My senior year of high school a very special speaker came to speak during assembly. Her name is Sarah Kay, and you’ve most likely seen her TED talk. She was truly inspirational, and the experimental poet in me was intrigued by the way she was able to move audiences of “too-cool” high schoolers, and made me want to do the same. I went up to her and asked her to sign her book and told her that I read her poems on an almost daily basis.
Moral of the story: she has a “poem-writing challenge” for whenever you are in a slump to get the creative juices flowing, per-se, and here it is:
Make a list of: things you know to be true.
Make a list of: things that make you angry.
Make a list of: the most unusual things you do every day.
Make a list of: things you no longer believe.
Make a list of: things you should have learned by now.
Write poetry: with “I remember" sentences.
Write poetry: about your heart—not what it does or who it loves, but the odd and weird stuff it is made of.
Write: a love poem … for a non-traditional item or person.
I am a huge fan of making lists and have written hundreds since she gave her talk at my high school. I believe that anyone can be a poet or appreciate spoken word, so go out there and write a love poem for Flamin' Hot Cheetos, or whatever suits your fancy.
Xoxo,
Jordan
