Welcome!

This is the website for Poems for the Writing: Prompts for Poets (Second Edition), by Lynn Levin and Valerie Fox, published by Texture Press.

We plan to post in this blog, now and again, more prompts for writing (in the spirit of those in the book). Do let us know what you think about the prompts. We also will highlight reviews of the book and news about our wonderful contributors. We’ll also present advice and notes on process from Texture Press and PFTW authors in “Texture Authors Practicum.”

We wrote Poems for the Writing to help poets–beginning as well as experienced ones–in their practice and growth as writers. The prompts in the book, as well as the sample poems that accompany them, are meant to inspire poets to both try new strategies and forms and also revitalize their present practices.

These are our contributors: Marie Kane, Katherine A. Hogan, Kevin Hughes, Miriam N. Kotzin, John Vick, Susan Smith Nash, Arlene Ang, Lewis Warsh, Cynthia Branigan, Christopher Bursk, Chris Cunningham, Emily Dickinson, M. Eaton, Jim Ellis, Daniela Elza, Robert Fabianski, Valerie Fox, Lynn Levin, Lauren Hall, Luray Gross, Peter Wood, Joanna Fuhrman, Christine Hamm, Rina Terry, Marshall Warfield, Laurel Hostek, Kelly McQuain, Don Riggs Leonard Gontarek, Corie Feiner, John Timpane, Dawn Manning, Hayden Saunier, Aimee LaBrie, Harriet Levin, Alina Macneal, Erin McCourt, Eric Muth, Joe Nguyen, Mirna Norales, William Shakespeare, Anna Strong, and Heather H. Thomas. Don Riggs contributes witty illustrations.

Here’s something from the back cover: “Fox and Levin’s Poems for the Writing: Prompts for Poets is a wake-up call to action for poets of any persuasion or skill level. Brimming with fresh ideas, clear methods, and inspiring examples, the authors have created a classroom-tested cornucopia of poetry prompts, supplemented by useful prompts from accomplished poets. From the math-pattern-inspired ‘Fibonacci Poem’ to the ‘Paraclausithyron,’ a form excavated from the ancients, Poems for the Writing excites the mind and sparks the hand to move across the page. Rather than the same old writing bromides, this book advocates that you ‘Write What You (Don’t) Know.’ Sure to refresh your writing and teaching practice.”
–Heather H. Thomas, Professor of English, Kutztown University, author of Resurrection Papers

Happy Writing!
Lynn Levin and Valerie Fox

About Lynn and Valerie:
Lynn Levin is the author of the poetry collections Miss Plastique (Ragged Sky Press); Fair Creatures of an Hour (Loonfeather Press), a Next Generation Indie Book Awards finalist in poetry; and Imaginarium (Loonfeather Press), a finalist for ForeWord Magazine’s Book of the Year Award. A literary translator, she translates the work of Peruvian poet Odi Gonzales. She teaches at Drexel University and the University of Pennsylvania.

Valerie Fox’s books of poetry include The Rorschach Factory (2006, Straw Gate Books) and The Glass Book (2010, Texture Press). Bundles of Letters Including A, V and Epsilon (2011, Texture Press) is a collaborative book with Arlene Ang. Her work has appeared in many journals, including Hanging Loose, Apiary, West Branch, Sentence, and Qarrtsiluni. Originally from central Pennsylvania, she has travelled and lived throughout the world, and has taught writing and literature at numerous universities including Sophia University (in Tokyo) and currently at Drexel University (in Philadelphia). More on Fox at her Texture Press author page: https://sites.google.com/site/texturepress/home/texture-press-writers/valerie-fox