Casserole This—Prompts Inspired by Steve Ramirez

It is spooky season, and I am gnawing on my liver in envy for Steve Ramirez’s poem. Damn it, I grew up on Midwestern casseroles, and I won’t ever have a line that good!

For the first prompt, make a list of twelve creatures and monsters. Choose whichever two cause you friction, or rely on fate/happenchance, perhaps by numbering the list and then randomly rolling dice. Write a poem or story about the possible interaction, beginning each stanza or paragraph with an “as if” statement. See where you end up.

The second prompt is to write a romance about an alien or otherworldly beauty. Make gills other mouths to kiss, the Mothman’s wings another set of handholds in moonlight, fangs glinting jewels to press against the throat.

The third prompt is to write a story or poem around an image of a town as the food its residents consume—like a casserole or barbecue or donut. Let the townsfolk become a chorus to the protagonist, an outsider to their customs and expectations. What spice or flavor is added. Use a family recipe if you like.

Next, write a list poem beginning with the ghostline “when girls thought they were the color of the sea. Remember to erase the line and credit the poet.

For the last prompt, write a poem or story from the following word list: “convenience,” “transcends,” “tiptoe,” “seesaw,” “weight,” “revoke,” “fuel,” “oceans,” “landscape” and “remember.”

Bonus prompt: write a story or poem with this humanoid as your protagonist/speaker.

Good luck writing! Have fun!