poll dance: it’s not easy

Kermit said it best: “It’s not easy being green.” It’s hard to be who you are, sometimes, and if who you are is a writer, you face some difficult choices when it comes to writing about intense subjects. What do you share? How much do you share? With whom do you share?
Many topics are [...]

Posted by Carolee on 06.17.2008 at 12:01 am// Tagged: Carolee, Discussion Thread, Poll Dance , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,


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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participant-run journals, zines and sites


  • 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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  • Read all newsfeed items.

  • 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 — brouhaha

  • random
    collaborating tip

    Cut one of your poems up into words and phrases, place everything in a paper bag, and give the poem puzzle to a collaborator to piece together in a new way. (This can also be done through email if you are collaborating with someone in a different area.)


  • random
    writing tip

    Don't censor your experiences or ideas by telling yourself, "That's not important" or "Nobody would care about that." People write poems grass. Nothing is out of bounds. What you consider mundane or inane or insane may deliver to you a moment or clarity or a bit of joy.

  • random
    reading tip

    In addition to reading poetry by poets, try reading poetic critique by poets. You can learn a lot about someone’s beliefs about writing poetry through essays. Try Ezra Pound’s The ABCs of Reading , Richard Hugo’s Triggering Town, Muriel Rukeyser’s The Life of Poetry or Donald Revell’s The Art of Attention: The Poet’s Eye.

  • random
    poetry quote

    The poem on the page is only a shadow of the poem in the mind. And the poem in the mind is only a shadow of the poetry and the mystery of the things in this world. — Stanley Kunitz