Let’s do a little experiment. I’ll present you a poem — one of my 100 Themes poems, to be exact — in unpolished form. You take that draft, rewrite it according to your own style and creative fancies, and post it below (in the comments). Sounds a little awkward, perhaps, but bear with me. What … Read more
In my earlier post on poem starters, I promised I’d write a second article on handling one word prompts. Well, here I am, being as good as my word. One word prompts abound on the Internet, from my 100 Themes challenge to the Wednesday prompts on Robert Lee Brewer’s Poetic Asides blog. They’re a great challenge because they force you to … Read more
Only a few words with this one. Tonight, after a (stirring!) concert of German and Austrian choral music, I stepped out of the cathedral to see a breathtaking sky-on-fire. How perfect for Pentecost. Here are a few of the photos I took while walking home through downtown Novosibirsk: This is the view that greeted me … Read more
There may have been snow flurries on May 2, but anyway it’s a fact — spring has come to Novosibirsk! The days are long, the trees full of pods and young leaves. New things are popping up all around, from baby birds in the bushes (I saw one the other day) to new menus in the cafes. As … Read more
It’s no joke to say that poetry keeps us alive. I suppose you could say the same of any beautiful thing — or, to be more precise, any truly beautiful thing. That could be art, music, Creation, or simply a smile. Beauty is part of what makes life worth living. It can lift the soul and give it … Read more