so much depends
upon
a group of plucky
poets
NaPoWriMing
together
beside their morning
coffee.
V. Doerper
Happy spring Red Wheelbarrow Writers!
It’s almost April and here at RWB we’re getting excited as a pair of crows hanging out at a dumpster because National Poetry Writing Month, or NaPoWriMo, is about to begin!
Some of you may have already had the pleasure of participating in this delightful poetic adventure, but for those who haven’t here are some details.
- NaPoWriMo was the brainchild of Maureen Thorson, a poet from Washington, DC, who was so inspired by NaNoWriMo, November’s National Novel Writing Month, that in 2003 she began writing a poem a day in April for National Poetry Month. Eventually, Maureen created http://www.napowrimo.net/ for the project. And as they say, the rest is herstory.
- Both Victoria and I participated last year, sharing our daily poems in emails and posting some of them on my blog, http://stilllifewithtortillas.com/. Victoria even went a few steps further and gathered her NaPoWriMo poems into a lovely book titled Every Day a Song: Poems of April.
- When I announced recently at the RWB Bookclub that April was just around the corner and that Victoria and I would be writing 30 poems again this year, ideas began to snow down like cherry blossoms. Cami Ostman suggested that RWB writers might want to participate. Pam Helberg offered to set up a Facebook group to support participants (RWB NaPoWriMo). Some of us talked about sharing our poems at a Village Books event and possibly even publishing them in an anthology, and that’s why we’re writing to you.
We’d love for you to join us for a month of writing and sharing. You don’t have to be an established poet or to even think of yourself as a poet to be part of the fun. All you need to do is write one poem each day. That’s 30 poems, beginning on April 1, in any form you choose. Haiku, sonnets, free verse, prose poems, short as a heartbeat or long as the Amazon on any topic or theme. It’s your call. If you can’t think of an idea or form, http://www.napowrimo.net/ has daily prompts to inspire you and they’re fantastic!
We’ll be chatting on the RWB NaPoWriMo group page on Facebook, and that’s also a place where you can share your work if you desire. You can join us by simply visiting the page and letting us know you’re on board.
Looking forward to NaPoWriMing with you very soon!
Susan Chase-Foster and Victoria Doerper
