This April will mark the 25th annual celebration of National Poetry Month. Though we can't gather in person for readings and festivals, we are excited to once again partner with New Hampshire Poet Laureate Alexandria Peary to offer unique ways for Granite Staters to safely celebrate poetry during COVID-19.
30 Days of Poetry Writing Prompts
To encourage writers to create, Alex will be curating a set of 30 poetry writing prompts—one for each day in April. These COVID-related prompts will appear in New Hampshire Magazine and will offer jumpstarting ideas, like:
Persona poem from the perspective of a pandemic front-line worker
Narrative poem using two different pandemic moments
Ode to an object associated with COVID
Sonnet to process a loss or celebrate a recovery
Workshop Your Writing
At the end of the month, we will host free virtual workshopping sessions where poets can discuss their work and offer actionable feedback. (Registration required—more info to come.).
Get Published
The world has changed immensely since the poems included in COVID Spring were written last April. At the conclusion of this year’s National Poetry Month, we invite you to submit your work for consideration in a follow-up anthology. The submission period will run from April 1, 2021 to May 15, 2021. Submissions must be from New Hampshire residents and must in some way address the COVID-19 pandemic. Participation in the workshopping sessions and use of the daily prompts are not required—nor are they a guarantee—for publication. Hobblebush Books will donate $2 from every book sold to the New Hampshire Food Bank.
Stay Tuned for More Info
Please check back here and visit newhampshirepoetlaureate.blogspot.com to stay up to date with our National Poetry Month festivities, and be on the lookout for a more detailed announcement on January 25.
