The Orchard Final Issue 2025

Table of Contents:
YWS Poet Profile - Avian | Quillfeather
YWS Poet Profile: FireEyes | Que
Why Poetry is Important (According to Quill) | Quillfeather
April Madness 2025 Recap | Quillfeather
NapoWriMo 2025 Recap | Quillfeather


A note from our temp editor...
Napo is officially over! and what a napo it was! so many threads, participation, collabs, napo jams, and everything that makes napo special!
And so now we have our napo recap in the form of an orchard article! The orchard was run this year by the one and only @EllieMae who worked hard to organize us article writers. We wrote articles interviewing poets, discussing napo, and our official wrap up. Lots of wonderful information!

The wonderful poet I got the chance to interview was @Avian
Avian has participated in napo for two years now. This year they are writing in the thread how rotten this inheritance a very amazing thread that you should absolutely go and check out!

Here is a quote from one of avians poems so far this napo -

i trail my fingers along the windowsill, kicking up dust
in my wake. my body will be remembered here, in the way
i twist shattered things into creation. i do not know if this is
mercy or torture; i find solace in knowing what i was made for.

Here's what avian had to say about their thread and napo in general!



Avian: This is my second year doing NaPo!



Avian: This year, I’ve been taking more time to read up on my fellow ywser’s threads, which I’ve really enjoyed. Doing a People’s Pick everyday has also helped me stay motivated to read, so I’ve been exposed to some amazing poetry this year (and we’re only eight days in).



Avian: My main inspiration came from a poem I wrote in March, which is also called “how rotten this inheritance.” I’ve been thinking a lot about similar traits between my family and myself, specifically when it comes to the way I think and feel. My family dynamic has been shifting with older siblings moving out, and I’ve been wondering about my own future after I leave home, so I’ve been exploring those ideas in this NaPo. Of course, I have poems that don’t quite fit that theme exactly, but I also think inheritance can come from our environment, a kind of “nurture versus nature” thing.



Avian: Of course! This year I want to write 1 poem each day, which I’ve been able to keep up with so far. I also have been doing a People’s Pick everyday, which I hope to continue.



Avian: Well, I just love poetry! That’s about as simple as it gets, but that’s the real reason I’m here. I love writing and reading poetry, and that’s what NaPo is all about.



Avian: Keep writing :]

Some great words from avian! Thank you for sharing your insights!

FireEyes has been killing it with their NaPo thread this year, little flames and evergreens. Through metaphors of trees and flames and beautiful nature imagery, the poems are self-examining as well as relationship-exploring, tough and tender in turns. They’re poems rooted in both places and people.

Read on to learn a little more about FireEyes’ NaPo!



FireEyes: The root of the theme with trees actually started with my poem i wish you trees, and bandaged knees, and i wish you love. That was the start of trees being used in my poetry as a symbol for seasonal depression. I expressed this to my partner and he likened me to an evergreen which is never out of season. So that somewhat became my nickname. And my nickname for him is “little flame”. I thought there was poetic potential there with our relationship being like a forest fire, this time framing fire as less destructive for most of my poems. At first I thought a large majority of my poems would be about my partner, but most of them evolved way past romance and struck a chord with other things I found important like mass urbanization or my grandmother.



FireEyes: This is my 3rd year participating. I started in 2023 with lipstick stains on wet walls. I kept last year’s offline. It’s really striking to see just how much I've grown in 2 years!



FireEyes: What I love most about NaPo is the challenge, especially when striving for A Poem A Day. It really makes me need to find inspiration where I can, even on the days I don’t feel particularly motivated. It just feels so good to complete something creatively difficult.



FireEyes: I’m currently in love with my 20th poem this month adorer est essayer et je te remercie pour essayer si fortement. It’s a poem for my glammie. It also uses the magnolia tree and other Louisiana staples to set the scene. I’m partial to it because I don’t see very many pieces of writing that focus on how beautiful Louisiana can be besides Mardi Gras. I’ve visited before and it holds a special place in my heart and so does my glammie.



FireEyes: I don't think I can pick a single favorite poem. but If I had to give a ywser a shoutout for amazing poetry it would have to be milkweed for their stunning and macabre works. Their diction, brevity, and clarity are so inspiring from a technical side and the little crawlings i get under my skin when I read their works are reminiscent of Poe. Love love love it!



FireEyes: As of recent, I am all about using one theme and weaving it through the whole poem as a metaphor or allegory. I like how it makes the piece harmonious and it makes me think deeper about certain things than what I see on the surface. It makes me need to do actual research into topic and I like how I come out of most poems now knowing more than I knew yesterday.

I’ve also realized that I subconsciously internally rhyme a lot. Like A LOT. I hardly use rhythmic rhymes in my poetry unless I think the piece calls for it, but in some quicker poems, I accidentally rhyme more times than I can count. I think it’s a bit of a staple now.

And this NaPo has made me aware when I should break a line. Really simple, right? But when I read back on old poetry aloud, I stumble over rhythm and my words because I used line breaks as more of an aesthetic choice than anything else.



FireEyes: I’m a free-verse girlie through and through. But I also write prose, so there is a mix of storytelling in my poetry. I’m often direct, not too much to read through in between the lines. I’m also fond of metaphors over similes (although I do use them a lot, too) because I think it enhances my poetic voice.

before Napo began we saw a hashtag surfacing around the site that asked #WhyNapo
Well I wanted to dive deep into depth on why I love napo and why it's important to me. I think this is so important to ask why we are doing things. So here is my take on why poetry.

Poetry is something that not all people will understand. I have heard people scoff when I mention I write poetry. But it is something that is so important to the world. It is a lens to view and articulate difficult human emotions and circumstance.
It can give a voice to people who couldn't find the words. It can bring out emotions that we didn't know we needed to feel but heal those parts of us. This is what makes poetry absolutely invaluable in my mind.

I love poetry because it is what makes me feel like I can express myself. It's the place where I i can speak out about the issues I see. And there's always the hope in my mind that someone will read it and find solace in the lines I write.

Another beautiful thing about poetry is that anything can be poetic! If you are a WFP goer like myself, you will see many jokes about things people say being poetic. But the thing is it is true. Poetry is what you make it. You can have infinite combinations of rhyme and meter. Number of stanzas, number of syllables, number of words, order of words, iambic pentameter or no. It is all up to you. You can use standard poetic forms from acrostics to sonnets and everything in between. You can use your creativity in any way you want and make a beautiful poem. So, take your creative liberties and go wild!

The last thing I want to mention about poetry is a little bit of advice as we are in the thick of NAPO
1 Remember not to judge your poetry harshly. Every poem is a learning step, a place you define your poetic voice, hone your skills, and learn your craft. Every poem won’t impress everyone and become worldwide famous. But every poem will be special to you because it is an expression of yourself. And it might even be special to someone else because they see themselves in that piece. So, share your poetry, love your poetry!
2. Remember that here on YWS you are part of a community! I wouldn't have my love for Napo if it weren't for the way it is here on YWS. People are leaving encouraging comments, writing in WFP Napo Jams, and knowing that people all around me hold the same love for poetry that I do. So, look to those around you, there you will find inspiration, motivation, and support.
3. Remember why YOU Napo. The key for motivation for me is remembering why I am doing what I am doing. And that won’t be the same for me as it is for you. You can have many reasons for this. But remember why you love this, and don't lose your spark in trying to meet a goal.

So, with all my ramblings done I hope you have a wonderful rest of your napo! I would love to hear more of your reasons why you napo!

Happy poeting!

April madness is a bracket competition held throughout the month of April. There will be a certain amount of contestants and they face off round by round until the final winner is announced.

This year there were 20 contestants in total. We had 36 poems summited through out all the rounds. That is so much wonderful poetry!
Players faced off and wrote well to advance to each round.

In round one we had 18 poems submitted and these were our contestants that moved forward

syzygy With the poem Iron star
LuminescentAnt With the poem The chemist
AvianWith the poem becoming, existing, becoming
Euphory with the poem the present is organic matter, the future holds roses
LadySpark with the poem musings on the love of my life
SilverNight with the poem astronaut’s prayer
WeepingWisteria with the poem Losing Time
theromanticchemist with the poem supposed to do great things
avimoon with the poemfrom the pit to the forge: briares speaks (the hecatoncheires and hephaustus)
candyhearts with the poem inheritance
Roxannewith the poem Equation of Lies = Subtraction of Truth
niteowl with the poem words recycled like radio songs

All these poems wrote wonderful poems and the judges agreed! All these poems scored the highest in their bracket. Next round we had 12 entries and these are the users who advanced

syzygy with the poem dog days
LuminescentAnt with the poeman astronomical destiny
Euphory with the poem what could you possibly kill that you love so much,
it would make the Sun rise again?
LadySpark with the poem sunshine on a front porch // shadows on a front porch
SilverNight with the poem we burned everything shaped like home
candyhearts with the poem kether



and finnally we had two users who stuck out each round for their creativity and incredible poet skills. These two finalst were

Euphory with the poem a womb as the gravity of a home

and

candyhearts With the poem interstice


The ultimate winner after 4 rounds of high scores and amazing poems - was candyhearts

I absolutely LOVED this winning poem and seeing this poets poetry all throughout this month!

Thank you all for your participation. You all are what make this competition what it is. You all represent the spirit of what we are doing. Commending the wonderful poets on this site all in the name of friendly competition. We all love that! And who doesn't enjoy a shiny new badge. I am thankful for everyone that helped this to come together and be an amazing competition! Including our judges and participants. You are all truly incredible!

Thank you all! Happy poeting!

Spoiler

Tags for all the people mentioned in this article
@syzygy @LuminescentAnt @WeepingWisteria @Ventomology @NovemberCrow @theromanticchemist @NadyaStatham @Roxanne @niteowl @avimoon @eulogy @Hannah @Avian @Willard @candyhearts @alliyah @mantra @Euphory @LadySpark @SilverNight @ToastK @EllieMae @milkweed @Elektra

Well folks we've made it! 30 days of poetry, community, and inspiration.
we all had different goals but we all got something out of this napo. Lessons about life, new perspectives, and lots and lots of wonderful poetry.

This years theme was a farmstead. All things fruits, vegetables, animals, and everything in between. Because what is poetry if not growth! Growing fresh poems, herding thoughts into words, carefully crafting your poetic skills!

We had 55 threads posted in the NapoWriMo form this napo. That is an incredible amount of poetry! I am so glad to see the amount of users participating in this event. That's what makes Napo extremely special to me. The amount of poets, young and seasoned alike, coming together and inspiring the world with their words. All of us had something to say, so we picked up our pens and our keyboards and said them. That is extremely powerful. Even though some of us had goals we didn't reach, we still had something very special this napo.

I loved seeing the poets here for the first time. Experiencing your first napo those are memories you will never forget. And I love seeing the users that continue to come back year after year dedicated to the craft of poetry.

We had many special events around this site -

One of these such events was April madness with 20 contestants, 45 poems submitted, and one winner. You can see more on April Madness here April Madness - 2025

We also brought back the lovely tradition of Napo Buddies with sixteen participants and eight groups. These users were randomly paired together to encourage and support each other throughout napo. You can see more on that here 2025 NaPo Buddies

And we continued the tradition of PCrewPicks. These were users poetry highlighted each day of the week by a PCrew member. You can view who was picked in the The PCrewPick Hall of Fame

And many more wonderful events!

So here's to another wonderful year of Napo! Weather you wrote 30 or 1 poem this month I am proud of you for all the work you are doing for the world of literature. You gave words to someone who couldn't find them, you inspired someone who needed it, and you grew and fostered your own skills. I've loved every poem I have read, fond comfort or deep emotions in many, and seen myself reflected in the mirror of these words.

Thank you to everyone who participated in napo! You make napo what it is here on YWS. You make it into what I love and why I come back each year to participate. Thank you to all the moderators and everyone who makes napo possible through their hard work and dedication. It is an unpaid job, you are volunteering your time, energy, and giving the rest of us the joy of what this community can bring us.

for the last time this year,

Happy poeting!