The Poetry Marathon

Each year I write one prompt devoted to a cliché topic, previously these prompts have been focused on love and death.

This year the challenge is to write a poem about angst that is not cliché. Good luck!

This next prompt is inspired by a dear friend of mine (who is a past poetry marathon participant). The challenge is to write an English haibun.

A haibun is a traditional Japanese form that combines prose and haiku. The prose section should be approached like prose poetry and every word should be made to count. Most poets suggest that the prose section should be no more than 120 words, but if you want to make it longer go for it.

Then end with a Haiku. The haiku should serve as the climax or epiphany to the text that proceeds it.

Traditionally an English haiku is three lines the first being 5 syllables long, the second being 7, and the third being 5. Traditionally a haiku is about nature, but yours does not have to be.

You can learn more about the haibun and read some examples here.

Write a poem about technology. The details are entirely up to you.

This prompt is a little different. Read the first step, follow it, then read the second step follow it, and then read the third step.

Step 1
Write a ten line narrative poem. (A narrative poem is a poem that tells a story.) It should tell a complete, or mostly complete story.

Step 2
Add ten more lines to that poem. You can add them at any point, they can be interspersed throughout, or together in one section. However they cannot all be at the end of the poem.

Step 3
Remove eight lines from the poem. These lines can be taken from any point in the poem.

Write a poem. The contents of the poem is completely up to you, but the title must be ‘Before Darkness’

Listen to the following song and then write a poem. You can write while listening, or after listening, depending on your own personal preference.

Good morning marathoners and half marathoners.

This is your first prompt, should you choose to accept it.

Write a poem about the end. The end of what is up to you. It could be the end of a move, the end of a relationship, or the end of the world.

You can sign up for the Poetry Marathon now! This is your last chance in 2016 to sign up! If you want to learn more read our main page.

Sign up closes tomorrow at 12 PM ET. All acceptances will go out the following day.

Everything is progressing nicely towards the 4th Annual Poetry Marathon! Introductions are now going up on the blog. The Facebook group is active.

If you signed up for Marathon and have not yet heard from us, you should have, so please email us at poets@thepoetrymarathon.com and we will get back  to you as soon as possible

Due to some (now resolved) health reasons we are pushing back our second round of sign ups to the week before the marathon. We will be open again to applications from the 8th of August through the 9th! We hope if you were not able to sign up before, you will be able to sign up during this second round.

The 2016 Poetry Marathon is currently closed to applications. We are in the process of emailing and orientating everyone who applied.

A little over 300 people have been accepted to participate in the Marathon. Once everyone from this round of acceptances is orientated we are hoping to open up applications again for a final time, for a two day period.

We are particularly hoping that a poet or writer currently living in South America or Antarctica will participate so that we will have poets writing on all seven continents. So if you fit that description, please sign up! If a friend of yours fits that description, please tell them about The Poetry Marathon.

We have a lot of repeat Marathoners this year. About half of the people who have signed up have participated in The Poetry Marathon, once or twice, or even three times before.

So keep your eyes peeled for when we re-open to applications.