How to Enjoy National Poetry Month
Hello, lovelies!Today marks the beginning of National Poetry Month!You guys, this month is like a special birthday to all the poets in the world, not to mention April is the actual birthday month of probably the greatest wordsmith eva, William Shakespeare.I know this because my former AP English teacher has a beautiful fascination with all things Shakespeare and we had a birthday party for him in class which consisted of food and the Doctor Who episode where they go back in time to meet Shakespeare.
Also, who else thinks David Tennant is quite possibly the best Doctor? I do. I mean, it's David Tennant. He's brilliant!
Anyways, I digress. This post is about poetry and the month it belongs to. :)National Poetry Month is as good a time as any to dabble a little in the art of versification. Poetry is an art form that lends to the expression of the human experience and connects to the hearts and minds and souls of other readers, lovers, and writers. For we are all in search of connection, of bonds formed to persist in adversity, and I believe poetry does just that and more.
How to Enjoy Ntl. Poetry Month
So, you may be asking, or at least I hope you are, "how can I get involved?"I've listed 3 simple ways you can start living your poetic dreams. These three things consist of prompts, tips, and ideas on how to invest in National Poetry Month and make it fun for you.30for30 Challenge with Project VoiceThis month Project Voice will have a challenge for writing a poem each day of the month. They will provide prompts on their Instagram each day that you can follow along with. Their IG handle is @projvoice. Check it out! https://www.instagram.com/p/BvsgGqOhxb9/Pinterest PerusingPinterest has boards for every writer's dream. In this case with Pinterest, there are numerous boards and pins of poets to get inspired from. Save your favorite pins to a board dedicated to poetry and use it as fuel to spark your own creativity. I personally love doing this because "good readers make good writers" and finding poets you relate to, look up to, and even challenge how you see life can be good motivators in your own poetry journey.Specific Genre Poem ChallengeWhen I feel lacking in my poetic creativity, one thing I've done is a Haiku challenge. Haikus seem to be the easiest, but difficult kind of poem to write. This kind of poem follows the basic 5,7,5 rule which is 5 syllables for the first line, 7 syllables for the second line, and again 5 for the third line.If haikus aren't your thing, try limericks, odes, free verse, sonnets, whatever you like. Challenge yourself to something different and see how it works for you.
Writing is like a gift. To be able to use words as an offering of yourself, for yourself, for others, to God, for inspiration is a thing of complete beauty. Words transcend and culminate meaning between pages and voices and breath. It's truly lovely.So, cue Natasha Bedingfield's "These Words," crack those knuckles and type away, or grab that fine point pen and scribble away. Have fun discovering poetry this month! If you have a favorite way of getting in the mood to write poetry, let me know in the comments.Also, don't forget to subscribe by email and continue this creative journey with me!
Sincerely,
~ Antavia
Photo by Annie Spratt on Unsplash