Kwansaba: Poetic Forms
Poetic Form Fridays are made to share various poetic forms. This week, we look at the kwansaba, a form invented by Eugene B. Redmond.
Poetic Form Fridays are made to share various poetic forms. This week, we look at the kwansaba, a form invented by Eugene B. Redmond.
Kwansaba Poems
The kwansaba is a poetic form invented by Eugene B. Redmond in 1995. It was inspired by seven-day holiday of Kwanzaa, including its seven principles of unity, self-determination, collective work, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith.
Here are the guidelines:
- Poem of praise
- Seven lines
- Seven words per line
- No word exceeds seven letters
- Celebration of family and African-American culture
Write a poem for a chance at $1,000 and publication!
Calling all poets!
We're on the look out for poems of all styles–rhyming, free verse, haiku, and more–for the 14th Annual Writer's Digest Poetry Awards! This is the only Writer's Digest competition exclusively for poets.
Enter any poem 32 lines or less for your chance to win $1,000 in cash and publication in a future issue of Writer's Digest magazine.
Deadline is November 1, 2019. So enter today!
Here’s my attempt at a kwansaba:
Celebration, by Robert Lee Brewer
- for the Iberosi family
When memory unfolds moments in my mind,
these are the moments I hold close--
being invited to rejoice in the baptism
of twin girls in a foreign church
singing and dancing in a foreign tongue
but sharing the common joy of life
and a faith in a loving future...
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.
