The exclusive writing exercises below have been written by Poetry In Voice anthology poets and members of our Poet Network. Many of their own poems have been written from similar exercises.
Some of the exercises are simple and others invite you to think through multiple steps — don’t worry about writing a perfect poem, just focus on enjoying the experiment. If you’re like most poets, you’ll write some stuff that you’ll want to tear into thousands of pieces and bury deep in the ground. But if you stick with the process, you’ll also write some poems that will genuinely surprise you.
Be sure to submit your creation to our poetry journal, VOICES/VOIX. And check out our featured monthly prompt for a chance to win $100 in our Poetry Prompt Prize.