Feb 5, 2015 / Blogging U.

Join the Con-verse-ation! Writing 201: Poetry Is Starting Soon.

For two weeks this month, let’s all live, breathe, and share our poetry.

In less than two weeks we’ll be unveiling our first-ever Blogging U. course dedicated to poetry. Does joining a verse-loving community where you can share your work in a supportive, collegial environment sound like fun? Just scroll to the bottom of the post and sign up. Need more information about this course? Read on!

Poets of the world, unite!

The idea behind Writing 201: Poetry is to bring together poets of all styles, temperaments, and experience levels in a way that encourages writing, sharing, and discussion. You get to decide how laid back or challenging you want the course to be.

Each day for the duration of the course (not counting weekends), you’ll receive an assignment, made up of three parts: a word prompt, a poetic form, and a poetic device. You get to choose which of these you want to explore (if any).

We’d like to emphasize that we welcome novices and seasoned poets alike, as well as writers of any and all poetic persuasions.

For example, an assignment might invite you to write a poem with the word “Snail” as its inspiration. Then, you’ll have the option to write that poem in a particular form that we’ll introduce and explain that day (say, couplets). Finally, for an extra layer of experimentation, we’ll throw in an optional poetic device for you to use (for example, a synecdoche).

The result? Entirely up to you, really. You could write a free-verse poem about snails. You could compose couplets about the joys of drinking milkshake. You could include a synecdoche in a ballad about your postman. Or you could write about snails, in couplets, employing a synecdoche. (Or do none of the above and just take a day to read and comment on others’ poems. Remember: no grades, no formal posting requirement.)

As the course progresses, we’ll move from relatively simple forms and devices to slightly more challenging ones, which you’ll get to use, tweak, or ignore as you wish. That’s it: by the end of the course you’ll have a few more poems to your name, feedback and comments from supportive readers, a few more items in your poetic toolkit (stretched metaphor alert!), and a crew of new friends and blogs to follow.

How do Blogging U. courses work?

Beyond the details mentioned above, Writing 201: Poetry follows the same basic principles of all Blogging U. courses, which means that…

  • It’s free, flexible, and open to all. The course is aimed to help you meet your own blogging and writing goals while connecting you to a community of like-minded, poetry-loving bloggers.
  • We’ll post new assignments here on The Daily Post each weekday at midnight (GMT). Each assignment will contain all the inspiration and instructions you need to complete it. Weekends are free.
  • Each course will have a private community site, the Commons, for chatting, connecting, and seeking feedback and support. Daily Post staff and Happiness Engineers will be on hand to answer your questions and offer guidance and resources.

How do I register?

Please note: You won’t receive an automatic confirmation message after submitting your form. You will get a welcome message with more details before the course starts.

Just fill out this metaphor-free, unrhymed, unmetered signup form and you’re done:

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  1. This is a very good idea. It will be well appreciated I’m sure! The fact that you have taken from your time to provide a free course in poetry is really wonderful.

    Good luck and thank you!

    Liked by 3 people

  6. I registered and waiting to start with trembling hands and fingers since the last time I wrote a decent verse was back in high school and that was a long, long time ago. It will be a challenge for a novice like me but I love challenges. I learned a lot of things that way, concurring challenges and obstacles. I will be there.

    Liked by 1 person

  10. How coul I recover my purchase into this site. Someone stolen my information and redirect all
    I´m very afraid per my credit card information

    Like

  16. Oh, this sounds cool. The idea of conveying my thoughts and emotions through poetry really interests me, but I’m just not that good at it yet. Count me in!

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  24. random question. Can I start the blogging course even thou it’s already started?? Do I need to sign up?? Getting loads of traffic by shares my posts but very few likes and follows!! Thanks

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  29. Hmm…I doubt my muse will be so readily tamed, but at least I’ll have some reading material when she decides snails are for pussies, and she’d rather write about turtles, or tackle some other artform entirely. 🙂

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    1. I say, bring your muse, no matter how wild she might act. The course is definitely not about taming anyone as much as giving ideas and providing a space for others to come together around poetry.

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