Author Archive

This week’s prompt

I may have mentioned once or twice (or 500 times!) that I was stranded in Chicago last month. A 2-hour layover turned into an overnight stay. Fortunately, I used the time to write up some prompts for Big Tent Poetry. (I also did a fair amount of whining and fretting, which I know surprises you.)

For this week’s Carolee-is-talking-AGAIN-about-being-stranded-in-the-airport prompt, write a poem about being stuck somewhere. You may remember a time when you, too, were a my-flight’s-been-canceled zombie. Where do you need to go? Where are you coming from? What will you do with all of your newly-found “free” time?

Never been physically stuck at an airport? Imagine being trapped in an elevator or with a flat tire on the side of the road. Imagine yourself anywhere you don’t want to be. Imagine trying to get somewhere else. Oh, the futility! Imagine someone stopping you from getting there. Oh, the madness!

You may also consider writing about being stuck in a metaphoric rut. Maybe you have lost your muse (check the lint trap, next to those lost socks). Maybe you are stuck with old habits. Maybe you are stuck in a relationship (or without one). Wherever you are stuck — in your mind or in the world — write about being there or trying to get out.

Caution: Don’t get so stuck you forget to come back starting Friday and bring us your poems!

How prompts work under the Big Tent

We post prompts on Mondays, and you have all week to write your poems, based on our fabulous prompt or any other inspiration. Come back on Friday when you will find a “Come One, Come All” post where you can use the comments section to 1) leave a link to your poem or 2) leave the poem in its entirety.

You’ll have all day Friday (and all weekend!) to post your work and read each others’ work. Take your time. Enjoy all the poems that are new to the world.

Some hints

Hint: We’ve set Big Tent Poetry to Central Time.

Hint: An easy way to check on new post comments is with RSS reader, if you use one. Here’s the address: https://bigtentpoetry.org/comments/feed.

Hint: If you are new to our site, your comment(s) will be held for moderation for your first few posts. If you put more than one link in your comment, your comment(s) will be held for moderation. We’re checking the filters often, so don’t despair! That said, if it takes more than a half a day to see it come live on the site, do email us at info (at) bigtentpoetry.org. (But be patient, okay?)

Circus etiquette

We figure you know how to play in the poetry community, but here are the basics:

Be nice. Have fun. Remember we aren’t a critique forum. We want to support each other as we bring more poetry into our lives. Only provide critique if someone specifically asks for it.

Although we love seeing our badge in the sidebar of your blog, we would appreciate it if you would also link back to the site in each of your poem posts. Linking within your post helps people travel back and forth from your site to the Big Tent Poetry site, and it helps perpetuate Big Tent Poetry “findability” in Google searches — and that helps us all.

by Carolee, Deb & Jill

It’s show time! It’s time to post your original poem, written in response to Monday’s prompt — science!— or any other inspiration from the week. (We love it when you write to our prompt, but we also love it when you write on a whim. We all know how fickle that muse can be.)

What did you write? Please leave a link to your blog post, or leave your poem itself, in the comments!

Let the show begin! This post is “sticky” — it will stay right here in the spotlight for you all weekend.

Here’s how prompts work under the Big Tent

You’ve got all week to write your poem, based on this week’s prompt. Come Fridays (today!) you’ll find a “Come One, Come All” post (this one!) where you can 1) leave a link to your poem or 2) leave the poem in its entirety.

We want to give you all weekend to post your work and read each others’ work. Take your time. Enjoy all the poems that are new to the world.

Some hints

Hint: We’ve set Big Tent Poetry to Central Time.

Hint: An easy way to check on new post comments is via a RSS reader, if you use one. Here’s the address you would add to your reader: https://bigtentpoetry.org/comments/feed.

Hint: If you are new to our site, or put more than one link in your comment, your comment(s) will be held for moderation for your first few posts. We’re checking the filters often, so don’t despair! That said, if it takes more than a half a day to see it come live on the site, do email us at info (at) bigtentpoetry.org. (But be patient, okay?)

Circus etiquette

We figure you know how to play in the poetry community, but here are the basics:

Be nice. Have fun. Remember we aren’t a critique forum. We want to support each other as we bring more poetry into our lives. Only provide critique if someone specifically asks for it.

Although we love seeing our badge in the sidebar of your blog, we would appreciate it if you would also link back to the site in each of your poem posts. Linking within your post helps people travel back and forth from your site to the Big Tent Poetry site, and it helps perpetuate Big Tent Poetry “findability” in Google searches — and that helps us all.

This week’s prompt

I spent a lot of time recently in close quarters on planes and in terminals and at gates. Stranded at Chicago O’Hare, I couldn’t resist entertaining myself in odd and socially-unacceptable ways. One of them was reading over the shoulder of the person next to me. Here is a Wordle with words snatched from the novel the woman sitting to my right was reading.

I also pilfered three phrases: “Say more,” “There is also the matter of ____” and “He started by _____.” Feeling up to an additional challenge? Use the Wordle words and one of the phrases. A bonus week. A double dare, if you will.

Pick any number of words (yes, from one to all, and combine them with one of the phrases, or not!) and write yourself a poem! Come back starting Friday and through the weekend to post your poems!

How prompts work under the Big Tent

We post prompts on Mondays, and you have all week to write your poems, based on our fabulous prompt or any other inspiration. Come back on Friday when you will find a “Come One, Come All” post where you can use the comments section to 1) leave a link to your poem or 2) leave the poem in its entirety.

You’ll have all day Friday (and all weekend!) to post your work and read each others’ work. Take your time. Enjoy all the poems that are new to the world.

Some hints

Hint: We’ve set Big Tent Poetry to Central Time.

Hint: An easy way to check on new post comments is with RSS reader, if you use one. Here’s the address: https://bigtentpoetry.org/comments/feed.

Hint: If you are new to our site, your comment(s) will be held for moderation for your first few posts. If you put more than one link in your comment, your comment(s) will be held for moderation. We’re checking the filters often, so don’t despair! That said, if it takes more than a half a day to see it come live on the site, do email us at info (at) bigtentpoetry.org. (But be patient, okay?)

Circus etiquette

We figure you know how to play in the poetry community, but here are the basics:

Be nice. Have fun. Remember we aren’t a critique forum. We want to support each other as we bring more poetry into our lives. Only provide critique if someone specifically asks for it.

Although we love seeing our badge in the sidebar of your blog, we would appreciate it if you would also link back to the site in each of your poem posts. Linking within your post helps people travel back and forth from your site to the Big Tent Poetry site, and it helps perpetuate Big Tent Poetry “findability” in Google searches — and that helps us all.