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poetry prompt

A different word or phrase will appear here each time you visit the site or refresh the page. Your current prompt is — steeple

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collaborating tip

Write a poem, then take out all the important words, leaving only blank spaces. Send it to one or more collaborators and have them fill in the blanks. All the variants could even be collected in a series.

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writing tip

Immerse yourself in an unfamiliar environment — maybe ask to observe people in a new work environment, visit a new park or outdoors space, or visit a different neighborhood in your town that is different than yours — and write a poem based on the experience.

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reading tip

Some poets are so prolific that it would take a year to read all of their works. So, why not take a year and piece through a hefty collected works? You can learn a lot about the development of a poet’s aesthetic by reading their collected works chronologically. Sometimes, reading a famous writer’s juvenilia makes you feel much better about your own junior high verse.

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poetry quote

Poetry is what maintains our capacity for contemplation and difficulty. — Carolyn Forché