The Poetry Marathon

Text Prompt

Every year we have a new form prompt, and this year, it’s the Gigan, which is an invented form. There’s a detailed blog post about it here, and it includes an example Gigan, which always helps.

Gigans must be 16 lines in length with seven stanzas (each stanza is separated by a line break). It goes couplet (two lines), tercet (three lines), couplet, couplet, couplet, tercet, couplet.

The first line is also the eleventh line, line six is repeated as line 12 as well.

Optionally the closing couplet should put a twist on the poem, but that isn’t a requirement.

Image Prompt

Photo contributed by Ofuma Agali.

A Sort of Text Prompt

Look on your phone and find the 10th non selfie picture and use that as your prompt. – Prompt by Deborah Dalton

Image Prompt

Photo by Marc A. Sporys on Unsplash

Text Prompt

Write a letter to yourself from the perspective of someone who is no longer in your life. It could be a former teacher you admired but you lost touch with, someone you knew from childhood, someone who passed on, etc. The specifics are very much up to you.

Image Prompt

Photo by Melissa Keizer on Unsplash

Text Prompt

Write a poem using at least 5 of the following 10 words/phrases.

hardback

sunflower

knitting

cheddar cheese

space

wine glass

pavement

nail

oak

satchel

Image Prompt

Photo by Suganth on Unsplash

Text Prompt

Write a poem set a hundred years ago, or a hundred years from now.

Image Prompt

Photo by Xavier von Erlach on Unsplash

Not exactly a text prompt

Listen to the following song before writing a poem, you can also play it again and write with it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N5j1AwBaPtk

Image Prompt

Photo by Jr Korpa on Unsplash

Text Prompt

Read Robert Frost’s poem Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening,  chose one line or phrase, and with credit, write a poem with that line or phrase in it. Prompt partially contributed by Se Johnson.

Image Prompt

Photo by Rayson Tan on Unsplash

For the second year in a row we are offering word and image prompts. The first prompt every hour will be text based (with occasional variations), and the second, if you scroll down, will be image based. You can choose either prompt or not use prompts at all (or only sporadically). All images are either taken from unsplash, or contributed by a poetry marathoner with credit.

Text Prompt

Write a poem about being in water. It can be about swimming, the shower, a bath, the rain, etc.

Image Prompt

Photo by Valentin Salja on Unsplash

This is the last day to sign up for the 2022 Poetry Marathon! You can sign up here. We will be sending out the final round of acceptances tomorrow. If you do not here from us tomorrow, please send us an email at poets@thepoetrymarathon.com

The marathon itself will start at 9 AM ET on the 25th of June and go till 9 AM on 26th. Half marathoners can start at 9 AM ET or 9 PM ET on the 25th.

This is an international event with participants from all around the globe. Generally 500 people attempt the marathon. You do not have to be a poet to participate. To find out how to convert your timezone go here.

To learn more go here. To sign up go here.

We will get back to applicants on a rolling basis. Most people who apply will be accepted. If you have not heard from us three days after applying please send us an email at poets@poetrymarathon.com. Please do not try and contact us through the FB page.

Sign up is now open for the 2022 Poetry Marathon! You can sign up here.

The 2022 Poetry Marathon starts at 9 AM ET on Saturday June 25th and will go till 9 AM ET on Sunday the 26th of June.

Those who are interested in doing a half marathon start at 9 AM ET on June 25th and go till 9 PM on the 25th. Or they can start at 9 PM ET on the 25th and continue to 9 AM on the 26th, which works better for some time zones.

The goal of the poetry marathon is to write and post one poem an hour for 24 hours. Half marathoners post a poem per hour for a 12 hour period.

This is an international event with participants from all around the globe. Generally 500 people attempt the marathon. You do not have to be a poet to participate. To find out how to convert your timezone go here.

To learn more go here.

To sign up go here.

If you are interested in participating please sign up by June 19th! We will get back to applicants on a rolling basis. Most people who apply will be accepted. If you have not heard from us by the 19th of June please send us an email at poets@thepoetrymarathon.com. Please do not try and contact us through the FB page. We will make sure everyone who contacts us, gets an opportunity to participate.