The Poetry Marathon

A Poetic Appointment with 24 hours of Random Ramblings

Ciao Fellow Poets! So excited to be back for my second year. Last year was amazing and such an awesome way to meet other creative minds. The energy from the group on the FB Page kept me going the whole 24 hours (with only a few delirious naps). Everyone had a different approach to preparing for the marathon. I enjoyed the hourly prompts and the resulting stream of consciousness writing. I had tons of excellent coffee, snacks and hello, CHOCOLATE!  – Bia Riaz

Something About Erin Elise

Words flatter

Words destroy

What difference can be made with the stroke of a pen

Or vibrations of vocal cords

I thank God for giving me the ability to express my feelings and yours through the gift of writing

Hi

I been writing poetry for many years

My  poetry are stories of life

 

Hi

I been writing for many years

I have three books of poems published

 

Emerging Poet

I am not a novice writer but I do consider myself an emerging poet who has been fortunate enough to have had 9 poems published within the last year. Going into this event I will feel blessed if I complete 12 poems. I will be amazed if any of them are polished enough to be considered ready for publication; however, I do think each one will serve as draft worthy of being revisited and refined. Since I live near the ocean I suspect one or two will deal with my local environs. I also plan to address the concept of faith in a few of them as well. Some others will undoubtedly deal with politics in one form or another. Death and fortune and immortality are some other topics that have been on my mind lately. I am intuitive by nature so I intend to freewrite to get kickstarted, then go from there. I am considering making a list of 12 or more ideas before Saturday rolls around. It goes without saying that I will be a half-marathoner. I need my 8 hours of sleep more than ever.

Good luck to all.

Hello

Hi! My name is Brittany and I’m from Atlanta, GA. I’ll be participating in the half marathon. I’ve never done anything like this before and I’m looking forward to practicing and testing my writing skills. I’ve always loved writing poetry, since I was in elementary school. I have a few poems published, yet I was never confident in writing. So I really want to do this to test my strengths and weaknesses and grow more confident in my writing. Also, I look forward to reading everyone’s work!

Warm Up Stretches

Last month, I attended a poetry workshop. After most of the others there had shared their work, and had constructive feedback, I shared mine. I got told that I demonstrated “good use of language”, but that my offering was “not poetry”. The instructor didn’t explain what I was doing wrong, just that I was, definitively, wrong.

That hurt, far more than it should. Some people are jerks, and I know that. But it really hurt to have my work shot down with no explanation. When I saw this challenge, I knew that I had the perfect way to put that hurt behind me, and get back to writing.

So here is my warm-up piece, a kidney punch to the ogre of insecurity. Warning: naked sarcasm ahead.

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Feedback

The English is good, and the grammar correct,
But this is not poem.
The rhythm is fine, and the stresses line up,
But this is not a poem.
The metaphor struggles on atrophied limbs,
The rhyming is weak, and the words just don’t sing,
And it’s not the way I would have written the thing;
No, this is not a poem.

Blessed, Excited & Honored To Be Here

Poetry Marathon Introduction June 7 2015:

Hi there, I am so glad to be a part of this marathon –        I am a published writer and have been writing poetry for years now. It’s my passion – it is the best way for me to express myself – and to learn about myself – sometimes I don’t know my thoughts or feelings on something, and I start writing, and the poem speaks to me, and then i get it. It’s amazing the way it works. I am glad to be here and look forward to meeting new people and to reading poetry! My page on Facebook is Worth Catching

— Blessings, love & moonbeams! 

 

Hello!

Hello everyone! My name is Angelica and I currently live in Los Angeles. I’m excited and nervous for next Saturday. This will be my first marathon I’m participating in. Not sure what to expect other than having little sleep that day,  having lots of snacks handy and maybe even some coffee! I plan on getting as much rest as possible the night before.

I’ve been writing for about 15 years and I absolutely love it! Writing has became my “safe place”, a place where I can just let it all out. I thought it would be a great experience participating in the marathon this year. I feel that it will allow me to push myself in ways I haven’t pushed myself before. I’m nowhere near where I aspire to be as a writer/poet, so what better way to continue challenging myself!

Wishing everyone the best next Saturday! I can’t wait to read what everyone shares 🙂

Introduction

Hello, my name is Mel. I live in a lovely town on the border of Wales and England. A river runs right past it – hills, woods and fields surround it. I’m joining this poetry challenge as a new and exciting exercise in writing discipline and creativity under pressure. Hope to stay the course. Poetry has been a constant and rewarding companion for me throughout my life so far. Looking forward to this venture – all best to those taking part and good luck.