Jim Lloyd: How I Wrote ‘The Mistle Thrush’
“This poem was unusual for me in that it was written very quickly. Although I experimented with different stanza lengths, this version is close to the very first sketched out draft which was in couplets”
Category: Poems
Taylor Edmonds: How I Wrote ‘I Am’
“When I’m writing something new, I tend to let it splurge out however it lands, without thinking about form too much, as this holds me back during this initial draft. Then I curate the form more carefully when editing.”
Wales Poetry Award 2022 | Shortlist Announced
We are delighted to announce the shortlist for Wales Poetry Award 2022, sponsored by Literature Wales and judged by Gwyneth Lewis Scroll down to learn more about our thirteen shortlisted poets, read their poems, and don’t forget to register for your free ticket (at the bottom of the page) to join us at our online…
Mark Doty: How I Wrote ‘Deep Lane [June 23rd, evening of the first fireflies]’
“I have always felt that risk could energise a poem and that the reader might feel the heat being generated”
Saddiq Dzukogi: How I Wrote ‘The Old Ones’
“[This] poem represents the beginning of a willingness to engage in this new awe of the self through the prism of ancestry. It is an act of seeking permission to pursue this new wonder.”
Hannah Linden: How I Wrote ‘Each Morning, New Leaves’
“My poet mind is far wiser than I am. It takes me awhile to catch up with it.”
Jeff William Acosta: How I Wrote ‘of thee I sing’
“They came in like flashes, in fragments—a tapestry of thoughts. Writing poetry in a language that is not native to me, in a sense makes me think of ways or approach the English language in a different angle.”
Paul Deaton: How I Wrote ‘Harvest’
“I find that some poems I write, luckily, just seem to happen – I might get a first line, like a fish biting, and then, if I have time, I let the poem unfold itself, and see where that line takes me”
Aaron Kent: How I Wrote ‘Between all of us like a Wavy Halo Form’
“After the brain haemorrhage I was put on very heavy sleeping tablets, and when they kicked in I began to write poetry, then I’d wake and find streams of subconscious thoughts, odd typos, and nonsense words which I’d later edit into a poem while conscious.”