Why write a sestina? Direct from Florida, poet Celia Lisset Alvarez gives you a few fabulous reasons.
Poet-a-Day: Meet David K. Wheeler
How best to write tragedy? Poet David K. Wheeler suggests the soft sorrow of the pantoum.
National Poetry Month: Giving Gatsby the Green Light
This National Poetry Month, join Tania Runyan to take a poetic twist on Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby in our in our new book club.
Julius Caesar: Et Tu, Brute? Opposite Day and the Ides of March
For the Ides of March, Tania Runyan has a Julius Caesar “Opposite Day” poetry prompt.
Lord of the Flies: Simon Writes Home
Not all the boys on the island will admit it, but homesickness is one of the greatest challenges the Lord of the Flies characters face. Poet Tania Runyan and the boys of the island explore a “letters home” epistolary poetry prompt.
Lord of the Flies: Poem to a Conch
Buried in the rich symbolism of Lord of the Flies, Tania Runyan finds a poem for the conch.
To Kill a Mockingbird’s Tom Robinson: Why I Ran
Tania Runyan explores the fear experienced by To Kill a Mockingbird’s Tom Robinson with a tragic rondeau poem.
To Kill a Mockingbird’s Boo Radley: A Poetic Secret Message
Imagine the secrets of Boo Radley, get creative & put your imagination into a poem. Read a To Kill a Mockingbird poem by Tania Runyan first, to get started!
Great Gatsby Fashion: Jay Gatsby Goes to Goodwill
Learn a little about Great Gatsby fashion, then get creative and put your learning into a poem. Read a Gatsby poem by Tania Runyan first, to get started!
Poet Laura: Passing the Pen
Tania Runyan concludes her year as Tweetspeak’s inaugural Poet Laura and passes the torch to 2021’s resident poet.
Poet Laura: To the Moon, Poetry!
Should the Poet Laura leave poems about Chicago or New York on the moon? Let the pizza decide.
Your Poet Laura Has Been Up to Something (About Form Poetry)
Tweetspeak’s official Poet Laura, Tania Runyan, has been hard at work finishing up her latest title, How to Write a Form Poem. Get a sneak peek at what’s coming.
Poet Laura: Keeping Your Distance with Emily Dickinson
In these days of social distancing, Emily Dickinson proves a wonderful guide to the sustained solitude and isolation many are facing for the first time.
Poet Laura: I Read Poems to Some Chickens!
On a frosty day in suburban Illinois, Tweetspeak’s Poet Laura, Tania Runyan, gathers up four hens and an Emily Dickinson collection for an adventure in reading poems to chickens.
Poet Laura: Life is Like a Box of Chocolate Poems
In this month’s column, inaugural Poet Laura Tania Runyan nibbles around the edges of the chocolate poem box and comes up with some thoughtful delights.
Poet Laura: Lauras Poetica
In the latest Poet Laura installment, Tania Runyan tells of famous Lauras in history and writes poems to less famous — yet noteworthy — Lauras.
Poet Laura: Allow Me to Introduce and Explain Myself
Our inaugural Poet Laura, Tania Runyan, reflects on the business of the season, the perfect time to realize that one doesn’t have time *not* to write.
Applying to College in the Fall? Do These 7 Things this Summer
Getting ready to apply for college? Tania Runyan has 7 things you can do to get yourself ready to choose a college and write your application essay.
4 Spooky Tips for Writing a Halloween Poem
Get ready for the spookiest Halloween yet with these great tips for writing a Halloween poem from Tania Runyan.
How to Write a College Application Essay: Some Final Thoughts
Tania Runyan offers some final thoughts about maintaining perspective in this last installment of our series about writing a college application essay.