We had a great response to this fortnight's challenge: The Ode. There were some truly heartfelt and moving responses. I think being prompted to write a poem about something which moves you deeply is the perfect way to get the creative juices flowing. All of my poems (apart from the silly ones) are about something... Continue Reading →

The Ode as a poetic form dates back to Ancient Greece, where it was devised as a song to be performed by a choir, and accompanied by dance. Wikipedia describes it as: 'an elaborately structured poem praising or glorifying an event or individual, describing nature intellectually as well as emotionally.' I also found the following definition in... Continue Reading →

I am happy to say I've had some interesting responses to, and interpretations of, this week's challenge. I loved the way that poets came up with new ideas of translation, from translating well-known poems into a local dialect of English, to sign-language recordings of poems and songs synced to poetry readings and song lyrics. Thank... Continue Reading →

Welcome, poets and poetry lovers alike: today I'm excited to announce a new EIF Poetry Challenge! After the success of the previous challenge: The Sonnet, I'm really looking forward to this. I did say I probably wouldn't be making the challenge any easier, and this is perhaps harder than the last one, (it certainly was... Continue Reading →