WD Poetic Form Challenge: Strambotto
The WD Poetic Form Challenge is your opportunity to write and share a poem for a chance to get published in Writer’s Digest magazine in the Poetic Asides column. This…
The WD Poetic Form Challenge is your opportunity to write and share a poem for a chance to get published in Writer's Digest magazine in the Poetic Asides column. This time around, we're writing the strambotto, an Italian 8-liner.
It's been a while since we've done a poetic form challenge. So let's do one! This time around, we'll write the strambotto.
Find the rules for writing the strambotto here. This Italian form features eight 11-syllable lines with an abababab rhyme scheme.
So start writing them and sharing here on the blog (this specific post) for a chance to be published in Writer’s Digest magazine–as part of the Poetic Asides column. (Note: You have to log in to the site to post comments/poems; creating an account is free.)
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Master Poetic Forms!
Learn how to write sestina, shadorma, haiku, monotetra, golden shovel, and more with The Writer’s Digest Guide to Poetic Forms, by Robert Lee Brewer.
This e-book covers more than 40 poetic forms and shares examples to illustrate how each form works. Discover a new universe of poetic possibilities and apply it to your poetry today!
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Here’s how the challenge works:
- Challenge is free. No entry fee.
- The winner (and sometimes a runner-up or two) will be featured in a future edition of Writer’s Digest magazine as part of the Poetic Asides column.
- Deadline 11:59 p.m. (Atlanta, GA time) on May 31, 2019.
- Poets can enter as many strambottos as they wish. The more “work” you make for me the better, but remember: I’m judging on quality, not quantity.
- All poems should be previously unpublished. If you have a specific question about your specific situation, just send me an e-mail at robert.brewer@fwmedia.com. Or just write a new strambotto. They’re fun to write; I promise.
- I will only consider strambottos shared in the comments below. It gets too confusing for me to check other posts, go to other blogs, etc.
- Speaking of posting, if this is your first time, your comment may not appear immediately. However, it should appear within a day (or 3–if shared on the weekend). So just hang tight, and it should appear eventually. If not, send me an e-mail at the address above.
- Please include your name as you would like it to appear in print. If you don’t, I’ll be forced to use your user/screen name, which might be something like HaikuPrincess007 or MrLineBreaker. WD has a healthy circulation, so make it easy for me to get your byline correct.
- Finally–and most importantly–be sure to have fun!

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.