Poewar has a 30 poems in 30 days prompt set [found via Cherry Floyd Miller]
Each prompt has a page elaborating, and sample poems from a focus poet and recommended books. In very brief paraphrase, this is the summary to date. It is now day 6.
Day 1:
Poem from your childhood
Explore an actual event that had some emotional significance to you.
Day 2:
A persona poem, yourself as a character
Write about an event in your life that happened within the past week. Rewrite.
Day 3:
Political social issue-oriented
Find a news or opinion article that was published on the web this week.
Day 4:
Poems of place
get out of the house and write from a particular location with all senses
Day 5:
Pivot yourself, adopt a POV
Write a persona poem that incorporates either a social issue or a strong sense of place. Do the back story in character.
Day 6: Your voice
Don’t stretch. Clear your head, meditate, begin to write as you normally speak.
In other prompt news… the new prompt site, Writer’s Island starts weekly this Tuesday. The first is “My Imaginary Life”. Poets Online does prompts as well, as in poetic responses to poems. [via Diane Lockward]. One Deep Breath will be doing their prompt and response carnival on site rather than people going off to all the individual sites. That might mean less posting here. Although there is a certain democratic voice rising in the comments of not complying with the new idea. We’ll see how it all flies.
this is interesting.
i’ve never used prompts before as a tool for inspiring poetry.
does it work well for you? i’ve seen you write from a few prompts before.
I find it helpful. I don’t always post what prompts result in, but, for example, I’ve been doing the 30 poem challenge. I find it helps give some focus when there’s an infinitely universe to write about. Any constraint helps.