduction, we are (virtually) hosting Sarah J. Sloat’s In the Voice of a Minor Saint. For complete tour information, such as how you can get your own copy of the collection or how you can get involved in future tours, read this post.
- make your own book: get off the computer and onto the paper
January 30, 2010 | 4:19 pmBeth Adams has posted her latest project at The Cassandra Pages. “A Handmade Book” may not explicate all the details of bookbinding, but Beth shows readers the “Secret Belgian Binding.” It’s a beautiful as well as inspiring post.
If you would like more detailed instructions, Google “secret Belgian bookbinding” and find sites such as this one. Or look for a local book arts class for hands-on instruction.
As Beth says, ” … it did me good to get away from the computer and feel my hands at work!”
 Archive for read write poem news »
|
|
Loading ...
Cool pic Nathan dude… bradleyolin’s the man! Writing to this will be an ethereal rush. I’m possibly feeling a SciFi (SyFy for the TV fans) free verse coming on. Perhaps something preternatural – or maybe gothic macabre… there might be zombies, or ritual trances, or… what fun!
[Reply]
Oh, thank you for this one. Had me writing in my sleep.
[Reply]
The prompt has special significance for me. Having lived in an alternate life style area in northern NSW for many years this picture was a fairly common sight.Mine also came to me in my
sleep so I got up and dashed it down before I forgot.
[Reply]
I wrote a giant to-do list in my sleep, but it was in no way a poem.
[Reply]
Barbara_Y replied:
August 29th, 2009 at 6:07 pm
Did most of a Nanowrimo novel that way one year. Disturbing, how little made it to a keyboard.
[Reply]
Rallentanda replied:
August 30th, 2009 at 4:39 am
Just looked at this poem. It is a list but I’m submitting it as a poem.How could you know this?
[Reply]
Here is what I saw within the photo.
star of David</a
love-bhd-beloved49
Melanie Bishop
[Reply]
Sorry, I will try angin.
my poem
love-Melanie-b49
[Reply]
[...] influenced and otherwise challenged by Nathan’s festival prompt and the bradleyolin photo NYE on Paseo Reforma — Street [...]
This totally looks like a scene from the monthly Last Thursday festivities in NE Portland – your timing is impeccable, even from Ohio. Can’t wait to write toward it.
[Reply]
[...] This is my submission for Read Write Poem Prompt #90. It’s in response to an image you can see here. [...]
Only a few people who respond to the prompts have visited me. This is my third post and I am posting early so I am hoping more of you will visit me. Thank you everyone.
My poem for prompt #90 is Firing up Buskerfest
[Reply]
[...] Categories: i am maureen and new poems Tags: poetry, read write poem Wow! It’s prompt #90, and there are 430 members at Read Write Poem. (What an exciting time to be involved with the [...]
[...] did you go with this week’s image? Did you leave the crowd in awe? Did you play with fire? I can’t wait to read what everyone [...]
[...] —————————————————— For Read Write Poem Get Your Poem On #900, in response to this prompt [...]
[...] following piece is in response to Read Write Poem’s prompt #90 – an image of a street performer balancing a flaming star. Rather than accessing the scene, making [...]
[...] (loosely!) to Nathan’s prompt at Read Write Poem. Find other responses to the prompt [...]
Once, we were tourists, and very young
We’ve found a carnival! The street blossoms with colored lights!
And filled with people – Is this street always filled with people?
A few moments ago we ran into a shop to escape the rain
The raindrops were so heavy it was like standing beneath a
Waterfall
Now everyone is outside again – we splash through puddles
Of green, red, amber,
See, the sky is clearing. The clouds gather to say good-by behind
The volcano See, in the east a few stars are shining dimly
Through the haze of the city.
Three musicians stand on the roof of a car. There is a horn
A guitar and an accordian
As they play, the colors rise and fall to the beats of the music
Now there is a great cheering! We try to see what is going on
But all we see are cascades of dancing colors
Quick! Look! We clap our hands
It is the magnificent fire eater,
rising over the heads of the people
Savoring his marvelous flame!
How he dances with the brightness
Flaring out just ahead of him
Will he really swallow it? He opens his mouth and
Tongues of fire dance away. The music plays louder
But not as loud as the cheers of the people
Does he dance across an invisible wire
Strung from building to building?
Does he ride a unicycle or a dragon?
Are we the victims of a grand illusion –
Or have we had too much to drink?
All night long, we see the air dancing with magic colors.
In the morning we awaken to the sound of the
Street-sweepers singing mournful love songs
To the sun.
I hope this is the right place to submit poems for us blogless ones.
[Reply]