poetry book club: four books to break writer’s block

There are times in my life when I don’t crack open my journal. When I don’t read poetry. When I don’t even think about poetry. I wish I could say that those times were few and far between, but to be honest, they happen frequently. I can go for weeks without writing anything. During these [...]

Posted by Jessica on 09.30.2008 at 12:01 am// Tagged: Discussion Thread, Jessica, Poetry Book Club , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,


welcome to read write poem

Read Write Poem is an online gathering place for those who love poetry — and for those who suspect that, with a little nurturing, they could grow to love poetry. Whether you are new to writing poetry or have been writing for years, you are welcome here. If you don’t write poetry but love to read and discuss it, this is also the place for you. Read more about the project.


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read write poll

Do your new year's resolutions include poetry goals? (Choose the best answer.)

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  • read write poem newsfeed

      "Adam Penna is on a roll. For nearly a decade, he’s written one poem every day, almost without fail. He writes for the love of poetry, believing that poems reveal truths that can easily be missed, and offer a way of connecting the universal human condition with individual experiences.

      Mr. Penna writes poetry because he believes it’s the best type of writing to distill the essence of a simple moment. Simply put, poems transform the ordinary into extraordinary, he said."

      Read the full article, which includes news about his *two* new books, published by different houses. "Success for an everyday poet" is written by Pat Rogers for The East Hampton Press & The Southampton.

      And visit Adam Penna's online poetry journal, Best Poem.

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      Have you visited The Page? It's a spot for gleaning bits of "poetry, essays, language, ideas."

      Cool content, and it looks good, too. Edited by Andrew Johnston, with contributions by Stephen Burt.

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      Dana and Jacob are at it again. If you are interested in learning more about The Seattle Poetry Brothel they are creating, visit My Gorgeous Somewhere for the scoop.

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      A new poem by Sean O'Brien, written in response to the latest phase of conflict between Israel and Hamas:

      Katyusha, Katyusha

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      One of our new participants, Lyn Hopper, will be using our writing prompts as a way to fulfill her personal challenge and be creative every day. Sound like something you'd like to do? I am sure you would be welcomed by Leah Piken Kolidas, the CED diva, into her creative fold.

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  • random
    poetry prompt

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

  • random
    collaborating tip

    Write two-word phrases with someone else. One person can supply the first word of the phrase, and the other person can supply the second word. Write your phrases down and each use some of them in a poem.


  • random
    writing tip

    Write a poem based on a character from a dream. Close your eyes and go back into the dream space. What does the character look like? Write an imaginary conversation with the character that can serve as the basis of your poem.

  • random
    reading tip

    Even though free verse is the dominant style now, formal poetry was popular for hundreds of years. Alternate some of the modern or classical masters of formal verse with modern writers of free verse. Don’t know where to start? Try Shakespeare, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Marilyn Hacker, Agha Shahid Ali, Maxine Kumin and many others.

  • random
    poetry quote



    I love poetry for the unemployment it causes, for how it constrains one to work always beyond one’s own intelligence, for its not requiring one to rise socially. — Les Murray