A few months back I was selected to participate in Tupelo Press’ 30/30 poetry project. All I would need to do was write a poem each day for thirty days and assist in a small amount of fundraising. Tasks always seem so much easier before you must do them. How much work could it be to write a new poem each day for thirty days? Esther writes a poem a day. She has been doing it for years. She posts her daily poems on her wonderful Substack called, “Overheard,” If you’re not a subscriber, you ought to be. I do not write a poem a day. I don’t think I have ever written a poem a day. Sometimes I don’t write a poem for several weeks. Revising takes even longer. But I agreed to write a poem each day for the month of March 2024.
And I am. It is now March 23, and I have written 24 poems. That includes the one to be posted tomorrow. There’s a benefit to pushing myself. I want to generate more work, and I want my work to improve. It’s taken me seven decades to be more focused on my work rather than concerned about self-confidence. Seven decades to be courageous in my writing and take risks. Why not try a poetry marathon?
I made rules for myself; like not to cheat. I would write something new every day. I would not turn in a draft of something I’d already written. I would use this opportunity to experiment and try new things, new forms, new ideas. I would not quit part way through. I would play. I would learn. I would have fun. Fun is a valuable measure for me of anything I take on that I am not obligated to do, though my idea of what is fun might be occasionally idiosyncratic. I mean there’s part of me that found fun in serving on the local school board.
As I write I try not to revise my poems, sometimes not even for typos. I would rather they percolate for a while. It will be interesting to see what the next month brings for my writing after I finish the marathon. It will be April, a month in which many poets endeavor to write a poem each day. Will I bring the same tenacity to revision? More important, will I continue to explore? If not, how else to hang on in this completely insane world without looking inward boldly and finding comfort there.
What do you do to keep from going nuts?
If you are interested in taking a look at the 30/30 poetry project, here’s a link. And it’s Purim. Have a Hamantaschen for me.
https://www.tupelopress.org/the-march-2024-30-30-project-page/
I love your poems. Here and everywhere.
What a pleasure it has been to watch you explore and experiment this month! We have all so enjoyed your participation, and we are grateful for the kind generosity of your community! Those donations will live in every book we publish this year!