The last prompt—before I got the flu—was about New Year’s Resolutions and lists of what we didn’t get done. Now let’s write a poem for what we plan to do. Use your daily to-do list and make a poem. Let’s get some real use out of that list.
Listen to C. D. Wright’s poem “Living” for inspiration. Notice the frequent repetition of the phrase “If this is Wednesday.” Repetition of a word or phrase that occurs at the beginning of a line is called anaphora. This literary device can be extremely helpful in generating writing. Brendan Constantine recommended it in one of his workshops. If you have a chance to take a workshop with Brendan, do so. I have learned so much from him, and he is truly fun (and brilliant, kind and generous). His next workshop is with poet and novelist Maxine Chernoff on Saturday, Jan. 13th, in Santa Monica (Camera Obscura Art Lab, 1450 Ocean Ave.) at 1-4 p.m. Click on workshop for the link to buy a ticket ($30).
I am so grateful to Chelsea Dingman, Hannah VanderHart, and other poets recommending C. D. Wright’s work on Twitter. I had read a poem or two of hers previously but am rediscovering how much I like her writing.
