The Poetry Marathon

Running the Range

Living in rugged rural Nevada proves to be a most perfect setting for the creative process in this my fourth year of retirement. I spend my time volunteering, writing, taking photographs, and creating pieces of art. My written work and photographs have been published locally Community Living Magazine on the Nevada Magazine and on the state level. I participated in Reno is Artown last year and have been invited again this summer to sell my chiffon art scarves. It’s a prestigious and game changer opportunity! !  I am also participating in the 2019-2020 Nevada Arts Council’s new Basin to Range Exchange Project. It is an intentional urban meet rural collaboration. For volunteering my favorite role is sitting with my 93 year old neighbor for respite care.

What I Don’t Want

Thank you for being
A terrible partner
For had you been good
I would never have learned
What I don’t want
What I won’t tolerate
The lesson was extremely costly
But I promise
It won’t be
Soon forgotten
Because of you
I understand I deserve
Far better than you
What I don’t want
Is you

This will  be my 4th Poetry Marathon, my 3rd Half. This year, my daughter Mary will be joining me again and we will be writing several poems as a mother/daughter team. Two years ago, we did this while she was working in Chile as a teacher. She is back home now in the United States teaching children. I teach math and science to incarcerated men. Mary and I are both looking forward to this year’s 1st Half Marathon.

Howdy Y’all!

Hey y’all, I’m Mandi and I’ve been writing most of my life. I wrote my first poem at age 6 and I haven’t stopped since — although I have taken quite a few hiatuses due to Life. In 2012, I lost my husband Rickey after 18 years together (16 married); we were together literally half my life at that point, and my entire adult life. For a couple years after he passed, I struggled with finding myself and figuring out who I was, aside from being Mrs. Rickey Smith. It was writing that eventually helped me heal and begin to put my life back together.

This past March, I was laid off from my job with the phone company after 18+ years and I am once again feeling lost and trying to rediscover myself and determine what course of action to take for my future. I’m hoping that participating in the Poetry Marathon will help me return to my written roots because I always seem to find whatever answers I’m seeking when I put pen to paper.

Currently I share a home with my boyfriend Lonnie; our big beautiful wiener dog Honeybun; Twinkie, our Chiweenie; and our identity confused tabby cat, Bruce (long story, but worth a listen!) I’m so glad I stumbled across the Poetry Marathon and super excited to experience it for the first time!

6 Days Until Go Time

Introduction

Hey all. My name is Jana and I am 31 years old. I live in West Virginia with my wonderful wife, 3 children, 1 dog, 1 cat and 8 rabbits. We are a homeschool family and I also work from home so being home and able to participate is something I’m very excited to say I can do. This is my first year participating and while I am quite nervous about it, I feel excited to attempt this.

Hello

Hello Everyone!

I reside in Rocky River, Ohio with my husband and three children. I am a middle school language arts teacher and gifted intervention specialist. I get to teach all the nerdy kids who love talking about Dr. Who and Harry Potter. It is a dream job because my students are the best. They are curious and humorous. They love to learn.  They love to read and they often love to write. Everyday I get to share what I’m passionate about writing and reading with students who also share those sames passions.  When I’m not teaching and being a mom, I’m burning the midnight oil writing. I write YA fiction and my current WIP is a verse novel.

I’ve  never entered a contest like this before and I’m a bit nervous.  I don’t have any formal poetry training but as an English teacher I have always enjoyed reading and sharing poetry with my students on our scheduled Poetry Fridays.  I keep a poetry journal and find myself writing about events in my life. Lately these events have been emotional as my mother recently passed and my oldest daughter is leaving for college soon. I hope this challenge will open my awareness to other topics and encourage me to take some chances with my writing, possibly explore odd relationships between objects and situations. I’ve noticed that all of my poetry tends to be stylistically very similar, and since I’ve been writing in verse prose that seems to be my go to. I am going to pull out my poetry books and experiment with different styles. Listen to a lot of music for inspiration and drink lots of coffee.

Introduction

Hi everyone!  I’m looking forward to participating in the marathon this year!

And looking forward to reading all of your lovely work!

Stef with an “f”

Hello, fellow writers!  I’d like to take a moment to introduce myself.

My name is Stefanie. You can call me Stef but when you notate me please please please spell my name correctly. It’s the only thing I can really call mine. Plus, it rhymes.  Stef with an f.  Easy, right?

Currently I am involved in a writing group, known as Foothills Writers. We meet each Wednesday for several hours as we endeavor to complete works that maybe have sat on the shelf for too long. Or perhaps timing has been off.  Nonetheless, we’ve decided now is the write time.

My husband recently retired. We are both 55 years of age. We have three grandsons whom we love dearly. We are finding what living is like on the slower side. You know, the kind where life doesn’t pass you by and you wonder where it all went but rather the kind where you sit. You ponder. You just be.

I look forward to the new challenges writing presents.  As I near the finish line for completion of my first planned published book, I am approaching it with caution and care.  What if no one reads me?  What if my stories aren’t as great as I believe them to be?

I also have a blog on Facebook: Wandering Through The Bible.  On June 19, it will be six years old.  Check it out!  I welcome new followers.

This is me in a nutshell. I hope the experience of joining this poetry marathon broadens my horizons and challenges me to stretch out in areas that previously I have not tried before. I also look forward to reading from others and being inspired by them.

 

 

We Need . . .

We need weekly to take the bread and wine, commune with nature, and seek blessings divine.
We need people who care, old folks and children, and those men and women willing to dare.
We need snow flakes in winter, buds in the spring, falling leaves come autumn, birds on the wing.
We need reading stories before bed, carols sung in frosty air, and parents ever after happily wed.
We need seniors who skip, children wise beyond their years, and wage counsel and good fellowship.