Book: Good Intentions Author: Kasim Ali Publisher: 4THESTATE About the Author: Kasim Ali works in publishing and has previously been shortlisted for Hachette’s Mo Siewcharran Prize, longlisted for the 4th Estate BAME Short Story Prize and has contributed to The Good Journal. He lives in London. My reading of Good Intentions Nur and Yasmina are …
After a month of poetry during NaPoWriMo it’s back to business. This year I enrolled or rather clubbed three challenges- the A to Z Challenge, Blogchatter’s A2Z and NaPoWriMo. It was a bad idea. I did not have the time and energy to read blogs from all three challenges and I was mostly looking for …
It’s Day Thirty! Elated at having written every single day of April. Thankful to Maureen Thorson for the spirit of NaPWriMo. The final (but still optional!) prompt is to write a cento. This is a poem that is made up of lines taken from other poems. If you’d like to dig into an in-depth example, …
Day Twenty-nine at NaPoWriMo. The prompt for the day is to write a poem in which you muse on the gifts you received at birth — whether they are actual presents, like a teddy bear, or talents – like a good singing voice – or circumstances – like a kind older brother, as well as …
Day Twenty-seven at NaPoWriMo and it gets no better! First the optional prompt that I decided to go with. The challenge is to write a “duplex.” A “duplex” is a variation on the sonnet, developed by the poet Jericho Brown. Here’s one of his first “Duplex” poems, and here is a duplex written by the …
Today’s prompt at NaPoWriMo is to write a poem that contains at least one of a different kind of simile – an epic simile. Also known as Homeric similes, these are basically extended similes that develop over multiple lines. Perhaps unsurprisingly, they have mainly been used in epic poems, typically as decorative elements that emphasize the …
Hello Readers On Day 25 of NaPoWriMo, the prompt is based on the aisling, a poetic form that developed in Ireland. An aisling recounts a dream or vision featuring a woman who represents the land or country on/in which the poet lives, and who speaks to the poet about it. Today, I’d like to challenge you to write …
Day 24 at NaPoWriMo. Can’t believe it I’ve come this far. Weekends are always super busy with family time, but there’s always some time for a little poetry. The prompt for the day. Hard-boiled detective novels are known for their use of vivid similes, often with an ironic or sarcastic tone. Novelist Raymond Chandler is …
Day 23 NaPoWriMo challenge is to write a poem in the style of Kay Ryan, whose poems tend to be short and snappy – with a lot of rhyme and soundplay. They also have a deceptive simplicity about them, like proverbs or aphorisms. Once you’ve read a few, you’ll see what I mean. Here’s her …
Day 21 at NaPoWriMo. The prompt is an interesting one. This prompt asks you to write a poem in which you first recall someone you used to know closely but are no longer in touch with, then a job you used to have but no longer do, and then a piece of art that you …
