Summers mean sparklers! A spark doesn’t last; its impression – the color, the singe, the crackle – does. Join us this week and bring that impression to others when you try your hand at sparkler sensory poetry.
Writing Prompts Galore
A delicious selection of writing prompts—from poetry prompts to fiction prompts and more.
Write along with our community. (We love that.)
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Writer Friends: The Lunchtime Literary Discussion Society
Friendship forms among coworkers after the perfunctory question ‘How are you?’ gets an unexpected answer.
Onomatopoeia Firework Poems
Feeling a word before we actually know its definition is like a firework. Join Callie Feyen and write some “firework” words with us.
Writer Friends: Luci, Madeleine, and a Lean Leather Jacket
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Poetry Prompt: Fireworks, Sparkles & Speckles
Take a little time to engage in some sparkly living this week. Pay special attention to what glints and gleams, sparkles and speckles, or… explodes!
By Hand: Writing Longhand
By Hand is a monthly prompt focused on freeing our words by using our hands. This month, we’re exploring writing longhand with Megan Willome as our guide.
Writing Prompt: Science Fiction and Ecopoetry
Reports on the state of the planet’s future can sound like dystopian science fiction. Can they also be a clarion call that enlivens our creativity? Join us as we write about our interconnection to the world we’re part of.
Poetry Prompt: Science Fiction with Ray Bradbury
Go on a walk after reading Ray Bradbury’s story “The Pedestrian,” then craft a sci-fi poem to share with us where your rambles took you.
Poetry Prompt: Science Fiction with Ursula K. Le Guin
Try writing a poem inspired by Ursula K. Le Guin, where setting is everything, whether it’s the California foothills, the banks of a creek bravely winding its way to the ocean, or an utterly new planet that only you have explored!
Poetry Prompt: Science Fiction with Tony Wolk
This week we’re spending time in our notebooks tracing the lines of connection, the poems we can’t forget, the books we always return to, reflecting on their influence on our poetry—and maybe sharing a poem to illustrate.
Poetry Prompt: Haiku Picture Books
Pour a cup of tea and enjoy these haiku picture books (including a cat tale!) that will make you smile and get you writing.
By Hand: No Hands
By Hand is a monthly prompt focused on freeing our words by using our hands. This month, we’re exploring what happens to our words when our hands are tired—with Megan Willome as our guide.
How to Turn Your Story Questions Into Writing Prompts!
After reading a good story, you can follow these three easy steps to turn your story questions into writing prompts. See 5 sample prompts based on the fairy tale ‘The Golden Dress,’ to help you on your writing way!
Poetry Prompt: Japanese Art and the Tanka
There’s a long tradition of poetry being inspired by painting and other fine arts. Come write tanka inspired by Japanese art!
Tanka Poetry Prompt: What’s a Tanka?
This month, we’ll explore the ancient Japanese form called the tanka. This lesser known form might be thought of as haiku’s quiet older sibling.
Birthdays & Birthstones Poetry Prompt—The Tempest as Fairy Tale
Explore Shakespeare’s “The Tempest” and write a fairy tale poem about a royal birth where magic is afoot and things aren’t what they seem.
By Hand: Cooking and Baking
By Hand is a monthly prompt focused on freeing our words by using our hands. This month, we’re exploring cooking and baking with Megan Willome as our guide.
Birthdays & Birthstones Poetry Prompt: Celebration
Join us as we write about celebrating birthdays, and consider how the formal aspects of our poems add emotional resonance to personal observations.
Birthdays & Birthstones Poetry Prompt: Hidden Riches
A chunk of quartz crystal caught my eye. Inside the quartz were ribbons of tourmaline, October’s birthstone. What is the hidden gem in your writing?
Birthdays & Birthstones Poetry Prompt: A Rossetti List Poem
Come write poetry inspired by Christina Rossetti’s list poem “The Months” and see if you like how she describes your birthday month.