Tag Archives: Month of Poetry

Even More #MoPoetry

I do love diarising January in poetry – and have been especially enjoying the dual creativity of picture and poetry. (And the process of combining the two! Such fun.)

Here is this past week’s #MoPoetry2019 for your perusual of the week-that-was. Ending rather excitingly, too, I must say!

Day 18:

Day 19:

Which sparked this little conversation with @annashop_cronulla;

Day 20:

View this post on Instagram

The worst thing about writing a poem-a-day (and sharing them each day!!) is that sometimes, you’re posting a poem that doesn’t feel finished. This is one of those times… (Yes, there have been others.) FORM: Golden Shovel HOW TO: Find a strike line (and attribute it) then put each word from that line at the end of your poem… Fill in the gaps with your own words. In truth, I adore Golden Shovels. But I think I will make a rule to avoid lines with ‘you’ in them – because I should have learnt by now, ‘you’ always complicates a poem! #vulnerable #notreadyyet #bloom #whereyoureplanted #beyourself #motivation #inspiration #waterlily #flowersofinstagram #mybackyard #GoldenShovel #MoPoetry2019 #InstaPoetry #poemaday #authorsofinstagram #poetryofinstagram #poetrygram #poetry

A post shared by Kathryn Apel (@kat.apel) on

Day 21: If I thought it was bad posting a poem that doesn’t feel finished, it is worse to look back on a poem you’ve posted and find a BLATANT MISTAKE!!! Urgh! This is what happens when you become too obsessed with design and layout. (Though this is the least creative of all my Insta-Poems – but I was playing with two pictures, so… #stilltooktoolong)

I have inserted an edited version into this post – because it’s bad enough looking at the mistake every time I open my insta-page. (I decided to leave it as it was there (with a blushing comment!)… because of course I didn’t notice it until late in the day…🙄 #nobodyisperfect #iaintnobody…🙃)

I was asked if I wrote limericks. Not many – but here’s one, for a bit of fun. I don’t follow cricket – so if there is a Matt or a Gina playing, this is not about either of them! #justforfun #playingwithwords#betterthanplayingcricket😉#watchinggrassgrow #cricket#backyardcricket #summerfun#MoPoetry2019 #InstaPoetry #poemaday#authorsofinstagram #poetryofinstagram#poetrygram #poetry #rhyme #wordplay

Day 22:

Day 23:

Day 24: (Why, hello Good News!)

This week we’re going to Walden with Tara Smith, so join the #PoetryFriday excursion for more great posts. And pop back here next week for the final instalment of #MoPoetry2019! Looking forward to seeing what the week produces. Have a great one.

More #MoPoetry2019

Welcome poetry peeps! Once again I’m linking to my #MoPoetry2019 Insta-Poems for PoetryFriday. This week marked halfway… Rolling downhill now! Thank-you Michelle Kogan, Carol Varsalona, Linda Baie and Jone MacCulloch for also jumping in and sharing the creativity! It’s been fun. I’m looking forward to another week of word art.😊

Day 11:

Day 12:

Day 13:

Day 14:

Day 15:

Day 16:

Ooops. Turns out I was getting ahead of myself – and today is only Thursday! (All day!!) So – here is one more Insta-Poem, to round off my week of #MoPoetry2019.

Day 17:

If you’ve got a fave, I’d love to hear it. It’s always interesting to know what appeals to others. 🙂 If you’re tempted to join in with some of your own, you’ll find us at #MoPoetry2019 on Instagram.

You’ll find the full #PoetryFriday roundup here; http://missrumphiuseffect.blogspot.com.

Insta-Poetry

I hope your year has got off to a 🎉cracker🎊 start. 2018 was an amazing writing journey, and I am hoping it keeps rolling into 2019. It’s already been quite productive, writing a synopsis and query letter for that historical Antarctic verse novel I worked on throughout 2018, (So excited about that!) and putting down some words for a new picture book that has been rolling around in my mind the past 12 months. AND … In the spirit of Month of Poetry from years gone by, I spur-of-the-moment started writing a poem-a-day as a snapshot diary-of-sorts for the start of 2019. Some Insta-Poetry! I’m not sure I’ll stick with it for the full month (I am quite happy to fall down a hole with other writing projects) … but wordplay is always a good thing, and good fun! If you want to jump on board, I’m using the hashtag #MoPoetry2019 on Instagram. (It’s just me, at the moment.🙂)

If you’re intrigued by that flower in the top pic, you can see more on my instagram, starting at this post. My camera was a wee-bit busy over the 12hr period it bloomed so beautifully.

Sylvia has the roundup this week, at Poetry for Children. Next week I’ll be hosting the #PoetryFriday roundup – so check back then for links to poetry posts around the world and be inspired! For now… I’m off for a crit & chat with some lovely local kidlit peeps. I may be gone for a while… 😂

Poetry Challenge Plus More

For the past number of years (too lazy to chase that up for accuracy) I have been co-ordinating Month of Poetry each January – a family-friendly event for kids and adults. I love the discipline and the refreshment of writing a poem a day for a month, and I love the camaraderie of the group, but each year it just about does my head in. So – this year I’m taking a big step back, and am no longer running locked pages on the MoP blog. I’m still planning on writing a poem a day in January – and I know others are too. But maybe this year I’ll finally wrangle some of those forms that have eluded me in previous years. Or maybe I can progress the verse novel I worked on during #MoP14, that just keeps tripping me up… I’m really looking forward to having a clear head to start the year. And of course, I still want to play with short bites of words.

If anyone else wants to join me in a month of poetry play, you can post a comment below, or sign up here. Signing up is really just a way of saying ‘I’m in’. Sharing of poems is voluntary, through your own blogs and networks. I’m hoping to post something here each week for Poetry Friday.

Interested? You’re welcome to join in. 🙂

-Users-KatApel-Desktop-Screenshots 2015-12-30 at 3.14.59 pm

 

In an unrelated snippet, I’m delighted that my verse novel, ‘On Track’ has been included in Megan Daley’s Children’s Books Daily Top 10 Middle Grade books for 2015. And a fine selection of books to be included with, too. Thank-you Megan!

 

 

-Users-KatApel-Desktop-Screenshots 2015-12-30 at 3.20.43 pm

 

Also lovely to see ‘Bully on the Bus’ is one of the top sellers for 2015 on dyslexicbooks.com.

 

That’s something to smile about, at the close of a busy year.

Why don’t you check out some inspiring posts from the Poetry Friday crew, kicking off 2016 with Mary Lee at A Year of Reading. Happy New Year!

Month of Poetry 2014 Wrap-Up

Month of Poetry is over for another year – and on the blog was another awesome bunch of poets who connected, encouraged, extended and amazed, sharing their words so exquisitely honestly.  It’s always awesome to be a part of it, and to know that in creating this family-friendly space, I’m nurturing other writers, and giving back to a community that has given so much to me. January is the busiest and chattiest time of my writing year, and I love it!

I wrote a lot of varied poems this year, some that I’ll be polishing and sending out on submission soon, but I also made a solid start on my new WIP – another verse novel, but this one waaay out of my comfort zone, because it’s written for the YA audience… which is a totally new age group for me… and also going to ask for more words than I’ve ever written before.

I was very hesitant to post a lot of the poems related to the verse novel. I felt so raw… so vulnerable… each time I posted. Then was moved to tears (and excited yelps) many times with the wonderful, honest, and touching feedback I received. I had not expected the story to immediately resonate with others. Feel priveliged – entrusted with a precious gift – to have shared the experience of writing these initial stages with such a beautiful bunch of writers… of friends. My heart is full of gratitude.

To make a busy/productive month even BUSIER… I was also caught up in the task of checking first page proofs, and proofreaders copy, for my younger reader’s verse novel, Bully on the Bus, coming out in July this year with UQP. So exciting! And I’m so very thrilled with how it’s looking. It’s been an absolute pleasure working the UQP team.

And to top off a busy month, there was also an interview with Jodi vande Wetering on Rebecca McClaren’s ABC Qld Afternoon Show, where I got to talk about Month of Poetry AND  Bully on the Bus… I’ll let you know if the link is posted online. I’ve tried to put it up on the blog, but WordPress doesn’t seem to like MPEG files…

A climbing poem to finish, with thanks to Mary Lee Hahn who shared her own on Day 30, with a link to the instructions. Who could resist? This was my last poem for the Month of Poetry.

Climbing #MoP14

First of the first;
New Year burst through.
A thirst for words
versed (of birds, dogs
school, nerds* and more)
girds rapport. We
adored; immersed.

©  Kathryn Apel 2014

* Not as nasty as you may think. One of MoPpettes was a self-confessed word-nerd – and she versed it. 🙂

#BundyNYE

Phone Photo of Fireworks

Phone Photo of Fireworks

#BundyNYE

New Year’s Eve
and we wash down
the river bank;
colourful flotsam
bobbing along at the water’s edge,
laughter swirling
and caution whispered on the
cooled evening breeze.

Floodlights shine
on scarred remains
of ravaging floods;
concrete bones exposed in
cavernous shadows of earth;
bare slabs silent witness
to what
once
was.

Swept along in the ebb and flow of
a river of revellers; family,
friends, strangers and neighbours;
we flood the banks of the Burnett
as the heavens burst and
stars rain down like
fireworks.

Once again I’m co-ordinating a Month of Poetry, so you may see some snippets of my poems here throughout January. This was inspired by the Wide Bay Australia Bundy NYE Fireworks Spectacular – and the year that was.

Wishing you all a Happy New Year!

Month of Poetry 2013

It’s January – and this is the sixth year I’ve started with a poem a day – the fourth I’ve co-ordinated a Month of Poetry. It’s also the first year I’ve been able to wear the co-ordinator’s hat and work on my WIP at the same time. WIN! I love the progress I’ve made, also the poetry that has inspired me on the #MoP13 blog. Such a diverse group and so talented! The daily collections on the blog are locked, but I’ve selected a couple of my poems to share below.

Stone the Phone!

If ever something
makes me groan
it is the wretched
mobile phone,
that rings attention
with a tone,
dispelling thoughts
of time alone.

In the change room,
on the throne,
at play, at ease,
when lying prone,
its shrill demands
are soon made known;
a body’s heart
and soul to own.

Inspired by David Harrison’s post about Careerhymes;

1.
Grazier; a cow cocky –
not a blocky
always on the go
watching grass grow.

2.
Patient: one who waits
as sickness abates.

A spot of cooking in the country prompted this tongue-in-cheek poem;

Moist Date & Carrot Muffins

There’s weevils in the flour.
Have they eaten much, you think?
And the sour cream is mouldy,
with a more-than-sour stink.
The egg has hatched a chicken
though it’s only just a speck.
Should I use a shriveled carrot?
Cause I’m thinking, what the heck.
We haven’t any dates, of course;
that’s really such a shame!
I think I’ll substitute with prunes
and hope they taste the same.
Use ½ a cup of oil they say…
Well there’s no need for that.
The oil might make the muffins moist;
it’ll only make me fat!
The oven’s on the blink again;
I cannot shut the door,
and those flames around the element…
Have they been there before?
The timer hasn’t rung yet.
I wonder if it’s stopped.
My muffins. Oh. The wretched things.
I do believe they’ve flopped!
I googled for a recipe
but Google makes mistakes!
These moist date carrot muffins
would be better called rock cakes!

My first sestina was a stumble… not worthy of sharing… but thankfully it didn’t break my brain like last year’s first sonnet did. And doubly thankfully, this year I wrote two sonnets in a day – and it hardly hurt at all!

And finally… Just a tiny snippet from my latest WIP. This is written from Shaun’s POV – though in fact much of the work is written from Toby’s POV. In a-maz-me news, my verse novel (which hasn’t even scored a working title as yet) has this month shattered the 10,000 words – which for me was a major milestone! *Insert party poppers and fireworks here.* It’s currently sitting at 10,450wrds… and I’m stoked! 😀

Monkey

Toby is a klutz – can’t keep
his hands on anything;
drops the ball
trips over his feet
and bumps and slumps
the day away.
I wish people didn’t know
he’s my brother
but it’s a bit hard to hide that
in a small town small school
where everyone knows
everything about
your mother’s brother’s
monkey.

I wonder what the rest of January will produce…

.

All poetry on this page is © Copyright Kathryn Apel 2013

Month of Poetry 2013

If you’re interested in joining us for a Month of Poetry in January 2013, register on the Month of Poetry blog BEFORE 29th December 2012. Click on the icon below and explore the MoP site for more information.

Click the icon to read more & register

January Month of Poetry – Done!

The wonderful learning and connecting that is a Month of Poetry has finished in a flurry of activity on the blog. So much chatter among participants. Such wonderful camaraderie and discussion. We were buzzing!

So much so, having already written one serious/heartfelt/bring-me-to-tears poem earlier in the day, in the space of 50 minutes at 10pm I wrote another… and of all things, it was a sonnet! You remember my struggle with the sonnet? Who would think I’d write THREE in the month – and one in less than an hour from startling idea to posted poem.

Continue reading →