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Karen Paul Holmes

Karen Paul Holmes has two poetry collections, No Such Thing as Distance (Terrapin Books, 2018) and Untying the Knot (Kelsay Books, 2014). Her poems have appeared in many journals and have been featured on The Writers' Almanac and The Slowdown.

In her former life, Karen was VP-Communications at a global financial services corporation, and she now works as a freelance business writer and consultant. Her ghost-written articles have appeared in many industry publications under executive bylines.

About Karen Paul Holmes

Karen Paul Holmes has two poetry collections, No Such Thing as Distance (Terrapin Books, 2018) and Untying the Knot (Kelsay Books, 2014). Her poems have appeared in many journals and have been featured on The Writers' Almanac and The Slowdown.

In her former life, Karen was VP-Communications at a global financial services corporation, and she now works as a freelance business writer and consultant. Her ghost-written articles have appeared in many industry publications under executive bylines.

Poet Laura: Passing on the Laura-ship

By Karen Paul Holmes 6 Comments

Venice at sunrise

Karen Paul Holmes bids farewell as she concludes her term as Tweetspeak’s Poet Laura and passes her Laura-ship on to another.

Filed Under: Blog, Poet Laura

Poet Laura: Telling Your Story Through Another’s Eyes

By Karen Paul Holmes 2 Comments

mother embracing child in the woods

Karen Paul Holmes, our Poet Laura, is back with persona poems, a tool poets can use to tell their own stories through the eyes of another.

Filed Under: Blog, Persona Poems, Poet Laura, poetry prompt

Poet Laura: Dark Humor & Smarts in the Same Poem

By Karen Paul Holmes 3 Comments

log cabin on creek

In this month’s columns from Karen Paul Holmes, our Poet Laura invites us to write a dark humor poem using a sample Rupert Fike poem.

Filed Under: Blog, Food Poems, Funny Poems, Poet Laura, poetry prompt

Poet Laura: Not Your Great-Grandma’s Love Poem

By Karen Paul Holmes 2 Comments

rocky lakeshore

What makes a love poem really work? Karen Paul Holmes breaks it down in this month’s Poet Laura column, featuring a poem by Kory Wells.

Filed Under: Blog, love poems, Poet Laura, poetry prompt

Poet Laura: Poems of Identity

By Karen Paul Holmes 2 Comments

woman painting bitcoin on wall

Poems of identity can orient us to who we are and who we want to continue to be—even against the odds of unkind or neglectful forces.

Filed Under: Blog, identity poems, Poet Laura, poetry prompt, poetry teaching resources, writer's group resources, writing prompt, writing prompts

Poet Laura: Poetry in Times of Sorrow and Joy

By Karen Paul Holmes 6 Comments

lone stalk in yellow flower bokeh

Poetry is there for us in times of sorrow and joy. You step into the poet’s shoes, which makes you feel better, safer, known.

Filed Under: Blog, Grief Poems, joy poems, Poet Laura

Poet Laura: Finding the Right Words + Ars Poetica

By Karen Paul Holmes 6 Comments

yellow buds in sunlight

As National Poetry Month begins, Karen Paul Holmes draws upon ars poetica and the work of Ukrainian-American poet Ilya Kaminsky to face this difficult moment.

Filed Under: Blog, Deaf Republic, National Poetry Month, Poet Laura, poetry prompt

Poet Laura: The How-To Poem

By Karen Paul Holmes 8 Comments

brown hybrid hens

Poetry is a place of learning and exploration, from a poem’s “aha moment” to a how-to poem full of heart. Poet Laura Karen Paul Holmes shows us how.

Filed Under: Blog, Chicken poems, how-to poems, Poet Laura, poetry prompt

Poet Laura: Praise Poems

By Karen Paul Holmes 18 Comments

purple flowers in sunrise

Karen Paul Holmes invites us to notice the small things and craft our own praise poems. Sample poems included!

Filed Under: Gratitude, Poet Laura, poetry prompt

Poet Laura: Gratitude + Credo Poems in the New Year

By Karen Paul Holmes 37 Comments

Rope on beach

As we enter the new year, Karen Paul Holmes, encourages us to explore gratitude poems that praise everyday goodness + write a credo poem.

Filed Under: Blog, Poet Laura, poetry prompt

Poet Laura: The first poem that broke my heart

By Karen Paul Holmes 17 Comments

snowy fir tree

Our Poet Laura Karen Paul Holmes shares the first poem to break her heart. What was the first poem that broke yours?

Filed Under: Blog, Poet Laura, Winter Poems

Poet Laura: Where I’m From

By Karen Paul Holmes 51 Comments

flamingos for new poet laura

Meet Tweetspeak’s new Poet Laura, who is not named Laura and is not “that kind” of Karen. Karen Paul Holmes introduces herself with a Where I’m From prompt.

Filed Under: Blog, English Teaching Resources, Poet Laura, poetry prompt, poetry teaching resources, writer's group resources, writing prompt, writing prompts

Journey into Poetry: Karen Paul Holmes

By Karen Paul Holmes 7 Comments

Journey into Poetry and Sun

From the first poem that broke her heart, all the way to Tracy K. Smith’s “The Slowdown,” it’s been a fulfilling (and surprising) poetry journey for Karen Paul Holmes.

Filed Under: Blog, journey into poetry

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