Prompts

April 10, animal inspiration. The natural world is such a huge inspiration for me right now. Mostly the spindly, thin, terrifying miniature world of insects and plants. I am fascinated by the description of decay and the life that exists there. However, as if to reinforce my craft, I find viewing images of this stuff…

April 9, work in progress. Enjoy!

April 8, favorite poet right now. It’s so hard to choose! There are so many poets that hold a special place in my poetic history, due to one poem or another. But right now, in this current moment, it’s poet Kate Baer. Her work resonates with me in my current season in life, and I…

April 7, stellar inspiration. My first published collection of poems, SPACE SPECTACULAR, came out back in 2018 from Ghost City Press when I was in the thick of space poems. So much of my work focused on the wonder and mystery of space and our stellar origins. I still contemplate space and get so excited…

April 6, Blackout Poetry / Erasure. Making poems out of other writing, art to more art. This exercise is close to my heart. There are so many variations of erasure, and one of my favorites is making the page into art and poetry. Sarah J. Slot’s Hotel Almighty is an incredible example of erasure turned…

April 5, this is how we workshop. In the time of COVID we moved entirely online which necessitated digital workspaces for poetry workshop. Our poetry support group.adapted surprisingly well and maybe even did better real-time commentary than if we had been in person. My poems have grown so much because of the time we can…

April 4, my poetry family. A small group of people integral to my poetry process, responsible for my growth over the past few years, supportive beyond my wildest dreams. I am so incredibly lucky to have these women in my life. They represent a small portion of the poetry community that influenced me and taught…

April 3, taking a walk with my children. The joy of discovery on my son’s face as he finds a pinecone or acorn top or a rock half-buried in dirt. That is the wonder I wish I could capture. A poem is a small moment of discovery but every day is filled with those moments…

April 2, poetry for children. I’m sharing four books that I love and that I’ve used when teaching creative writing to little ones. Classic poets like Emily Dickinson and Langston Hughes are worthwhile for children especially in these beautifully illustrated editions. And The Word Collector by Peter Reynolds is inspiring for kids to start finding…

April 1, sharing my collection of poetry. I keep my books in a secretary desk that belonged to my great grandfather. I love the glass windows and the lock and skeleton key. It feels like its own mini library. I just added a new book, the beautiful Exceeds Us by Leah Poole Osowski. Happy poetry…