History of National Poetry Writing Month
National Poetry Writing Month (also known as NaPoWriMo) is a creative writing project held annually in April in which participants attempt to write a poem each day for one month. NaPoWriMo coincides with the National Poetry Month in the United States of America and Canada.
NaPoWriMo, or National Poetry Writing Month, is an annual project in which participating poets attempt to write a poem a day for the month of April.
This website is owned and operated by Maureen Thorson, a poet living in Washington, DC. Inspired by NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month), she started writing a poem a day for the month of April back in 2003, posting the poems on her blog. When other people started writing poems for April, and posting them on their own blogs, Maureen linked to them. After a few years, so many people were doing NaPoWriMo that Maureen decided to launch an independent website for the project.
My History with National Poetry Writing Month
I started writing poetry in 1988 after I had been exposed to T.S. Elliot in my honors English class in high school. In 1992 I started reading my poetry publicly at Espesso Europia Coffee Shop in Abilene Tx while I was in the United States Air Force. This continued for many years when I ran my own poetry reading at Cannova’s in Loves Park Illinois and attended the poetry slams at The green Mill in Chicago Illinois. While living in Rockford Illinois I published my first book of poetry Throwing Yourself at the Ground and Missing in 2007 followed by Postcards From Someone You Don’t Know in 2008 Wisdom From the Sack in 2010 and Shaving Crop Circles In My Chest Hair in 2017. You can get copies of all of these books in my merch section. In 2009 I started participating in National Poetry Writing Month which became the basis for my book Wisdom From the Sack and Shaving Crop Circles in My Chest Hair. In 2020 I started publishing my podcast version of the challenge and those can be viewed here for 2020 and here for 2021.
April 14th Poetry Prompt
And now for our (optional) prompt. Today’s challenge is a fun one: write a poem that takes the form of the opening scene of the movie of your life. Does it open with a car chase? A musical number? A long scene panning across a verdant plain? You’re the director (and also the producer, the actors, the set designer, the cinematographer, and the lowly assistant that buys doughnuts for the crew) – so it’s all up to you!
April 14th Poem
Big Bang
14 April 2022
There’s a smattering of people sitting in an early 70’s movie theater
Trails of cigarette smoke rise through the air
You can hear the sounds of shoes moving across a sticky floor
Most everyone had seen the picture before
This was the winter of 72 and The Godfather was heading out after a phenomenal run
The lights started to go down, someone snored, someone else lit up a joint
The projector kicked on and the single lamp illuminated the yellowed screen
A pregnant couple with a 4 year old boy sat toward the back
Both parents smoking and sneaking a drink from a flask
Just as the opening credits started to roll
The mother cries out from the contractions
She hollers as tears start to form in the boy’s eyes
The time is now and wasn’t expected for a week or more
This was supposed to be their X-mas baby
That was what the father wanted
Because you get all the clothes from the hospital
He sighs and mutters about the money he has spent
On tickets popcorn and drinks
As she grunts and the boy narrowly doesn’t wet his pants
They leave the theater
Hearing patrons shush the mother
Not knowing or caring about her predicament
The father climbs behind the wheel
And starts to warm the car
Mother and son sit in the back seat
She is crushing his little hand
The father lights another smoke and rolls the window down a crack
As they get to the hospital and swerving to the ER
The attendants rush the mother inside
The boy and the father sit in the waiting room
He’s smoking again, the boy silent and very alone
After 4 AM, the boy looking at the father who has fallen asleep
Between the snores and coughs
A doctor steps out
Calls out the father’s name
The boy wonders if he should answer
And again, he hears the name
The boy speaks he’s asleep
Reaching Out
To reach out to me, email timothy@createartpodcast.com I would love to hear about your journey and what you are working on. If you would like to be on the show or have me discuss a topic that is giving you trouble write in and let’s start that conversation.
- Email: timothy@createartpodcast.com
- YouTube Channel: Create Art Podcast YT Channel
- IG: @createartpodcast
- Twitter: @createartpod
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