Happy December 1st! A new month brings a new Inkling challenge, and this month Molly challenged us to write Luc Bat poems. I found this form of interlocking rhymes to be pretty tricky. Thanks to my extraordinary Inkling pals, though, my attempt adheres to the format. All summer, a thick cloak of emerald shields oak and ash, hiding cracks where critters stash ripe nuts, shrouding a cache of seeds. A hole where owl can feed her brood good meals they need to thrive, or  honey-laden hives tucked deep within, alive with bees. Walking by, you will see a quiet, stately tree. Its heart holds sec ..read more

Last year, my fellow Inkling, Linda Mitchell, challenged us to use the #folktaleweek prompts found on Instagram to inspire our writing. This was a challenge I could sink my teeth into. (Here is my response to last year’s challenge.) This year, life has conspired to sharply limit my writing time and energy, but I miss it. I need to find my way back to a more consistent practice. What better way than to challenge myself to use these prompts again? “Lost” is this year’s first word. Left adrift on a vast Ocean to wander, a voyager Searches for an elusive quarry: her own True north. Draft, © Cathe ..read more

Happy Friday, everyone! The first Friday of the month brings us to another Inkling challenge. This month, Linda asked us to Write a prose piece–find a poem in it. Or, write a poem, and expand it into a prose piece Or, find a prose piece, transform it into a poem Or, find a poem and transpose it into a prose piece Any interpretation of this prompt is perfect Going rogue is acceptable too If you end up writing longer than a page of prose, share just a snippet After a month of searching for an idea, I decided to dig deep into my notebooks for my response to Linda’s challenge. On October 21, 20 ..read more

Welcome to the Poetry Friday Roundup! (Curious about Poetry Friday? Read this post by Renée M. LaTulippe.) I’m happy to be your host today. The news this week is heartbreaking and scary. At times like these, poetry is especially important, as it reminds us of our common hopes and dreams, desires and longings. I sure the posts shared today will bring us hope for peace. When I told Heidi I would take over her hosting duties today, I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to feature Irene Latham‘s incredible new book, The Museum on the Moon: The Curious Objects on the Lunar Surface. (Bush ..read more

The first Friday of the month means it’s time for another Inkling challenge. This month Mary Lee prompted us to “Choose an image from the Visual Frameworks site. Write a poem inspired by the image.” This is a really cool site and full of images representing a myriad of ideas. I was inspired by this image: Laws of Motion I rush to the apple tree, fling my backpack to the ground. I hurl myself onto my swing and the world blurs as I launch into the sky. The whir of crickets and cicadas  buzz around me, drowning out the jeers and jibes of the kids on the bus. I squeeze my eyes shut forcing ..read more

September Garden The magenta petals of cosmos surround a circle  of starry stamens like an Elizabethan ruff of pleated silk. They are a beacon  to bees and butterflies, now in a delirious frenzy to gather every particle of pollen before the petals drop and summer’s bounty fades into memory. Draft, © Catherine Flynn, 2023 Please be sure to visit Amy Ludwig VanDerwater at The Poem Farm for the Poetry Friday Roundup ..read more

Some of you may remember that Garrison Keillor used to begin his weekly news from Lake Wobegon with the phrase “It’s been a quite week in my hometown…” That does not describe life in my neck of the woods this week. In addition to getting ready for the start of school, my hometown is getting ready for the fire department’s annual Country Fair. This is a major fundraiser for them and everyone pitches in to help make it a success. (Read more about the Fair in a previous post here.) In addition to my Sealey Challenge reading, I’ve been scouring poetry websites for poems to use with my students. W ..read more

The Sealey Challenge is “held every august, The Sealey Challenge is a community activity in which participants read a book of poetry each day.” This has always felt overwhelming to me. August is a month of growing panic about what hasn’t been accomplished at home and all that needs to be done before school starts. Throw in a week with my grandchildren, and you see why this is a true challenge!  This year, I decided to focus mainly on books of poetry for children. This was easy because I read them to my grandchildren. I had less time and energy to study these collections closely. As a way ..read more

The first Friday of the month means it’s time for another Inkling challenge. This month it was my turn to pose a prompt for my writing group partners to respond to.  I read Robin Wall Kimmerer’s brilliant book, Braiding Sweetgrass several years ago and have revisited its wisdom many times since then. One of Kimmerer’s main points is that “It’s a sign of respect and connection to learn the name of someone else, a sign of disrespect to ignore it…Learning the names of plants and animals is a powerful act of support for them. When we learn their names and their gifts, it opens the door to re ..read more

My stepfather passed away last week after a long illness. While not unexpected, his death turned our world upside down. The first Friday of the month is when we Inklings post our monthly challenge responses, but I know you’ll understand why I’m posting my effort on the second Friday. Our July challenge came from Heidi. SUDOKU POEM! YES!  Make yourself a grid at least 4×4. Reread Mary Lee’s sudoku poem post from June 1 for information and inspiration and create your own sudoku poem. This this challenge stumped me for several weeks. Then I just dove in and began having fun with it. I’ve t ..read more