3 Creative Poetry Prompts to Sharpen Your Writing | Ep 95 episode artwork

EPISODE · Apr 28, 2026 · 5 MIN

3 Creative Poetry Prompts to Sharpen Your Writing | Ep 95

from Buildwriting · host Onyemechi Nwakonam

It's National Poetry Month — and I didn't want to just talk about poetry. I wanted to give you something to actually write.So I took three classic prompts from Ted Kooser, Mary Oliver, and William Carlos Williams and put a creative spin on each one. These aren't assignments. They're warm-ups. Pick one, try it, see what comes out.Here's what I cover:— Ted Kooser's "small thing" prompt, but with higher stakes— Mary Oliver's "pay attention" prompt, but from a different perspective— William Carlos Williams' "this is just to say" prompt, but you write the replyYou don't need to be a poet to try these. You just need to be willing to write something small and see what happens.Happy writing.Subscribe to the Build Writing newsletter for more prompts, ideas, and honest writing conversations — https://buildwriting.com/newsletter

It's National Poetry Month — and I didn't want to just talk about poetry. I wanted to give you something to actually write.So I took three classic prompts from Ted Kooser, Mary Oliver, and William Carlos Williams and put a creative spin on each one. These aren't assignments. They're warm-ups. Pick one, try it, see what comes out.Here's what I cover:— Ted Kooser's "small thing" prompt, but with higher stakes— Mary Oliver's "pay attention" prompt, but from a different perspective— William Carlos Williams' "this is just to say" prompt, but you write the replyYou don't need to be a poet to try these. You just need to be willing to write something small and see what happens.Happy writing.Subscribe to the Build Writing newsletter for more prompts, ideas, and honest writing conversations — https://buildwriting.com/newsletter

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3 Creative Poetry Prompts to Sharpen Your Writing | Ep 95

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This episode was published on April 28, 2026.

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It's National Poetry Month — and I didn't want to just talk about poetry. I wanted to give you something to actually write.So I took three classic prompts from Ted Kooser, Mary Oliver, and William Carlos Williams and put a creative spin on each one....

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