Poem-a-week-challenge

Hello Readers! Thanks for stopping by. Because I like a challenge, I’ve found one for myself in 2021. I’m calling it a poem-a-week challenge. The seed of the idea started awhile back when I was listening to a podcast interview with Julie Fogliano, who is one of my most beloved picture book writers. She was talking about how she didn’t really consider herself a poet but that encouraged by a fellow writer, she began sending daily emails with short ‘poems’ that she didn’t even realize were poems. The idea was just to develop a regular writing routine and to have someone to hold her accountable.

And because I know myself and how busy and crazy things can get at times, I decided to adapt it a little from a daily email to a poem-a-week challenge and enlisted a few critique partners to join me. So starting on January 3rd, Sunday is poetry day and we are all going to email out a poem (or a portion of a poem) by the end of the day. No comments or critiques are required as the point is to just encourage each other to write something regularly. Anything.

Okay now, keeping it real here. I do NOT feel like a poet nor do I feel my poems will be worth sharing. I’m not planning to share them on the blog, that’s for sure. And maybe my notebook is too beautiful for roughly written bits of poetry and maybe the blank pages will intimidate me? But hopefully not. No pressure. Just write. Right?

Anyone interested in joining me? Just find someone who won’t judge your writing (easier said than done, I know) and set up your weekly poetry exchange. Let me know if you decide to jump in and maybe we can keep each other accountable through the blog. Good luck!