52: Write a Poem a Week. Start Now. Keep Going

by Jo Bell

The 52 project started with a simple Write a poem a week. Start now. Keep going. It became a phenomenon. Hundreds of poets took up the challenge and their poems swept the board of poetry prizes, publications and personal successes. This book brings together the 52 prompts written by poet Jo Bell and by guest poets ranging from David Morley to Rachael Boast, so that you can pick up the challenge yourself. With contemporary poems to illustrate each prompt, it s a fine anthology as well as a book of lively and engaging exercises for poets, whether beginner or well established.

Genres: Poetry, Writing, Nonfiction

200 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2015

Reviews

[Bryan J. Pitchford, MFA · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was BY FAR the best book of poetry prompts I have ever come across. Even if you are not a poet, you could easily translate these prompts for longer pieces. I think the shortest prompt in the book took up one full page. Each one is thoughtfully fleshed out leaving no stone unturned. Each prompt also comes with one or two example poems from famous to lesser-known poets.
I love it! They're not just one-word prompts like "water" or "purple". No, they delve into your psyche, into your memories, into your dreams! You could purchase this book and BECOME a creative writer if you are not already exercising your literary muscles!
I can't say enough about this book or Jo Bell's prompts. Just great stuff!

[Emma Sea · Rating 2 out of 5]

oh, big mistake. This was not my book. I expected it to be for beginners but I couldn't have been more wrong. Intimidating as hell, and I don't like most of the poems in the book. So over my head I completely missed the first prompt. I thought Bell was speaking in general terms when she said, "Sit down and write in [the spirit of jubilation] about how you are going to tackle this year." Only when I turned to the next page and found week 2, and her talking about not falling off the wagon, did I realize that was it: that was the prompt for week one's poem. It's just too open and unfocused for someone who has no fucking clue what they are doing. Or, at least, for me. Maybe other beginners would be fine.

The unsuitability of this book for me is not the book's fault! They are very clear, on page 10, that this book is for poets who are "ready to take [their] writing seriously." Because of this I can't bring myself to one-star the book, although in truth I did not enjoy it. It only scared me.

For other beginners I can't recommend The Poetry Home Repair Manual: Practical Advice for Beginning Poets highly enough, instead of this.

[Catherine Wilson Garry]

I cannot recommend this book of prompts enough. The idea is simple - write a poem a week for a year, with 52 prompts to get you thinking. The prompts, however, are far from straightforward. They force you to think, to avoid cliches, to embrace going down rabbit holes, to read poems and really really think about what they're trying to do. If you're new to writing poetry, this may be a little more tricky, but if you find yourself wanting a challenge or to think about poems differently, then this is where you should find it.

[Lania Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book for generating poems. Great examples, simple instructions.

[Dru · Rating 5 out of 5]

Challenging and inspiring. I ended up with some new poems I was very pleased with, that came apparently out of nowhere. This is probably a Very Good Thing