Young Writers Society

Hello poet! On behalf of the YWS Poetry Crew, welcome to the 2022 NaPo Information Station. National Poetry Month officially kicks off April 1st and will be a month full of sweet poetry fun. Below you'll find a list of your important links, an index of the 2022 threads, and maybe some croissants or toast to go with your poetry jam and a basket of encouragement. Feel free to post below if you have prompts, questions, comments, or want to share about how your NaPo experience is going!

What is National Poetry Month aka NaPo?

National Poetry Month is celebrated all over the globe and is a month-long celebration of all things poetry during the month of April. The classic challenge is to write 30 Poems in 30 days, one for every day in April. You don't have to do 30 poems to participate in NaPo on YWS though, in fact, there'll be a host of challenges and opportunities to earn badges too.

In addition to being challenged to write poetry, we'd also love for you to join us in reading poetry by commenting on other people's NaPo threads and joining in our poetry discussions and write-ins throughout the month too!

How do I participate in NaPo?

To participate in National Poetry Month, you actually don't need to post your poems through the publishing center (that'd be a lot of poems!) But to be considered for the badges and also to let everyone else admire your poetry please make a new thread (just one) in the NaPoWriMo Forum to post your poems in. If you're interested in working towards the NaPo Badges please be sure to number your poems! We also ask you to please choose "comments welcome" as a sticker on your thread if you are open to comments and refrain from commenting on threads that don't have that sticker. Leaving comments is a great way to support and encourage each other during NaPo. Watch out for other ways to participate in Poetry Jams (poetry-write-ins), discussions, and contests throughout the month.

If you have questions don't hesitate to ask!

These Violent Delights - Elinor
it's almost over, it's just begun - tweezers
this is the life - dancingontheclouds
my life is mythology - TypoWithoutCoffee
Dark As A Summer’s Night - lehmanf
Numbscullery - Starve
vfx: car on fire - looseleaf
Figments Of My Imagination - QueenMadrose
Late Night Thoughts - ForeverYoung299
City of the Bats - Magebird
my house of bones (pt 2) - LadySpark
queer fish - ShadowVyper
Reality is a Sadist - AlmostImmortal
chupacabra - Zenaida
broken and contrite - soundofmind
to be & not to be - Plume
senior year - TheSilverFox
our unrealistic standards for stars - SilverNight
Dream Jars (and other storied places) Liminality
Busy bee, busy bee, won't you please sing for me? - Ventomology
a bluesclues mixtape: side a - BluesClues
wherever you go, there you are - TriSARAHtops
friendly and thoughtful and quite awfully pretty - Grimmwolf
ghosts burning - Meshugenah
candy kisses, chocolate skies. - Carina
lost stones, old address books, and spreadsheet weeds - niteowl
pink blossoms i scatter become poems - rida
I lost my notebook in the spring sea - Buranko
sun machine - atlast
feathered ink - cryptologenic
rêvasser - Que
a summation of my schooling - JustPerks
Wandering Minds - Hkumar
Broken pieces of my soul become a mosaic - TrinityPoeting
finding (and creating) avant-garde poems - Kelisot
rain on soft leaves, kisses on sunbeams - Apricity
anchors tied to paper boats - lliyah
Scarli's Poetree Corner - ScarlettFire
somewhere, folded in under the horizon - Seirre
from frosted leaves to palm trees - SpiritedWolfe
NaPoWriMo 2022 poems - BeingRivy
oiling old bones - tinny
Through the Thistles - Rook
I mean, truly - PenguinAttack
to chase every goose - PoetryGoos
Branching Out - VioletFantasy
Lethologica - Stringbean
Down the Rabbit Hole - LizzyTyler
you know who i am and who i was - Brigadier
My Very Uncreative Head That Can't Think of a Title - ChesTacos
i feel like you've been turning 26 for years - Holysocks
Who Is Dancing In My Tomb? - SoullessGinger
Ghost of You - shayspeare
Wayward's Whimsical Wanderings - waywardxwanderer
insert fancy, aesthetic title here - starlitmind

Important 2022 NaPo Threads

2022 Badge Info

April Madness

Prompt Central - Find & Share Prompts

Host a Contest NaPo Challenge - earn points for hosting a poetry contest during NaPo!

NaPo Archives

Poetry Clubs on YWS

Poetry Jams - poetry write-ins (feel free to share your own WFP links!)

Poem A Week - frequent poetry prompts

Poetry Readers - monthly poetry discussions

Community Poetry Journal - discuss / share your favorite poems

PCrew Poetry Resource Picks

alliyah's pick -> Writing with Layered Meaning from Squills

2022 NaPo Recap

Hashtags

#jammified - show your excitement for all things NaPo by collecting that excitement in a jam jar and setting it as your avatar!
#NaPoGoals - Are you going for 5 poems? 30? trying out a special structure or wanting to collab with someone? Let the site know by sharing your NaPo Goals for April.
#WhyNaPo / WhyTryNaPo - share the reasons you are doing NaPo this year and why others might like to join in.
#AlphabetAnswers - share some of your thoughts about different topics that have to do with poetry or NaPo!
#PoetryShoutout - give a shoutout to a favorite poem by a YWSer that you see around the site.
#NaPoThemes - Share the backstory of what your NaPo theme is or brainstorm on the People Tab about your theme.

Events

(date automatically adjusted) @Plume is hosting a Poetry Reader's Discussion
Host Your Own Poetry Jam during March!
Sign up to Host a Poetry Contest during April
brainstorm your NaPo Theme Here

Favorite Poetry Activities to Stretch Your Poetry Muscles

Haiku Train
Poem Spot [-on the spot]
Worst Poem Thread
Tanka Train

for storing jam jars



(pictured above @Seirre, @rida, @Plume, @dancingontheclouds, @alliyah, @Hkumar, @Atlas, @Liminality, @starlitmind, @Coffeeboyjay, @trinitypoeting, @Stringbean, @typowithoutcoffee, @ForeverYoung299, @AlmostImmortal,)

Join us by turning your avatar into a Jam Jar to count-down until April!

Looking to stretch those poetry muscles? @Plume has a poetry discussion open today if you'd like to join ->

Plume wrote:Come and join!! Even if you haven't read the poem yet, you're always welcome!!

Plume wrote:Our discussion of @anne27's poem Footprints on Cement is LIVE!!!

Link to original comment

Link to original comment

We Are 10 Jam Jars Away! Are You Ready?

April is just around the corner! Have you made your thread? Done some goal setting with the #NaPoGoals Hashtag? Done a little brainstorming?

If you want to stretch your poetry muscles a little bit don't forget about some of the fabulous poetry activities we have in the forums (a few are listed under the March header above)!

Also during April Poetry Crew is hosting this wonderful opportunity for you to get some points for hosting your own contest during April! We'd love to encourage NaPo participants to consider hosting a contest of their own - can't wait to see what you come up with! More details below!

Liminality wrote:

Psst . . . what's that? A #NaPo contest for hosting contests? Click here to find out more!

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one week of jam jars remaining!

We are officially one week from NaPo! How are you feeling? Is your thread ready?

Sometimes in the week or so before NaPo I try to collect prompts that I can use during the month - this ends up making the month slightly less intimidating even if I don't use all the prompts I've collected. In fact here are 30 prompts you can use if you get stuck that can be kind of fun to write from too! You can feel free to share your own poetry prompts in that thread as well if you come up with something great.

Still plenty of time to participate in our pre-napo hashtags too (#jammified, #NaPoThemes, #NaPoGoals, #WhyNaPo, #PoetryShoutout, #AlphabetAnswers)!

If you go up a few posts you can also see our beautiful Jam Jar collection on the site from avvies that have turned into jam in honor of NaPo - if you've been searching the internet for just the right jam jar look no further - I have the perfect option for you... yep! A pristine jar of green olives!

2 Jam Jars Left

Random Challenge:
~Need some poetry points to post your poems during #NaPo22 ? Or just want to get in some poetry stretching? If you post a poem in 4 of the below links before NaPo starts I'll send you 200 points~ (if you complete the challenge, let me know on my wall so I can send you points!)


Poetry Forum Activities
Life by Haiku
Tanka Train
Haiku Train
Worst Poem Thread
Prompt Attack

^ just pretend this says #NaPo22 instead of NaPo21 please, I do not have time for picture editing this morning.

Wow, has March absolutely flown by for anyone else? I am really looking forward to National Poetry Writing Month starting tomorrow and so looking forward to reading all your poetry. If you haven't signed up yet, now is the time to go to the NaPo Forum and make a thread.

Best of luck to everyone doing NaPo this year! I hope you are able to achieve your goals! Keep your eyes on this information thread during the month of April as well as the Poetry Jam Club to keep track of any fun discussions / jams / contests that are going on. Also feel free to post here yourself too; whether it's jam or write-in links, questions, or prompts as long as it's NaPo related it's welcome in this thread!

Just A few quick boosts:
> there's a couple days left to sign up for April Madness
> Our "Host a Contest Challenge" is good for the whole month of April, if you have a poetry contest you've always wanted to run, now is the time!
> You may want to double check the NaPo Badge collection we've got this year as you formulate your goals.
> You are cool and also a poet! <3

Happy first day of NaPo everyone!

Despite the ... interesting goose take-over we're off to a fabulous start and lots of amazing poems are already being written.



Don't forget if you get stuck there are probably over a hundred prompts right here at your disposal!

If you're hosting a poetry jam we encourage you to tell us about in the Jam Club so everyone knows it's happening.

And don't forget to encourage people as you go, if someone's thread has the green Comments Welcome button go ahead and leave them some encouragement. You can even Collect a badge if you collect your encouraging comment links.

Have a wonderous month!

NaPo is really off to a fabulous start! You're all doing great!

A few PSAs for NaPo:

1) If you would like comments in your thread or don't mind them please make sure you've added the Comments Welcome tag to your thread (you can do that by editing the first post, if you have questions ask a Poetry Mod). This helps folks know if you are against comments or would appreciate them.

2) If you are using mature themes or strong language in your poetry, be sure to use a content warning or rating indication before the poem to give readers a heads up please.

3) Your info on what badges are available during April for NaPo is right here! There's even a badge for attending 5 poetry write-ins or for spreading cheer by making 10 or 20 comments! More info in the thread.

Any questions / concerns / need a prompt? Ask a Poetry Crew Moderator!
~Happy Poeting!

We have made it 1/3 of the way through National Poetry Month! Wow!

There's so much beautiful poetry being written this month - don't forget to be commenting in those threads to help spread joy & encouragement - you can even earn the Starter Seed Badge for writing and logging 10 comments, or the Garden Challenge Badge by writing 20. If you particularly love a poem or line you can also give it a shoutout on your wall with the hashtag #PoetryShoutout.

Check out the post above to learn more about @Plume's Exquisite Corpse Poetry Contest, and if you're interested in hosting your own mini NaPo contest there is still plenty of time, and Poetry Bot will even give you points to help you host it.

Last but not least, if you're running out of inspiration all your Poetry Prompts are in the Prompt Center, and extra ones can be found over in the Poem A Week Club.