Poetry lovers, rejoice! April is National Poetry Month, which is a fantastic excuse to read, write and appreciate all different forms of written creative expression.
Take the opportunity to shake up your journaling routine and write a poem or two. Even if you don’t fancy yourself a poet, there are plenty of fun, poetry-related journal prompts that will push your creativity and perhaps even uncover your hidden Maya Angelou or Walt Whitman.
1.Start with a little background.
Read up on National Poetry Month and spend a little time in the verse section of your local library or bookstore. Curl up with a good stack of books and get a taste for the work of people you admire and others you aren’t as familiar with—Pablo Neruda, e.e. cummings, Emily Dickinson, Langston Hughes, Elizabeth Barrett Browning, William Blake… the list goes on. If you find a few poems that strike a chord with you, copy them down and use them as journal prompts for your own writing. Use a similar style or theme, and get to writing.
2.Put together a poetry puzzle.
Use Create Write Now guest blogger Mazie Bishop’s idea for a poetry journal, in which she scribbles inspiration throughout the day:
“I also have a poetry journal, which is not actually just poetry, it is also lists of words that stick out to me during the day, I write them down in this little book that comes with me everywhere, and when I feel like I need inspiration for a poem, I take those words and string them together!
3. Create visually inspired poetry.
Journal prompts don’t always have to be written; sometimes they are even more thought-provoking when they are based on images. Cut out a picture from a magazine and paste it into your journal. Use all of your senses to describe what the picture makes you think and feel.
Do you ever write poetry? Where do you find your inspiration? Are you writing anything in honor of National Poetry Month?
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