Save the Date!

 

We have an official date for 2024! It will start at 9 AM ET as always, and continue on till the 16th!

The goal of the marathon is to write one poem per hour for 12 or 24 hours.

Announcing the Finishers of the 2023 Poetry Marathon

Dear Poets,

Here’s our initial list of everyone who successfully finished the 2023 Poetry Marathon. These poets wrote 24 poems in 24 hours. Congratulations to everyone who achieved this incredible challenge! You are amazing!

Please note: This list contains errors. We need your help to correct those errors. If your name is in the wrong list, or missing, when it should be there, please let me know by email poets@thepoetrymarathon.com. Any error was in no way intentional. There are so many participants, it is very difficult to create an accurate list. Your help with correcting any errors is greatly appreciated.

Thank you to everyone who participated this year!

You can see the finishers of the half marathon here.

When you are ready, you are very much encouraged to comment on the many wonderful poems written during the marathon by these wonderful poets. — Jacob

Announcing the Finishers of the 2023 Poetry Half Marathon

Dear Poets,

Here’s our initial list of everyone who successfully finished the 2023 Poetry Half Marathon. These poets wrote 12 poems in 12 hours. Congratulations to everyone who achieved this challenge!

Please note: This list contains errors. We need your help to correct those errors. If your name is in the wrong list, or missing, when it should be there, please let me know by email poets@thepoetrymarathon.com. Any error was in no way intentional. There are so many participants, it is very difficult to create an accurate list. Your help with correcting any errors is greatly appreciated.

You can see the finishers of the full marathon here.

Thank you to everyone who participated this year!

When you are ready, you are very much encouraged to comment on these amazing poets’ work. — Jacob

Congratulations Full Marathoners!

Congratulations full Marathoners! I am so happy that you have completed 24 poems in 24 hours! That is wonderful. Thank you for joining us for this intense events. .

In the past I have personally verified that everyone who applied for a certificate was eligible and then I would make a certificate. Due to how big the marathon has grown, this is no longer possible. Now we operate  on the honor system.

If you completed the Poetry Half Marathon please consider the following certificate yours, to update with your name, to print if you choose to do so. If you need any help altering the certificate please email me at poets@thepoetrymarathon.com.

You are welcome to use this tool get get the certificate with your name on it.

Congratulations again on your completion of The Half Marathon.

The visual example of what the certificate will look like is right below this text:

Also this year we will be putting together two anthologies.

The print anthology will be edited by Blessing Omeiza Ojo, a terrific poet (you can read one of his poems here) and a long time participant in the marathon. For the first time ever there will be rejections for the print edition. He will pick between 80-100 poems to publish in the anthology. This is the last time that the co-founders of the poetry marathon, are paying for the print anthology, and the last time we will formally be “in charge” of any anthology. You can learn more about why, here.

That being said the wonderful poetry marathon community is already stepping up, and Erin Lorandos, another long time marathoner and compelling poet (you can read one of her poems here), is putting together an electronic anthology that includes everyone’s work

Submissions for the print anthology will be open from the 18th through the 30th of September. Submissions for the electronic anthology will be open between the 7th and 21st of October. More details about both anthologies will be forthcoming soon.

Digital copies will be made available for free to any contributor. Print copies will be available for a reasonable price and any money that is made from them will go towards covering the cost of the marathon.

Want to know what The 2022 Poetry Marathon Anthology was like? Pick up your copy here.

Congratulations Half Marathoners!

Congratulations Half Marathoners! I am so happy that you have completed 12 poems in 12 hours! That is wonderful. Thank you for joining us for this intense events.

In the past I have personally verified that everyone who applied for a certificate was eligible and then I would make a certificate. Due to how big the marathon has grown, this is no longer possible. Now we operate  on the honor system.

If you completed the Poetry Half Marathon please consider the following certificate yours, to update with your name, to print if you choose to do so. If you need any help altering the certificate please email me at poets@thepoetrymarathon.com.

You are welcome to use this tool to get the certificate with your name on it.

Congratulations again on your completion of The Half Marathon.

The visual example of what the certificate will look like is right below this text.

Also this year we will be putting together two anthologies.

The print anthology will be edited by Blessing Omeiza Ojo, a terrific poet (you can read one of his poems here) and a long time participant in the marathon. For the first time ever there will be rejections for the print edition. He will pick between 80-100 poems to publish in the anthology. This is the last time that the co-founders of the poetry marathon, are paying for the print anthology, and the last time we will formally be “in charge” of any anthology. You can learn more about why, here.

That being said the wonderful poetry marathon community is already stepping up, and Erin Lorandos, another long time marathoner and compelling poet (you can read one of her poems here), is putting together an electronic anthology that includes everyone’s work

Submissions for the print anthology will be open from the 18th through the 30th of September. Submissions for the electronic anthology should be between the 7th and 21st of October.. More details about both anthologies will be forthcoming soon.

Digital copies will be made available for free to any contributor. Print copies will be available for a reasonable price and any money that is made from them will go towards covering the cost of the marathon.

Want to know what The 2022 Poetry Marathon Anthology was like? Pick up your copy here.

Something Wrong?

“There’s something wrong with you, Joy!”

No, there’s not. I’m perfectly ok. I have a job. I rent a big house all by myself. I pay my bills. Lazy about exercise, but that’s nothing unusual in the course of human history. I don’t cheat people – at least not the ones who don’t cheat me. I’m fair. I’m honest. I’m kind. I’m considerate. I’m funny. I’m talented. I’m a great cook. Lousy at keeping house, but again, not unusual in the course of human history. I need a maid, but haven’t hired one yet, though I could afford it pretty easily on my six figure data scientist salary.

Wouldn’t it have been easier to just say “I don’t like you, Joy”? I would have agreed. You’re not like me, and you don’t have to like me. That’s perfectly ok, but when it comes to the decision that there’s some unknown, non-specific, unsubstantiated wrongness about me… well…

I avoid speaking the words associated with GFY – that famous acronym made popular by the most wealthy (and decidedly handsome) entrepreneur America has ever seen. But, I sure do think it. I’m passive aggressive, but only when GFY is appropriate. And, to be even more authentic, I have fun dropping those little nuggets that I know will tweak some irrelevant egos, all the while pretending I didn’t do it on purpose. But only when GFY is appropriate, like when someone tries to get too controlling with me. I’m so good at that! They call it “improv” in some circles, and it involves listening. Really listening.

I’m vindictive, but only when it’s legal to be so, and only through legal means (see passive aggressive). Revenge is best served cold, they say. And really, I am not obligated to forgive anyone. I am not obligated to forget anything. Why should I?

I’m authentically skeptical of all kinds of things – like new age psychobabble in particular. “Let me heal the traumas you endured before I was born… for just under $1,600 and a full workweek of your very expensive time in my magical intensive brainwashing workshop.” Yea… GFY. I’m ok. And your four reviews? Four perfect reviews? Really? Where’s the bad ones? Where are the handful of disgruntled former students that trail behind every new age guru? What’s your education in all this? Any peer reviewed studies to show me? Or are we just going to hold hands, pray to Jesus to help us forgive pedophiles, and sing kumbaya? I have no intention of forgetting anything, Jesus hates pedophiles as per scripture, so GFY. And, not to mention “revenge belongs to me,” said God. I happen to believe that’s true, and have seen the proof thereof, so GFY. My middle finger now has a scratch on the knuckle… very painful, but I’ll be ok.

“I hope you find someone who can help you, Joy.” Thanks! Surely someone will be available to help me unpack. “No, I mean help you with your trauma, because you’re drawing in negativity like a big magnet.”

Ok, I live in Harris County very near the 45 south in an America that has cultured negativity through rotten economic policies. Luck of the draw, really, when it comes to crossing paths with slugs… I mean thugs. I don’t think it’s me. I think it’s the environment. Speaking of which, I’d much rather be living in some rural area with no neighbors, Targets, or freeways, but a psychic told me that the man who loves me would find me here, so here I am. He said my lover will do whatever it takes to be with me, but that he needs to think it through. Easy peasy! I’m also very patient, having waited decades to remarry rather than trying to feign my way into an inevitably disastrous relationship.

Did I mention that I’m authentic? Yes, mostly. In fact, I believe that I am so entirely authentic that I don’t have to put my authenticity on display. No one has the right to know what I’m really thinking. And, if they’ve been a jerk, no doubt they’re calling themselves all the authentically filthy names I have in mind for them anyway, so why duplicate their self-deprecation? How’s that for authentic?

I’m extremely smart. Does that make me smarter than anyone else? Not by a long shot. I’m no more capable of filling my brain with knowledge than the next person. In fact, I’m smart enough to know that there’s too much to know in a single lifetime, so I only know the things I’m interested in knowing. Therefore, everyone is as extremely smart as they want to be, making me extremely smart as well. I’m interested in a lot of things – acting, singing, music theory, literature, poetry, math, science, photography, gardening, butterflies, and food… did I mention that I’m a bit of a dilettante? And I eat too much. Yup, that, too. A smart dilettante with good taste, I am.

I am grateful. Oh, boy, am I ever grateful! There’s this God connection thing going on with me. Little miracles here and there that I find very interesting. I need to learn not to tell people about them – people who might be resentful that they’re not getting little miracles, too. But, really, they probably are getting all kinds of little miracles that they just don’t notice. Note to self… don’t reveal my connection with the divine to those with a “higher” spirituality lest I appear to them that there’s something wrong with me. There’s nothing wrong with me. I just notice the little details, and I’m authentic, which I think Jesus appreciates. Look closer, and it’s clear that Jesus was authentic, too.

There was a time when I was so under the thumbs of my faux family that I thought there was something wrong with me, because they told me there was something wrong with me. There never was anything wrong with me that couldn’t be solved by cutting them loose. And it was free! Didn’t cost me a dime, and probably saved thousands of wasted hours trying to please them. I’m not a people pleaser anymore, though I haven’t yet gotten to the point that I can say “none of your business” to anyone outside of the anonymous surveys demanded of me after I buy something. I mean, damn! I spent time shopping and chose your product! What more do you want from me?

I don’t go to church or claim a religion because I know too much about narcissistic personality disorder. Instead, I consider myself omnitheistic, meaning that I appreciate all religions as a manifestation of that culture’s attempt to understand what no human could ever completely understand. It’s a beautiful thing! All religions are beautiful, though I am personally skeptical of Mormons as the few I’ve come to know haven’t been particularly consistent between the preach and the practice.

A note on leadership and narcissism. All leaders need to be a little bit more narcissistic than most people. Some leaders end up being malignant narcissists, so I try to avoid those places where they roost – the controlling, manipulative types who are so unsure of themselves that they need to dominate in order to stand with their own beliefs. Strange dynamic, yes – but, it’s everywhere. I love religions, but I think spirituality is a very personal thing, and God doesn’t have a bank account, so the 10% thing only makes sense to keeping a roof over the heads of religious leaders, and providing a meeting place for their followers. That’s cool and all… community is a good thing. But, like a lover, I’ll know my spiritual community if I ever find it. Haven’t found it just yet.

When I was a little girl, there was this self-help book called “I’m OK, You’re OK”. I never read the book, but the title alone has been very empowering all these years. Everyone is ok. Well, mostly… when they haven’t allowed the challenges of life to make them not ok. They can choose to be ok.

I’m ok, thanks… but no thanks on the two workshops for a total of $1,600 plus a full work week of my time to learn your method of moving on from my past. I don’t need to prove to anyone that I’ve moved on. In fact, I am not obligated to move on, and I have no intention of moving on. I will, eventually, sue the F out of a handful of people… when I get around to it. I’m busy. Very busy. And there’s nothing wrong with that. Nothing at all. Anyone worried about that? GFY.

And, finally, about the sisterhood I recently joined… there’s some authenticity in there that makes me want to stay. And some very intensely inauthentic types that give me pause. I just don’t know… right now I’m not feeling it. But at least I’m not pretending otherwise.

So, I’m ok. Nothing wrong with me. I’m just being… just sitting here, being me, and that’s perfectly ok. In fact, it’s perfect. Perfectly, authentically me.

Poor Fragile Little Sociopath

Don’t tell me who my friends can be.
Don’t stress at what I find funny.

Don’t tell me when to laugh or cry
Don’t tell me how you know that I
think this or that, or should do a thing,
live in a place, or align my life as you approve.

My choices are for me! Not you!

Don’t dictate how to cut my hair
or accuse me of causing your despair
by malicious intent.

Don’t demand I hate the man you chose
to cause the pain you feign.

I see right through you, lazy, drunk, drug addict!
I see how you manipulate and cry on cue
when an audience is near.

I see the clever way you shift the blame.
It’s never your fault, is it… the choice you make
to be the victim of those you hate,

roping in unfortunate souls close enough
to disagree… anyone who can see the truth
behind your façade.

Of course!

Weep whispered tears, inebriated lush!
Tell them all of my brutality for laughing at the joke
you chose to be about you, when it wasn’t…
as if you didn’t know.

As if it wasn’t obvious!

Carpe diem! And if it doesn’t go as planned, just cry…
cry like a baby until you get your way,

you poor thing… poor fragile little sociopath.

I just want my bike

“Daddy, I just want my bike.” she cried,
as the tyrants laughed.

“Why can’t I have my bike?”

Darling child… beautiful child…
How it breaks my heart to know.

Evil people exist because they
lost their hearts.

Somehow, that very normal
part of us all fell away from them.

They kept your bike, and your clothes,
and all your property from you

because that piece of them that should
care about you is gone.

But, like dropping an empty bottle
into the ditch, their emptiness was filled

with ugly, dirty, filthy junk, and
nothing we do to them can clean them up.

They have to clean themselves up.

They have to choose to love again.

They have to cry simply because you cried.

I cry because you cried.

Everyone cried because you cried.

Maybe if we cry because they can’t cry,
it will send some love soap for their souls.

Maybe.

Adultness

Just saw it…
the proof.

Not that I didn’t already know.

But, OH how my heart breaks.
These tears, right behind my eyes.

Spoiled children at the helm
who never found adultness.

Oh, you!

As if the shame you already bear
isn’t enough.

It wasn’t enough. It’s never
enough for you…

You TODDLERS!

Narcissistic brats in suits,
ties, dresses, and heels.

Not “satanists” any more than
the bible you thump

as you spit forth
faux “thoughts and prayers”

in cover of your crimes.

Sorry I couldn’t make your winter
party three years ago.

I don’t like crowds.

And, I don’t like you.

Real children, little ones
with smiling faces…

innocent ones who would
wonder why you don’t play fair…

They are so much better
than you.

What happened to you?

What tragedy of your youth
took away your adult soul?

I’d so like to feel sorry for you,
but, I don’t. I don’t. I can’t.

Sharing a Submission Opportunity

Amanda Potter, an active and long term Poetry Marathon participant has put out the following call: If you have any questions please send her a message at the below address;
“I am pleased to announce a special call for submissions for our first volume of Prompted Poetry, coming out the second quarter of 2024. At Prompted Poetry Publications we hope to encourage more people to read and write prompted poetry. Please find all the requirements below.
When: Submissions open 11/15/2023 and will close 12/1/2023
With Subject line “Poetry Marathon Submission”
In the body of your email please include your name, location, and the WordPress link to each of the poems you are submitting. You can include a short 5 to 7 line Bio and website.
Please attach each poem separately as a google doc or Word doc in Verdana 12pt font for body, 14pt for “Title”, 9pt for author Name under title. Singled Spaced and Center aligned.
What: Poems written during the 9/2/2023 Marathon, poems should’ve been specifically written to the prompts for the following hours: Hour 7, Hour 13, Hour 14, Hour 15, and Hour 22.
Please be sure that your poems are fully edited. Feel free to submit for each of the requested hours.
NOTE: Submission does NOT guarantee acceptance. There is NO payment if you are chosen for publication.”

The Online Anthology is Open to Submissions!

The online anthology is open for submissions! Please send your two favorite poems written during the Poetry Marathon via email by October 21st to the Online Anthology email: poetrymarathononline@gmail.com
Submissions should include: Your Name, Location, and Hour written. If formatting is important, you can attach your poem in a separate document.

Please edit your poems for punctuation, spelling and grammar before sending. Do not send any poems that contain racist or vulgar themes, or contain profanity. If you do, we’ll be unable to include your work in the online anthology.

P.S. The Poetry Marathon organizers are very excited about this anthology, but we are not directly involved in it. Erin Lorandos is organizing it!

Submissions

I sent my submissions but my second one wasnt quite right so I resent because it looked great finally But it looks all wrong, I dont know what it looks like on their end but it was great before I hit send but when I looked its not, I’m sorry.

Prompt 24 Hope

Waiting at the expense of yourself

harboring a desire for love

holding resentment towards it

when it always keeps you

hanging on to words

that abandon and disown

at the slightest inconvenience

Patience is a practiced virtue

that guarantees nothing

when hope keeps you dreaming

while falling apart

Submissions to the 2023 Poetry Marathon Anthology Are Open

Submissions to the 2023 Print Poetry Marathon Anthology are open now and will stay open through the 30th of September. For the first time the anthology will only contain curated submissions. That is to say, this year’s editor,  will only be choosing between 80-100 poems to include in the anthology.

We understand that this is a real shift, and we ourselves have lots of doubts about it, but the growing length of the anthology was causing serious logistical issues every year. This is the last year the marathon founders, Caitlin and Jacob, plan to host the anthology, although we hope there continues to be some version of it going forward.

This year, there will also be an electronic anthology that still accepts all submissions. Erin Lorandos, a long time marathoner and compelling poet (you can read one of her poems here), is putting together that anthology and will consider submissions between the 7th and 21st of October.

We are very excited to have Blessing Omeiza Ojo as our print anthology editor this year. He is the Deputy Editor of Litvo Magazine and the Chairman of Hill-Top Creative Arts Foundation, Abuja. His works have been translated into several languages including Yoruba, French and Italian. His poetry has received nominations for Best of the Net, Eriata Oribhabor Poetry Prize, Creators of Justice Awards, Castello di Duino International Poetry and Theatre Competition, Jack Grapes Poetry Prize, Brigitte Poirson Poetry Contest and the Korea-Nigeria Poetry Prize. His literary awards include the Korea-Nigeria Poetry Prize (Ambassador Special Prize 2019), the 2020 Artslounge Literature Teacher of the Year Award, the 2021 Words Rhymes & Rhythm Nigerian Teacher’s Award, 2022 & 2023 Maryam Aliyu Award for Best Teacher (Male) and the 2023 Nigeria Prize for Indigenous Languages (Yoruba). Omeiza is a Creative Writing Mentor with progenies already prize winners and slam champs.

The anthology is only possible if people follow the guidelines, so please follow them.

All poems submitted must be written during the 2023 Marathon, and the writer must have completed the full marathon or half marathon in 2023.

All poems should be completely edited and as much as possible contain no major grammatical errors. Revisions are allowed and encouraged before submitting. Please check your punctuation. All poems should be single spaced. Any extra space will probably be interpreted as a stanza break. The first word of every line should not have a capitalization unless it is intentional.

When you submit you must include in the email the following:

  1. The subject line should read “2023 Marathon Submissions”.
  2. The body of the email should make it clear if you are a half or full marathoner.
  3. You should then state your location (e.g Nigeria, Abuja).
  4. It should also include the hour of the marathon the poem was written in.
  5. As well as a link to your poetry marathon page. If your poetry marathon name is different than your name, include both and make it clear which name you want to appear in the anthology.
  6. Two poems pasted into the body of the email. All submissions must include two poems, no more, no less.

Please follow all these guidelines. Use the above list as a checklist for your email submission and only press send once you’ve reviewed it twice.

All marathon submissions must be made via this email address: poetrymarathonsubmissions@gmail.com

DO NOT email us at the email address we use for all other communications.

Due to issues that happened in the past, no one is allowed to announce that their poem has been accepted for publication till November 15th, unless notified otherwise. Announcements made on the marathon groups before November 15th, will be deleted.  Please do not query about the status of your submission via email or the FB page till after November 15th.

Thank you for following the guidelines! I know they might seem strict but they make it possible to put together an anthology in a few months.

After the poems are published in the anthology all rights return to you.

Digital copies will be made available for free to any participant in the marathon, even those not included in the anthology. Print copies will be available for a reasonable price and any money that is made from selling the anthology will go towards covering the cost of the marathon.

1 2 3 3,067