April is National Poetry Month
You can make almost anything
Become immortal
By poetic words
Sent over the portal.
So put down your thoughts
When you have inspiration.
You'll be adding your part
To the whole of creation.
Excerpt from: https://www.familyfriendpoems.com/poem/what-poetry-is
April 2021 marks the 25th annual celebration of poets and poetry! Whether you write poetry or not, now is a great time to explore all the wonderful poets by reading and sharing poetry.
Each April, the Academy of American Poets offers activities, initiatives, and resources so that anyone can join in National Poetry Month online and at home:
- Read about 30 ways to celebrate National Poetry Month online and at home
- Join the Academy of American Poets for its first-ever virtual Poetry & the Creative Mind gala on April 29
- Find online poetry readings and events on our Poetry Near You calendar, and add your own
- Sign up for Poem-a-Day and enjoy a free daily poem in your inbox, this month curated by award-winning poet Jane Hirshfield
- Follow the thousands of celebrations taking place on social media with the official hashtag #NationalPoetryMonth and follow the Academy of American Poets on Twitter and Instagram @POETSorg
- Share a #pocketpoem on Poem in Your Pocket Day on April 29
If you need a blank journal to start putting your thoughts down on paper, look no further than our beautiful mini notebooks! We have some with lines and others with bullet dots, so you can take your pick. These small bullet journals and notebooks are perfect for taking on the go and jotting down your thoughts anytime. Here are a few of our recommendations:
Hilma af Klint Small Bullet Journal
Terracotta Small Bullet Journal
Vanilla Bean Small Bullet Journal
See the full collection here: Small Bullet Journals
Want to write a poem of your own? Try out this prompt to get started!
Mirrors & Windows
Time yourself as you write in some way (with a timer, the length of a song, or the length of a page). Write for roughly 3 minutes in response to each of the prompts below. Try to write for the whole time, without stopping, in sentences, with no line breaks. Work to get all of your thoughts on the page, without worrying about what you are writing, or how. It is encouraged to follow wherever your mind leads.
Prompt:
What is a mirror? Write a list of all the mirrors in your home, actual and metaphorical. What are the most important mirrors in your life?
What is a window? Write a list of all the windows in your home, actual and metaphorical. What are the most important windows in you life?
A concrete poem visual enacts the meaning of the poem in the placement and appearance of the text on the page. How can “Mirror” be read as a concrete poem? How does the form of the poem, the way it appears visually on the page, change the meaning of the poem?
A contrapuntal poem is a poem that can be read in more than one direction, or that weaves two or more poems together into one poem. How can “Mirror” be read as a contrapuntal poem?
Looking back over your writing about mirrors and windows, compose a poem that focuses on one metaphorical mirror or window, and compose a concrete poem. The form of the poem on the page should enact the meaning of the words. Or, take what you have written, and compose one poem about a mirror, actual or metaphorical, and then compose a second poem about a window, actual or metaphorical. Combine the two poems into one poem that can be read in multiple directions.
If you write one, please share in the comments!
Source: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/library/prompts