Are you planning to celebrate Poetry at Work Day, the second Tuesday of January?
It doesn’t need to be elaborate. Here are a few ideas you can use to make it happen in your workplace.
1. Cut It Out Poetry
What you’ll need:
• old catalogs
• scissors
• pens
• index cards or full-sized paper
• glue or glue sticks
• pinboard and pins
• sample poem already pinned up (feel free to reprint and use ours)
Place the materials in a classic gathering place where things can be posted. The cafeteria. Near the water cooler. A conference or break room. Leave instructions as follows…
• did you know today is Poetry at Work Day?
• cut out words and phrases
• arrange into poems
• glue your words and phrases onto cards to make it official
• sign if you like, and post!
(if you are an online team, you could do something similar using Pinterest)
Sample Cut It Out Poem
2. Circle-It Poetry
What you’ll need:
• old newspapers or magazines
• pens or markers
• scissors
• pinboard and pins
• sample poem already pinned up (feel free to print and use ours)
Leave instructions as follows…
• did you know today is Poetry at Work Day?
• cut out a strip of print
• circle single words from top to bottom to create a poem
• sign if you like, and post!
3. Break It Poetry
What you’ll need:
• old books in a basket or bin
• pens or color markers
• paper, color or white
• pinboard and pins
• sample poem already pinned up (feel free to print and use ours)
Leave instructions as follows…
• did you know today is Poetry at Work Day?
• find a quote you like from any of the books here in the basket
• break the quote into lines to make a poem
• sign if you like, and post!
Break It Poetry is taken from Inspired: 8 Ways to Write Poems You Can Love. Here is how one person did this exercise very simply: Found Poems. And here is an answer to her follow-up challenge, using the same quote Megan used but rebreaking it…
Sample Break It Poem
Featured photo by Seafaringwoman, Creative Commons, via Flickr. Medicare poem by Will Willingham. Whisper poem by Tina Howard. Sometimes Peace poem by L.L. Barkat.
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- A Surprise Poetry Stories Collection—Plus, the Giveaway Winner! - May 10, 2021
- How to Write a Form Poem: Hear the Poets Read! - April 30, 2021
- A Blessing for Writers - April 19, 2021
Sandra Heska King says
Fun! Even I can do this!
L. L. Barkat says
of course you can. I look forward to seeing what you break open 🙂
Elizabeth Wynne Marshall says
Brilliant. I can’t seem to get enough of your slant on this world through your words and poetry. I am going back for a second read.
And I can’t wait to try these “poetry at work” ideas. The child in my is giddy.