The results are in! It was a delight to read all of your magical childhood Christmas entries. Judge Nick Reeves, aided by his panel of snow sculptures (pictured above) had a hard job arriving at his decision. But decide he did, and so I hand over to Nick to bring you the results of the... Continue Reading →
'Twas the night before ChristmasAnd all through the houseNot a creature was stirringNot even a mouse...' These are the opening lines of 'A Visit from St. Nicholas' written by Clement C. Moore in 1823: a true children's classic Christmas story told in verse. Childhood is (or certainly should be) a magical time. And Christmas (for... Continue Reading →
This week's challenge was to write a free verse poem, and, judging by the response, everyone who took part enjoyed setting their creative spirits free. I certainly enjoyed reading all of this week's entries, which though diverse in subject were united in the beauty of their poetic flow. Our judge for this week's challenge is... Continue Reading →
When it comes to Free Verse, it's a lot easier to say what it isn't than what it is. First and foremost, it is not a poetic form, as by definition it is not governed by formal rules of poetry. It is rather a style in which the poet is free to express her or... Continue Reading →
This week's challenge was to write a pantoum poem, which reads like a poetic waterfall. We have had another fantastic response to this challenge and I'm sure our judge and last week's winner, Nick Reeves had an unenviable task. Here is Nick, in his own words: Judge's Comments Oh, Pantoum! The word has been rolling... Continue Reading →
The pantoum is a poetic form which originated in Malaysia, where it was developed from the form pantun berkait, a series of quatrain stanzas within which the lines are intricately woven. I discovered this form for myself by reading poetry on WordPress, and it immediately appealed to me because of its lyrical nature, and its... Continue Reading →
Today I'm very excited to announce the results of the EIF Haiku Poetry Challenge. The response was fantastic, and made me realise just how much care and attention is involved in creating haiku that are both poetically beautiful and resonant with meaning. We received so many striking and skilfully-crafted haiku that I'm pleased I did... Continue Reading →
Haiku is a Japanese art form which has become incredibly popular in English. English haiku are typically 17-syllable poems split across three lines in the pattern 5-7-5. I did a little research, however, and learned that traditional Japanese haiku are formed of 17 on, a Japanese linguistic unit which is not quite the same as... Continue Reading →
The time has come, for tricks and treats, for fiendish fun and frights, and for the announcement of the EIF Halloween Poetry Challenge winning entries! This week, we had a frightfully good response, and I would like to thank everyone who entered. I had so much spooky fun reading your entries. A special thanks to... Continue Reading →
Mwah-ha-ha-ha! I am bringing you this EIF Poetry Challenge early in order to be in time for Halloween. 'Tis the season to be spooky, so for this challenge, I simply want you to write a poem on the theme of Halloween. It can take any form or shape you wish, as long as it is... Continue Reading →
