ABOUT THE SERIES

Why a Poem a Day?

As I teen, I passed time in classes that bored me with writing poetry. Although I was fluent in German, I always wrote them in English, which is my first language. I used my poems as an outlet for my anger and frustrations, my hurt and my sorrows. But I rarely read poetry because I found the classics and their analysis dull. So when I started writing poetry for publication, I needed to read poetry that was out there. I soon came across National Poetry Month, which is celebrated primarily in the United States.

During April, poetry is highlighted for readers and writers alike. Magazines spotlight poems, and poets create writing challanges like the one I described in my article about Life Time of Life. While those challenges tend to overwhelm me, I read as much poetry as I can during April.

This year, I decided to give readers of my newsletter the opportunity to read one poem every day of the month. I also wanted to recap some basic terms and categories, so at the end of each email, I've added a bite-sized intro into a poetic term or aspect related to the day's poem. An itsy-bitsy course, if you like.

Reading a poem offers reprieve from reality, engages your mind with a puzzle, or envelops you in a sense of awe. And it usually only takes the time you need to sip a cup of brew.

How Does the Series Work?

Every morning, you'll receive an email with a link to a poem you can read online. Because poetry is incredibly diverse, I’ve picked thirty poems from a variety of poets to illuminate the shapes and sizes poetry can take. Some are mimetic, that is embedded in realism; others are speculative, sci-fi, fantastical; some tell book-length stories, others are just a sentence; some are pictures, others are videos. These poems are a small sample of the poetry cosmos, and I hope they will inspire you to read more during the rest of the year.

What's in it for Writers?

As writers, reading poetry is essential to understanding the effects of literary devices, punctuation, diction, and compression. So each day, in addition to the poem, writers will receive questions for analysis that will help them train their eye and mind to unravel cause and effect within poems. For this first reading series, we'll cycle through some basic questions I ask myself after reading a poem.

To receive those questions, please choose Writer (& reader) in the sign up form. If you want to receive just a poem, please choose Reader.