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the poet's billow

~ a resource for moving poetry

Category Archives: Blog

Day Seven Poetry Challenge

07 Thursday Apr 2016

Posted by thepoetsbillow in Blog

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

aprilppoetrychallenge, eatthispoem, hedonism, poem, Poetry, poetryprompt, romanticism, sensibility, wagyu, Writing, writingprompt

Today in my Humanties 101 class we talked about the rise of the novel, Romanticism and the Gothic. I introduced my students to the novel panic that took place in late 18th-century England when there was a general concern for the dangers that come with reading novels–bad posture, neglected duties, and an overindulgence of the senses, especially for women and their delicate sensibilities.Critics of the novel were concerned that women with their weaker minds and lack of reason would confuse reality and fiction and begin to develop unrealistic expectations from their stations in life.

For today’s prompt, write a poem that overindulgences the senses or focuses on something related. This past Valentine’s Day weekend I ate wagyu beef two nights in row. There is little reason in this except for pure pleasure There should be nothing useful in terms of improving morals, values, or intellect in your poems. This is not a poem to raise our understanding of human nature. Pure hedonistic verse for the simple pleasure of sensual indulgence. Write a poem that makes the reader faint from fear, blush from arousal, or look away in modesty or embarrassment. Write a poem so delicious that readers will forget it’s only a poem and shove it into their mouths. Overdo it. Yum!

Day Six Poetry Challenge

06 Wednesday Apr 2016

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aprilpoetrychallenge, domesticpoetry, fabulistpoetry, fiolet&wing, poem, Poetry, poetry prompts, poetrychallenge, Writing

The editors of Fiolet & Wing: An Anthology of Domestic Fabulist Poetry has recently put out a call for submissions:

“In women’s literature, myth and magic easily co-exists with domestic concerns; indeed it often amplifies the drama of the ordinary. Many contemporary poets take that familiar domestic scene—a kitchen, a laundry room, a vegetable patch—and distort the details to reveal the actual nature of the situation through fabulism. Folk tales may have given birth to this exciting new genre, poems that move towards speculative writing, dark poetry, fairytales, myths, magic realism, origin stories, or divination.”

For today’s poem, write a poem about the domestic realm that incorporates elements of the real and surreal. No matter if you are male or female–we all have a domestic realm if we live in a house. Do goblins live in your garabage can? Gnomes congregate behind your compost bin? Maybe whenever you do the dishes you see into the future.

It’s an excellent prompt that allows you to pull from a lot of imaginative spaces. And if you are a female-identified poet, you can submit your poem to this call for submissions after you revise it:

“Please submit up to five poems in one document, no more than one poem/page. We are open to varying lengths, total pages: 10. Submit all poems in one .doc, .docx, or .rtf.  No more than five poems per submission. Please format your works in 12 point Times New Roman or Garamond font.

Simultaneous submissions okay. Please make sure to withdraw any piece accepted elsewhere as soon as possible by email with your name and the title of the piece(s).

Unpublished poems are preferred, though previously published work from periodicals will be considered only if you own the rights. Please provide all publication information for any previously published pieces, and be prepared to acquire written permissions for previously published work.

Deadline: June 15, 2016.

Planned publication date: 2017.

Include a cover letter with brief 3rd person bio (no more than 50 words, no more than 5 previous publications listed), and contact information. Anything else you tell us is strictly up to you, but we’d love to know what you’re reading or what inspires you.”

The Editors

Fiolet & Wing: An Anthology of Domestic Fabulist Poetry

FioletandWingATgmailDOTcom

GUIDELINES http://fioletandwing.wix.com/fioletandwing

 

 

 

 

Day Five Poetry Challenge

06 Wednesday Apr 2016

Posted by thepoetsbillow in Blog

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Tags

april poetry challenge, palinisms, poem, Poetry, poetry prompts, trumpisms, writing assignments, writing prompts

Yesterday Rob, who I hadn’t seen in a week, returned from California. This combined with teaching, working out, and other responsibilities pushed writing my poem for the day out of the way. This is what it’s like to be a writer.We have to fight to make time to write. We have to commit to the act of writing. We have to find solitude and erase from our minds the other voices and pressures of our day. Yesterday, I didn’t want to do that. I wanted to spend time with Rob. So, I may not have written a poem, but I did get to eat Mexican food and watch baseball with my husband who I had been missing for 7 days.

So, today I will be posting two prompts. If you made up your own yesterday, you can choose one. Otherwise, let’s see if we can write two today!

Palin and Trump Mash Up

In light of yesterday’s primary in Wisconsin, our fifth prompt will be political in nature…sort of. Sarah Palin and Donald Trump are both known for their wacky words and phrasing. Write a poem that mashes some of them together. The links below will take you to a quote generator for each of them, as well as videos and lists of some of the crazier things they’ve said. A lot of what Palin says is so musical, even if it is nonsensical. You can think of this as a nonsense poem, or you can revise to make the poem more sensical.

Sarah Palin Quote Generator

Wisconsin April 1st

Palin’s Endorsement of Trump

Sarah Palin Quotes

Trump Quote Generator

199 Tump Quotes

 

 

 

Day Four Poetry Challenge

04 Monday Apr 2016

Posted by thepoetsbillow in Blog

≈ 5 Comments

Tags

April poetry, april poetry challenge, poem, Poetry, poetry prompts, sesame street, shopping list, Writing, writing prompts

Hello Poets!

Today I was reminded of an old Sesame Street cartoon about a girl sent to the store by her mother for (you know it?) a loaf of bread, a container of milk, and a stick of butter. The rhythm of this list is so memorable that I still recite today when I go to the store! Your prompt for today is to write a poem that contains the following items:

bread, milk, and butter

Alternatively, write a poem that conatins a shopping list.

Follow this link to the classic video.

 

Day Three Poetry Challenge

03 Sunday Apr 2016

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Tags

april poetry challenge, baseball poetry, opening day 2016, poem, poem about baseball, Poetry, poetry prompts, Prompt, Writing, writing assignments, writing prompts

Play ball! As baseball players take to their fields for the first games of the 2016 season, it is only fitting that today we write a poem about baseball. Do you have a baseball memory? Did you used to play as a kid? Do you not like the game (tsk, tsk)? Explore your relationship to the game in today’s poem and see what happens. For inspiration, here is a poem by John Hodgen:

Forgiving Buckner

The world is always rolling between our legs.
It comes for us, dribbler, slow roller,
humming its goat song, easy as pie.

We spit in our gloves, bend our stiff knees,
keep it in front of us, our fathers' advice,
but we miss it every time, its physic, its science,
and it bleeds on through, blue streak, heart sore,
to the four-leaf clovers deep in right field.

The runner scores, knight in white armor,
the others out leaping, bumptious, gladhanding,
your net come up empty, Jonah again.
Even the dance of the dead won't come near you,
heart in your throat, holy of holies,
the oh of your mouth as the stone rolls away,
as if it had come from before you were born
to roll past your life to the end of the world,
till the world comes around again, gathering steam,
heading right for us again and again,
faith of our fathers, world without end.

—John Hodgen

Day Two Prompt

03 Sunday Apr 2016

Posted by thepoetsbillow in Blog

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Tags

April poetry, poem, Poetry, poetry exercise, poetry month, Prompt, Writing, writing assignments, writing prompt

Write a poem in the persona of a person who is the first to do something. For example, the first person to build a boat; to start a fire; to brew coffee; to walk on the moon; to look into a microscope.

Write on!

April Poetry Month

01 Friday Apr 2016

Posted by thepoetsbillow in Blog

≈ 16 Comments

Tags

April poetry, national poetry month, Poetry, poetry challenge, poetry prompts, Prompt, writing assignments, writing exercises, writing prompts

We at the Billow will be celebrating National Poetry Month by attempting to complete the April Poetry Challenge–write a poem a day for the month! For the next 30 days we will share prompts with you in the hope that maybe you, too, will find your way to the page.

Day 1: Write a poem about a thunderstorm without using the words rain, thunder, or lightning.

Write on!

Michelle & Rob

Poetry Contest Deadline: March 15th

11 Friday Mar 2016

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Tags

contest, news, poem, Poetry, writers, Writing

The Poet’s Billow is welcoming submissions to the Bermuda Triangle Prize. It is awarded to three poems on a theme from up to three different poets.

Current Theme: Running

Running for president, running down the street, running up the bar tab, we are open to interpretations on the theme. It is up to you how literal or abstract you would like to play on the chosen theme.

Each winning poem will receive $50, for a total cash prize of $150. The poems will be published and displayed in the Poet’s Billow Literary Art Gallery. Up to five finalists will be considered for publication.

We nominate for the Pushcart Prize, Best of the Net Anthology, and The Best New Poets Anthology.

See the Bermuda Triangle contest page for details.

If you would like to stay updated on contests and publications in the future you can join us on Facebook and Twitter.

2015 Atlantis Award Winner & Finalists

04 Friday Mar 2016

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Tags

art, online journal, poem, Poetry, Publishing, writers, Writing

The winner of the 2015 Atlantis Award is Alison Palmer for her poem “Flight.” We are thrilled to publish it along with a selection of the finalists from the contest. We really hope you read these wonderful poems and that they inspire you in some way: to write, to sing, to live your life fully.

The winning poem along with a selection of the finalists can be read here; and the full list of finalists and semi-finalists is below.

The Poet’s Billow is also now welcoming submissions to the Bermuda Triangle Prize and the Pangaea Prize. If you would like to stay updated on contests and publications in the future you can join us on Facebook and Twitter.

 
Winner: Alison Palmer

Finalists:
Garrett Flatt
Jen Karetnick
Katharyn Howd Machan
Julie Prentice
Diana Roffman
Teresa Sutton

Semi-Finalists:
M.K. Brake
Michael Collins
Colette Gill
Colleen Harris-Keith
Heather Keyser
Kieran MacNaughton
Adrian S. Potter
Jessica Temple
Martin Willitts, Jr

Poetry Contest Submissions Welcome

27 Saturday Feb 2016

Posted by thepoetsbillow in Blog

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Tags

art, entertainment, poem, Poetry, politics, writers, Writing

The Poet’s Billow, an organization dedicated to increasing the exposure of poetry, is accepting submission for the Bermuda Triangle Prize – the deadline is March 15th.

The Bermuda Triangle Prize is given to three poems on a theme from up to three different poets.

Current Theme: Running

Running for president, running down the street, running up the bar tab, we are open to interpretations on the theme. It is up to you how literal or abstract you would like to play on the chosen theme. 

We are open to interpretations on the theme. It is up to you how literal or abstract you would like to play on the chosen theme.

Each winning poem will receive $50, for a total cash prize of $150. The poems will be published and displayed in the Poet’s Billow Literary Art Gallery. Up to five finalists will be considered for publication.

We nominate for the Pushcart Prize, Best of the Net Anthology, and The Best New Poets Anthology.

Go to our website for the full guidelines: The Poet’s Billow Awards

Don’t forget you can follow The Poet’s Billow on Facebook and Twitter.

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