Welcome to The Public Domain Poetry Project!
Calling all poets who sometimes need a little prompting. Which is likely all of us.
Hello, my name is Tara Connor. I write a weekly ‘stack called Poetical. Here’s a bit about what I’m doing here:
What: A weekly poetry prompt based on a poem in the public domain, a place to share your poems, a community of poets
When: Wednesdays, starting January 8, 2025
Why: Keep reading!
Writing seems easy on the surface. I know that if I sit down at my computer, or with a notebook and pen, or even with my phone’s Notes app open, and just start writing, something will happen.
I can look around me and pick an object in my field of vision- my mug, a greeting card, a tape measure, a photo of my grandparents- and if I begin to write about it, it will take me somewhere.
I may not produce a great work of poetry, but I’ll produce something. And that something, with a bit of rest and rumination, plus a varying amount of tinkering and rewriting, may well turn into a poem that I feel proud of, happy to share with the world.
“Without hope, without despair”
All of that is true. So you would think that I would set aside time every day to do just that. Time to just write, “without hope, without despair,” as Isak Dinesen instructed. But I don’t. Not every day. Some weeks are better than others. Twice last week, while pedaling away at the gym, I wrote the bare bones of a new poem, on my phone, with my thumbs. But those two days were followed by several in which I wrote nothing.
Some days I make the mistake of believing in the writer’s fairy tale of inspiration. It doesn’t exist, you know. There is no magic wand, no divine hand, no fairy dust. Creativity is the product of labor and sweat, and waiting to write until I feel inspired almost guarantees that I will write nothing.
Inspiration is merely the byproduct of doing the work
It can seem like inspiration comes from outside of us, but it is merely the byproduct of doing the work. For me, it’s a bit like exercise. Somedays I can’t wait to get to the gym. Others it’s the very last thing I want to do. But I’ve made myself a schedule, and I have a gym buddy (my husband) who keeps me honest, and another friend who walks with me regardless of the weather.
A good writing prompt is like a class at the gym. You just need to show up and somebody will help you get started. A group of writers following the same prompt, that’s a whole bunch of gym buddies, cheering you on, keeping you honest, noticing when you’re not there. Which brings me to The Public Domain Poetry Project.
How Is This Going to Work?
The purpose of this new ‘stack is to provide some weekly inspiration for poets: a prompt in the form of a line from another poem.
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.
Each week on Wednesday I’ll post the next line in our poem of choice, along with my own response. The rest is up to you. Post your poem in the comments if you like, or post it on your own ‘stack and share a link so we can all read it. Skip a week if it’s not ringing any bells for you. No pressure. This is meant to be helpful and fun. Not a source of stress.
Subscribe for the prompts, stay for the people
What I’m most excited for, besides a weekly kick in the pants to write a new poem, is the people. Substack is home to some wonderful poets who also happen to be supportive, thoughtful, lovely people. In my experience with these kinds of prompt challenges, the best stuff happens in the comments. A real sense of community develops.
If this sounds good to you, I hope you’ll join us. Subscribe for the prompts, but I have a feeling you’ll stick around for the community.
Welcome to The Public Domain Poetry Project. I’m glad you’re here.
Tara, I love this idea. Once upon a time when I thought I had a weeeee bit more margin in my days I wanted to begin 2025 posting one poem per week on my 'Stack and say, "Hey, look at this poem that's now in the Public Domain!" 'cause I discovered there's a new list every year.
Anyway, I've just subscribed and will give this a shot--inspiration abounds--thank you!
Hi Tara, this looks great. I haven’t quite decided if I’ll participate, for personal reasons, but it’s brilliant that you’re doing this. Folk are going to love it, I’m sure. Incidentally, continuing our previous discussion of how creativity is the “product of labor and sweat”, as you know, I agree. But I’ve had another thought, too, or caveat. It’s that, despite hard work, creativity may be beyond the (deeply) depressed. In that sense, I’m inclined to think that “inspiration” is a sign of health. Yes, it needs hard work; but that work can only happen on the basis of a mind ready for it. (Apologies for this ramble: it’s just that I’ve been thinking about this topic on and off, and since you do too, I thought I’d share the thoughts...🙂)