poetry slam assignment ideas

Teacher Off Duty

Resources to help you teach better and live happier

Slam Poetry Day 1: Speak. Your. Truth.

March 24, 2017 by Jeanne Wolz 2 Comments

So, you’re intrigued by slam poetry, and you want to know how to start using it in the classroom.  I get it; slam poetry is so awesome, sometimes I am intimidated by teaching it.  But, the good news is that more than likely, your kids are going to love it. And when that happens, you’ve got some serious teacher power on your hands.

This lesson plan I’ve included here was part of a larger poetry unit.  We had covered lots of different poetic devices through other poems, but I hadn’t shown them slam poetry as an example, yet.  Throughout my units, no matter what unit it is, I try to angle the purpose as that we learn how to write so that we can change the world.  I give a huge talk at the beginning of the year when I’m explaining the course about changing the world with our writing (which I hope to write about soon), and so I try to connect back to it every unit.  During our fiction unit we use this idea to emphasize theme, and during our argumentative we actually had a “democracy party” this year, where if kid wrote to someone real about something real that could change, they could participate.

Another note about this lesson is that I like it to be the first slam poem that the kids see.  Before showing it, I give a preview about what the poet’s topic will be, that he uses a lot of poetic devices, blah blah blah.  I kid you not, every year, after I give this preview when I show the video, there are a couple black students in my room that react in surprise that the poet is black.  The power of representation is strong, people.  No joke.  That’s one reason you might notice that my list of my favorite slam poems, I strove for a variety of races.  Our kids deserve and need to see themselves in our examples of experts.

Ok, off my soap boxes.  Here is the lesson plan with accompanying materials.  A quick note: if you feel like your kids might need more than one slam poetry example, I did include a slide with hyperlinks to other awesome examples (and also I have a more comprehensive   list of slam poem videos for the classroom   here).  You have the option to show the examples to the whole class, or use the slide as self-paced differentiation→ which I explain how to do here .

Ok, for real: here is the lesson plan!

Slam Poetry Day 1 Lesson Plan

Learning objectives:  .

•   Come up with and start a poem about something that is meaningful to them.
•   Apply techniques we’ve learned about over the last week (alliteration, rhyme, repetition, shape, similes) to enhance meaning of the poem.
• Students’ own notebooks
• Accompanying Slam Poetry Power Point
• Words to the slam poem, “Touchscreen”
• A way to show “Touchscreen” Youtube video

And that’s it!  A Writing Workshop Slam Poetry starter-lesson.  The possibilities of where to go from here are endless.  Show another slam tomorrow and write a new poem?   Continue to hone the one from today?  Workshop poems in groups tomorrow to add the poetic devices we’ve been talking about?  Up to you.  

Pin it for later!

I’ve made updates to this lesson plan since posting it! You can download ready-to-go slides, an easy-to-use handout, and Word-version of the updated lesson plan for FREE  here .

Want to see this lesson plan in action?

Want even MORE slam poetry lessons?  This Slam Poetry Unit Plan includes a full 3 weeks of lessons similar to this one, taking students through drafting and revising multiple poems with a student-planned performance at the end.

You’d probably also like this Peer Conference/Feedback lesson plan .  It’s good to use for ANY type of writing and designed to lift both student’s academic conversations and writing.  Swoon.

Also these FREE resources:

25+ Slam Poems Appropriate for Middle School and High School –my most viewed post by far.  Check it out for more ideas or put a link on your class website to let kids explore.

20 Ways to Help Reluctant Writers in your Classroom –a list of ways you can make your classroom more friendly to students reluctant to write, as well as trouble-shooting ideas for students who refuse to write.

How to Teach Students to Own that Speech –a lesson plan I’ve also adapted for teaching Slam Poetry, this is the perfect lesson before your slam poetry competition.

Teaching Writing Pinterest Board –My spot to collect all the most useful resources I can find for teaching writing–if you like this post, you’re sure to like this collection.

ELA Resources Pinterest Board –A collation of engaging, best-practice resources for ELA teachers.

My Teachers Pay Teachers Store –If you liked this, you’re sure to like resources in my store. I’ve taught writing for grades 6, 7, 8, 10, and 12, so teaching writing is my store’s specialty!

Share this:

Thank you! I started this blog in March 2017, so a couple months. Hope you can get some use out of it!

Thank you for the Slam Poetry Lesson. Just completed this last week and I was very excited about the thoughtful, insightful discussion from the poem “Touchscreen”. My 8th grade students could relate, were reflective about the “issues” presented and engaged in lively discussion. This poem is packed full of mini-issues that can be unpacked for an even more in-depth study. We hit several, but could have done more! Again, thank you for sharing this lesson.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Looking for something.

• Resource Shop
• Partnerships

Information

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

New Teacher Corner

New teachers are my favorite teachers..

10 Poetry Slam Videos You Can't Miss + Writing Prompts for Each

If you're like me, you want a hook for your poetry unit. Something students can grab ahold of when poetry feels too disconnected from their lives. I'm here to offer you that very hook. It's called poetry slam. I have a feeling you've heard of it, but have you tried it yet? And if not, WHY NOT?

Last month I wrote a post all about how to do it , so today I'm going to focus on ten amazing video clips you can use as part of your slam unit. If you're not ready to dive fully into slam, you could also easily use them to complement a traditional poetry unit. 

In my slam units I sprinkle video clips throughout the week so that students can practice judging poems. I play the video, then ask everyone to silently give it a score 1-10 and prepare to defend that score. Then I start calling on people. It's always so. much. fun. One student may rate a poem with a one that five other students thought was the best ten they'd ever seen. The debate that follows is exactly the kind of engagement I love.

Bottom line, in poetry slam, there are no rules. The audience loves what they love. 

I find that sharing videos of eloquent slammers inspires my students to move in new directions with their poetry. The quality of poems they slam every year astounds me. We do several writing workshops in class but because they are so engaged with the slam format and want to perform something excellent, they spend many hours working on their poems outside of class too. 

In this post I'm going to share ten of the most outstanding slam videos I've seen in my ten years of searching. And for each, I'm going to offer you a brief prompt you could share with your students in a writing workshop after watching and scoring the video. I wouldn't recommend doing them all, but if you choose several that you believe your students will connect to, I think you'll find this a very productive way to inspire writing. 

This first clip is from the popular television series "Def Poetry." My students tend to respect Kanye West, and this subject, about being self conscious and wanting to impress others, is something they can easily relate to. 

Kanye West - Self Conscious on Def Jam Poetry

Prompt: Kanye West uses this poem to give advice. By demonstrating what he DOESN'T think people should do, he sets them up to listen carefully to what he DOES think they should do. Write a poem with advice. It can be about something small, like what to eat for breakfast. It can be about something big, like how to find the life you want. Use specific details to show what you mean. Choose memorable words. Combine them in memorable ways. 

This clip from Brave New Voices features two girls protesting the stereotyping of Muslims with some very effective language choices and powerful images. 

The best youth poets from around the world take center stage at the 18th Annual Brave New Voices International Youth Poetry Slam Festival for a week of workshops, performances, and inspiration from July 15 - 18, 2015. This year, we head to the Cultural Mecca of the South - Atlanta, Georgia.

Prompt: These girls chose an issue that was important to them and took a stand. What's important to you? Choose something you really care about, something that you know enough about that you can be specific with your stand. Write a poem that PERSUADES through statements and powerful images. 

This next video is from the documentary film SlamNation. Many clips from this film are available on youtube and lots of them are wonderful. "Love" by Alexandra Oliver is one of my favorites. Students have hugely varied reactions to her purposely awkward delivery style and hilarious overarching comparison. Let them feel uncomfortable at first and then start to realize it's supposed to be funny.

Lots more poetry and all our movies and videos at DevlinPix.com http://bit.ly/DevlinPix Guest post by Alexandra! Today I consider myself to be not really a slam poet, but rather a page poet who's an enthusiastic reader. When I got involved in slam, it really was in its beginning stages in Vancouver.

Prompt: Alexandra Oliver compares love to stale twinkles. Talk about a striking, unusual choice. Write a poem around one big simile that will surprise people. Stick with the theme of love, or branch out. Just choose something surprising for your simile. For example, "slam poems are like omelettes..."

In this clip, Smokey Robinson comes on Def Poetry Jam to share a poem about the different language used to describe being black through history, and what that language does or does not mean. 

Smokey Robinson speaks the TRUTH in this video. Check it out.

Prompt:  Smokey Robinson uses his poem to talk about an aspect of his identity. What's a part of your identity that you could write about? It could be anything - your heritage, your beliefs, your dreams, your friendships, your passions. Try to explore this part of yourself through many different types of small stories, examples, and lenses the way Robinson does. 

In this clip, Poetri cracks up his audience with his poem about Krispy Kreme donuts. My students generally find this poem pretty hilarious, and it provides a nice example of a slam poem that is not necessarily political or strongly message-driven. 

Follow me on Twitter @Defpoetpoetri. Check out my show on July 29th at the HaHa Cafe Comedy Club. It is called Spoken Funk. For tickets and more info go to m...

Prompt: Poetri gives us a great example of a poem about something pretty normal in our everyday lives, like getting donuts. He puts a funny spin on a habit. What's something you do all the time? How could you turn that into a poem, perhaps with a bit of humor? 

Heads up, this poem, "Sign Language" by Rives, has several swear words but they are not particularly offensive. I find this poem very striking, and I think your students will too. It's about his experience doing poetry slam at the high school for deaf students where he works. 

On Def Poetry Jam

Prompt:  Rives explores a topic most of his audience know nothing about. What's something you know all about through experience that no one else here does? I bet there's something. Write a poem about it. Use specific anecdotes and descriptive details to bring it alive, because you're the only one who can do that for us. 

Blythe Baird's "When the Fat Girl Gets Skinny" comes from a good series called Button Poetry. It's about disordered eating. 

Make Button Poetry grow! http://bit.ly/buttonpatreon Subscribe to Button! New video daily: http://bit.ly/buttonpoetry If you loved this poem, check out Sam Sax: http://bit.ly/1NaP5ut Performing for the Twin Cities during prelims at the 2015 National Poetry Slam. Follow Button on Facebook: http://on.fb.me/SG5Xm0 About Button: Button Poetry is committed to developing a coherent and effective system of production, distribution, promotion and fundraising for spoken word and performance poetry.

Prompt: Baird explores a very personal theme, using many small details from her own experience. Write about something personal to you, and include at least ten specific details from your own experience as you explore the topic. You don't every have to show this poem to anyone if you don't want to. 

Taylor Mali is one of the most famous slam poets, and he really gets into his piece "Like Totally Whatever," featured in SlamNation. Some students love it, some think he goes too far. You might also enjoy checking out "What Teachers Make" and "I Could be a Poet," also by Taylor Mali.  

Lots more poetry and all our movies and videos at DevlinPix http://bit.ly/DevlinPix Taylor Mali http://www.taylormali.com performs his poem "Like Totally Whatever" from Paul Devlin's http://bit.ly/9aehwv SlamNation. MORE FROM TAYLOR MALI: http://bit.ly/IFtVn5 Taylor Mali is ON FIRE in at the finals of the National Poetry Slam in Portland Oregon.

Prompt: Taylor Mali has a pet peeve. Do you? Write a poem in which you dig deeply into your pet peeve. What exactly is it that drives you so nuts about it? Why does it matter? Be specific. Use original language. Don't be afraid to be funny.

Jack McCarthy blends humor and sincerity in his slam piece "Boys Don't Cry." This one gets a range of student responses, and that's just one of the reasons I think it's well worth sharing.

Lots more poetry and all our movies and videos at DevlinPix.com http://bit.ly/DevlinPix It has been three years since we lost the wonderfully talented performance poet Jack McCarthyREAD MORE ON OUR BLOG: http://bit.ly/1Jod1ad

Prompt: Jack McCarthy breaks apart a common statement with his poem "Boys Don't Cry." What's something you hear people say that you think is absurd? Write a poem to disprove a commonly held belief or trite saying. Sprinkle in striking description and details from your own experience. 

Gemineye gives a nice slam-style poetry lesson with this piece, "Poetic Bloodline." 

Def Jam Poetry Gemineye Poetic Bloodlines

Prompt: Gemini uses this poem to talk about a huge variety of poets who have influenced him as a writer. Who has influenced you? Write a poem about one or many people who have made you see the world differently.

I hope you find the time to incorporate some slam into your unit, or go full steam ahead into poetry slam. I've done it every year of my teaching career and LOVED it every time. If you're diving in for the first time and could use some support, I'd be glad to have you join my Facebook group Creative High School English . It's a great place to get help and ideas when you're trying something new and wonderful, and I'm in there just about every day to help everyone connect and share ideas. 

If you're new to slam and hoping to find some resources to make your roll out easier, I'm happy to say I've put together a full curriculum unit , with everything you need from setting up the slam ambiance to grading student effort. 

Whenever I encounter great Slam resources, I add them to my Poetry Slam Pinterest page , so feel free to follow along for a stream of ideas and inspiration. 

About the Author

After almost a decade of teaching across all the high school levels and grades, in both the United States and abroad, Betsy Potash now joyfully spends her time helping high school English teachers escape the podium and teach creatively. Betsy runs the blog Spark Creativity and has also written for We are Teachers, Independent School Magazine, English Journal, Reading Today, ReadWriteThink.org and Classroom Notes Plus. Her degrees and a lot of happy memories come from Pomona College (B.A., English) and Middlebury (M.A., English). Betsy loves to travel the world (she'll be back, Morocco!), play playdoh with her little ones, and cook a range of desserts that would make the Hogwarts house elves proud. When it comes to writing instruction, she brings a creative twist. Whether it's teaching her students to use quotation burgers in their formal papers or launching a student-authored one act play festival, Betsy always hopes to help students enjoy writing by keeping it fun and engaging. 

25+ Slam Poems Appropriate for Middle School and High School

PRESTO PLANS

prestO PLANS

ENGLISH TEACHER RESOURCES

Sent straight to your inbox

CLICK HERE TO ACCESS

Sign up to receive 10 ready-to-use ELA resources your students will love! 

10 FREE ELA RESOURCES

Teaching Students How to Annotate Poetry

8 Ways Teachers Can Celebrate Student Success 

Bulletin Board Ideas for Middle & High School English

ON THE BLOG

teacher favorites

an ELA facebook community

TEACHERS' LOUNGE

join us in the

Engage your students as soon as they walk into your classroom with my best-selling, full-year bell-ringer set. Each day includes a unique and creative task. Topics include grammar, vocabulary, writing, and figurative language.  

Full Year of English  Bell-Ringers (Vol 3)

teacher resource

Top categories, i'm bonnie from presto plans.

I’m a curriculum writer, literacy educator, and all around book lover with a passion for helping English teachers engage their students with creative, high-quality resources. My mission? To make teaching English a whole lot easier for you, teacher friend! 

Hello, Teachers! 

Host a Poetry Slam in Your Classroom

Have you ever found it difficult to get all of your students to buy into your poetry unit? I know I’ve felt that way before. I think some of this reluctance comes from the perception of poetry being an outdated form of creative expression. This is not true, of course. Poetry is written, read, and enjoyed by people all over the world every day. Still, it can nonetheless feel like there is a barrier to entry with poetry that is not necessarily there with novels or other forms of writing. Hosting a poetry slam is a great way to break down this barrier in your classroom. Here’s how you can easily host a poetry slam in the ELA classroom.

What is a Poetry Slam

Start by explaining to your students what exactly a poetry slam is. A poetry slam is a competitive event in which poets perform their work and are judged by members of the audience. At a poetry slam, you will hear spoken word poetry (also known as slam poetry). This type of poetry is meant to be presented on stage. Although some spoken word poetry can be found in writing, it is meant to be performed rather than exist in print. Some of your students are likely already familiar with slam poetry. This form of creative expression has become extremely popular in recent years, and many slam poetry videos have gone viral online.

History and Background

Slam poetry, just like all other types of poetry, has its own interesting history. Once your students have a strong understanding of what a poetry slam is, I suggest teaching them about how it got started.

In 1986, a construction worker and poet, Mark Smith, approached Dave Jemilo, the owner of the Green Mill (a Chicago jazz club), with a plan to host a weekly poetry competition on Sunday nights. Jemilo welcomed him, and the Uptown Poetry Slam was born on July 25 of that year.

Mark Smith instituted the basic features of the competition, including judges chosen from the audience and cash prizes for the winner. The Green Mill evolved to draw in performances from poets all around the world. Amazingly, the Uptown Poetry Slam continues to run every Sunday night!

Judging Slams

The next thing I like to do with students when hosting a classroom poetry slam is to get them to actually judge slam poetry. For this, I show students videos of different popular slam poetry performances on YouTube. I then get them to give a score for each one. You can have some fun with this by getting students to hold up a piece of paper with a score between one and ten!

Instead of giving students rubrics that guide how they judge the performances, I encourage them to score each one based on their gut reaction—how it made them feel, how much they connected with it, and how skilled they thought the performer was. I typically spend a whole class just watching and judging videos. Here are a few examples of videos that you can use with your class:

• Solli Raphael, 12, becomes the youngest winner of Australian Poetry Slam
• Marshall Davis Jones | Touchscreen
• MSA 2009 Slam Poetry

Outline the Rules

At this point, students should have a pretty strong understanding of what slam poetry is all about. Now is the time to outline the rules of poetry slams . They will want to keep these in mind when they start writing and practicing their slam poems. Although they may vary from slam to slam, I’ve listed four basic rules that you can follow below:

• Each poem must be of the poet’s own construction.
• Each poet gets three minutes to read one poem (deduction for going over time).
• The poet may not use props, costumes, or instruments.
• Of the five scores, the highest and lowest are dropped and the middle three are added together (score between 0-30).

Topic Free Writing

Next, put a list of topics on the board that might elicit an emotional response from your students. One-word topics like music, friendship, environment, beauty, happiness, and fear  tend to work well for this. Students can choose from one of these topics, or they can think of a topic on their own. In either case, encourage them to choose something that interests them, something from which they can offer their unique perspective.

Then, get your students to do some timed, 5-minute free write where they get all of their thoughts out on their chosen topic onto paper. Tell them to write whatever comes to mind and that they are not allowed to stop writing until the timer stops no matter what! The point here is to try and some strike inspiration while gathering what their thoughts are on their chosen topic.

Writing The Slam

Now it’s time for your students to write the slam poem itself, which can be informed by a powerful idea, word, or line they came up with during their free-writing exercise. First, however, I get them to fill out a  poetry slam writing organizer  that includes questions to help them organize their thoughts. Here are a couple of questions you might include in yours:

• What are the main points that you want your listener to consider about your chosen topic?
• What is going to be the tone of your poem?

Then, once they have mapped out the direction of their slam poem, I get students to write it out in its entirety, get peer feedback on it, edit the poem, and then perfect it!

Practice, Practice Practice!

Once students are happy with their slam poem , it is time for them to practice performing it. It is important to note that slam poems do not need to be memorized; they can simply be read. In either case, the more a student practices it, the more natural it will feel, and the higher they would score. Students can practice with a partner, or alone by recording themselves and watching it back. Or they might practice with a small group to get used to performing it in front of some sort of crowd, which can definitely be intimidating!

Hosting the Event

All that’s left now is hosting the classroom  poetry slam itself! I suggest making this into more of an event by leaving your classroom for this. If possible, host the poetry slam in the school theater. If you can, try to replicate the mood of a typical poetry slam by dimming the lights and having a single microphone on the stage. Students who won’t be memorizing their poems entirely can prepare more easily readable cue cards to guide them along during their big performance.

To Grade or Not to Grade?

Finally, the last thing to discuss is whether or not to grade your classroom poetry slam. This is completely up to you. If you want to, you could provide a grade using a pre-established grading rubric  that you provide students with at the outset. Or you can simply follow the scoring process outlined above in the poetry slam rules. For this, you will get your students to submit their scores for each performance. Then you can determine the final grades by dropping the highest and lowest values.

If you’re looking for more ways to spark student interest in poetry, click here!

share this post

VISIT THE BLOG

Snowball writing: collaborative writing activity, 10 ideas to make your teachers’ lounge a positive space.

Send students on an online date with a book

7 bell-ringer ideas for middle and high school english.

Search the blog for what you are teaching

PRIVACY   |

CONTACT   |

© PRESTO PLANS  |

I’m Bonnie, a curriculum writer, literacy educator, and all around book lover on a mission to make English teachers’ lives a whole lot easier! 

resources sent to your inbox!

10 FREE ENGLISH TEACHER

@PRESTOPLANS

FIND ME ON 

sent straight to your inbox!

10 days of ELA TEACHER

5 Topics for Poetry Slam

• December 15, 2021
• AP Literature , Poetry

The first time my students participated in a poetry slam, I had been a teacher for less than three weeks.  I was hired to replace a teacher who would be retiring in mid-September when he turned 55 and became eligible.  In those few weeks, he was forced to “hang on,”  he was my 1:1 mentor.  He introduced me to the poetry slam which he had seen at a coffee house in California.  Since the first novice go, I have developed a number topics for poetry slam in high school English.

What is a Poetry Slam?

Simply stated, a poetry slam is a brackets style competition that pits poet against poet, poem against poem.  Members of the audience vote to determine which poem/poet will go on to the next round.  Generally, the audience is allowed to determine their own criteria when they vote.

Oh and a key aspect of a poetry slam is that once a presenter is done, the audience snaps instead of clapping.

The Tale of my First Poetry Slam

My mentor, Jerry Egger, suggested that we start with poems by professionals.  This took some of the pressure off of the students, but still required them to do some analysis and preparations.

Together we went through the text book. And, yes, we had a text book and it was actually a pretty good one. This was way before a computer in every classroom. Although, I guess it wasn’t really before Poets.org, we certainly didn’t know about that site.  Jerry hand drew brackets and we randomly assigned poems to students who then had to prepare a reading of the poems for competition.  

We followed this competition with a poetry slam of student written poems.

During each round, only three students got to vote.  They were selected at random and in different combinations throughout the competition.  We put no criteria on how they voted.

Why Poetry Slams Work in High School English

There is actually a lot of powerful reasons to have a poetry slam in high school English classes.  It requires speaking, listening, along with comprehension and evaluation.  For a poem to be successful, the student must not only understand the poem but also make a powerful presentation.  Students in the audience must listen carefully and determine their own criteria to evaluate which poem will move into the next round..

If you are already convinced, be sure to grab my new, free resource: A Guide to the Poetry Slam for High School Teachers . It includes all the how-tos, 5 topics for poetry slam, a list of 50 poems that high school students love and blank bracket templates.

How to Do a Poetry Slam

It is pretty easy to do a poetry slam in the classroom:

• Determine where the poems will come from professionals or students.
• Determine who will find the poems.  You could provide a list of poems and assign them randomly.  You could provide a list of poems and have the students choose or you could have the students find the poems.  If you decide to have the students find their own poems, be sure to direct them to reputable sites like Poets.org , PoetryFoundation.org and Poetry 180.   Obviously, if you decide to use poems written by the students, you already have a plan for where to find the poems. Be sure to check out 5 topics for poetry slam below.
• Determine the brackets.  You can find blank brackets on-line or you can grab this A Guide to Poetry Slam for High School Teachers freebie which includes a couple sets of brackets that you can use in your classes.
• Determine the voting process.  You can have just a few students vote each time or you can have each member of the class vote or you can vote by committee. I talk more about all these options below.
• Then set your dates and begin.

Student Presenters

This year my classes are just over 16 students each, so I decided to assign each student one of the poems from the brackets.  Students drew a title.  To accommodate the class that has 19, I doubled up on a few of the more complicated poems.  Then I gave students a class period to prepare their poem. 

They needed to read, annotate and analyze the poem for meaning and structure.  Then they need to prepare a really great reading of the poem that helps the class to understand the meaning of the poem.  Additionally, they need to share at least one element that they think is beautiful about the poem and one aspect of writer’s craft that stands out. They are also allowed to use any other resources as part of their preparations. Many of the students looked up biographical information about the poets. It was fabulous. I learned stuff from their presentations despite the fact that this is the third year we have done this poetry slam.

After the students present, the rest of the class completes their own reflection on beauty and author’s craft before we have a full class discussion of the poem.  This time, individuals voted using Google Forms.

Three ways to Vote During a Class Poetry Slam

Kelly Gallagher advocates for small groups voting through consensus.  Students must discuss the poems in groups of 3-5 and then enter a consensus vote.  This requires the groups to really discuss the merits of their poems.  The drawback to this is that some students will be upset because their group didn’t really come to consensus, instead it became a majority vote.

Select Individuals

The first time I did a poetry slam we only had three voters per class.  They were not the same voters each day, and they were picked at random.  The advantage to this is that the students who vote feel important and really listen.  The drawback is that students who are not voting in that round may not give their full attention.

In the last two years of poetry slams, I have used technology (Google Forms or Polls in NearPod or Google Meets) to help me collect votes from individuals.  This allows every voice to really have a say.  The drawback is that you have to live post the poll. If you don’t, students will vote before the discussions have concluded not really listening to all that the other students have to say. Students like to see me post the pie chart of the vote. I don’t post this until all the votes are in. That way, no one is influenced by the way the vote is going.

Poetry Slams Ideas for High Schools using Remote or Hybrid Learning

When my classes we learning through hybrid instruction we were still able to have our annual poetry slam. We used Near Pod.  Students had access to print copies of the poems.  I read the poems out loud and then students posted their responses to the digital white board once for the things they liked and observed about the aesthetics and once for writer’s craft.  Then we discussed verbally and voted using the poll option.

This is a great opportunity to also add some collaborative annotations to the analysis that students using in their study of these poems. For ideas on how to include collaborative annotations, check out this post.

Topics for a Poetry Slam

British poets vs. american poets.

Have a good trans-Atlantic competition of poets from Shakespeare to Frost.  Choose 8 or 16 poets/poems on each side, then have the students work through the brackets.

I developed a poetry slam for my AP Literature® Students that Includes 8 British poems groups and 8 American poems.  They are put in their brackets by century:  1600-1700s, 1800-1850, 1851-1899, Early 1900s.  I decided to include well known poets who had stood the test of time while also trying to incorporate women and authors of color where I could.

So, team British Poet includes Shakespeare, Blake, Emily and Charlotte Bronte, Thomas Hardy and Katherine Mansfield.  Team American Poet is Phillis Wheatley and Anne Bradstreet, Dickinson and Whitman, Poe and Wordsworth, Frost and Claude McKay.

If you want to try a poetry slam, but don’t want the work associated with setting it up, grab this ready made poetry slam here.

Harlem Renaissance Poets

I set this one up as a random set of brackets. But, you could also do poets who are well known vs. little known poets or choose based on poems rather than poets.  Harlem Renaissance Poets my students love:  Claude McKay, Langston Hughes, James Weldon Johnson, Countee Cullen, Jean Toomer, Leslie Pinckney Hill, Fenton Johnson, Angelina Weld Grimké, Alice Dunbar-Nation, Anne Spencer, Jessie Redmond Faucet, Georgia Douglas Johnson, Melvin B. Tolson, William Waring Cuney, Arna Bontemps, Sterling A. Brown.

Dead Poets vs. Living Poets

I haven’t tried this one, but wouldn’t it be fun to put Shakespeare up against Nikki Grimes, Frost against Martin Espada.  There are so may options here that this would be a great poetry slam to have students find the poems.  Divide the class in half. One half looks for poems by dead poets. The other half looks for poems by living poets.

Pair a Poetry Slam with another Poetry Project

Each year, my AP students do a quazi-reseach assignment where they choose a theme and then collect poems by professional/published poets to create an anthology.  It would be easy to add a presentation aspect to this project. Students choose one of the poems from their anthology to put up for competition in their class.

You could, of course, do the same thing if your students wrote their own poems too.

Let the Poets Do their Own Readings

Another fun idea would be to choose poems and poets who have recordings of their poems available on YouTube or through Poets.org .  When my students study “We Real Cool” by Gwendolyn Brooks, I love to have them listen to her read her own poem so they can hear how she uses enjambment.  But it would also be great to let the poets present their own poems for the competition.  You could still provide students with print copies of the poems for study. But rather than you or your students reading the poem, the poem could be read by the poets themselves.  Lots of twentieth and twenty-first century poets have recordings of their works available.

Get Ready to Share These Poetry Slam Topics with Your Students

My AP  students are currently in the throes of our British vs. American Poets Poetry Slam.  I love these other topics for poetry slams so much that I want to do a second poetry slam later this year.  I am torn between the Harlem Renaissance and pairing our Student Curated Poetry Anthologies with a Poetry Slam.  It would definitely give the students so much more agency in the in our slam.

Be sure to grab my free Poetry Slam Ideas for High School Guide to help you plan your own classroom poetry slam. And if you are looking for other ideas for teaching poetry analysis in your high school classes, be sure to check out this post.

Related Resources

More Poetry Analysis Ideas: 4 Ways to Teach Poetry Analysis

Dive Deeper into the Poets of the Harlem Renaissance: Poems of the Harlem Renaissance for High School :

Or tie your poetry slam to Women’s History Month–your own version of March Madness 😂: 9 Meaningful Poetry Activities for Women’s History Month

Need a quick poetry unit: The Sonnet in Poetry: Teaching Sonnet Analysis

Lesa Smith is the Poetry Goddess: 15 Poetry Collections For Your Classroom Library (Smith Teaches 9 to 12)

Shop this Post

British Poets vs. American Poets Poetry Slam

4 Simple Solutions to Teach Poetry Analysis

more from the blog

21 Book Club Themes for High School English

Choosing the right book club themes for your high school English literature circles can be the difference between a good experience and a great experience. 

11 Short Stories for Fall for High School English

Fall is the perfect time to incorporate a short story unit into any high school class.  So today I am sharing 11 short stories for

The Essential Question for Lesson Plans in High School English

This year, I am teaching a course I haven’t taught in about fifteen years.  So as I considered how I to plan for this class,

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Hi, I'm Jeanmarie!

I help AP Literature and High School English teachers create engaging classrooms so that students will be prepared college and beyond.

Learn more about me and how I can help you here 

Let's Connect!

Your free guide to planning a full year of AP Literature

AP® is a trademark registered by the College Board, which is not affiliated with, and does not endorse, this product.

• Skip to right header navigation
• Skip to main content
• Skip to primary sidebar

15 Fun Poetry Activities for High School

April 8, 2019 //  by  Lindsay Ann //   3 Comments

Sharing is caring!

High School Students + Fun Poetry Activities

If you’re an English teacher, looking for fun poetry activities for high school or middle school students, I’ve got you covered. I’m opening up my poetry toolbox and sharing some of my favorite (and most successful) poetry games and activities!  Whether you’re looking for a stand-alone lesson or something more, there’s something here for everyone.

Pop Sonnets

The creation of pop sonnets is one of my favorite poetry activities to use in conjunction with the reading of a Shakespearean play, but it can be used as a stand-alone lesson. The hook is that modern-day songs have been turned into Shakespearean sonnets. You can study one of Shakespeare’s sonnets and ask students to modernize it. Then, work in reverse by re-working a modern-day song as a sonnet. Or, just use this as a “hook” to help students feel more comfortable with Shakespearean language.   Take a look and thank me later.

Songs as Poetry

Studying modern-day songs is a great way to teach about figurative language and poetic devices while studying poetry. Try reading the lyrics, but omitting or re-writing the metaphors and talking about the change in message/meaning. Look for examples of imperfect rhyme in one of Eminem’s cleaner songs. Study poems as paired texts . Analyze lines from a famous soundtrack. Ask students to bring in their favorite songs and discuss. So. Many. Options!

Here are 12 great songs to analyze if you aren’t sure where to start:

• “Across the Universe” by the Beatles
• “Angel” by Sarah McLachlan
• “Blank Space” by Taylor Swift
• “Chasing Pavements” by Adele
• “Infinity” by Mariah Carey
• “Stereo Hearts” by Gym Class Heroes
• “Counting Stars” by One Republic
• “It’s Time” by Imagine Dragons
• “Imagine” by John Lennon
• “Mad World” by Gary Jules
• “Zombie” by The Cranberries
• “Letter to Me” by Brad Paisley

Slam Poetry

Students need to know that poetry is not dead. It’s living. It’s breathing. It’s storytelling. It’s cool. In April, my classes come alive with the magic of slam poetry as students become authors and performers. They re-discover wonder and learn to let down their guard. They learn that there is intersectionality between their story and the stories of others. They are appreciated. They appreciate others. When I use this fun poetry activity for high school students , my classroom really becomes a true community.

Grab my slam poetry “mini” unit to get your students started with slam poetry!

Not sure which slam poems are school-appropriate and engaging? Here are 40 of my favorite slam poems !

Paint Chip Poetry

This poetry writing activity is FREE if you’re willing to grab some paint chips from your local hardware store, preferably ones with multiple colors in one. Or, Amazon sells an awesome paint chip poetry “game.”

• Have students use one of the color names as the title for a poem.
• Have students write poems in stanzas, using each of the color names as inspiration.
• Have students use all of the color names somewhere in a poem.
• Have students choose two contrasting colors and make a poem of contrasts.
• Have students choose two complimentary colors and make a poem.
• Have students choose a color and write an identity poem.

Blackout Poetry

This is an oldie, but goodie poetry writing exercise for high school students. Copy a page or two from a whole class novel. Or better yet, choose a completely divergent text, maybe a science textbook or page from a dictionary. Students string together words on the page to form a poem, and black-out the rest of the words. If they want to go above and beyond, they can create an original illustration to accompany their blackout poem.

Book Spine Poetry

Take your students to the library (or have them browse a site like Goodreads) and challenge them to create poems from book titles. Each title becomes a line in the poem. An optional challenge: have students choose (or randomly draw) a theme, and their poem has to relate to their chosen theme. If you’re looking for some FREE templates, I’ve got you covered: Click Here !  I created these templates as a quick fun poetry activity for high school sophomores after my librarian told me that having my classes pull so many books would be a pain to re-shelve.

Poetry Tasting

A lot of teachers are loving my reading progressive dinner stations . Poems are short and accessible texts that always rock when used with this activity.

Here are some options for poetry stations, a fun group poetry activity: 

• Choose a certain kind of poem or a certain poetic movement to explore at ALL the stations, i.e. the ghazal or Imagist poetry.
• Choose different kinds of poems or movements to explore at each station.
• Choose poems related to ONE thematic idea.
• Choose poems written by teenagers.
• Choose “famous” poems.
• Choose slam poems.

Poetry Transformations

If you’re studying word choice and tone in poetry, why not have students transform a poem, switching from one tone to another? Then, have students write a reflection analyzing why they made 4-5 important changes.

Found Poems

This poetry activity is exactly what it sounds like. Have students choose / cut-out words from magazines to form “found” poems. Or, have students listen to a TED talk or story, writing down a certain # of words they hear. Then, ask them to use these words + ones of their own to write an original poem.

Easter Egg Poems

If ’tis the season, you might as well use those plastic easter eggs you may have lying around. Put “poetry inspiration” in each egg. At the very least, I suggest a word or phrase. If you want to go “all-in,” create a combination of the items below:

• Random household objects, i.e. a piece of string, a bead
• Newspaper/magazine clippings
• Words/phrases
• Famous first lines
• A “mentor” poem, copied and folded up

Tell students that their challenge is to write a poem inspired by these objects. Or, if you prefer, have students incorporate words / ideas from each object in their poem.

Favorite Poem Project

If you’ve never seen the site “ Favorite Poem Project ,” I suggest checking it out as a poetry unit resource. The site’s goal is to interview a variety of different people about their “favorite poems.” In each short video, an individual shares a personal connection to his/her poem and reads the poem out loud.

After being a fan of this site for some time, I decided to have my students make their own “favorite poem” videos . They explored, chose a poem that they liked “best,” and created videos on Flipgrid discussing their thoughts about the poem and reading it aloud. These videos were then viewed by classmates. Everyone enjoyed this a lot!

Metaphor Dice

Poems as Mentor Texts

Using mentor texts for writing is a powerful strategy for poetry instruction, yet one that I find myself “skipping” because there isn’t time. I have to remind myself to “make” the time because it’s important. If we’re going to spend time analyzing texts, it only makes sense to have students try to use those writing moves in their own writing. After all, students should be writing frequently, and not always for an assessment grade.

Here are 12 great mentor poems if you’re not sure where to start:

• “ We Real Cool ” by Gwendolyn Brooks
• “ Montauk ” by Sarah Kay
• “ This is Just to Say ” by William Carlos Williams
• “ Mother to Son ” by Langston Hughes
• “ My Father’s Hats ” by Mark Irwin
• “ Chicago ” by Carl Sandburg
• “ Entrance ” by Dana Gioia
• “ My Father is an Oyster ” by Clint Smith
• “ If ” by Rudyard Kipling
• “ Ode to a Large Tuna in the Market ” by Pablo Neruda
• “ The Bean Eaters ” by Gwendolyn Brooks
• “ The Summer I Was Sixteen ” by Geraldine Connolly
• “ Where I’m From ” by George Ella Lyon (As a bonus, students can submit their poems to the “I am From” project. ) p.s. If you’re looking for ready-to-use templates,  here you go !

Magnetic Poetry

A fun activity to fill extra class time, or just for fun: magnetic poetry . Give each student (or pairs of students) a handful of magnetic poetry pieces. See what they come up with. Take pictures and display around the room.

Interactive Poetry Bulletin Board

Sort of like magnetic poetry, but with a twist, it’s fun to set-up an interactive bulletin board as a fun poetry activity for high school students to try before or after class. You can do this in several different ways.

• Poem of the day + a “feel-o-meter” for students to rate the poem on a scale from “mild sauce” to “hot sauce.” You can have students use push pins to vote.
• Large scale magnetic poetry + a bulletin board becomes “push pin poetry.” You choose the words. Students move them around to form poems.

Hey, if you loved this post, I want to be sure you’ve had the chance to grab a FREE copy of my guide to stream l ined grading . I know how hard it is to do all the things as an English teacher, so I’m over the moon to be able to share with you some of my best strategies for reducing the grading overwhelm. 

Click on the link above or the image below to get started!

About Lindsay Ann

Lindsay has been teaching high school English in the burbs of Chicago for 19 years. She is passionate about helping English teachers find balance in their lives and teaching practice through practical feedback strategies and student-led learning strategies. She also geeks out about literary analysis, inquiry-based learning, and classroom technology integration. When Lindsay is not teaching, she enjoys playing with her two kids, running, and getting lost in a good book.

Related Posts

You may be interested in these posts from the same category.

Using Rhetorical Devices to Write More Effectively

Common Lit Curriculum: An Honest Review

Incorporating Media Analysis in English Language Arts Instruction

How to Write a Descriptive Essay: Creating a Vivid Picture with Words

The Power of Book Tasting in the Classroom

20 Short Stories Students Will Read Gladly

6 Fun Book Project Ideas

Tailoring Your English Curriculum to Diverse Learning Styles

Teacher Toolbox: Creative & Effective Measures of Academic Progress for the Classroom

10 Most Effective Teaching Strategies for English Teachers

Beyond Persuasion: Unlocking the Nuances of the AP Lang Argument Essay

Book List: Nonfiction Texts to Engage High School Students

Reader Interactions

[…] Dice: I wrote about this game in my previous blog post about poetry fun, but couldn’t pass by another opportunity to give it a […]

[…] you wonder how to give constructive feedback on creative writing and poetry pieces created by student writers who have put their heart and soul into […]

[…] Teach your high schoolers to annotate using poetry. Have fun with magnetic poetry online! Incorporate art, theatre, or music with black-out poetry, songs as poetry, or poetry slams. Celebrate Robert Frost’s birthday […]

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

• Grades 6-12
• School Leaders

Enter to win 10 books for your classroom 📚

How To Host Your Own Schoolwide Poetry Slam

Your event will inspire and engage students.

by Jeremy Spartz from Lyrics2Learn Poetry is fun—fun to say, fun to write and fun to hear. Theodor Seuss Geisel (the Dr.) crossed age, culture, gender and every other boundary using simple, crafty poetry. Even more impressive, he wrote most of it at a first-to-fifth-grade reading level. Dr. Seuss inspired the poetry slams at my school, Martinez Elementary. When it comes to kids and poetry, surprises come daily.

My first year of teaching began in second grade. I wasn’t the nurturing teacher or the stern man–type teacher. I was the fun teacher. As you might guess, this led to trial-by-fire classroom management attempts. Where do I draw the line? I don’t want to be labeled “the yeller” by parents or students, so that’s out. As a man, I can give the deep-voice threat, but that doesn’t jibe with me in general. I wanted a discipline technique that fit with my “fun teacher” persona. So I turned to Dr. Seuss. If my class needed to simmer down after a reader’s theater or some sort of hands-on science experiment gone awry, nothing cured like the Doctor! Out came Seuss, butts plopped and rhymes dropped. I had an extensive library by the end of year two. Seuss, Prelutsky, Silverstein and others lined my shelves.

This realization led to the first annual Martinez Elementary Second Grade Poetry Slam. We learned the basics during our poetry unit. Haiku, alliteration, ABAB and AABB patterns, etc. The Dr. was a great model. Because of his style (and maybe my animated performance style), nearly every student in the class chose to write simple, patterned poetry. There were two rules:

• Be appropriate. I had plenty of kids that would test these waters.
• Make someone feel something. Most chose funny, or their version of funny, but there were a few surprises. Some sad, some serious, some witty and a few whose parents obviously did most of the writing. But the surprises! That’s what kept it going and growing every year.

My memory of the first slam:

The day arrives, the class is packed, kids are nervous, and one looks at me with saucer eyes filled to the brim and lets it all out with abandon. I wonder what I’m doing. I think to myself, Bright idea Jer, this is fun . Good thing you invited another class and all the parents . The 60 other bodies heating this little room will see how well you’ve thought this through. Teacher of the Year is in the bank .

There wasn’t much to be done but push onward. I propped up our old school transparency projector with a real 60-watt, energy-eating lightbulb and beamed it into the middle of the room. Might as well add more pressure, right? Kids’ desks were arranged in a large U. The bravest student went first and walked into the spotlight. I can’t remember exactly what he said, but I do remember his chest sticking out, and genuine applause from the kids and parents. Dude had courage and it paid off big time. Good thing for me. After that, everyone thought it was cool. Criers were excited, parents were proud and my pits stopped sweating.

I was obviously wet behind the ears, but looking back it still makes me smile. I’m even smiling as I write this.

Year by year it grew. By my eighth year at Martinez, 80 percent of the school was involved in some way. We couldn’t use a classroom. It had gotten supersized—only the gym would do. Fourth graders made judging signs to add more audience participation. No numbers or ratings, but emotions and poetic-type phrases to follow the performances. Posters were made in vibrant colors and decorated with things like, “Touching” or “Hilarious” or “Powerful.” Kids held up the appropriate signs at the end of each poem, then passed them to someone else.

We attracted boys in droves by adding freestyle battles. I’d ask for two volunteers. Sometimes, to get them fired up, we’d do the classic boy vs. girl battle. To make sure I had fun, I might call on the smart-aleck fifth grade boy who always ragged on everyone and pair him against a diabolic, intelligent girl who I knew could whoop him.

I’d give them the mic and pick a word like “red.” This kicked off the battle. The boy would say a sentence, phrase or combination that ended rhyming with red. “I knew a girl who forgot what she said.”

The crowd would hold up their fingers and start a silent 10 countdown, dropping a finger in unison as the girl’s time ticked backwards as she thought of a response. The diabolic girl might say, “Now I remember! It’s all in my head! You will freeze due to pressure, and this battle is dead.” And so on, until someone couldn’t think of another rhyme and the time ticked down to zero. The crowd also listened for any repeated words. That ended the battle.

Everyone would cheer and I’d give props to both contestants for the courage it took to perform, give the boy a knowing wink (she would’ve beaten me too), and we’d move on to another poem or another battle.

When I moved to fourth grade, it got serious. Some of the kids wrote honest-to-goodness, tasteful, deep and meaningful prose, better than anything I’d expected. My pride in these kids may have made me biased, but you never know who has something important to say. I lived for the surprises.

By my sixth year teaching fourth grade, over 230 kids ages 5 to 10 were performing their own original poems, 33 percent of the school population! Whole classes would recite something they made up together, and boys would group up, write and perform their own raps. Some of them even had rhythm!

I will always remember one girl in particular and the poem she wrote. It was able to quiet over 300 kids on a gym floor. She was timid, soft-spoken, and seldom made direct eye contact. I can still feel the slow silence as she spoke. The poem she wrote was good, but how she performed it, combined with who she was, that’s what made her words an experience. During this performance, young faces got distant. You could almost see the pictures appearing in minds as this 10-year-old girl read her words, eloquent, quiet and straight from the heart. I wish you could’ve heard the way she read it.

She’s now in middle school. After writing this, I got ahold of her mother and asked if I could publish it here, and also for her daughter’s permission. I let them know that others might read it. Give it a look and let me know what you think. If you want to share it with your students, you have the go-ahead.

As I started walking along the forest trail, rain began to fall gently. I listened as the calm silence was broken by the soft pitter-patter of rain against the leaves around me. The plentiful trees shielded me from the worst of the water. I inhaled deeply, breathing in the wet, earthy scent of the damp trees. A bush nearby rustled as the bird concealed inside took flight, startled by my presence in its woods. The refreshing sound of the gentle trickle of water cleared my head, and brought this place ever closer to my heart. Up ahead, a stream came into view. The sounds of the rainfall were interrupted by the rush of water as it followed Mother Nature’s path, curving and dipping in wonderful shapes around the smooth grey stones. The gentle drizzle of rain then strengthened, letting more and more droplets escape through the leafy canopy and onto my head and shoulders. I watched tiny drops of rain gather on a leaf, one by one. They built up until the leaf tipped, spilling the crystalline liquid diamonds to the ground. I rounded a corner and was amazed to find a deer, calmly grazing on the moist undergrowth. Startled by my presence, it bounded into the undergrowth, leaving nothing save a few trembling branches as proof of its passing by this place. I quietly continued and crossed a wooden bridge, carrying me over the burbling stream. I could see and hear people up ahead, signaling the end of the trail. As my hike finished and I prepared to once again enter the world of civilization, I realized that I now knew the meaning of true beauty. 

The real benefit of a poetry slam comes from being able to see the person, hear the words and feel the emotion all simultaneously. If the author performs it from the heart and the audience connects, everyone in the room shares a moment of authentic connection. Leaving powerful, lasting statements felt and thought about by all involved.

As teachers, we can show kids how to effectively use the power of language and express something important in their lives. If we can help them work up the confidence to do it in front of their families, classes or schools? Forget about it. They will own vulnerability. That’s life-valuable.

Feel free to visit my personal blog at http://www.lyrics2learn.com/blog/ .

My new reading-improvement project uses music, rhythm, rhyme, repeated and choral reading, progressive questioning, and brain-based learning strategies inside 15-minute centers and lessons. If you get a chance to check it out, I’d love feedback!      

You Might Also Like

Love, Teach Shares 11 Poetry Prompts For Your Secondary ELA Class

Help your students discover their inner superstar poets. Continue Reading

Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved. 5335 Gate Parkway, Jacksonville, FL 32256

Slam Poetry Unit - Spoken Word Poetry Writing Activities for Google Slides

• Google Apps™

What educators are saying

Also included in.

Description

This slam poetry / spoken word poetry mini unit is perfect for teachers who want to incorporate slam poetry writing, but don't have weeks to teach it . Get ready for student-centered learning with independent slam poetry exploration, brainstorming, and writing activities!

Build writing skills with this digital and print, no prep resource. Students will explore slam poetry about self, other people, places, and societal issues before selecting their favorite category to focus on for a personal slam poem. Detailed brainstorming exercises, an initial draft prompt, as well as extension activities such as writer's workshop and small group discussion help students to build background knowledge and gain confidence as writers.

*******************************************************************************

Here’s what you’ll receive in this resource:

★ Slam Poetry Exploration (1 Page, 1 Slide) so that you can give students choice as they listen and respond to different types of slam poetry from a wide variety of poets.

★ Slam Poetry Brainstorming Prompts (12 Pages, 12 Slides) so that students can gather ideas for and write an initial draft.

★ Slam Poetry Discussion Assignment Sheets with Rubric (2 Print Pages, 2 Google Doc Pages) so that you have an easy extension activity to use after student exploration of the different slam poems. Fully editable for your own classroom use!

★ Slam Poetry Writer's Workshop Guide (1 Print Page, 1 Google Doc Page) so that you have an easy extension activity to use after student brainstorming and writing activities. Fully editable for your own classroom use!

★ Product Links and Notes (3 Pages) so that you can get started right away with ideas for use and possible extensions.

★ Digital “Getting Started” Guide (2 Pages) so that you’re able to swiftly make your own copy of this digital product and share it with your students.

★ Digital “FAQ” Guide (2 Pages) provides detailed answers to common digital resource questions!

*************************************************

Copyright © 2018-Present, Lindsay Ann Learning

⇒ Permission for use by one teacher in his or her own classroom.

⇒ Not for public display or digital sharing.

⇒ If you intend to share with others, please purchase an additional license.

Questions & Answers

Lindsay ann learning - english language arts.

• We're hiring
• Help & FAQ
• Privacy policy
• Student privacy
• Terms of service
• Tell us what you think

ThinkWritten

101 Poetry Prompts & Ideas for Writing Poems

Not sure what to write a poem about? Here’s 101 poetry prompts to get you started!

We may receive a commission when you make a purchase from one of our links for products and services we recommend. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Thank you for support!

Sharing is caring!

These poetry prompts are designed to help you keep a creative writing practice. If you’re staring at a blank page and the words aren’t flowing, the creative writing prompts for poems can be a great way to get started!

New for 2023! Due to popular demand, I created a printable, ad-free version of these poetry prompts you can download to use at home or even in the classroom! Get them at our Etsy Shop .

Even if poetry isn’t your thing, you could always use these things to inspire other writing projects. Essays, journal entries, short stories, and flash fiction are just a few examples of ways this list can be used.

You may even find this list of creative poetry writing prompts helpful as an exercise to build your skills in descriptive writing and using metaphors!

Let’s get onto the list, shall we?

Here are 101 Poetry Prompts for Creative Writing

Most of these creative writing ideas are simple and open-ended. This allows you total creative freedom to write from these poetry prompts in your own unique style, tone, and voice.

If one poetry idea doesn’t appeal to you, challenge yourself to find parallels between the prompt and things that you do enjoy writing about!

1.The Untouchable : Something that will always be out of reach

2. 7 Days, 7 Lines : Write a poem where each line/sentence is about each day of last week

3. Grandma’s Kitchen : Focus on a single memory, or describe what you might imagine the typical grandmother’s kitchen to be like

4. Taste the Rainbow : What does your favorite color taste like?

5. Misfits: How it feels when you don’t belong in a group of others.

6. Stranger Conversations : Start the first line of your poem with a word or phrase from a recent passing conversation between you and someone you don’t know.

7. On the Field : Write from the perspective of a sports ball {Baseball, Soccer, Football, Basketball, Lacrosse, etc.} – think about what the sports ball might feel, see, hear, think, and experience with this poetry idea!

8. Street Signs: Take note of the words on signs and street names you pass while driving, walking, or riding the bus. Write a poem starting with one of these words you notice.

9. Cold water: What feelings do you associate with cold water? Maybe it’s a refreshing cold glass of water on a hot day, or maybe you imagine the feelings associated with being plunged into the icy river in the winter.

10. Ghostwriter: Imagine an invisible ghost picks up a pen and starts writing to you.

11. Lessons From Math Class: Write about a math concept, such as “you cannot divide by zero” or never-ending irrational numbers.

12. Instagram Wall: Open up either your own Instagram account or one of a friend/celebrity and write poetry based on the first picture you see.

13. Radio: Tune in to a radio station you don’t normally listen to, and write a poem inspired by the the first song or message you hear.

14. How To : Write a poem on how to do something mundane most people take for granted, such as how to tie your shoes, how to turn on a lamp, how to pour a cup of coffee.

15. Under 25 Words : Challenge yourself to write a poem that is no more than 25 words long.

16. Out of Order: Write about your feelings when there is an out of order sign on a vending machine.

17. Home Planet: Imagine you are from another planet, stuck on earth and longing for home.

18. Uncertainty : Think about a time in your life when you couldn’t make a decision, and write based on this.

19. Complete : Be inspired by a project or task be completed – whether it’s crossing something off the never-ending to-do list, or a project you have worked on for a long time.

20. Compare and Contrast Personality : What are some key differences and similarities between two people you know?

21. Goodbyes : Write about a time in your life you said goodbye to someone – this could be as simple as ending a mundane phone conversation, or harder goodbyes to close friends, family members, or former partners.

22. Imagine Weather Indoors : Perhaps a thunderstorm in the attic? A tornado in the kitchen?

23. Would You Rather? Write about something you don’t want to do, and what you would rather do instead.

24. Sound of Silence : Take some inspiration from the classic Simon & Garfunkel song and describe what silence sounds like.

25. Numbness : What’s it like to feel nothing at all?

26. Fabric Textures : Use different fiber textures, such as wool, silk, and cotton as a poetry writing prompt.

27. Anticipation : Write about the feelings you experience or things you notice while waiting for something.

28. Poison: Describe something toxic and its effects on a person.

29. Circus Performers: Write your poetry inspired by a circus performer – a trapeze artist, the clowns, the ringmaster, the animal trainers, etc.

30. Riding on the Bus : Write a poem based on a time you’ve traveled by bus – whether a school bus, around town, or a long distance trip to visit a certain destination.

31. Time Freeze : Imagine wherever you are right now that the clock stops and all the people in the world are frozen in place. What are they doing?

32. The Spice of Life : Choose a spice from your kitchen cabinet, and relate its flavor to an event that has happened recently in your daily life.

33. Parallel Universe : Imagine you, but in a completely different life based on making a different decision that impacted everything else.

34. Mad Scientist : Create a piece based on a science experiment going terribly, terribly wrong.

35. People You Have Known : Make each line about different people you have met but lost contact with over the years. These could be old friends, passed on family, etc.

36. Last Words : Use the last sentence from the nearest book as the inspiration for the first line of your poem.

37. Fix This : Think about something you own that is broken, and write about possible ways to fix it. Duct tape? A hammer and nails?

38. Suspicion : Pretend you are a detective and you have to narrow down the suspects.

39. Political News : Many famous poets found inspiration from the current politics in their time. Open up a newspaper or news website, and create inspired by the first news article you find.

40. The Letter D : Make a list of 5 words that start with all with the same letter, and then use these items throughout the lines of your verse. {This can be any letter, but for example sake: Daisy, Dishes, Desk, Darkness, Doubt}

41. Quite the Collection : Go to a museum, or look at museum galleries online. Draw your inspiration from collections of objects and artifacts from your favorite display. Examples: Pre-historic days, Egyptians, Art Galleries, etc.

42. Standing in Line : Think of a time you had to stand in line for something. Maybe you were waiting in a check-out line at the store, or you had to stand in line to enter a concert or event.

43. Junk Mail Prose: Take some inspiration from your latest junk mail. Maybe it’s a grocery store flyer announcing a sale on grapes, or an offer for a credit card.

44. Recipe : Write your poem in the form of a recipe. This can be for something tangible, such as a cake, or it can be a more abstract concept such as love or happiness. List ingredients and directions for mixing and tips for cooking up your concept to perfection.

45. Do you like sweaters? Some people love their coziness, others find them scratchy and too hot. Use your feelings about sweaters in a poem.

46. After Party : What is it like after all party guests go home?

47. Overgrown : Use  Little Shop of Horrors  for inspiration, or let your imagination run wild on what might happen if a plant or flower came to life or started spreading rapidly to take over the world.

48. Interference: Write a poem that is about someone or something coming in between you and your goals.

49. On Shaky Ground: Use an earthquake reference or metaphor in your poem.

50. Trust Issues : Can you trust someone you have doubted in the past?

51. Locked in a Jar: Imagine you are a tiny person, who has been captured and put into a jar for display or science.

52. Weirder Than Fiction: Think of the most unbelievable moment in your life, and write a poem about the experience.

53. Fast Food: Write a poem about fast food restaurants and experiences.

54. Unemployed: Write a poem about quitting or being fired from a job you depended on.

55. Boxes: What kinds of family secrets or stories might be hiding in that untouched box in the attic?

56. No One Understands : Write about what it feels like when no one understands or agrees with your opinion.

57. Criminal Minds : Write a poem from the perspective of a high-profile criminal who is always on the run from law enforcement.

58. Marathon Runner : Write a poem about what training you might be doing to accomplish a difficult challenge in your life.

59. Trapped : Write about an experience that made you feel trapped.

60. Passing the Church : Write a poem about noticing something interesting while passing by a church near your home.

61. Backseat Driver: Write about what it’s like to be doing something in your life and constantly being criticized while trying to move ahead.

62. Luster: Create a descriptive poem about something that has a soft glow or sheen to it.

63. Clipboard: Write a poem about someone who is all business like and set in their ways of following a system.

64. Doctor: Write a poem about receiving advice from a doctor.

65. First Car : Write an ode to your first car

66. Life Didn’t Go As a Planned : Write about a recent or memorable experience when nothing went according to plan.

67. Architect : Imagine you are hired to design a building for a humanitarian cause you are passionate about.

68. The Crazy Cat Hoarder : Write about someone who owns far too many cats.

69. Queen : Write a poem from the perspective of a queen.

70. Movie Character : Think of a recent movie you watched, and create a poem about one character specifically, or an interaction between two characters that was memorable.

71. Potential Energy : Write about an experience where you had a lot of potential for success, but failed.

72. Moonlight : Write about an experience in the moonlight.

73. Perfection : Write about trying to always keep everything perfect.

74. You Are Wrong : Write a poem where you tell someone they are wrong and why.

75. Sarcasm : Write a poem using sarcasm as a form of illustrating your point.

76. Don’t Cry : Write a poem about how not to cry when it’s hard to hold back the tears.

77. Listen Up: Write a poem telling someone they are better than they think they are.

78. Flipside : Find the good in something terrible.

79. Maybe They Had a Reason : Write a poem about someone doing something you don’t understand, and try to explain what reasons they might have had.

80. How to Drive : Write a poem that explains how to drive to a teenager.

81. Up & Down the Steps: Write a poem that includes the motion of going up or down a staircase

82. Basket Case: Has there ever been a time when you thought you might lose your mind? Jot your feelings and thoughts down in verse form.

83. Lucky Guess:  Many times in our life we have to make a good guess for what is the best decision. Use this poetry idea to write about feelings related to guessing something right – or wrong.

84. Dear Reader:  What audience enjoys reading the type of poetry you like to write? Craft a note to your potential audience that addresses their biggest fears, hopes, and dreams.

85. All or Nothing : Share your thoughts on absolutist thinking: when one’s beliefs are so set in stone there are no exceptions.

86. Ladders in the Sky : Imagine there are ladders that take you up to the clouds. What could be up there? What feelings do you have about climbing the ladders, or is their a mystery as to how they got there in the first place?

87. Always On My Mind: Compose a poem about what it’s like to always be thinking about someone or something.

88. Paranoia : What would it be like if you felt like someone was watching you but no one believed you?

89. Liar, Liar: How would you react to someone who lied to you?

90. Secret Word: What’s the magic word to unlock someone’s access to something?

91. For What It’s Worth: Use a valuable object in your home as inspiration as a poetry prompt idea.

92. Coming Home to Secrets: Imagine a person who puts on a good act to cover up a secret they deal with at home.

93. Productivity: Talk about your greatest struggles with time management and organization.

94. Defying Gravity: Use words that relate to being weightless and floating.

95. Signs of the Times : How has a place you are familiar with changed over the past 10 years?

96. Sleepless Nights : What ideas and feelings keep you up at night? What’s it like when you have to wake up in the morning on a night you can’t sleep?

97. You Can’t Fire Me, I Quit : Use one of the worst job related memories you can think of as a creative writing prompt.

98. By George : You can choose any name, but think of 3-5 notable figures or celebrities who share a common first name, and combine their personalities and physical characteristics into one piece of poetry. For example: George Washington, George Clooney, George Harrison.

99. Shelter : Write a poem about a time you were thankful for shelter from a storm.

100. Cafeteria : Create a poem inspired by the people who might be eating lunch in a cafeteria at school or at a hospital.

101. Dusty Musical Instruments : Base your poem around the plight of a musician who hasn’t picked up the guitar or touched a piano in years.

Love these prompts? The printable, ad-free version of these poetry prompts can be used offline or in the classroom! Get them at our Etsy Shop .

There are unlimited possibilities for ways you can use these poem ideas to write poetry. Using a list like this can greatly help you with getting into the habit of writing daily – even when you don’t feel inspired to write.

While not every poem you write will be an award-winning masterpiece, using these poem starters as a regular exercise can help you better your craft as a writer.

I hope you enjoy these poetry prompts – and if you write anything you’d like to share inspired by these creative poetry writing prompts, let us know in the comments below – we love to see how others use writing ideas to create their own work!

And of course, don’t forget to get the ad-free poetry prompt cards printable version if you’d like to use these prompts offline, in the classroom or with your small group!

Chelle Stein wrote her first embarrassingly bad novel at the age of 14 and hasn't stopped writing since. As the founder of ThinkWritten, she enjoys encouraging writers and creatives of all types.

Similar Posts

365 Creative Writing Prompts

108 Romance Writing Prompts & Love Story Ideas

7 Creative Writing Exercises For Writers

42 Fantasy Writing Prompts & Plot Ideas

300 Fun Writing Prompts for Kids: Story Starters, Journal Prompts & Ideas

• Funny Poems
• Poems by Subject
• Funny Poems by Email
• Classic Poems
• Poems by Reading Level
• Poetry Minute
• Nursery Rhymes
• Poems by Length
• Famous Children’s Poets
• Surprise Me!
• Poems by Poetic Technique
• Other Poetry Websites and Resources
• Poetry Writing Lessons
• Poetry Activities
• Activity Worksheets by Type
• Rhyming Dictionary
• Poetic Terms Dictionary
• Activity Worksheets by Grade Level
• Lists of Rhyming Words
• About Kenn Nesbitt
• School Author Visits
• Event Calendar
• Contact Kenn

How to Host a Poetry Slam

What is a poetry slam.

A poetry slam is similar to an open-mic poetry party , with a key difference: Poetry slams are competitive events in which poets perform their work in front of an audience and judges . Poetry slams are known for their lively, energetic atmosphere and often feature poets performing original works.

During a poetry slam, poets take the stage one at a time to perform their work. They are often given a time limit, usually three to five minutes, to perform their poem. After each poet performs, the judges score their performance based on criteria such as originality, creativity, delivery, and overall impact.

At the end of the event, the scores are totaled and the poet with the highest score is declared the winner. Poetry slams are often held at schools, community centers, and other public venues and can be a fun and engaging way for young poets to share their work and for audiences to discover new and exciting voices.

A poetry slam is a great way for students in an elementary school to express themselves creatively and build confidence in public speaking. This is especially true if students are sharing funny poems or poems with engaging narratives. There is almost nothing better than the applause of your peers for overcoming a fear of public speaking and becoming a more confident presenter.

If you would like to host a poetry slam at your school, here are some steps you can follow:

• Choose a theme : Decide on a theme for the poetry slam. This could be something broad like “self-expression” or something more specific like “nature.” The theme will give the students a focus for their poems and help them come up with ideas.
• Recruit judges : Find a group of teachers, parents, or other community members who are willing to serve as judges for the poetry slam. Choose judges who are open-minded and willing to listen to a variety of styles and viewpoints.
• Encourage participation : Let students know about the poetry slam and encourage them to participate. You can do this through announcements, flyers, or by setting up a sign-up sheet.
• Maybe start a poetry club : Consider starting a poetry club for interested students, where you can hold workshops or after-school sessions to help students write and polish their poems. These workshops can be led by teachers, students, or even local poets.
• Set rules : Establish some basic rules for the poetry slam. For example, students should be encouraged to write their own poems and to avoid using profanity or other inappropriate language.
• Prepare : Encourage students to select and rehearse their poems before the event. This will help them feel more comfortable and confident when it’s time to perform. Below, I have included several tips on how to help students prepare.
• Host the event : On the day of the poetry slam, set up a stage or designated area where the students can perform. Have the judges sit at a table in front of the stage, and provide a microphone and sound system for the students.
• Judge the performances : Have the judges score each performance based on criteria such as originality, creativity, delivery, and overall impact. The student with the highest score wins the poetry slam. You can also have a grand prize winner as well as second and third-prize winners.
• Celebrate the winners : After the poetry slam, celebrate the winners and all of the participants. You can do this with a small ceremony, perhaps with a ribbon, medal, or certificate, and possibly by displaying the winning poems around the school.

How to Prepare

In addition to planning for the poetry slam itself, students will need to prepare for the event too. There are several ways that students can practice and prepare to participate in a poetry slam:

• Write, write, write : Encourage students to write as many poems as they can. The more they write, the more comfortable they’ll become with the writing process and the more likely they are to come up with a poem they’re proud to perform. They can find lots of poetry writing lessons here .
• Look for inspiration : Encourage students to find inspiration for their poems from their own experiences, observations, and emotions. They can also be inspired by the poetry of others or by current events and issues. One of the easiest things to write about is something you really like or enjoy. For example, if your favorite thing is playing hockey, consider writing a poem about hockey. If you’d rather play Pokémon, try writing about that.
• Workshops : Consider holding workshops or after-school sessions to help students write and polish their poems. These workshops can be led by teachers, students, or local poets and can be a great way for students to get feedback on their work and to learn new writing techniques.
• Practice reading aloud : Encourage students to rehearse performing their poems aloud to get a feel for the rhythm and flow of their words. This will help them deliver their poem with confidence and clarity. For ideas on how to rehearse, have a look at this article I wrote on How to Recite a Poem Like an Expert .

Hosting a poetry slam can be a fun and rewarding experience for both the students and the school community. By following these steps, you can create a successful and memorable event.

Member Login

Rhyming dictionary for kids.

Type any word here to find all the words that rhyme with it

Support Poetry4kids

Get Poems by Email

Visit My Other Websites

Find the Best Kids Books

What are you looking for.

• My Favorites
• Social Issues Poems
• Emotional Poems
• Story Poems
• Short Poems
• Reader Submitted
• Poem Topics
• Submissions

Topics for Spoken Word Poetry

Topics and Ideas for your Slam Poetry ​

How to Design a Poetry Unit that Doesn't SUCK

Have you ever done a Google search for "poetry ideas" to teach in your high school English classroom?  Let me spoil those search results for you - THEY'RE LAME!  Poetry, especially at the high school level, it too important to be treated as a coloring activity, or worse, ignored completely .

So many of the poetry resources out on the internet and on Pinterest are, quite honestly, not rigorous at all.  If you're truly looking to teach poetry (like, more than just rhyme scheme and a few adorable forms), you're not going to be happy with the coloring-book, bubble-lettered poetry activities out there.  And maybe that's the problem:  studying poetry isn't an activity.  It's hard work that requires a lot of patience, confidence (on the part of the teacher), and clear teaching targets.  Don't get me wrong...poetry can and should be fun!  But we need to be very careful, as high school English teachers , to not oversimplify our poetry study.  If you need help designing your poetry curriculum for this year, I've got a few things for you to keep in mind...

Choose Your Targets

What will the goal of this unit be?  Do you want students to study a particular genre or school of poetry like the Harlem Renaissance or Romanticism?    Do you want a diverse array of poetry so that you can focus on the basic analytical skills needed to approach any poem?  Are you considering a mini-unit focusing on just one poet's works?  All of these approaches are very exciting and relatively easy to organize, so decide on the approach you like and the targets you hope to achieve.  This will help keep the unit focused on a skill or two that you can measure at the beginning and end (pretest/posttest).  If you're using Common Core to write your targets, you won't find a lot of poetry-friendly areas, but certainly consider the language standard:

“ CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.L.9-10.5 Demonstrate understanding of figurative language, word relationships, and nuances in word meanings. ”

If you have enough time in this unit, you might also consider adding in a few of the speaking and listening standards (have students perform and read their work for an audience) or even the writing standard about publication.  If you're lucky enough to not have to "prove" you're teaching "standards", still make sure you have a few focus goals for the unit:  what are the things you want students to be able to do once they're finished with the few weeks you've studied poetry?  

Decide on an Analysis Tool

There are lots of approaches to teaching poetic analysis.  If you've been teaching for a while, you might be familiar with TPCASTT.  I can remember being a student hating TPCASTT (who knows why), but I do have an alternative analysis tool that I can share with you.  As a senior in college, poetry instruction in the high school classroom became my focal point in my seminar research.  Here I began the process of creating The Big 6, and I have since refined it over many more years of teaching.  Essentially, The Big Six is an open circle that invites students into a dialogue with each other and with the poem.  We tackle each poem with The Big Six in a variety of ways.  Sometimes I have students move around the room stopping at each Big Six Station to talk and annotate about each element.  Other times, we vote on the top two we want to examine for a particular poem.  If you want to know more,  I have some free lesson ideas, graphics, and handouts here.

Select Your Poems Carefully

This is a task taken too lightly by many teachers.  Here is where you hold great power - are you going to keep stuffing the old, white, dead, male cannon down students' throats?  I suggest you make every effort to diversify your unit's anthology of poems.  Keeping in mind the targets of your unit (do not abandon these!), consider a global map of poets from many places.  Teach female poets.  It's OKAY if you don't teach Frost.  He'll be fine with it.  Have the chutzpah to try some lesser known poets, even some LIVING poets, to teach your students.  The poems you teach shape your students' perception and attitudes about poetry.  Here are some tips to help with this monumental task:

Try pairing contemporary and old school poetry together:

Willie Perdomo "Where I'm From" and Carl Sandburg "Chicago" (both about where the poets are from, both urban landscapes)

Poetry & New York Times nonfiction

Alfred, Lord Tennyson " The Charge of the Light Brigade" and Juanes ( Columbian music superstar ) "A Dios Le Pido" (both poems about senseless death, both have a prayer-like feel)

Consider some of these rockstar contemporary poets:

Billy Collins

Denise Duhamel

Matthew Graham

Lamar Jorden

Patricia Smith

Check out these female poets you know, but probably don't already have in the curriculum:

Emily Dickinson

Sylvia Plath

Maya Angelou

Elizabeth Bishop

Gwendolyn Brooks

Margaret Atwood

Nikki Giovanni

Make Sure Your Students Write

No matter what you do in your unit, make sure there is room set aside for students to try their hand at their own poetry.  You don't need to organize any formal instruction for this -- seriously!  The best way to teach students how to write poetry is to show them great mentors.  Your directions can be as simple as "Now, try your own version of "Phenomenal Woman".  What is "Phenomenal" about you that you'd like to celebrate?  Experiment with your own version for homework tonight".   It's that simple.  

If you'd like to spend more time with students writing, you might consider this 30 Poems in 30 Days challenge in my shop.  I have 30 types of poems ready for students to try as well as a simple digital interactive notebook for the students to use.  If you want help with SLAM POETRY or some POETRY PROJECT IDEAS , I've got you hooked up there, too.

Need help getting started with slam poetry?

That about wraps it up here, folks.  Remember, the fact that you're here reading this post means that you care about poetry instruction.  We must be powerful forces in our English departments - for so many students, high school is the place where poetry goes to DIE.  We can't let that happen.  It's just too important.  Teaching poetry helps students be more analytical across so many other kids of literature, it stimulates creativity, and it brings them in touch with so many more writers and great moments in our world's history.  Let me know in the comments below what you're teaching in your poetry units!

SHOP THE MUD & INK STORE

The Senior Sendoff: 6 Ways to Say Goodbye to Seniors

Can your class write 30 poems in 30 days.

Slam Poem Generator

Create a Slam Poem Instantly

Make the poem better..., log in for extras.

Remove Recaptcha completely

See fewer ads

How to use the Poem Generator

What is a slam poem.

Slam poetry , also known as spoken word poetry, is typically performed at what is known as a “poetry slam”.

When it comes to writing a slam poem using the poem generator tool, the following can help in generating great slam poems:

• Experience Live Performances: Understanding the impact of spoken word is crucial. Attend slam events, watch performances online, and note what resonates with you and the audience. Absorb the energy, flow, and how performers emphasize their messages.
• Select a Passionate Theme: Your topic should be something you feel deeply about. It could be personal, social, political, or cultural. Authenticity and passion in your subject matter resonate with audiences and make for powerful performances.
• Start Writing: Express your thoughts and feelings about the chosen topic freely. Don’t worry about structure or polish in your initial drafts. Focus on conveying your message and the emotions tied to it. Remember, in slam poetry, how you say something is as important as what you say.
• Refine and Edit: Once you have your raw content, shape it. Focus on rhythm, repetition, and pacing. Consider the performance aspect: where will you slow down, speed up, or pause for effect? Eliminate unnecessary parts, sharpen your imagery, and ensure every line serves your overall message.
• Practice and Perform: Rehearse your poem repeatedly. Get comfortable with the rhythm and flow, and practice your delivery, body language, and facial expressions. Performance is key in slam poetry, so try to evoke emotions and connect with your audience. If possible, perform in front of friends or family for feedback before taking your poem to a slam event.

The AI Poem Generator is an automated tool that uses advanced language technology to create unique and creative poems based on user-selected prompts and themes.

Using the AI Poem Generator is easy. Simply type in what you want the poem to be about and click generate. If you want to go into more detail, fill out the desired options from the dropdown menus, and the AI will create a poem for you instantly.

No, the AI Poem Generator is designed to assist and inspire creativity, not replace human creativity. In actual fact, we analyzed poetry created by art, and we see it more as a tool than a replacement for human poets . It augments the writing process by offering suggestions and generating content based on inputs. With this, the AI Poem Generator is best used as a tool to help spark your poetic writing.

We support any language, from English to Spanish, to French, to the likes of Mandarin. If you find the language you want the poem to be created in is not on the dropdown above, please get in contact with us , and we can tweak the generator to include your language.

Write a prompt to begin with of what you want the poem to be about. The more detail you go into here, adding keywords, the better. Once done, use the dropdown options to add extras, such as topics and forms (like a haiku, sonnet, limerick, etc.) until you feel you have enough information to create your unique poem. Once done, press the ‘Generate Poem’ button, and your masterpiece of poetry will generate!

The Poem Analysis AI Poem Generator utilizes a large language model to create poetry from prompts and options selected. This helps to create better results when it comes to creating poetry for the first time or for the seasoned poet, which we believe can help provide inspiration, especially when experiencing writer’s block.

The content generated by our AI poem generator is purely algorithmically generated and based on sophisticated natural language processing technology. The resulting poems are automatically generated and do not reflect the personal opinions, views, or intentions of Poem Analysis. We cannot guarantee the accuracy, relevance, or quality of the generated content, as it is created in an automated manner.

The poems produced by the AI poem generator are meant for entertainment, educational, and creative purposes only. They should not be considered as professional advice, opinions, or expressions of individuals. The poems may contain errors, inaccuracies, or inconsistencies, and users are encouraged to exercise their own judgment and discretion when interpreting or using the generated content. It is also recommended to generate to improve the quality of the output poem iteratively.

We are not responsible for any actions taken based on the generated poems, nor for any outcomes or consequences resulting from their use. Users of the AI poem generator acknowledge that the generated content is algorithmically produced and may not accurately represent their own thoughts, beliefs, or emotions, just like Poem Analysis. By using the AI poem generator, users agree to the terms of this disclaimer and understand that the generated content is automatically generated without human intervention. We reserve the right to modify, update, or discontinue the AI poem generator at any time without prior notice.

Please note that the AI poem generator is a creative tool and should be used with an understanding of its limitations and automated nature.

More Poem Generators (with info)

Original AI Poem Generator

Acrostic Poem Generator

Ballad Poem Generator

Cinquain Poem Generator

Couplets Poem Generator

Diamante Poem Generator

Dramatic Monologue Generator

Free Verse Generator

Ghazal Poem Generator

Haiku Generator

Limerick Poem Generator

Love Poem Generator

Lyric Poem Generator

Narrative Poem Generator

Ode Poem Generator

Quatrain Poem Generator

Sestina Poem Generator

Sonnet Generator

Tanka Generator

Villanelle Poem Generator

Help Center

Request an Analysis

(not a member? Join now)

Poem PDF Guides

PDF Learning Library

Beyond the Verse Podcast

Poetry Archives

Poetry Explained

Poet Biographies

Useful Links

Poem Explorer

Poem Generator

[email protected]

Poem Solutions Limited, International House, 36-38 Cornhill, London, EC3V 3NG, United Kingdom