The pantoum is a metaphor, an artistic expression of cooperation, and the perfect poetic medium for artistic collaboration. Seth Haines invites you to join with other poets in a collaborative pantoum in the comments.
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.)
Maybe get featured.
(We ask your permission, if we'd like to feature you in Every Day Poems!)
Freedom In Structure: The Pantoum (A Writing Prompt)
Poetic forms can bring an explorative freedom to the poet. Seth Haines explores the pantoum form, and offers a writing prompt.
Personal Pantoum Fest (A Poetry Prompt)
Seth Haines tried his hand at this month’s theme. Writing a pantoum was an exercise in discipline, sticking to the strictures of a poetry form. And like it or not, the poetic form assisted in maintaining and conveying the chaotic sense of the story.
Flash Fiction Friday: The Breaking
With nothing more to go on than our February “purple” theme, Darrelyn Saloom writes a heart-stopping piece of flash fiction.
Purple Plays (An Associative Poetry Prompt)
Men have long lusted after the cherry-red Porsche, or the ruby-red lips of their lovers. The perfect little black dress is the staple of the refined lady’s closet. Children have long dreaded the color “school-bus yellow.” What objects do you most associate with colors purple and indigo? What emotional states do the colors bring to mind? Seth Haines has a new poetry prompt.
Poetry at Work: The Best Job You Ever Had
It was only when I started writing poems that I began to understand that good and bad jobs, and best and worst jobs, often walk hand in hand.
Battle of the Beverages (Another Coffee Poetry Prompt)
The beverage wars are on. This week’s poetry prompt pits coffee against soft drinks (or any other drink, really) in a duel to the death.
How Do You Take It? (A Coffee Poetry Prompt)
Cream is only good when it’s fronted by Eric Clapton, and the highest form of coffee sacrilege is its dilution with dairy. That’s one man’s opinion. What about you? How you take it? Seth Haines has another poetry prompt.
January Poetry Prompt: Coffee or Tea? Hallelujah, Rosie Lea!
Welcome to a new year here at Tweetspeak Poetry. With this new year comes a new series of Monday poetry prompts to help you get your week started right! If you’ve been with us for a while, you know the drill–I’ll provide a writing prompt touching on Tweetspeak’s monthly theme, and you’ll compose a poem to […]
Surrealism Poetry Prompt: Dali the Surrealist, the Prophet
Seth Haines has a new poetry prompt for our surrealist theme building on the tradition of Salvador Dali’s “The Faces of War.”
November Surrealism: The Treachery of Images
Surrealists attempted, by way of their art, to juxtapose different realities so as to signify a new one. Seth Haines has a new poetry prompt challenging you to create your own new reality.
October Prompt: Glühwein Memories
Like the secret sauce of Christmas, some things are better left to simmer, and sweeten, and linger soft in the memory. Seth Haines has a prompt for poetry with your wine or beer memories.
Texas Beer: (512) Brewing Company, Malone, and Katy Perry
Texas beer and Katie Perry are both a little misunderstood. A tour of Texas beer with Seth Haines turns up full flavors and a new poetry prompt.
Image-ine: Paired Off
Artist Evy Lareau and poet Maureen Doallas pair off to produce a lovely piece of visual poetry.
Ordinary Genius: Myths and Fairy Tales
Terrible things happen in fairy tales. Even in the watered-down Disney versions, stepmothers try to poison their stepdaughters, children are lost in the woods and captured to be eaten, young women are imprisoned in towers. LW Lindquist leads our latest book club discussion on Kim Addonizio’s Ordinary Genius.
October Spirits—Bergström’s Place (A Poetry Prompt)
I am happy for my friend and toast, “here’s to fine people who are bringing in the harvest. Here’s to the good earth. Here’s to Rusty!” We raise our glasses and drink heartily, just the way Rusty would were he among us.
Seth Haines uncorks a new Monday wine and beer poetry prompt.
Workspace Poetry
Observe the space you work in. No matter how simple and plain or how complex and luxurious, it contains poetry. Can you find it?
October Spirits: A Beverage Pairing Prompt
Much is made of the pairing of food with wine or beer. There’s nothing like a hearty Cab with a thick cut steak. It’s a smooth Guiness that best foils the crisped fat of a hamburger. And though there are volumes written about which white wine plays best with curried chicken, there seems to be […]
Ordinary Genius: Entering Poetry (part 2)
Poetry asks for your intelligence and spirit. It is hard work, but good work. Come along with Kim Addonizio and enter poetry by working on your lines…
Oktoberfest: Raise a Glass
Wilkommen in Oktober! What’s with the German accent, you ask? It is the last week of Oktoberfest, that German celebration commemorating the marriage of the Crown Prince Ludwig to Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen in October of 1810. It is said that the royal wedding party was so grand that the citizens of Bavaria decided […]