It’s time! Time for the 8th annual April PAD Challenge on the Poetic Asides blog, and I’m super excited about it. I’m happy to report that we’ll have the anthology and a new round of guest judges this year (more on both below).
First things first, this challenge is devoted to the goal of helping people write poems in a totally supportive atmosphere. Poets from around the world have participated in the past: Israel, Pakistan, India, Spain, Australia, Canada, United Kingdom, Ireland, Mexico, Japan, the United States, and more. I’ve heard from poets with multiple collections who’ve used the challenge to create new work, poets who wrote their first ever poems as a result of the prompts, teachers who’ve had their classes participate, and so many others.
What is the April PAD Challenge?
PAD stands for Poem-A-Day, so this is a challenge in which poets write a poem each day of April. Usually, I’ll post a prompt in the morning (Atlanta, Georgia, time), and poets will write a poem in response.
Some poets share those poems on the blog in the comments; others keep their words to themselves. I don’t require comments on the blog to participate, but it does make it more fun when poets are firing away on the blog. Plus, there are some extrinsic reasons to share your poems in the comments this year.
Have you heard about the guest judges? Last year, we had a guest judge for each day of the challenge, and we’re bringing that back this year. Click here to check out this year’s guest judges. They’re pretty awesome, I promise!
Who can participate?
Anyone who wants to write poetry–whether you’ve been writing all your life or just want to give it a shot now, whether you write form poetry or free verse, whether you have a certain style or have no clue what you’re doing. The main thing is to poem (and yes, I use poem as a verb).
I should also note that I’m pretty open to content shared on the blog, but I do expect everyone who plays along in the comments to play nice. There have been moments in the past in which I’ve had to remove or warn folks who get a little carried away with troll-like behavior. My main goal is to make the challenge fun for all.
(That said, please send me an e-mail if you ever feel like someone is crossing the line. I don’t want to act as a censor–so don’t use me in that way–but I do want to make sure people aren’t being bullied or attacked in the comments.)
Why should I participate in the challenge?
Poem Your Heart Out, Volume 2
I believe there’s an intrinsic reason to participate in the challenge, because it leads to new poems. That alone is enough for most poets–and really should be the main reason. That said, there’s an incredible extrinsic reason to participate as well.
Words Dance Publishing is once again partnering with the Poetic Asides blog to publish an anthology of the top poems from each day of the challenge. The wonderful Amanda Oaks is in the process of designing this year’s cover (the 2014 cover is above) and will produce an anthology that includes the prompts, winning poems, and a place for poets to include their poems.
Since the first volume totally rocked, I know this anthology is going to be something super special. The design was great; the production quality was wonderful; and the poems wowed. I expect the same for this year’s anthology.
Where do I share my poems?
If you want to share your poems throughout the month, the best way is to paste your poem in the comments on the post that corresponds with that day’s prompt. For instance, post your poem for the Day 1 prompt on the Day 1 post in the comments.
You’ll find folks are pretty supportive on the Poetic Asides site. And if they’re not, I expect to be notified via e-mail.
If you are new to WritersDigest.com, you’ll be asked to register (it’s free) on the site to make comments. Plus, your comments will likely not immediately show, because I’ll have to approve them. This is just for folks completely new to the site. I believe after I approve your comments once, you’re good to go for future comments.
Avoid this problem by commenting on this post before April.
Have more questions? Click here to check out the official FAQs (and tips) for the April poetry challenge.
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