Joanna Preston: Tasmanaut Poet
Welcome to day 14. And what else could today’s challenge be other than a sonnet? Usually (but not always) fourteen lines, with some sort of volta (or “turn” – a place where the poem shifts gears in some way) and generally enacting some form of argument or attempt at persuasion. There are other definitions, and …
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As today is the 13th, the subject of today’s exercise is the result of thinking about superstition around the number 13. Apparently it’s so prevalent that a significant number of tall buildings in the USA don’t bother to fit out their thirteenth floors, because they have so much trouble finding tenants. (Can’t remember where I …
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April 12th is the International Day of Human Space Flight, celebrating Yuri Gagarin becoming the first ever human to launch into space, on board Vostok-1. He made a single orbit around planet earth, in a flight lasting 108 minutes from launch to landing. Since 2001, it has also been celebrated as Yuri’s Night: a global celebration …
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I don’t think it’s possible to be a writer – let alone a poet – if you aren’t in love with language. So this is the first of what will be a number of word-based exercises. Today‘s task is to write a poem that explores a word (or phrase) that exists in another language, …
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Take a look at your hands. Not just a glance – a proper look. Fingernails. Cuticles. Nicks and scars and calluses. Knuckles. And the incredible, creased flexible skin that covers them. Or maybe you started looking at the palms of your hands – if not, do it now. The lines. The veins, the changes in …
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A Dark Feathered Art 