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Challenge #46
People annually make a New Years resolution and struggle to stick with it. I often find myself debating about whether or not I want to make one each time New Year's Eve rolls around. I think asking you to write about your own resolutions would be a bit cliche. So instead I want you to make a broader resolution. If you could choose a resolution for a collective group (i.e. public education, your country's government, your family, the world) - who would you choose, what would you choose, and of course why. There's a lot of wiggle room here. Run with it. I'd love to see well-written pieces with passion, conviction, poetic phrases, and more.
Challenge #45
The holiday season has arrived. WAIT, don't turn and run assuming this will be the usual holiday prompt. I do want you to write about a perspective on the holiday festivities (i.e. what you do, how you feel, what it reminds you of, what you like, what you don't like). BUT I want you to write from a perspective completely far and different from your own. Create a character whose experiences, views, etc. on the holiday season is rather different from your own. Then write a poem from that character's perspective. The holiday season is full of sensory details, so I want that to be the secondary focus as you write. So step 1 - create a character. Step 2 - tell me the story of their holiday season and throw in some good sensory details along the way.
Challenge #44
I have been teaching Seniors about ballads from the Middle Ages. Write a traditional ballad. The topic can be modern or from the days of Old English. It doesn't have to be iambic pentameter, though that could be impressive. Some traditional elements you should aim for though are that:
1. Ballads often have sensational or tragic subject matter. The ones I have read recently are either historical/tragic (relating to issues of the time) or comedic/exaggerated. Go one of those routes.
2. Ballads use refrains.
3. Ballads leave out extra details. (As much as I love details, they are just not usually a part of the form)
4. Ballads often follow a question and answer format or dialogue.
5. Ballads are narrative.
Challenge #43
This prompt was submitted by Darke-Angelic-Sins: Write as if you were a passed family member, friend, celebrity, pet or even a stranger. Some ideas would be what they want to say to certain people, why they died, or if there was something they would fix in their life if they haven't died, and fit the voice effectively. Include an animal of some sort.
Challenge #41
It is the time of year for schools to be starting up, and I'm getting ready to fill teacher shoes (student teaching) instead of those of a student. Write a poem from the point of view of a teacher. I'm using the term "teacher" loosely here. It does not have to be a school teacher. It could be someone that teaches karate, a parent, a librarian, a friend... We learn things from others and teach others things all the time, sometimes without even realizing it. Also, I would like to see teachers that are either overflowing with pride or despair, depending on his/her student's actions.
Challenge #40
Write a poem from the viewpoint of a wronged god. Perhaps you are benevolent (i.e. despairing, hopeful, forgiving), then again maybe you're not (i.e. angry, bitter, vengeful). Maybe you created a world and it didn't turn out how you wanted, maybe you're frustrated because some stubborn mortal just won't listen, maybe some other god screwed you over, etc. If you can't think of an idea, feel free to use an existing story and write from the viewpoint of a god from it (i.e. Poseidon's anger at Odysseus, Hera's anger at Zeus and the women he cheats on her with).
Challenge #39
Dialogues. An important part of life and literature, but it has a tendency to run scared away from poetic form. The challenge is to attempt to use dialogue effectively and smoothly in a poem. The dialogue can be all or part of the poem. That said though, don't just include a line or two and move on - really try to integrate it and to make it a key part of the poem. The minimum number of speakers is of course two, but you're welcome to have several.
Challenge #38
Your mission should you choose to accept it is:
Select a slam poetry video (YouTube has lots, I highly recommend the DefPoetryJam videos) or better yet watch a slam poet perform. Then take one of their ideas/topics or one of your own that that poem/poet made you think about. (Pick one that inspires you or stirs a strong response.) Then write a poem! Your response can but does not have to be a spoken word poem itself. Slam poetry is an under-appreciated form that often goes under the radar. So watch one and write. This one should be fun and you have a fair amount of freedom - so get to work!
P.S. In the author's comments provide a link to the video and/or a very brief description of the poem, the slam poet, and the poem's title. I also linked mine below as an example if you're confused.
Challenge #37
Write a humorous poem from the point of view of an object you would commonly find on a desk (i.e. stapler, pen, paperclip). Other than that you have free reign. It could be about their life story, how they got there, what they think of the person that sits at the desk, their desk friends, etc. Be inventive and silly! Cause some chuckles!
Challenge #36
I'm currently reading Inkheart, which was my inspiration for this prompt. Pick a quote from a book (minimum of one sentence long). Then run with a theme, idea, character, etc. that is brought up in that quote and create a poem based off of that. There's a lot of freedom and creativity to had here so take advantage and have fun with this one!
Challenge #35
Write a poem about a person's first or last name. I want this one to be serious and have depth. Oh and no love poems please - I want you to think more outside the box than that.
Some ideas for start: why did there parents name he/she that, what does her/his name mean (in a dictionary, to others, to them, etc), what does his/her name sound like when a certain someone or anyone says it, what do he/she/others think of the name...or one of the hundred other possibilities floating around.
Challenge #34
Write a poem about a person's least favorite month or season of the year explaining what he/she loathes about it. The form is completely up to you. It is also up to you whether or not the story is in first person and whether it is a work of non-fiction or fiction. For this one I'm mainly looking for two things:
1)raw emotion (don't think Harry Potter-esque angst, think bitter, sorrowful, etc) and
2) strong word choice.
Challenge #33
Write a lyric poem about an element of the holiday season that you strongly enjoy or detest. Lyric poetry refers to a usually short poem that expresses personal feelings. It often has a rhythm and set meter. A common but not necessary feature is a refrain which can be one line or several repeated throughout the poem.
Challenge #32
Write an ode to/about an inanimate object that means a lot to you since odes traditionally elevate/praise their subjects. You of course can directly include the object in the poem, but you are not obligated to say what the object is in the poem. The form contains 10-line stanzas rhyming ababcdecde, with the 8th line iambic trimeter and all the others iambic pentameter. Follow that as much or as little to the letter as you choose. This one is pretty traditional but I enjoy it :www.bartleby.com/101/625.html.
Challenge #31
Write a poem turning a tired old cliche into something new, inventive, dark, funny, or whatever other twist you feel like taking with it. We all get sick of cliches at times, but they have so much potential for being played with. So, go play! (If it isn't clear what pun you are toying with - consider putting it in your Author's Comments, so I'll know you followed the prompt when I'm picking one to be featured.)
Challenge #30
Write a poem about the end of a world with lots of sensory details. Key word is "a" world. Use your imagination.
Challenge #29
Write a poem from an animal's perspective (wild, not domesticated) where the creature is observing a common human foible.
Challenge #28
What puzzles you? What fills you with confusion? What makes your forehead scrunch up when you think about it? It doesn't have to be a big thing. It can be as wide as global warming or as small as an 'on' button, but whatever it is, write about it.
From the PoetryPlease archive
Challenge #27
What would you put in a time capsule? Write a poem about the items you would put in a time capsule and why.
From the PoetryPlease archive
Challenge #26
Create a poem in the form of some kind of official document. For example: A love poem in the form of a traffic ticket.
From the PoetryPlease archive
Challenge #25
Write a short poem about what would happen under a blue moon.
Suggested by Athazagoraphobias
Challenge #24
Write a poem under 30 lines that includes a butterfly, a cloud, a train and an obsession.
Suggested by zBird
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Challenge #46
People annually make a New Years resolution and struggle to stick with it. I often find myself debating about whether or not I want to make one each time New Year's Eve rolls around. I think asking you to write about your own resolutions would be a bit cliche. So instead I want you to make a broader resolution. If you could choose a resolution for a collective group (i.e. public education, your country's government, your family, the world) - who would you choose, what would you choose, and of course why. There's a lot of wiggle room here. Run with it. I'd love to see well-written pieces with passion, conviction, poetic phrases, and more.
Challenge #45
The holiday season has arrived. WAIT, don't turn and run assuming this will be the usual holiday prompt. I do want you to write about a perspective on the holiday festivities (i.e. what you do, how you feel, what it reminds you of, what you like, what you don't like). BUT I want you to write from a perspective completely far and different from your own. Create a character whose experiences, views, etc. on the holiday season is rather different from your own. Then write a poem from that character's perspective. The holiday season is full of sensory details, so I want that to be the secondary focus as you write. So step 1 - create a character. Step 2 - tell me the story of their holiday season and throw in some good sensory details along the way.
This Christmas I Saw No Angels by Nordica93
Xmas Decs by Kelly-anne-17
Challenge #44
I have been teaching Seniors about ballads from the Middle Ages. Write a traditional ballad. The topic can be modern or from the days of Old English. It doesn't have to be iambic pentameter, though that could be impressive. Some traditional elements you should aim for though are that:
1. Ballads often have sensational or tragic subject matter. The ones I have read recently are either historical/tragic (relating to issues of the time) or comedic/exaggerated. Go one of those routes.
2. Ballads use refrains.
3. Ballads leave out extra details. (As much as I love details, they are just not usually a part of the form)
4. Ballads often follow a question and answer format or dialogue.
5. Ballads are narrative.
Challenge #43
This prompt was submitted by Darke-Angelic-Sins: Write as if you were a passed family member, friend, celebrity, pet or even a stranger. Some ideas would be what they want to say to certain people, why they died, or if there was something they would fix in their life if they haven't died, and fit the voice effectively. Include an animal of some sort.
Challenge #41
It is the time of year for schools to be starting up, and I'm getting ready to fill teacher shoes (student teaching) instead of those of a student. Write a poem from the point of view of a teacher. I'm using the term "teacher" loosely here. It does not have to be a school teacher. It could be someone that teaches karate, a parent, a librarian, a friend... We learn things from others and teach others things all the time, sometimes without even realizing it. Also, I would like to see teachers that are either overflowing with pride or despair, depending on his/her student's actions.
Challenge #40
Write a poem from the viewpoint of a wronged god. Perhaps you are benevolent (i.e. despairing, hopeful, forgiving), then again maybe you're not (i.e. angry, bitter, vengeful). Maybe you created a world and it didn't turn out how you wanted, maybe you're frustrated because some stubborn mortal just won't listen, maybe some other god screwed you over, etc. If you can't think of an idea, feel free to use an existing story and write from the viewpoint of a god from it (i.e. Poseidon's anger at Odysseus, Hera's anger at Zeus and the women he cheats on her with).
Challenge #39
Dialogues. An important part of life and literature, but it has a tendency to run scared away from poetic form. The challenge is to attempt to use dialogue effectively and smoothly in a poem. The dialogue can be all or part of the poem. That said though, don't just include a line or two and move on - really try to integrate it and to make it a key part of the poem. The minimum number of speakers is of course two, but you're welcome to have several.
Challenge #38
Your mission should you choose to accept it is:
Select a slam poetry video (YouTube has lots, I highly recommend the DefPoetryJam videos) or better yet watch a slam poet perform. Then take one of their ideas/topics or one of your own that that poem/poet made you think about. (Pick one that inspires you or stirs a strong response.) Then write a poem! Your response can but does not have to be a spoken word poem itself. Slam poetry is an under-appreciated form that often goes under the radar. So watch one and write. This one should be fun and you have a fair amount of freedom - so get to work!
P.S. In the author's comments provide a link to the video and/or a very brief description of the poem, the slam poet, and the poem's title. I also linked mine below as an example if you're confused.
Challenge #37
Write a humorous poem from the point of view of an object you would commonly find on a desk (i.e. stapler, pen, paperclip). Other than that you have free reign. It could be about their life story, how they got there, what they think of the person that sits at the desk, their desk friends, etc. Be inventive and silly! Cause some chuckles!
Challenge #36
I'm currently reading Inkheart, which was my inspiration for this prompt. Pick a quote from a book (minimum of one sentence long). Then run with a theme, idea, character, etc. that is brought up in that quote and create a poem based off of that. There's a lot of freedom and creativity to had here so take advantage and have fun with this one!
Challenge #35
Write a poem about a person's first or last name. I want this one to be serious and have depth. Oh and no love poems please - I want you to think more outside the box than that.
Some ideas for start: why did there parents name he/she that, what does her/his name mean (in a dictionary, to others, to them, etc), what does his/her name sound like when a certain someone or anyone says it, what do he/she/others think of the name...or one of the hundred other possibilities floating around.
Matt by Kelly-anne-17
Challenge #34
Write a poem about a person's least favorite month or season of the year explaining what he/she loathes about it. The form is completely up to you. It is also up to you whether or not the story is in first person and whether it is a work of non-fiction or fiction. For this one I'm mainly looking for two things:
1)raw emotion (don't think Harry Potter-esque angst, think bitter, sorrowful, etc) and
2) strong word choice.
Challenge #33
Write a lyric poem about an element of the holiday season that you strongly enjoy or detest. Lyric poetry refers to a usually short poem that expresses personal feelings. It often has a rhythm and set meter. A common but not necessary feature is a refrain which can be one line or several repeated throughout the poem.
Challenge #32
Write an ode to/about an inanimate object that means a lot to you since odes traditionally elevate/praise their subjects. You of course can directly include the object in the poem, but you are not obligated to say what the object is in the poem. The form contains 10-line stanzas rhyming ababcdecde, with the 8th line iambic trimeter and all the others iambic pentameter. Follow that as much or as little to the letter as you choose. This one is pretty traditional but I enjoy it :www.bartleby.com/101/625.html.
Challenge #31
Write a poem turning a tired old cliche into something new, inventive, dark, funny, or whatever other twist you feel like taking with it. We all get sick of cliches at times, but they have so much potential for being played with. So, go play! (If it isn't clear what pun you are toying with - consider putting it in your Author's Comments, so I'll know you followed the prompt when I'm picking one to be featured.)
Challenge #30
Write a poem about the end of a world with lots of sensory details. Key word is "a" world. Use your imagination.
Challenge #29
Write a poem from an animal's perspective (wild, not domesticated) where the creature is observing a common human foible.
Challenge #28
What puzzles you? What fills you with confusion? What makes your forehead scrunch up when you think about it? It doesn't have to be a big thing. It can be as wide as global warming or as small as an 'on' button, but whatever it is, write about it.
From the PoetryPlease archive
Challenge #27
What would you put in a time capsule? Write a poem about the items you would put in a time capsule and why.
From the PoetryPlease archive
Challenge #26
Create a poem in the form of some kind of official document. For example: A love poem in the form of a traffic ticket.
From the PoetryPlease archive
Challenge #25
Write a short poem about what would happen under a blue moon.
Suggested by Athazagoraphobias
Challenge #24
Write a poem under 30 lines that includes a butterfly, a cloud, a train and an obsession.
Suggested by zBird
[Bullet; Red] rain-clouds may come by chaosmakir
[Bullet; Red] Gathering Ideas by BobSmith006
[Bullet; Red] To Capture a Train by writerinartistscloth
[Bullet; Red] Smoke is All That Remains by Thoughtblade
[Bullet; Red] Blinded and Bound by Hope by upsidedownmartyr
[Bullet; Red] Caught by RedEarthofTerra
[Bullet; Red] Freedom Never Boards The Train by Darke-Angelic-Sins
#LITplease has Launched
Curtains Closed
LITplease (https://www.deviantart.com/litplease) has launched, which means there will be no more updates here on the PoetryPlease account. The archive of challenges and contests will remain for your inspiration, but we will no longer be accepting submissions to the challeges. We hope all our wonderful members will join us over at LITplease (https://www.deviantart.com/litplease) and participate in our all new contest and upcoming challenges. Please feel free to address and questions or concerns you may have to the new account. Thank you!
=PoetryPlease: Inside The Glass House Contest.
Imagine if you will, being locked inside of a glasshouse alone, you are surrounded by nature and people, loved ones come visit you, strangers walk by you, seeing your every action, yet they are completely unable to make any contact with you. You can see the world around you, you can’t escape it and you can’t experience it.
All you have is your glasshouse.
What would you do, how would you react, would you cope? PoetryPlease (https://www.deviantart.com/poetryplease) wants to find out exactly how you would cope with such a strange predicament.
So, what are the details?
PoetryPlease (https://www.deviantart.com/poetryplease) wants you to write about how you would react to being locked inside a Glasshou
Smoke and Mirrors Poetry Contest
PoetryPlease dug into its archive to come up with a great new contest concept:
:spotlight-left:Smoke & Mirrors:spotlight-right:.
"Smoke and mirrors" refers to a deceptive or inadequate explanation/description of something, the source of the expression being based on a magician's illusion of making objects appear or disappear using mirrors and a confusing burst of smoke.
So, what does any of this have to do with poetry?
We want you to write a poem where the main topic of the poem is cleverly concealed. The point is to write about one thing while you're really talking about another. There should be no obvious hints as to what the real subje
Epic Poetry Contest Winners!
In January, PoetryPlease announced the start of a contest of epic proportions. Those brave enough to join in the fierce competition were put through a rigorous five month writing and editing process. Many fighters joined, but many faltered and fell. In the end, only ten proud warriors emerged on the other side, submitting the fruits of their difficult labour. One three, however, could survive the final challenge--an in-depth scrutiny from a panel of power-house judges. These Three will now do down in PoetryPlease history as the leaders of this Epic Competition, and one, the strongest of the Three, will hold a special place in the history book
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I sent my Challenge 45 submission in a note to PoetryPlease. Should it go to LITPlease instead?