Tweetspeak Poetry

  • Home
  • FREE prompts
  • National Poetry Month
  • Every Day Poems—Subscribe! ✨
  • Teaching Tools
  • Books, Etc.
  • Patron Love

Triolet, Rondel, and Rondelet: Variation is the Spice of Life

By Tania Runyan 2 Comments

Yant Flat at sunset rondeau poetry form

Traveling to the Triolet, Rondel, and Rondelet

Sure, I’m willing to admit that How to Write a Form Poem has catapulted me to international fame, prompting the US National Park Service to rethink that whole tradition of having presidents, not poets, on Mount Rushmore. But allow me to take a quick break from negotiating with next year’s Super Bowl Halftime planners to emphasize that the newest “How To” guide from T.S. Poetry Press is the result of a collaborative effort.
How to Write a Form Poem-A Guided Tour of 10 Fabulous Forms-poetry writing book
The book would be nothing without the contributions of so many outstanding poets, whose sonnets, villanelles, haiku, ghazals, and many other forms bring delight, instruction, and inspiration to the pages. But L.L. Barkat and Sara Barkat, editors extraordinaire, really brought this book to a higher level with some pretty intense behind-the-scenes work.

Aside from the usual editing tasks, these two expended an enormous bundle of poetic energy to help conceptualize the book, round out some of my explanations of form, write many of the exercises that appear in the “More Stops” section of the book, hunt down poems, translate poems (yes—there are several original translations in the book!), and add the “Go the Extra Mile” sections to challenge some of the more advanced poetry practitioners using the book.

A couple weekends ago, I took a little time out to learn from my own book. It’s been a pleasure bringing attention to the rondeau, an oft-forgotten little French form that really sings. In the “Go the Extra Mile” section at the end of the rondeau chapter, Sara Barkat ushers in even more fun by introducing the rondeau-inspired variants: the triolet, rondel, and rondelet. One afternoon, on a little solo writing retreat, I challenged myself to try all three of these variants for the first time.

It was fun. And difficult. And difficult in the most fun of ways. I actually felt my brain cells expanding while I tested out the sonic properties of my word choices and rhythms, counting syllables, listing rhymes, and, yes, talking to myself (as any good poet should). While the three-poems-in-one-day project may not have resulted in any masterpieces, it resulted in three poems that did not exist before, in variations I had never tried, and with a recharged imagination raring to go round and round these poems again as I revise and create even more.

I’ll let you take a look at my draft of a rondel. Was the gas station logo imagery inspired by my affinity with Elizabeth Bishop, author of the poem Filling Station, by my devotion to road trips (note that I freely mix logos from brands in different regions of the country), or by the fact that my Airbnb room faced a Shell station whose vibrant sign pulsed its primary-colored light through the blinds at all hours? That will be a mystery I’ll save for my interviews on the late-night talk show circuit.

Finally, a Gas Station!

A scallop shell lights up that sign,
but down the street, a dinosaur
and ball-capped beaver wage a war
of twofer chips or stale Red Vines

and bottled syrup just in time
to quench our need for lousy more.
A scallop shell shines on that sign,
and down the street, a dinosaur

can’t see behind his hulking spine
encroaching hearts and geese and stars.
Whimsy beats down our Honda’s door
till the miracle escapes my mind,
that scallop lighting up a sign.

Photo by John Fowler, Creative Commons license via Flickr. Post by Tania Runyan.
 
How to Write a Form Poem-A Guided Tour of 10 Fabulous Forms-poetry writing book

BUY ‘HOW TO WRITE A FORM POEM’ NOW!

5 star

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Tania Runyan
Tania Runyan
Tania Runyan lives in Lindenhurst, Illinois, a sort-of suburb, sort-of small town, where the deer and the minivans play. She's a 2011 NEA fellow and mama to four poetry books—A Thousand Vessels, Simple Weight, Delicious Air, and What Will Soon Take Place—and three (much cuter and noisier) human children. Tania is also the author of five non-fiction books—Making Peace with Paradise, How To Read a Poem, How to Write a Poem, How to Write a Form Poem, and How to Write a College Application Essay. Visit her at TaniaRunyan.com
Tania Runyan
Latest posts by Tania Runyan (see all)
  • Flowers of California: California Poppy - December 8, 2022
  • Flowers of California: Lily of the Nile - October 13, 2022
  • Flowers of California: Crape Myrtle - October 5, 2022

Filed Under: Blog, How to Write a Form Poem, poetry prompt

Get Every Day Poems...

About Tania Runyan

Tania Runyan lives in Lindenhurst, Illinois, a sort-of suburb, sort-of small town, where the deer and the minivans play. She's a 2011 NEA fellow and mama to four poetry books—A Thousand Vessels, Simple Weight, Delicious Air, and What Will Soon Take Place—and three (much cuter and noisier) human children. Tania is also the author of five non-fiction books—Making Peace with Paradise, How To Read a Poem, How to Write a Poem, How to Write a Form Poem, and How to Write a College Application Essay. Visit her at TaniaRunyan.com

Comments

  1. Bethany Rohde says

    May 28, 2021 at 5:29 pm

    “While the three-poems-in-one-day project may not have resulted in any masterpieces, it resulted in three poems that did not exist before, in variations I had never tried, and with a recharged imagination raring to go round and round these poems again as I revise and create even more.” What a generative experience, Tania! 🙂

    I’m thinking of dipping my toe into writing a form that’s new to me thanks to the How to Write a Form Poem-Extravaganza (book, Zoom reading, poetry interviews and comments). Grateful for all the work that went into this book!

    Reply
  2. Tania Runyan says

    June 1, 2021 at 9:01 am

    I look forward to hearing about the poems *you* generate, Bethany! Happy writing!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Cute Comic

😊

The Sadbook Collections

A stick-figure human sure to capture your heart.

Take How to Read a Poem

Get the Introduction, the Billy Collins poem, and Chapter 1

get the sample now

Welcome to Tweetspeak

New to Tweetspeak Poetry? Start here, in The Mischief Café. You're a regular? Check out our March Menu.

Patron Love

❤️

Welcome a little patron love, when you help keep the world poetic.

Now a Graphic Novel!

"Stunning, heartbreaking, and relevant illustrations"

Callie Feyen, teacher

read a summary of The Yellow Wallpaper

meet The Yellow Wallpaper characters

Your Comments

  • Bethany on Pandemic Journal: An Entry on Peaceful Writing on the Porch
  • Faith Whetstone on Pandemic Journal: An Entry on Peaceful Writing on the Porch
  • 20 Best Poetry Books About Love to Read Now  | Giannina Braschi on Poets and Poems: Dave Malone’s “O: Love Poems from the Ozarks”
  • Laura on The Honey Field—5: Sugar Water for Honeybees

How to Write Poetry

Featured In

We're happy to have been featured in...

The Huffington Post

The Paris Review

The New York Observer

Tumblr Book News

Stay in Touch With Us

Categories

Coloring Page Poem Printables!

Get all free coloring page poems now

Learn to Write Form Poems

How to Write an Acrostic

How to Write a Ballad

How to Write a Catalog Poem

How to Write a Ghazal

How to Write a Haiku

How to Write an Ode

How to Write a Pantoum

How to Write a Rondeau

How to Write a Sestina

How to Write a Sonnet

How to Write a Villanelle

5 FREE POETRY PROMPTS

Get 5 FREE inbox poetry prompts from the popular book How to Write a Poem

Shakespeare Resources

Poetry Classroom: Sonnet 18

Common Core Picture Poems: Sonnet 73

Sonnet 104 Annotated

Sonnet 116 Annotated

Character Analysis: Romeo and Juliet

Character Analysis: Was Hamlet Sane or Insane?

Why Does Hamlet Wait to Kill the King?

10 Fun Shakespeare Resources

About Shakespeare: Poet and Playwright

Top 10 Shakespeare Sonnets

See all 154 Shakespeare sonnets in our Shakespeare Library!

Explore Work From Black Poets

About Us

  • • A Blessing for Writers
  • • Annual Theme 2022: Perspective
  • • Annual Theme 2021: Generous
  • • Our Story
  • • Meet Our Team
  • • Literary Citizenship
  • • Poet Laura
  • • Poetry for Life: The 5 Vital Approaches
  • • T. S. Poetry Press – All Books
  • • Contact Us

Write With Us

  • • 5 FREE Poetry Prompts-Inbox Delivery
  • • 30 Days to Richer Writing Workshop
  • • How to Write Form Poems-Infographics
  • • Poetry Club Tea Date
  • • Poetry Prompts
  • • Submissions

Read With Us

  • • All Our Books
  • • Book Club
  • • Every Day Poems—Subscribe! ✨
  • • Literacy Extras
  • • Poems to Listen By: Audio Series
  • • Poet-a-Day
  • • Poets and Poems
  • • 50 States Projects
  • • Charlotte Perkins Gilman Poems Library
  • • Edgar Allan Poe Poems Arts & Experience Library
  • • William Blake Poems Arts & Experience Library
  • • William Shakespeare Sonnet Library

Celebrate With Us

  • • Poem on Your Pillow Day
  • • Poetic Earth Month
  • • Poet in a Cupcake Day
  • • Poetry at Work Day
  • • Random Acts of Poetry Day
  • • Take Your Poet to School Week
  • • Take Your Poet to Work Day

Gift Ideas

  • • Every Day Poems
  • • Our Shop
  • • Everybody Loves a Book!

Connect

  • • Donate
  • • Blog Buttons
  • • By Heart
  • • Shop for Tweetspeak Fun Stuff

Copyright © 2023 Tweetspeak Poetry · FAQ, Disclosure & Privacy Policy

We serve poetry with our cookies. Because that's the way it should be.
We serve poetry with your cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. By clicking “Accept”, you... accept the cookies with a smile.
Do not sell my personal information.
Cookie SettingsAccept
update cookie prefs

Privacy Overview

This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary
Always Enabled
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously.
CookieDurationDescription
cookielawinfo-checkbox-analytics11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-functional11 monthsThe cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-necessary11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary".
cookielawinfo-checkbox-others11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other.
cookielawinfo-checkbox-performance11 monthsThis cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance".
viewed_cookie_policy11 monthsThe cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. It does not store any personal data.
Functional
Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features.
Performance
Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors.
Analytics
Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc.
Advertisement
Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads.
Others
Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet.
SAVE & ACCEPT