Young Writers Society

First things first, head over to the NaPo Forum! Here you'll find fellow poet's threads, information topics, and other relevant event information. To get started, create your own thread! Give it a super fun name, and if you want to get crazy— maybe a theme! To find out more about how to get started, you can always click on the 2024 NaPo Information thread. In this topic, you can read more about what NaPo is, how to get started, and what bonuses are going to be included on YWS this month to celebrate!

Next, you're going to want to head to the FAQ thread.

Don't forget to check out the April Madness! This is an awesome March-Madness-esque bracket contest where YWS poets go head to head with their best writing from the month! It's a great way to get involved with the community and show off your killer poetry skills at the same time! The planting window for sign up is passed, but it's always so fun to read everyone's submissions and root for your favorite participating YWS poets!

Make sure to check out the 2024 Badge thread and start tracking your progress towards your badges! How many can you collect this year? Don't forget - if you want to earn your Poem A-Day Badge, make sure you're posting at least one poem a day in your NaPo thread!

A favorite from last year, #PCrewPicks and #PeoplesPick are back! Make sure to check out the official #PCrewPicks awards, here. Every poem featured by the Poetry Crew receives an exclusive badge!

Don't forget you can earn your Poetry Jam Badge by attending the poetry jams and write-ins frequently posted in the People Tab. Make sure to save the links and sign in somewhere on the WFP. If you don't see any hosted when you can attend or when you want to write, start your own! Click the WriterFeed Pad tab in your personal menu on YWS!

NaPo Countdown: It's April 11th! We're almost half way there!

Participating in the Neopolitan Games? Don't forget the week two challenges! This week's 3 challenges are so fun!

#PCrewPicks: Week two... What is the poetry crew reading this week?!

So many poetry jams happening! Join or host your own!

There's a NEW CONTEST in the NaPo forums this year - inspired by a previous contest @Audy ran in 2017. Each week there will be three mini challenges users can participate in.

The Strawberry Challenge - Time to add a little extra kick to your poetry, and try out new skills! Use The Poetic Element: Personification in your poem this week.


The Vanilla Challenge - Was your poem a "NaPo Classic"? If your poem used The Poetry Theme of... Astronomy or Eclipses between April 8-14 you can claim this badge.

The Chocolate Challenge - Time to go out and read some sweet sweet poetry! Find the NaPo poem among the other threads from this week that uses These NaPo Lines: "The sun ascends, its warmth renewed / Melting ice and solitude. / Robins trill, their notes take wing, /Winter yields to gentle spring."



How do I participate? - To find out what this week's challenges are (April 8 - April 14) and follow future challenges check out the information thread RIGHT HERE.

What's the Prize? - Completing a Neapolitan Game Challenge earns you 25 points and a NaPo exclusive badge. Be sure to check these games out for a little challenge and maybe even some inspiration this April!

AmayaStatham can be recognized around the site with her helpful pointers and event-enthusiasm. She is all-in for NaPo this year, and is excited to participate in her very first one. You can check out her poetry thread here: A girl called February.



Amaya: I never thought I would be good at poetry, because I’m always writing stories. And now look at me, I’ve already written about 8 poems! I’m not the best poet and certainly not the most excellent rhymer.

But poetry is just something which you don’t have to be good at, you can just let it flow. And the amazing thing is everything can be poetry, whether is a type of style or a different word choice.

I love the freedom poetry gives me.



Amaya: I decided to try NaPo, because it’s my first time and I’d like to unlock my inner poet Just kidding, I love a challenge which is why I think NaPo is the perfect opportunity.



Amaya:
* To write a minimum of 13 poems.
* To make my first NaPo an unforgettable blast.
* And to try team tortoise for poetry in April.



Amaya: Not really, I’ll try to stay organised and do a lot of preparation for inspiration so I can just write in April.



Amaya: To be honest, I don’t really have a plan for my thread: A girl called February

I named it that way, because I thought it stood out and is funny to look back to after a while. I do want to do something with princesses, confidence and fearlessness.



Amaya: Well, it’s my first time. So I’m excited for everything!

Here's how it works... In its most basic form a Cinquain is a poem that has five lines, most often its syllable count is always the same (2, 4, 6, 8, 2) modeled after Adelaide Crapsey's poetry the originator of the American Cinquain style.

Here's one version of how those lines are sometimes structured:

Line 1 is a single Noun or Description of Title (can be modified with "the" or "these" etc.) (2 syllables)

Line 2 is a further Description of Line 1 or Title (4 syllables)

Line 3 is an Action (6 syllables)

Line 4 is a Feeling or Effect (8 syllables)

Line 5 is a Synonym of Line 1 or Synonym of Title (2 syllables)

EXAMPLE

photo album hunting for Wilhelmina, NaPo 2021
photo
curled at the edge
aged ink becomes story
though for the viewer or the viewed?
memory

Pro Poet-Tip! There is absolutely room to play with this form - the lines can be connected, or disconnected, you can use punctuation or italics artfully, you can play with the line "requirements" Adelaide Crapsey did this all the time in her own work and it's part of what makes this form so fun in my opinion. Also don't be afraid to use your title to serve as almost an additional line of clarification or substance to your poem.

Here's are some favorites... Some lovely ones by Adelaide Crapsey can be found on cinquain.org. You also can find a cinquain from this year's NaPo by @Spearmint over in their thread here called "to a writer returning from lands of doubt".

Feel like giving it a try? If you want to give your Cinquain Writing some practice on YWS you can check out these threads and resources!

Cinquain Poem Thread

Beautiful Cinquains & How to Write Them