Dear Fellow Poets, Writers, and Generally Curious Human Beings,
National Poetry Month, or NaPoMO (yes, we writers love our acronyms), is happening in April. As the lesser known brother of NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month), most people do not know about the challenge that many poets undertake during the month of April. Instead of trying to write 50,000 words in 30 days, a challenge writers attempt in November, during the month of April, poets try to write 30 poems in 30 days. This is known as the APAD (A Poem A Day) Challenge, or maybe a personal hell, it really depends on your perspective. As someone who’s muse likes to play hide and seek, planning little prompts to help with each day’s poem is absolutely essential. As someone who has completed this challenge three times already, I know it can be hard. So, for anyone who is interested in trying (you don’t have to consider yourself a poet to do so!), the following are 60 prompts for 30 days. Pick a couple you like. Ignore the ones you don’t. These aren’t rigid prompts, simply suggestions of how to get through the month. Don’t beat yourself up if you miss a day, or if you write a poem you don’t particularly like or think is too short for any of the days. The challenge is supposed to be for fun, save the editing for later.
- Write a poem about what you want out of a future partner.
- Write a poem in another language (I personally try to do this once every challenge).
- Write a poem in a traditional form/structure you have not tried before (e.g. spenserian sonnet, sestina, villanelle, etc.).
- Take a piece of prose you have written and transform it into a poem.
- Write a poem about your favorite color
- Put your music on shuffle, and write a poem inspired by the first song that is played.
- Write a concrete poem (a poem whose lines form the shape of its literal subject) placing sentimental value in an ordinary object
- Write a found poem (a poem whose lines are made up from phrases found elsewhere) using only lyrics from songs that you listen to.
- Write a poem inspired by a Shakespeare play or sonnet (or any other playwright/poet you admire, personally, I’ll be trying a Hamlet one this month).
- Find a poem you enjoy and re-write it as a sound poem (a poem that uses words not necessarily for meaning, but more of for how it sounds, basically it could be a lot of onomatopoeias in a row, so long as the sounds convey emotion and feeling).
- Write a poem about your favorite flavor of ice cream (or gum, if you are not particularly partial to ice cream, like me).
- Write a poem inspired by the lessons your favorite T.V. show, movie, or short film have taught you.
- Write a poem about your daily struggles, be they something small like being clumsy or big like a mental illness.
- Write a poem about your pet peeve(s).
- Write a poem about another art form (e.g. photography, music, dance, etc.).
- Pick a prompt from UChicago’s list of past essay prompts and write a poem about it.
- Write a poem about a poem about your favorite joke or something that makes you laugh.
- Write a poem about where you think you will be ten years from now.
- Write a poem about your favorite meme or inside joke.
- Write a poem about what makes you special.
- Write a poem about your fears and/or insecurities.
- Write a poem about a family member (or anyone you consider a parental/sibling figure in your life...yes, that means a brother from another mother counts).
- Pick a book from any English class you have ever taken, and write a poem inspired by that book.
- Go to a random number generator, and pick a random number. Write about that number.
- Write a poem about your ideal world.
- Write a poem about the prompt...PC or Mac?
- Write a poem that is different from your usual style. For example, if you normally write political poetry, try some humorous poetry or maybe some nature-appreciation poetry.
- Find your favorite piece of art, and write a poem inspired by it.
- Write a poem about your phone.
- Write a poem about your generation.
- Write a poem about why you hate, love, or love to hate country music.
- Write a poem about the sport you play or your favorite sport to watch.
- Write a poem about your favorite city/state/country.
- Write a poem that highlights some cultural differences between your home country and another country that interests you or the rest of the world (e.g. if you are from America, write a poem about the difference between Fahrenheit and Celsius, spelling with an o versus ou, miles versus meters, writing dates as mm/dd/yyyy versus dd/mm/yyyy).
- Write a poem about your favorite social media platform.
- Write a poem about how you think the world will end.
- Write a poem about what you think the world would be like if you were missing one of your senses (if you write about blindness, consider also writing about color-blindness).
- Write a poem about how much you appreciate your parents (or any adult figure/confidante in your life).
- Write a poem about writing poems.
- Write a poem about the concept of hiraeth (hiraeth is a Welsh word that does not translate well into English, but roughly translates to - side note: I am sorry to anyone who actually speaks Welsh if I butcher this - a longing or sense of homesickness for a home which you cannot return to, a sort of grief and feeling of loss for the days of your past).
- Write a poem about an argument that has stuck with you for a while. Maybe it was a pointless argument that you regret, or maybe it is an argument you have daily with someone, or maybe it is even an argument that has catalyzed a big change in your life.
- Write a poem about a historical figure that inspires you.
- Write a poem about a celebrity that inspires you.
- Write a poem about your favorite book or poem or song.
- Write a poem about your favorite hobby.
- Write a poem about your perfect chair.
- Write a poem about your favorite memory.
- Write a poem about your least favorite memory.
- Write a poem about forbidden desires.
- Write a poem about life, death, or the line in between.
- Write a poem in the point of view of everything you have been saying that you were too busy to do.
- Write a poem about your favorite food.
- Think of the hardest would you rather you can, and write a poem about which choice you would take.
- Write a poem about a lucky ritual or charm that you do/have every time you have something important happening in your life.
- Write a poem about an odyssey you have gone through in your life.
- Write a poem responding to the following question: if you were a god(dess) or patron saint of anything, what would it be?
- Write a poem about the username you chose for your email/screen name you use on social media or any nickname that you have.
- Write a poem about your favorite holiday.
- Write a poem about what you are grateful for.
- Write a poem reflecting on what you do not understand about your parents...from their perspective.
Well, I hope these prompts are helpful, and I hope to see lots of poetry in this month!
Good luck and keep writing,
Your Friendly, Neighborhood Tea-Obsessed Poet
