Sacred Poetry: An Invitation to Write
40 Full Color Pages
5.5×5.5 inches square
Printed with Recycled Paper & Soy Ink
$12
From the Introduction:
The Poetry Parties began two years ago in a serendipitous way. Normally the posts I write for my blog are a combination of both word and image. Then one day I posted a series of images of doors with no words and the response was very enthusiastic. Some people spontaneously wrote their own poems in response. It planted a seed for me to experiment with posting images and themes as a prompt for writing poetry and creating a virtual Poetry Party. Thirty-six Poetry Parties later (and counting) they have been a source of great delight for me and the wonderful poets who gather to celebrate the beauty of words.
In this issue of my series of Reflective Art Journals I gather together some of my favorite prompts here in the hopes of inspiring even more people to write poetry. Use these to prompt your own poetry writing and with groups. Also included alongside some of the prompts are examples of the beautiful poems readers have written in response. I have arranged the themes to offer reflections that move through the year, since many of the themes ask you to consider how the season speaks to you of your own inner life. Spend time with the images and themes and notice what they stir in you. Allow your words to form in response. You might begin with some journaling to get the images flowing. Sometimes it is easier to start writing poetry with a poetic form, a simple one like a haiku can be an especially good way to get the poetry moving through you (three lines of 5/7/5 syllables). Warm up your poetic muse with a series of haiku responses and then see if you are inspired to extend these poems into longer forms.
My hope is that you discover the many joys of poem-making. Poetic blessings to you — Christine Valters Paintner
