Welcome to The Public Domain Poetry Project!
The purpose of this ‘stack is to provide some weekly inspiration to poets. I don’t know about you, but I love a good poetry prompt. My notion in starting this project was to provide a regular (weekly) prompt in the form of a line from another poem. Using poems in the public domain allows me to avoid any copyright infringement.
I’ll pick a poem in the public domain - a beloved classic, a little known gem, a cringy howler that’s due some reimagining. Then we’ll treat each line like a poetry prompt, a jumping off point for a new poem. Maybe you stick with the theme of the poem. Maybe you take an entirely new direction. Maybe you rearrange the words in the line to say something completely different. No hard and fast rules. Possibilities are the point.
Subscribe So You Don’t Miss a Line
I’ll be posting each week’s prompt on Wednesday. I’ll share the line and I’ll try to share my response, as well, assuming I’ve managed to generate one. The rest is up to you. Write a new poem and, if you like, share it in the comments of this week’s post. Or post it to your own ‘stack and drop a link to it in the comments so we can find our way there.
Join a Community of Poets
One of the best things I discovered when I started writing my weekly newsletter, Poetical, here in November 2024 was the supportive community of poets and writers on Substack. And some of the most fruitful periods of writing for me here have happened as a result of a prompt project. The daily challenge of The February Poetry Adventure hosted by Petra Hernandez was such a welcome addition to my writing practice. But the most valuable thing about it was the poets I met in the comments, many of whom I now consider friends. I hosted an April NaPoWrMo (National Poetry Writing Month) group last year and was blown away by all the poetry, and by the supportive way the participants engaged with each other’s work.
I hope you’ll join us in The Public Domain Poetry Project. Subscribe for the prompts. I have a feeling you’ll stick around for the people.
