Themes for POTM

gren · Jul 17, 2007, 08:31 PM

For the August POTM, the theme is:

Freestyle!

Any subject, any poem structure, anything you want to do.

Entries will be judged on originality of subject, use of language, and whether or not your chosen structure fit the subject.

Themes will change each month, so be sure to check here before submitting your poem.

gren · Sep 02, 2007, 11:02 AM

I know you're all eager to get started on September's POTM, so here's your theme (courtesy of chiefblackhammer):

Journey's End

In order for your poem to qualify, it must have this title and be a reflection on the end of a journey. In other words, don't submit a poem that has this title but doesn't fit with the idea. Everything else about the poem is up to you, so be creative and have fun with it!

As for August's POTM, the judges are currently going through and discussing the entries, so we'll have an announcement of the winner later this week.

gren · Oct 01, 2007, 02:59 PM

October 2007 POTM

In honor of Halloween, the October POTM theme will be....

Horror

Ghosts and ghouls, witches and demons...any frightening thing you can dream up. The only requirement this time is that your poem must be about something generally associated with horror and fear, whether you make it truly terrifying, or just a fun little scare. As always, we look forward to seeing your work!

September's POTM winner will be announced by or before Saturday, 10/6.

gren · Nov 02, 2007, 05:06 PM

November 2007 POTM

We're going to try a structure based theme this time...

Tanka

From What is Tanka? @ American Tanka

Quote:

What is Tanka?
Tanka is the name of an ancient form of Japanese poetry.

Tanka are 31-syllable poems that have been the most popular form of poetry in Japan for at least 1300 years. As a form of poetry, tanka is older than haiku, and tanka poems evoke a moment or mark an occasion with concision and musicality.

During Japan's Heian period (794-1185 A.D.) it was considered essential for a woman or man of culture to be able to both compose beautiful poetry and to choose the most aesthetically pleasing and appropriate paper, ink, and symbolic attachment---such as a branch, a flower---to go with it.

Tanka were often composed as a kind of finale to every sort of occasion; no experience was quite complete until a tanka had been written about it.

Tanka have changed and evolved over the centuries, but the form of five syllabic units containing 31 syllables has remained the same.Topics have expanded from the traditional expressions of passion and heartache, and styles have changed to include modern language and even colloquialisms.

In Japanese, tanka is often written in one straight line, but in English and other languages, we usually divide the lines into the five syllabic units: 5-7-5-7-7.

Usually, each line consists of one image or idea; unlike English poetry, one does not seek to "wrap" lines in tanka, though in the best tanka the five lines often flow seamlessly into one thought.

English is very different from Japanese, and the first-time writer of English-language tanka may find that his or her tanka are more cumbersome and contain more images than we find in translated Japanese tanka. With practice, though, you will find the form strangely suitable to our relatively nonsyllabic language.

From Tanka

Quote:

Example of Tanka

To live is to break
by
Ueda Miyoji

To live is to break
One's heart for the sake of love;
A couple of doves,
Beaks touching on their way,
Are stepping out in the sun.

Simple, right?
In order to qualify, your entry must be three tanka, each in 5 lines of 5,7,5,7 and 7 syllables, and all three must somehow relate to each other. Give each tanka its own title; titles and subjects are up to you. I hope to see some really great entries!

October's POTM winner will be announced by Wednesday, 11/7.

gren · Dec 08, 2007, 01:51 PM

December 2007 POTM

Freestyle!

We'll make it easy on you this month. Style, structure, subject are all up to you, and entries will be judged on originality and how well the chosen elements work together. And remember, per the POTM rules, entries are due by the second-to-last day of the month, no later. Have fun!

November's POTM winner will be announced shortly, just waiting for the last votes to roll in...

gren · Jan 04, 2008, 11:52 AM

January 2008 POTM

For the first POTM of the new year, we're going to do a title/subject theme:

"Life, Death, and Rebirth"

For your entry to qualify, it must use this as its title and relate somehow to the idea of life, death and rebirth. You can use any structure, style, rhyme, etc. that you see fit. I know we're going to see some great poems for this one, and keep in mind that all entries are due by January 30, no later. Have fun!

December's POTM winner will be announced shortly.

gren · Feb 10, 2008, 05:14 PM

February 2008 POTM

Humor

Pretty self-explanatory, right? Make us laugh, or at least crack a smile. We don't often see much in the way of humorous poems here, so this should be a nice change of pace for both the writers and the judges.
In order to qualify, your entry must be funny. Structure and subject are up to you, whatever you want as long as it's an amusing read.

Good luck, and I'm eager to see some great entries!

gren · Mar 03, 2008, 05:33 PM

March 2008 POTM

Beware the Ides...

Betrayal

In honor of the Ides of March, the date on which Julius Caesar was assassinated by members of the Roman Senate, this month's theme will focus on disloyalty, dishonesty, and good old-fashioned double-crossing. In order to qualify, your entry must have something to do with betrayal...title and structure are for you to decide. Have fun with it, and hopefully we'll see some great new works.

February's POTM winner will be announced shortly.

gren · Apr 06, 2008, 07:56 PM

April 2008 POTM

Courage

In contrast to last month's theme, or perhaps a companion to it, April's POTM theme will revolve around courage. Give us a feeling of strength, bravery, anything that speaks of a spirit that can't be broken; see if you can tug at our heartstrings with your words. In order to qualify, your entry must provide an example of courage. Everything else, title, structure, etc., are your call. The betrayal theme produced some of the best entries I've seen thus far in POTM, and I'd love to see the same quality of poems this month.

March's POTM winner will be announced tomorrow, 4/7.

gren · May 05, 2008, 06:26 PM

Apologies, I've been quite busy lately and forgot all about the theme for this month's POTM. And since I can't think of anything else at the moment...

May 2008 POTM

Freestyle

Any style, subject, anything your twisted little minds can think of. Entries are due no later than May 30th. I'll look forward to seeing another round of great works.

Jul 17, 2007, 08:31 PM	#1 (permalink)
gren Knife-chan Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Chicago Posts: 808 Thanks: 0 Thanked 17 Times in 13 Posts Credits: 11,307	Themes for POTM For the August POTM, the theme is: Freestyle! Any subject, any poem structure, anything you want to do. Entries will be judged on originality of subject, use of language, and whether or not your chosen structure fit the subject. Themes will change each month, so be sure to check here before submitting your poem. __________________ Gren's Music sig by zyta Say Hi
Status: Offline

Sep 02, 2007, 11:02 AM	#2 (permalink)
gren Knife-chan Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Chicago Posts: 808 Thanks: 0 Thanked 17 Times in 13 Posts Credits: 11,307	Re: Themes for POTM I know you're all eager to get started on September's POTM, so here's your theme (courtesy of chiefblackhammer): Journey's End In order for your poem to qualify, it must have this title and be a reflection on the end of a journey. In other words, don't submit a poem that has this title but doesn't fit with the idea. Everything else about the poem is up to you, so be creative and have fun with it! As for August's POTM, the judges are currently going through and discussing the entries, so we'll have an announcement of the winner later this week. __________________ Gren's Music sig by zyta Say Hi Last edited by gren; Sep 07, 2007 at 02:34 PM. Reason: Emphasis - added date for ease of discerning the month
Status: Offline

Oct 01, 2007, 02:59 PM	#3 (permalink)
gren Knife-chan Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Chicago Posts: 808 Thanks: 0 Thanked 17 Times in 13 Posts Credits: 11,307	Re: Themes for POTM October 2007 POTM In honor of Halloween, the October POTM theme will be.... Horror Ghosts and ghouls, witches and demons...any frightening thing you can dream up. The only requirement this time is that your poem must be about something generally associated with horror and fear, whether you make it truly terrifying, or just a fun little scare. As always, we look forward to seeing your work! September's POTM winner will be announced by or before Saturday, 10/6. __________________ Gren's Music sig by zyta Say Hi
Status: Offline

Dec 08, 2007, 01:51 PM	#5 (permalink)
gren Knife-chan Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Chicago Posts: 808 Thanks: 0 Thanked 17 Times in 13 Posts Credits: 11,307	Re: Themes for POTM December 2007 POTM Freestyle! We'll make it easy on you this month. Style, structure, subject are all up to you, and entries will be judged on originality and how well the chosen elements work together. And remember, per the POTM rules, entries are due by the second-to-last day of the month, no later. Have fun! November's POTM winner will be announced shortly, just waiting for the last votes to roll in... __________________ Gren's Music sig by zyta Say Hi
Status: Offline

Jan 04, 2008, 11:52 AM	#6 (permalink)
gren Knife-chan Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Chicago Posts: 808 Thanks: 0 Thanked 17 Times in 13 Posts Credits: 11,307	Re: Themes for POTM January 2008 POTM For the first POTM of the new year, we're going to do a title/subject theme: "Life, Death, and Rebirth" For your entry to qualify, it must use this as its title and relate somehow to the idea of life, death and rebirth. You can use any structure, style, rhyme, etc. that you see fit. I know we're going to see some great poems for this one, and keep in mind that all entries are due by January 30, no later. Have fun! December's POTM winner will be announced shortly. __________________ Gren's Music sig by zyta Say Hi
Status: Offline

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Feb 10, 2008, 05:14 PM	#7 (permalink)
gren Knife-chan Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Chicago Posts: 808 Thanks: 0 Thanked 17 Times in 13 Posts Credits: 11,307	Re: Themes for POTM February 2008 POTM Humor Pretty self-explanatory, right? Make us laugh, or at least crack a smile. We don't often see much in the way of humorous poems here, so this should be a nice change of pace for both the writers and the judges. In order to qualify, your entry must be funny. Structure and subject are up to you, whatever you want as long as it's an amusing read. Good luck, and I'm eager to see some great entries! __________________ Gren's Music sig by zyta Say Hi
Status: Offline

Mar 03, 2008, 05:33 PM	#8 (permalink)
gren Knife-chan Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Chicago Posts: 808 Thanks: 0 Thanked 17 Times in 13 Posts Credits: 11,307	Re: Themes for POTM March 2008 POTM Beware the Ides... Betrayal In honor of the Ides of March, the date on which Julius Caesar was assassinated by members of the Roman Senate, this month's theme will focus on disloyalty, dishonesty, and good old-fashioned double-crossing. In order to qualify, your entry must have something to do with betrayal...title and structure are for you to decide. Have fun with it, and hopefully we'll see some great new works. February's POTM winner will be announced shortly. __________________ Gren's Music sig by zyta Say Hi Last edited by gren; Apr 06, 2008 at 07:57 PM.
Status: Offline

Apr 06, 2008, 07:56 PM	#9 (permalink)
gren Knife-chan Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Chicago Posts: 808 Thanks: 0 Thanked 17 Times in 13 Posts Credits: 11,307	Re: Themes for POTM April 2008 POTM Courage In contrast to last month's theme, or perhaps a companion to it, April's POTM theme will revolve around courage. Give us a feeling of strength, bravery, anything that speaks of a spirit that can't be broken; see if you can tug at our heartstrings with your words. In order to qualify, your entry must provide an example of courage. Everything else, title, structure, etc., are your call. The betrayal theme produced some of the best entries I've seen thus far in POTM, and I'd love to see the same quality of poems this month. March's POTM winner will be announced tomorrow, 4/7. __________________ Gren's Music sig by zyta Say Hi
Status: Offline

May 05, 2008, 06:26 PM	#10 (permalink)
gren Knife-chan Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Chicago Posts: 808 Thanks: 0 Thanked 17 Times in 13 Posts Credits: 11,307	Re: Themes for POTM Apologies, I've been quite busy lately and forgot all about the theme for this month's POTM. And since I can't think of anything else at the moment... May 2008 POTM Freestyle Any style, subject, anything your twisted little minds can think of. Entries are due no later than May 30th. I'll look forward to seeing another round of great works. __________________ Gren's Music sig by zyta Say Hi
Status: Offline

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