Hello Marathoners

Here we go…
Alarms set.
Clocks set.
Inspiration ready.

Greetings from Vita to Poetry Marathoners

Good Day! My name is Vita Lusty. I live in the desert of Coachella Valley, close to Palm Springs and Joshua Tree in the United States.  I am in the single mother of two very small girls, Beatrix and Miette.

My work is published in Chicken Soup for the Soul, HuffPost, Medium among other small literary presses. I have not been able to write as much since my liberation from mother to single mother. The last three years were spent in deep meditation, survival mode and healing. The COVID-19 quarantine now affords me the time to write.  I usually write nonfiction but am eager to just write.

With the recent changes to life and lifestyle, I struggle to rest my mind and sleep. I am excited to drive this energy into a creative task. Maybe, after the marathon, I can finally sleep.

 

 

Poetry Marathon 2020!

Aloha Poets!
I am so excited about our upcoming 2020 marathon! I have been working on lists of prompts and topics, as well as people for or about whom I would like to write a poem.
Funnily enough, iced water was a great comfort last year, so I have planned to pick up some good waters and crunchy, chewable ice, as well as great dark chocolate, popcorn, and strawberries and blueberries. That should hold me for snacks.

With so much going on in our world right now, this year should result in some phenomenal poetry. I look forward to pouring over all of yours!

Much aloha to all of you!

E.

Mari Maxwell Intro

Hi,

I’m Mari Maxwell, currently living in Mayo, Ireland. I’m a former journalist/ombudsman now writing fiction, flash, memoir, poetry and more. I’ve been in a Covid writing slump and saw this and thought hey…words on the page, something to work with and edit. 🙂 🙂 YES!

I’m a first timer here but looking forward to the challenge. I’m just coming off a nine month mentoring programme with Words Ireland with well known Irish writer Nuala O’Connor. It has been an amazing learning experience and her guidance has brought my words and writing process to new levels. I’m finding there is still so very much to learn.

Happy writing everyone! I’m also on Twitter @MariMaxwell17 and Facebook.

Greetings!

Hello Poetry Marathoners!

I am thrilled to be participating in my third half-marathon. I want to thank Caitlin and Jacob once again for giving us this fabulous opportunity. The last two years, I came away with several poems I have been able to edit, and I hope with this year to be able to do the same. It is a tough contest, and I usually prepare by checking out the prompts and writing for an hour, then doing another prompt. A few days later, I replicate the same practice, but add in another hour and another prompt. Last year, I was able to get up to four hours in one day as a practice session before the actual contest.

I also usually prepare snacks and meals to have on hand for fuel, and I always get one walk in – during the hour I feel most stuck, or the hour I have something written fairly quickly. I am so looking forward to this year’s round. The prompts are challenging, but brilliant, and the community of poets offering feedback and encouragement are so inspiring.

I am a published author of eight YA Hi-Lo novels and though I have created my own chapbooks of poetry, I am still waiting for a publishing break with my poems. Happy writing to all!

Cristy

A little about me

1. I am Mariam Ali Mohammed a 16 years 10th grader, from Ghana in the city of Accra.Writing poems has been my passion for the past 3 years. I lost this passion though, when I lost my only parchment that has all my poetries in it(all the poetry I was able to write). So I decided to give up this passion for writing poems in June  2018. But then, it refused to go away for too long, because my absence was making it feel lifeless.My passion was back from its short journey in September 2018, when my teacher forced me to write a poem, knowing perfectly well that I had abandoned that passion.And I never let that passion  go, till today when I am preparing myself for a poetry marathon.

Am still hoping, praying and not wishing, that , I will be able to jump over any trap in my path to progressing in the life of poetry.

I have decided to start laying bricks to build a wall like Will Smith said. Rather than just building a wall.

 

Sign up for the 2020 Poetry Marathon

Sign up is now open for the 2019 Poetry Marathon! You can sign up here.

The 2020 Poetry Marathon starts at 9 AM ET on Saturday June 27th and will go till 9 AM ET on Sunday the 28th of June.

Those who are interested in doing a half marathon start at 9 AM ET on June 27th and go till 9 PM on the 27th. Or they will start at 9 PM ET on the 27th and continue to 9 AM on the 28th.

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 the 23rd  of June! We will get back to applicants on a rolling basis. Most people who apply will be accepted. If you have not heard from us a week after applying please send us an email at poets@poetrymarathon.com. Please do not try and contact us through the FB page.

Updates for Poetry Marathon 2020: Schedule

The sign up period for the 2020 Poetry Marathon will start on June 8th. It will end on the 23rd, and the marathon itself will start at 9 AM ET on the 27th of June and go till 9 AM on 28th. Half marathoners can start at 9 AM ET or 9 PM ET on the 27th.

During the sign up period we will have an easy to fill out form to apply to participate in the marathon. Most of the applications we will approve. We will answer all submissions in two waves (so probably on the 16th and the 24th and we will help orientate people during these periods. It is important everyone makes sure their login works before the marathon starts.

We are so happy to host again this year and we wish everyone the best of luck!

Updates on the Poetry Marathon 2020

The Poetry Marathon will continue as planned on June 27th, 2020.

We will open to enrollment on the 8th of June and close on the 23rd. The Marathon will start at 9 AM ET, as will the first half-marathon, the second half-marathon will start at 9 PM ET.

We know this is a difficult time for everyone, and we know not everyone will be able to write poetry under this circumstances but we also know a lot of people really want to.

We are not sure if there will be an anthology this year. Even with an editor it puts a lot of work on us, and we are not sure how much we will be up to. Having two young children, a business we both run, and uncertain childcare has us in a difficult situation.

Because of this, we will not be able to participate in the full or the half marathon this year (barring a sudden and entirely unexpected change in the social isolation situation), which has broken both our hearts a little. We in no way want this, but we want to be there to support you.

We are again seeking volunteer leaders, especially for the second half of the marathon, so please reach out to us at poets@thepoetrymarathon.com, if you are up for that

We are also seeking prompts. Caitlin usually writes the majority of them, and she’d very much appreciate the help this year.

If we are a little slower at responding this year – we are sorry – feel encouraged to send us follow up emails. Know that we are trying our best, even if our best is lacking.

The best way to reach us is to send us an email at the above address or to comment on this. Please don’t send FB messages via our personal accounts or the official marathon page. They rarely reach us, and often after the fact.

You are all in our thoughts right now! As always feedback is very much appreciated.

You Are Invited …

You are invited …

Posted on June 23, 2019 6:43am EDT by Aditi