Writing Articles

Banned Books Week: A Gift-Giving Occasion

Celebrate Banned Books Week by giving banned books as gifts and learning ways you can get involved in the fight against censorship.

Formal Verse Magic Template

A template to help simplify the drafting of a formal poem such as the ballade, sestina, villanelle, sonnets, or ghazals. For everyone who’s ever gnashed their teeth and said, “This may be the death of me, yet,” while writing one.

Just a Little Catch-Up on the Wall

Okay, I guess it’s more than a little… if I hadn’t taken notes along the way, I’m sure I’d have left something important out!

Pen & Keyboard Writers: People, Places, and Pets Anthology

Announcing Pen & Keyboard Writers Anthology 2024: People, Places, and Pets

Gratitude

Gratitude

A reminder: it’s not just the big things that are worth noticing and appreciating.

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Ekphrastic

Ekphrastic

Ekphrastic poems are poets’ responses to art. But in this post, which came first – the poem, or the art? In fact, I used Midjourney AI to generate images based on the ideas expressed in the poem. 

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Deep It Lies

Deep It Lies

“Only in Russia is poetry respected—it gets people killed. Is there anywhere else where poetry is so common a motive for murder?”

     — Osip Mandelstam

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Bridges: Bravery and Bereavement

Bridges: Bravery and Bereavement

Who knew those sunny, bright yellow blossoms were noxious weeds in cultivated yards, once the seeds took root and grew? We teach our kids all sorts of fun things, then try to tame their wild impulses. Grandparents are for reminding them of their inner wild things. And that’s how you bridge the generation gap.

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