2014 April PAD Challenge: Day 21
Before we get started today, I just want to take a moment to thank all our guest judges for volunteering their time, energy, and talents to this year’s April PAD…
Before we get started today, I just want to take a moment to thank all our guest judges for volunteering their time, energy, and talents to this year's April PAD Challenge. Be sure to find their poems online and if you like them, buy their books! Click here to review the complete list of our 30 guest judges.
For today's prompt, write a "back to basics" poem. For me, back to the basics means jumping to the fundamentals. Maybe it's me re-learning (or practicing) fundamentals--like running or writing--but it could also be a child learning how to tie his shoestrings, which can be a unique experience for both the child and the adult trying to give instructions and advice. Back to basics could also be re-setting a state of mind or getting back into a routine. In a way, spring is a season that gets back to the basics.
*****
Get feedback on your poetry!
If you want some professional feedback on your poeming efforts, the Writer’s Digest Advanced Poetry Writing course is a great place to start.
*****
Here's my attempt at a Back to Basics Poem:
"marketing"
forget websites & blogs
what i need is a business card
i miss the tactile presence
of a name and job title
displayed with contact info
& sometimes a logo
but what i miss most
is the blank slate back side
on which i could jot notes
& random couplets
sometimes i'd sketch pictures
or get the contact info
of someone i actually
intended to contact
that cardstock carried no
analytics but it was
useful in a way only
a human could measure
*****
Today's guest judge is...
Deborah Ager
Deborah recently co-edited The Bloomsbury Anthology of Contemporary Jewish American Poetry (2013) and Old Flame: Ten Years of 32 Poems Magazine (2013).
The latter is a finalist for the Forward Book of the Year prize.
*****
Poem Your Heart Out
Poems, Prompts & Room to Add Your Own for the 2014 April PAD Challenge!
Words Dance Publishing is offering 20% off pre-orders for the Poem Your Heart Out anthology until May 1st! If you’d like to learn a bit more about our vision for the book, when it will be published, among other details.
*****
Robert Lee Brewer is Senior Content Editor of the Writer’s Digest Writing Community and author of Solving the World’s Problems. The collection has a recurring theme of pushing the re-set button and getting back to basics. Learn more about Robert here: http://www.robertleebrewer.com/.
*****
Get back to basics with these poetic posts:
Robert Lee Brewer is Senior Editor of Writer's Digest, which includes managing the content on WritersDigest.com and programming virtual conferences. He's the author of 40 Plot Twist Prompts for Writers: Writing Ideas for Bending Stories in New Directions, The Complete Guide of Poetic Forms: 100+ Poetic Form Definitions and Examples for Poets, Poem-a-Day: 365 Poetry Writing Prompts for a Year of Poeming, and more. Also, he's the editor of Writer's Market, Poet's Market, and Guide to Literary Agents. Follow him on Twitter @robertleebrewer.
