(5) WAYS TO CELEBRATE NATIONAL POETRY MONTH

(1) READ A BOOK OF POETRY
     Select a book by your favorite poet or a new poet on the block and browse the pages throughout the month. I'm reading Walt Whitman's "Leaves of Grass."

(2) MEMORIZE A POEM
     Learning a poem by heart gives the two of you a very special relationship. Be extra brave. Try one of your own! You will be surprised how good it makes you feel!

(3) REVISIT A POEM
     Dig out a classic piece like Tennyson's "Charge of the Light Brigade," and be amazed all over again. Okay, you don't have to dig that deep.

(4) ATTEND A POETRY READING
     Check out this April's agenda at the public library, or a local poetry association for current events in your area. Also stay-tuned to this blog, LET'S TALK POETRY, where certain happenings will be posted.

(5) READ A POEM AT AN OPEN MIC
     This form of celebration will take a little more heart for those of us who are bashful. But find an event in your area, put your name on the list, and JUST DO IT. You can read, or recite that poem you memorized from #3 above. I promise you, once you read at an open mic, your whole life as a poet will be transformed.

WRITE TIME 3/26/2014

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DIG INTO YOUR POET'S TOOLBOX AND BUILD A POEM THAT SAYS "YOU."
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PROMPT #5 - Write a poem by filling in the blank space: I GET ANNOYED WHEN:                             ...Use this statement as your first line.

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Will meet you back here Wednesday, 4/2/2014 to share what I've been inspired to write.

CELEBRATING NATIONAL POETRY MONTH

APRIL IS NATIONAL POETRY MONTH. It is a 30 day celebration of poetry. Designed to increase the visibility and availability of poetry in popular culture, NATIONAL POETRY MONTH is the largest literary celebration in the world. It is sponsored by the Academy of American Poets.

For the complete details of National Poetry Month click on poets.org then click on National Poetry Month.

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LET'S TALK POETRY will join the celebration with various activities throughout the month. Stay Tuned.

MY EFFORT AT PROMPT #4

WHEN I THINK OF SPRING?

I think of life
Once laying dormant
In Winter but now
Unfolding majestically before
Our eyes to behold 
Life anew
The blooming  
Of rosebuds and
How do they know 
It's Springtime 
To open
To lift their leaves
To heaven in prayer
To embrace new birth
With sweet scents of
Radiant red petals 
Permeating the air 
We breathe with the
Cosmic energy necessary
For all to survive
To flourish
Again 

THIS JUST IN...

IF YOU ARE FROM THE NEW YORK AREA...TAKE NOTE:

The FIRST "NEW YORK STATE POETRY UNITES CONTEST" is open to all residents of New York State.

This contest is all about YOU and YOUR FAVORITE POEM. Say a few words in an essay about the two of you, and you could win BIG!

FOR FULL DETAILS AND THE OFFICIAL CONTEST RULES CLICK ON THE FOLLOWING LINK poets.org AND LOOK UNDER RESOURCES.
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***If I still lived is N.Y state I would be all over this contest. Oh well, maybe they'll have a contest soon for EX-residents...ya think?

SPRING HAS SPRUNG

Use the following Word Group to craft a poem which speaks to the Spring season:

           CHILD--------BIRD--------SHADOW--------BEGINNING

Writing Tip-      Look over the words. Which ones are you drawn to? Jot them down in your writer's notebook. Play around with them using phrases, sentences, and fragments until you feel a poem coming on. WORK IT OUT!

WRITE TIME 3/19/14

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DIG INTO YOUR POET'S TOOLBOX AND BUILD A POEM THAT SAYS "YOU."

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PROMPT #4 - WRITE A POEM TO ANSWER THE QUESTION: WHEN I THINK OF SPRING?

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WILL MEET YOU BACK HERE WEDNESDAY, 3/26/14 ON LET'S TALK POETRY TO SHARE WHAT I'VE BEEN INSPIRED TO WRITE!

MY EFFORT AT PROMPT #3

Waking up before dawn  - TAKE ONE

I watch quietly
From the window
Through sleepy eyes
Somewhere between
Night and day
As dawn lurks
Waiting peacefully
Among tiny dew drops and
Misty rainfall rising
From the silence of
A cool damp fog
Sweeps past day with a
Powerful stillness and
Smacks night
Right out of the sky






Waking up before Dawn - TAKE TWO


I rejoice in victory
Waking up before Dawn
I can now
Turn on the television
And watch my shows
And be in charge of
The remote control
All morning long
Making sure to eat the
Corn Pops left in the
Cereal box
Which Dawn usually
Eats them all
Before going out
To play

THE WRITE SPACE

Writers and poets are always looking for that perfect place to be alone with their thoughts and words.

Some of them are even willing to spend globs of money to rent rooms, villas, studios, and lofts in out-of-the way places to work in seclusion.

But for much less, you can enjoy a similar peace of mind and serenity in your own personal writing space. I know, I go there all the time.

Just log on to mywritingspot.com and say hello to the most incredible writing app you will ever experience. It can be used for whatever writing project  (novels, short stories or poetry,) you are working on.

 And unlike those out-of-the-way places in secluded areas of the world, you can take your writing spot with you where ever you go, and write any place and any time. It's perfect for all your writing needs.

By the way: I pass this info over to you, not because I get paid for endorsing mywritingspot.com, but because I use it every day myself as an aspiring poet and writer.  I'M THINKING;   You might be able to use it too!

WRITE TIME 3/12/14

DIG INTO YOUR POET'S TOOLBOX AND BUILD A POEM THAT SAYS "YOU."
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PROMPT #3   DESCRIBE: WAKING UP BEFORE DAWN

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Will meet you back here Wednesday, March 19th on LET'S TALK POETRY to share what I've been inspired to write.

MY EFFORT AT PROMPT #2

If I could freeze time
It would be
That moment when
Love
Was new and free
When the smile
On your face
Waxed warm and true
When the innocence
Of life
Was flowing through
Long before the tears
Dropped down to be dried
Just before the moon-glow
Faded from your eyes

POETIC ADRENALINE

POEMS, USUALLY HAVE TO BE REWRITTEN A COUPLE OF TIMES BEFORE THEY "FEEL" FINISHED. 

BUT THAT FIRST BURST OF ENERGY ON THE PAGE, THOSE FIRST FEW LINES REVEALING THE BEGINNING OF SOMETHING--IS AN AMAZING FEELING! 

WRITE TIME 3/5/14

DIG INTO YOUR POET'S TOOLBOX AND BUILD A POEM THAT SAYS "YOU."

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    Prompt #2- Write a poem with the first line:IF I COULD FREEZE TIME            

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WILL MEET YOU BACK HERE  WEDNESDAY, 3/12, ON LET'S TALK POETRY, TO SHARE WHAT I'VE BEEN INSPIRED TO WRITE.

MY EFFORT AT PROMPT #1

E.D.

Have always admired
Emily Dickinson
Like me a poet
Or am I like her
A lone wolf
Reclusive and introverted
But lovin' words and
Friendship by letters
Writin'  poems
About life and love for all
To see
Not her not me not now
Not just yet
But if I could someday have
My own museum
A school somewhere
Named for me
Perhaps
I would be admired too
Perhaps  then

THE POET'S WORKSPACE

CREATE A WORK SPACE THAT YOU WANT TO HURRY BACK TO, THAT IMMEDIATELY AWAKENS YOUR CREATIVE SPIRIT THE MOMENT YOU ENTER IT, THAT CALLS UP YOUR OWN IMAGINATIVE AND ASSOCIATIVE POWERS, YOUR SERIOUSNESS AND HUMOR, YOUR WISDOM AND LEARNING, YOUR PAST, YOUR PRESENT AND YOUR VISION FOR THE FUTURE. 

SOON YOU WILL DISCOVER THAT WRITING POEMS FREES NOT ONLY YOUR POETIC IMPULSES BUT ALL OF YOUR STORED-UP CREATIVE ENERGIES AS WELL.

A POEM IN HONOR OF WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH

HOT PURSUIT

Late night
Rhumba Club
Heavy drinkin'
Scotch and water
On the rocks
Deep thinkin'
Soulful lady on the floor
Slow dancin'
Blurred sight still caught
Her body prancin'
Beckons with her eyes
Comin' closer
Got me mesmerized
Dancin' slower
Sultry figure twistin'
To a pulsatin' beat
Raised my searin'
Manhood up
Off the seat
Night hunter captured
By the game
Defeat