Acknowledgements Students in ENGL 370: Poetry Writing created this book of prompts at the University of Indianapolis during the winter term of 2019. Students pulled their ideas from personal experience, course readings, others’ prompts, Internet resources, each other’s interests, and poems. Each was written in the spirit of the “double-dog dare”— we challenged each other to stretch our imaginations, our talents, and our expectations of what we thought possible. In total, the class produced 109 prompts, which students (collectively) used to write over 312 poems during the term in their poetry journals. For more information, please contact Liz Whiteacre at whiteacree@uindy.edu. It is our hope this prompt book will continue to inspire poems.
Cover photo by Leshaines123 @ Visual Hunt
Table of Contents Victoria Dubak Superhero Video Games TV Show Stuck in a Novel Writer's Block Tayah Eakle News Headline Prompt Sound Prompt Historical Event Prompt Childhood Place Prompt Workplace Prompt Lindsey Henderson Courage Prompt Traveling Prompt Favorite Day of the Week Prompt Bad News Prompt Birthday Prompt Ashleigh Lewis-Shodeinde Far Away Homeless in Bad Weather Bad Orphanage Living with a Disability Death Anxiety Bre Nunn A Bug's Life Lost Kiddo Home Favorite Character Alexis Paulson No Way Out Future-Self Parallel Self Last Line Sleepless Nights
Sara Perkins Metaphor Happy Abroad What If? Annoying Michael Phung Goodbye Color Motion Change Forbidden Fruit Megan Richards 5 Years Ago Star Struck Growing Up Lock Screen Laughing at Fear Taytem Vaillancourt The Dark Sound Wildlife Favorite Best Friend Memory Second Chance Duncan Weir Fake It and Make It The Stranger New World Time Narrative Instinct Liz Whiteacre Snowed In Seasonal Perspective Music Prompt Graduation 3 Things Revision Prompt
Victoria Dubak
Superhero Write about gaining super powers and how it makes you feel. Add in some details on the powers without exactly naming the powers.
Video Games Write a poem about a video game, kupo. Add in as much detail as possible including the experience of playing it, kupo. Use the name of the game in the poem without giving it away, kupo.
TV Show Choose a TV show that you enjoy watching or one you may might have hated to watch. Describe either the show or a character of the show. Use the title of the TV show in the poem without giving it away.
Stuck in a Novel You have just gotten stuck into a novel! Describe this new "world" versus the old "world." Also mention how you feel in this new "world."
Writer's Block Imagine a time when you could not figure out what to write on the piece of paper. How did you feel? How did you overcome it if you did?
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Tayah Eakle
News Headline Prompt Write a poem in response to a news headline.
Sound Prompt Write a poem about a sound.
Historical Event Prompt Write a poem about any historical event. It can be about an event that happened hundreds of years ago or just months ago.
Childhood Place Prompt Write a poem about a memory from a specific place from your childhood.
Workplace Prompt Write a poem about your workplace.
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Lindsey Henderson
Courage Prompt Write a poem about a time when you were scared to do something, but pushed through it.
Traveling Prompt Write a poem about a place you've always wanted to travel to.
Favorite Day of the Week Prompt Write a poem about your favorite day of the week.
Bad News Prompt Write a poem about a time you received bad news.
Birthday Prompt Write a poem about your favorite birthday or a terrible birthday that you had.
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Ashleigh Lewis-Shodeinde
Far Away Write about a time when you had to be far away from someone.
Homeless in Bad Weather Write about how it would feel to be homeless in bad weather.
Bad Orphanage Write about being an orphan in a bad orphanage.
Living with a Disability Write a poem based on living with a disability.
Death Anxiety Write a poem based on having death anxiety.
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Bre Nunn
A Bug's Life Write about being any type of bug and how you think their daily life is like.
Lost Write about something you lost and its importance. Also if you found it or not.
Kiddo You're a kid again, be a kid. Let your poem be as childish as you can make it and lose the big words.
Home What's home to you? Smell, taste, sound?
Favorite Character Pick any book you want and tell the reader about it without using the characters’ names.
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Alexis Paulson
No Way Out Write a poem about a time where you felt trapped.
Future-Self Write a poem for your future self to read.
Parallel Self Write a poem about yourself where nothing is true.
Last Line Use the last line from the nearest book and use it in your poem (you can start with it, use it in the middle, or end with it).
Sleepless Nights Write a poem about what keeps you up at night.
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Sara Perkins
Metaphor Write a poem entirely in metaphor. For example, you could write about making coffee, but the poem is really about your best friend.
Happy Write a happy poem! What makes you happy? No sad twists, this one is a happy one. Maybe you start out melancholy, but the poem ends on a happy note.
Abroad Think of when you were the furthest from home that you've ever been...how did you feel? What was the place like?
What If? Write a "what if?" poem. Speculate how things would have been different if you had made a different choice at a pivotal moment in your life. What if you had gone left instead of right?
Annoying Write about something that frustrates you.
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Michael Phung
Goodbye Write a poem about saying goodbye to someone or something.
Color Write a poem that incorporates a color into it.
Motion Write a poem about something moving or overall movement.
Change Write a poem about something changing.
Forbidden Fruit Write a poem about something you really want but cannot have.
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Megan Richards
5 Years Ago Write a poem of things you would say to the version of you from 5 years ago.
Star Struck Write a poem about someone famous, dead or living that you admire.
Growing Up Write a poem reflecting on some pivotal point in your youth and what you'd do now instead.
Lock Screen Write a poem about the photo that is your phone’s lock screen.
Laughing at Fear Write a poem that pokes fun at something you’re afraid of.
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Taytem Vaillancourt
The Dark Write about a good reason to be afraid of the dark.
Sound Describe your favorite sound and why you like it.
Wildlife Write about a time where you encountered wildlife.
Favorite Best Friend Memory Write about a favorite memory you have with your best friend.
Second Chance Write about a time when you made a mistake, but was given a second chance.
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Duncan Weir
Fake It and Make It Prompt Write a poem about being in charge of something you know nothing about, but you have to fake your way through it. For example, I know nothing about conducting an orchestra, so I would write a poem about faking my way through being a famous maestro.
The Stranger Think of someone who you've met recently but barely know. Maybe it was a distant relative, a friend of a friend, a classmate, a new professor, even just a random fast food worker. Make up a backstory for them and write a poem about what they're doing right now. Be sure to include some personality.
New World Describe a new world. Delve deep into your imagination and describe the landscape.
Time Narrative Write a narrative heavy poem that includes a significant passing of time.
Instinct Write down the first three words that come to your mind. Great. Now write a poem using one of those words to start each line.
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Liz Whiteacre
Snowed In Write a poem about being snowed in with no technology.
Seasonal Perspective Pick a season that you’re not currently in. Personify it—then, write a poem talking about the season you’re living through. For example, what would Spring have to say about living through winter or Fall have to say about surviving a beach day in July?
Music Prompt Listen to your favorite song, and freewrite while it plays. What comes to mind? What emotions do you feel? Then, write a poem based on that freewrite. Fine a quote from the song to serve as an epigraph.
Graduation Write a letter to your graduating self—what does that version of you need to know about your future and past?
3 Things Revision Prompt Take a poem you’ve written and change three things about it. For example, past tense? Make it present. Short lines? Make them long. No stanza breaks? Create breaks—maybe put in some caesuras too? Mix things up and see what happens. Anything you want to keep? Or is the poem better the way it was?
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