Whether you're looking to celebrate National Poetry Month during April or throughout the year, we have plenty of resources to help you get started on your poetic journey.
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Websites/Organizations
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Poetry Foundation (poems, videos, audio recordings, info about poets, podcasts, lectures, events
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O, Miami (super cool and creative example of how a city celebrates poetry in April)
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Dodge Poetry Foundation (awesome New Jersey-based poetry festival that also has a lot of great online resources for teachers; focuses on BIPOC poets)
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AWP (amazing organization that hosts an annual conference for poets & writers, hosts workshops, curates information about MFA programs)
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Split This Rock (poetry organization that encourages social engagement; hosts festivals, workshops, programs; website includes a poetry database)
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MFA programs (AWP's guide to writing programs; we could also do some wider content on MFA programs in general)
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Cave Canem - "the major watering hole / and air pocket for black poetry"
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Local Resources:
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Midwest Poets Series (a poetry reading series, hosted by Rockhurst, that is currently being offered virtually)
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The Writers Place (a local nonprofit resource for writers; they host readings and workshops)
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UMKC Creative Writing Program (a world class graduate program for poetry, fiction, non-fiction, screenwriting, and playwriting)
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Poetry Writing Prompts:
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Write a piece based on/inspired by a particular letter of the alphabet. Is there a particular letter that you love, or is there one that haunts you?
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Research a fairytale and write a new imagining of it.
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Write a poem/piece from the voice of an ancestor, or as a dialogue with an ancestor. It could be a literal ancestor, or someone you aren't related to, but with whom you feel a connection.
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Take a line from a song/poem/piece of fiction and make it your title. Write a new piece based on that title.
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Choose a small town you’ve visited and loved, and write a piece inspired by it.
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Research poetic forms (the sonnet, villanelle, haiku, ghazal) and write a poem inspired by a form you've never explored before.
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Carry a notebook and pay attention to the words all around you (on commercials, cereal boxes, street signs, websites). Collect interesting words in your notebook, and use them to build a word bank. Create a new poem based on the words you find.
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Write an ode to your favorite place in Kansas City. It could be a park, or your favorite neighborhood, restaurant, cafe, popcorn stand, stadium, library branch. Explore the sights, sounds, tastes, feel and smell of the place.
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