Weekend Writing: Inspiring Others with Poetry

There's a sign in my office that reads: "Inspire: To encourage somebody to greater effort, enthusiasm, or creativity. To awaken a particular feeling in somebody." 

I couldn't agree more with the definition. When you're inspired by something or someone, you feel like you could do anything. You have new ideas and suggestions, perhaps to start a new hobby or to finish a project you have been delaying for a while.

That's what I hoped I accomplished this week when I led a beginner's poetry workshop in my local community. The workshop was to celebrate National Poetry Month and I had five participants. I haven't led a workshop since I was required to lead various workshops and class discussions in college. In college, those were my peers--my classmates.

The packet I handed out to the class participants.

This was a different experience because I was discussing poetry with people I didn't know. I knew a few of the participants, but not everyone. To begin, we discussed the definition of poetry and I invited them to offer their own definitions. Then, we discussed the challenges of writing poetry. Some of the participants were established writers, while others have only "dabbled" in poetry from time to time. I enjoyed the variety. It made the class so much more enjoyable for everyone.

Then, I explained the difference between classical, rhyming poetry and today's modern and contemporary poetry. Like I have discussed on the blog this month, poetry doesn't have to rhyme, but that's probably what a lot of people associate poetry with: rhyming. I offered examples to the class participants and it was nice to hear their inputs on the subject.

Afterward, we tried our hand at three poetry prompts. I gave them ten minutes to write each prompt and then we shared them. I told them they didn't have to share their poems. After all, poetry is for yourself. It's a therapeutic practice. You don't have to publish your work or share it with anyone. Write from your heart and that's all that matters. I hope I expressed that with the class.

Below are the following prompts. I challenge you to try them, as well!

1. Since National Poetry Month is in the month of April, let's write about April. Describe April in one poem. 
2. Write a poem about the transition from day to night. What do you see? What do you hear? How do you feel? You can also reverse this and write about the transition from night to day. 
3. Write a "how to" poem. Describe how to do something mundane that most people take for granted. For example, how to tie your shoes. How to pour a cup of coffee. How to do the laundry. How to write a poem. 

The poems were beautiful! Everyone expressed their feelings, with some adding humor (which is extra fun). They weren't afraid of the prompts, which I'm glad to hear as the instructor. 

Finally, I decided to conclude the workshop with a fun erasure/blackout poetry activity. If you're not familiar with erasure/blackout poetry, it's the act of taking an existing work (like Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice) and turning it into a poem. You take one page of writing, skim through it and find words that "pop out" to you. You circle them and then begin to "erase" or "blacken" everything else. You can "erase" using white-out, or you can "blacken" using black markers. The non-redacted words become a new poem. 

This unique form of poetry is appealing to both visual artists and poets. It's an arts and crafts project mostly anyone can perform. All you have to do is find words that speak to you and they become a new piece of original writing...from you. 

I was pleased with the results from the activity. Everyone embraced the challenge and had fun with the activity. Everyone had a different approach to blackout/erasure poetry, and that's what makes the form so exciting. Every poem is different. 

The erasure/blackout poetry.

I hope I inspired the class participants to continue writing poetry. You don't have to be the best poet in the world to write poetry. Take ten minutes out of your daily schedule and reflect on your thoughts in the form of a poem. Pour out your emotions. Find comfort in the poem. 

Thank you for celebrating poetry with me this month. It's been a fun month! Until next year...

-KJL-