POETRY
A Month Long Writing Challenge
For NatPoWriMo: The POM hosts a writing challenge for National Poetry Month
Welcome to National Poetry Month 2021 (April). To celebrate the month, The POM is hosting a month-long prompt event in which we will write a poem every day for the month of April to celebrate National Poetry Month.
We are calling it NatPoWriMo. #NatPoWriMo
Each day has a very simple poetry prompt. Write your poems each day using the prompts from the calendar.
If you cannot see the calendar well enough in the above picture, here are the prompts in list form:
April 1
April Fool’s Day Word prompt: fool
April 2
International Children’s Book Day
Read some children’s nursery rhyme poems. Write your own.
April 3
International Pillow Fight Day
Write a SILLY poem
April 4
Easter Sunday Word prompt: resurrection
April 5
Write a poem in one of these poetic forms: Blank verse, Tanka, Pastoral, Villanelle, ode, sonnet (how to here and here), or palindrome
April 6
Write a poem inspired by a color.
April 7
Write a poem that embodies a very strong emotion (emotive poem).
April 8
Write a poem with alliteration.
April 9
Write an acrostic poem with your name.
April 10
Write a poem about siblings, or your sibling.
April 11
Write a poem with “submarine” as a metaphor.
April 12
Word prompt: crescent moon
April 13
Write a poem with a word that demonstrates onomatopoeia.
April 14
Write a poem that incorporates SOUND.
April 15
Write a poem about a painting or piece of art.
April 16
Read 3 poems by the same famous poet — then write a poem in a similar style.
April 17
Write a poem with: Personification.
April 18
Write Haiku or Haiku series.
April 19
Write a poem inspired by your favorite FEMALE poet.
April 20
Write a poem in couplets:
A couplet is a pair of lines in a poem which have both the same rhythm (meter) and that rhyme.
April 21
Word prompt:
birth
April 22
Write an earthy poem.
April 23
Write a poem inspired by a Spanish poem or poet.
April 24
Write a spoken word poem. (You can watch many of examples on YouTube.)
April 25
Write a poem about an animal.
April 26
Write a poem inspired by a poet who is very different from your style.
April 27
Word Prompt — Use ALL of these words in a poem
spring, illuminate, rain
April 28
National Great Poetry Reading Day
Write a poem inspired by a classic poem.
April 29
Write a poem that is inspired by dance.
April 30
Word prompt: Honesty
Those are the prompts — do not overthink it, just let the prompt (and the poem) lead you. If nothing is coming to you, set a timer for 15 minutes and free-write ANYTHING on that subject of the prompt until the timer goes off. Then read over whatever you have written and look for the “jewels.” Often this will open the gates and allow that poem to come to you more easily.
You have a few options:
- Write your poem each day and put them all into a journal for the event.
- Publish your poems as you go along (tag this post please and use #NatPoWriMo
- Put all of your poems into ONE post, so they can be read in one sitting (I think this is what I will do!)
Also — SHARE this post, the prompts individually each day, or your experiences as you go along so we can stir up as much support for poetry, reading poetry, and writing poetry for the month of April. Get your kids to play along! Teach grandpa how to write a Haiku! Let’s do this thing poets!
Have a great National Poetry Month and don’t forget to read some of the poems right here on Medium — host to SO MANY fantastic poets from around the world.
◦•●Christina M. Ward ●•◦, editor/founder of The POM publication and FB group.
Samantha Lazar — partner-in-chief! Fantastic wing-woman. Editor extraordinaire.
