read write prompt: #22 speak freely

This week we welcome one of our participants at Read Write Poem who will be joining our prompt team.

At fourteen Ren Powell read Helen Hayes’ admission of having misinterpreted: “And the Word was God”. Feeling a kinship with Hayes — an awe of the power of words — Ren swapped her teen-angst poems for playwrighting. [...]


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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What’s the longest poem you’ve ever written?

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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 — zeal

  • random
    collaborating tip

    Visit a recent prose entry on another poet's blog. Find a poem in its text. (Be sure to ask permission first and then credit the other poet's musings in your final piece.)


  • random
    writing tip

    When we free write, we often forget the rules. Don't forget the rules! They are as follows: Keep your pen/fingers moving. (do not stop.) Edit nothing. (no scratch-outs. nothing!)

  • random
    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.

  • random
    poetry quote

    I go to the things I love / With no thought of duty or pity. — H.D. (Hilda Dolittle)