First Moment of Existence

March is National Women’s History Month. Whom do you celebrate? “For a long time I believe my first moment of existence is when I jump over a broom. I remember a house. I remember sunlight through a window…” – from Caramelo by Sanda Cisneros For me, this window is my Grandma’s small kitchen window, a … Continue reading →

The Portable Poetry Workshop: Connecting Content – Thematic Shapes of Poems

Pen and Paper by mlpdesign via Flickr I know poems have shapes. I’ve even seen a poem about a rabbit crafted in the shape of a carrot in forum for an online class I was taking. People can get creative with their forms, certainly, but I’ve never thought about a poem being organized in a … Continue reading →

The Portable Poetry Workshop: Connecting Content – Triggering Words

“Spring” by Dani via Flickr Triggering words open up new opportunities for content and direction in our writing. As Jack Myers says, these words can act as “a semantic springboard that uncoils enough upward lift to give the poem new momentum.” Such words can elevate theme, create or extend a metaphor’s matrix, or even determine and/or … Continue reading →

The Unexpected Day Off and Other Good Finds Sunday

Via Public Domain Photos on Flickr My poem for this week is Alberto Ríos’ delightful “We Dogs of a Thursday Off.” What do you like to do on an unexpected day off? Robert Lee Brewer wrote up an inspiring blog post about Twitter as fodder for our creative writing. Speaking of generating some new writing, Diane … Continue reading →

Month of Letters and Poetry

Via Flickr by pocius It’s rare we receive handwritten letters or postcards through the mail anymore. I try to make an effort to send out hand-written thank-you notes every chance I get. Outside of that, everything is electronic right down to the bills. But I still love the hand-written note… Yesterday, I came across link … Continue reading →