get your poem on #34

From now until midnight one week from today, comments on this post will be open, so you can leave a permalink to your blog post for your illuminating poems.
Be sure to check back through the week and see other people’s revised work, or any other idea that they’ve chosen to share for Read Write Poem!
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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 poem newsfeed

      You still have time -- until December 15 -- to get into the current Postal Poetry contest. Find details about it here.

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      Here's the New York Times article about all the winners of the National Book Award, including Mark Doty for Fire to Fire.

      Congratulations, Mark Doty!

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      "My Career in Radio" by Garrison Keillor: The poem, and there is always a daily dose of Garrison's poetry selections (of others' poems) in The Writer's Almanac.

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      poetryvlog.com is a terrific site, "A weekly video reading of poetry by the poet".

      About.com has an intriguing (long, and not vetted by Read Write Poem) list of "Video Poetry Archives and Anthologies" with links to all kinds of stuff.

      Christine offers us Collin Kelly's latest project: a video blog on YouTube.

      Do you have some link love, know of some? Do tell. Email us at news (at) readwritepoem (dot) org.

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      So how do you find poetry news in your area? One way is to look for the closest (geographically) writing program and find the supporting blog it is sure to have.

      Examples? Bulletin Board: MFA Carbondale for Southern Illinois and G*L*O for Portland, Oregon.

      It's a good way to find readings, seminars, submissions, etc.

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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 — tornado

  • random
    collaborating tip

    Use instant messaging to write a poem with a collaborator by taking turns one word, one phrase or one line at a time. With group chat, you can do this with more than one partner.


  • random
    writing tip

    Find a news story — maybe something well-known and controversial, maybe something obscure and bizarre — and write a poem based on those events.

  • 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)