Welcome to a special Utah monthly edition of Poetry Happens, brought to you by Rock Canyon Poets. With the current state of in-person events, we’re focusing this edition on how you can still get a dose of poetry by attending online events, prompts and resources for writing your own poems, and supporting Utah poets!
Tune in on KRCL RadioActive the first Monday of every month at 6pm for announcements and feature poet reading! This month we’re featuring award winning poet Dayna Patterson.
This month includes a special feature for Utah Humanities Book Festival–a celebration of books and the resulting conversations–all completely virtual this year, with several online events in September and October.
The 2020 Utah Humanities Book Festival marks 23 years of improving Utah communities through reading, literature, and conversations with authors and each other.
Visit the Book Festival Calendar to see upcoming events. More authors and related events are being added until the book festival begins, so check back often.
Speak for Yourself Open Mic goes virtual!
The long running open mic in downtown Provo has been hosting virtual events online in lieu of meeting in person at Enliten Bakery. You can join the Zoom event to read poetry or prose for up to 7 minutes every Thursday evening at 7:30pm. The Zoom link will be posted on the Speak for Yourself Facebook group or host Marianne Hales Harding’s Instagram about a half hour before the event starts. All Utah poets are welcome!
Read/Listen/Watch Poems based in Utah
- Mapping Literary Utah Spotlight includes a great selection of Utah poet performances from the Bite-Size Poetry series created by former poet laureate Katharine Coles, including local favorites Rob Carney, Star Coulbrooke, Nancy Takacs and more!
- City Art Virtual Reading Series – City Art is a reading series in Salt Lake City that is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year. With the Pandemic, we are moving online to create the City Art Virtual Reading Series to keep people safe and feed their hunger for language and the human story. Current readings on the City Art SLC Facebook page and the City Art Virtual Reading Series on Youtube include Katharine Coles, Wyn Cooper, Lance Olsen, Marty Williams, Trish Hopkinson, and David Baker, among others. Readings keep coming, so check back in both places to see these and the new readings!
Read/Listen/Watch Poems nationally
- Poets in Pajamas series – hosted by Sundress Publications, Sundays at 7pm EDT
- Wednesday Night Poetry open mic – hosted by Kai Coggin
- Green Mountains Review Social Distance Reading Series – new reading videos released on Wednesdays and Sundays. You can currently find readings by Terrance Hayes, Kathryn Nuernberger, Philip Metres, and more.
- “Dear Poet”: Promoting Poetry and Poets Laureate to Kids at Home – watch poems read by poet laureates
- Listen to poems on the Poetry Archive web site (launched April 10)
CALLS FOR POEMS (Utah-based)
Provo Poetry POEMBALL Machine – Send in up to 10 short poems to be included in the POEMBALL Machines in Provo and Salt Lake City.
Utah Life call for poems: November/December 2020 issue will be poems on the theme of “Winter in SLC.” Deadline September 1.
Western Humanities Review – open to submissions year round.
For more national submission calls, visit https://trishhopkinson.com.
Prompts & Resources
Sheltering-In: Poems And Poetry Resources – extensive list of resources hosted by Northampton, MA Arts Council, including digital care packages, podcasts, online workshops and exercises, prompts, online poetry readings, and more!
Social/Distance Online Writing Retreat with Amanda Moore – Join Amanda Moore for her online writing retreat with craft tips, readings to inspire, submission suggestions and more!
Writing in Stressful Times: The Covid-19 Pandemic via Adele Kenny – Adele Kenny has a wonderfully inspiring poetry blog The Music In It: Adele Kenny’s Poetry Blog chock full of over 300 writing prompts, including her most recent post entitled Prompt #349 – Writing in Stressful Times: The Covid-19 Pandemic. She gives helpful commentary, quotes, resources, and several writing exercises and/or prompts in each post.
The Rise of Quarantine Zines and How to Make Your Own – lots of history and information on how to create and share your own zine.
Writing Prompts for Stay-At-Home Writers – hosted by LiteraryArts.org, shares prompts from established writers and poets throughout the week.
The Poetry Prompt Project, lessons and prompts by Joey Gould – eight well crafted poetry writing lessons and prompts for the beginner to advanced poet.
MORE POETRY PROMPTS
Fifty Two Poetry – includes 52 poetry prompts. “Write a poem a week. Start now. Keep going.”
Poets & Writers puts out regular prompts for poetry as well as fiction and nonfiction on their Writing Prompts page. You can also subscribe to their e-newsletter and receive them right in your inbox weekly.
Ploughshares shared their favorite writing prompts of all-time in this article posted in December. Lots of great prompts in this list, including one I hope to take advantage of: “Write a dialog between your eyes and feet,” from Anastacia Tolbert.
500 Prompts for Narrative and Personal Writing from The Learning Network. “The categorized list below touches on everything from sports to travel, education, gender roles, video games, fashion, family, pop culture, social media and more, and, like all our Student Opinion questions, each links to a related Times article and includes a series of follow-up questions. What’s more, all these questions are still open for comment by any student 13 or older.”
If you have an event or announcement related to poetry in Utah, please contact us here and we will include it in our next edition.
Rock Canyon Poets 