Young Writers Society

(frequently asked questions for national poetry writing month)

What is 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 - and post those poems in your "NaPo Thread". There are many ways to participate though - from poetry discussions and jams and different contests and challenges.

How do I participate?
Make a NaPo thread to post your poetry, watch the people tab for other activities, and comment in other people's threads too! You are more likely to have people read / comment in your thread if you are commenting in others and it's fun to share those good poetry seeds and comments around our NaPo community garden!

Please keep in mind that when commenting in NaPo threads, this is usually not a "Critique" session, while you are free to comment however you like - usually it's more common to keep comments of a more positive and encouraging nature for NaPo and save the critiques for your lit center reviews.

What is a NaPo thread?
Your "NaPo Thread" is where you post all your poetry that you want to count towards your Badges / Challenges and share with the site. Typically users will have a little title post, an index or a post where they want to save links, and then can just post poetry or commentary or prompts you want to save - whatever! If you want your poems to count towards the challenges, be sure to number each one. Also if you want people to not comment in your thread be sure to choose "No Comments" in the options for the forum.

To make a NaPo thread go to The NaPoWriMo Forum under events at the bottom of the page. And click the blue "Post A New Topic" button.

What else is going on?
There's lot of fun poetry stuff going on throughout the month like poetry jams, contests, etc. One of the classic NaPo Contests ran every April is called "April Madness" which you can find more information about Here. The best places to watch for new Poetry Activites are the Information Thread and the People Tab.

What is a Poetry Jam?
A Poetry Jam is a collaborative space where anyone can write poetry together in a shared space. These are held in Writer Feed Pads (WFP) and links for official Poetry Jams will be posted in the Poetry Jams club. All are welcome to join! if you wish to host your own, create your own WFP, and share the link on the poetry club wall. And remember all YWS rules apply.

Do I have to write 30 poems to participate?
No! While it is fun to challenge yourself to do 30, we welcome participation at every level and some years people just don't have time to write 30 poems. So we actually offer a badge for writing just 5 too! You're encouraged to set a goal at the beginning of the month, but that goal is totally up to what you want to do. In the spirit of NaPo the only real stipulation is that the poems do have to be "new" for April. More information about this year's Challenges and how to earn badges can be found [url=https:linkincoming]in the 2024 Badge Information Thread[/url].

What is "The Orchard"?
This year we're doing something new! @LadySpark is hosting a Poetry / NaPo Newsletter all Poetry-Season long! More Information Here.

When does it start?
You can post your thread any time, but the challenge / activities start April 1st (in your timezone) and go through the end of April. there will be events and poetry Jams held all through April.

theme or no theme?
The bottom line on this is that it's all up to you! Some people prefer themes and some don't. But to explain what a them is and why you may or may not want one may help you decide. A theme can be many things. As an example you could write about a feeling or poetic motif. Write about a problem, write about your self growth over time. Have all of your poems centering around a thing, thought, or idea, is how a theme is generally handled.

One of the biggest advantages to a theme is you have structure. This is especially helpful with poem a day goal. When you are trying to think of what to write about, a theme gives you a spring board of ideas to write on. The biggest advantage of not having a theme is freedom. It lets you write about any idea or inspiration that comes, without feeling you have to tie it into a message or idea. Both are great options and it's more about what suites you best!

Where can I find more information
You can find a lot more information and periodic updates at the NaPo Information Thread which you are encouraged to subscribe to.

My Question isn't answered here!
If you have a question that wasn't answered, feel free to comment below or message one of our lovely poetry crew moderators (Meshugenah, alliyah,Plume, creaturefeature, AilahEvelynMae, Quillfeather, LadySpark.) We're happy to help!

Please feel free to ask more questions here below, that's why we're here!

A lot of questions need to be answered, but the article has given a lot of answers with detailed information. I have a question I would like answered. I created a NAPO.net non-member account. Can I become a NAPO member and keep my existing NAPO.net account?

@slippersmeal - NaPo is not a membership program. It is currently not running right now but next year you can participate! Really all you have to do to participate is write poetry in the month of napo! It can be every day or 30 total, or 15. Just whatever you want to do is fine! And then In April (NAPO month!) will will have a forum where you can create a thread and post the poems you write there. There are also always activities all throughout NaPo!

But there is no membership, you do not have to sign up
hopefully we will see you in April!