So...Give Poems a Try

In November 2010 I participated in the Poetic Asides November PAD (Poem A Day) Chapbook challenge.  I dedicated my month of poeming to motherhood.  All my poems were about my kids or about my experience as a mom.  I loved the creative outlet and I loved the compilation of poems I ended up with.  I think of it as an important record of a very important time in my life.  I hope that someday my children enjoy reading it and find value in my experiences.

My Grandma (whom I'm named after) enjoyed writing poetry too.  She self-published a book of her poems, short stories, and essays to give to family members.  She wrote a poem for almost every family member, including her grandchildren.  She wrote poems and stories about memorable, meaningful experiences.  It very clearly was a form of journaling for her (along with her very well documented family calendar) and a creative outlet/hobby/talent that she loved.  She passed away before she was able to write her personal history, so these writings serve that purpose for us. 

my Grandma and Grandpa

I am so thankful to have her writings!  I have gotten to know her and grow closer to her as I read about her experiences, struggles, passions, and insights.  I was surprised to learn that she struggled with a lot of the same things I do, though my memory of her didn't imply that.  I learn so much from her through her writings and admire her greatly.  She is one of the most important role models in my life and I cannot wait to see her again someday.

And since it's November again, and I'm thinking about my Grandma and poems and such, I thought I would share another place to find inspiration for NaBloPoMo - the Poetic Asides November PAD (Poem A Day) Chapbook challenge.  This challenge gives a poetry prompt everyday and a place for you to share the poems you write in the comments section.  It has been a couple years since I've written much poetry, but I really enjoy participating in these challenges because the prompts push my creativity and can get some pretty great results.

Besides the PAD Challenge going on this month, Poetic Asides also offers poetry prompts every Wednesday.  Poetic Asides is a wonderful community of writers of all different experience and styles.  If you write poetry, or ever have thought about starting, this community is a great group to get involved in.  It is a supportive group of writers and a safe place to submit work and get positive/constructive feedback.

But if you're not interested in joining a community or sharing your work, still consider poetry as a form of journaling and personal history.  You may like it!  At the very least, it could be an option/alternative when you're lacking ideas or inspiration for things to blog about.  I sure am glad that my grandma chose to write even though she considered herself an amateur.  Her poems are such a treasure to me.

Happy Poeming and Happy Blogging!



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Thanks for stopping by!