So, I had this epiphany recently pertaining to how people (myself included) leave comments on an author's work. What I'm trying to ask is, are there any comments that you've personally felt are more endearing than others? Plain? Or otherwise more valuable than others? That is to say, what kinds of comments do you prefer? I personally have discovered that simple comments like "This is cool!" or "Awesome 💓" comes off as nice, but makes me question whether the person genuinely read the work. Also... what the heck makes it "cool" or "awesome?" I'd much rather know than be left in the dark guessing. Plus it doesn't feel like the person really cares. Like fair weather friends for example. Then there are some comments (which I've also done myself too) that come off a little bit condescending. I'm talking about where the commenter tells the author what their work means, or how to write their poem/lines better. I'd understand constructive feedback if it were asked for, but I'm talking about when the suggestions are not asked for by the author. Not to mention telling another poet what their own poem means to us is quite egotistic, don't you think? I know some of what I'm stating might come off brash, but when we live for a fast-paced social dynamic (Instagram, YouTube, Twitter, TikTok, etc.) simple etiquette seems to be thrown out the window. In most instances we don't see any proper etiquette at all. Which brings me to my concluding question: Should there be etiquette when commenting on another poet's work? If so, how would you go about leaving insightful and thoughtful comments?

Hey folks! I'm on a mission to discover what all of you wished you knew about poetry or the art of poetry. So, what about poetry would you like to learn more about?

Hey everyone! With the first poetry workshop for January out of the way and cheers for a huge success in that, I've decided to continue into February with two more workshops on the first and third Saturday. Here are the exact dates and times for these two workshops: Saturday, 5 Feb. at noon Eastern Standard Time Saturday, 19 Feb. at noon Eastern Standard Time Based on this past workshop, each one will be two hours in length. Broken down into one-hour segments with a 10 to 15-minute break in between. If you are interested in either of these two upcoming workshops, please click on the link below and fill out the sign-up form. https://hk1knq9w242.typeform.com/to/XL5LJcjV I only have five seats available, so please understand that it is first come first serve, but I will try my best to fit you into one of the other workshops if you cannot attend a specific one. Or, I can put you on my waitlist where you'll automatically be placed in one of the following month's seats unless another seat opens beforehand. I will notify you of any availabilities as they open up.

Hey guys! Wanted to pick all your minds with this question: to metaphor or not to metaphor? Personally, I think that metaphor is a handy tool in a poet's toolshed. Metaphors are often used to compare objects or ideas in a way that isn't literal. Oftentimes they take the form of a figure of speech. For example, love is a battlefield. Doesn't reading that stir up all kinds of thoughts? Metaphors, in my mind, are intended for provoking whoever reads them. Whether that is to string the reader along to some foregone conclusion or to cause greater confusion. What do you all think?

I wanted to take this chance to propose a Poetic Form that I've recently created (if it already exists, I apologize). It would be great to get The Covers opinions on it! Perhaps even give it a try and share some poems that utilize it! I haven't a name for it yet, but this is how it works: This form consists of two quatrains with a specific syllabic structure reminiscent of the Japanese haiku. The first quatrain follows the syllabic structure of 5-7-7-5 followed by an inverted version of this syllabic structure (7-5-5-7) for the second quatrain. As with the haiku, this poetic form utilizes nature words/themes to depict strong imagery and story-telling. Additionally, this form also utilizes the rhyme schemes of a traditional quatrain. To create longer versions of this poetic form simply repeat the original structure as many times as needed. I wrote following poem as an example: 5 Sprigs of lavender, 7 hues of mulberry decor, 7 isolate the green grass floor— 5 like coriander. 7 Iridescent plums gather 5 atop blossom trees— 5 a choir of keys, 7 together dine aflutter. I do hope that this is interesting enough to try, and I'm looking forward to what all my fellow Covers come up with! 😊

This is more of an advice request/experiment. I've been writing poetry on and off over the last fifteen years, but rarely have I ever edited my work. I mean I might change a few words here and there to better convey the message I want to be delivered. Or, I might rearrange the lines to other locations within the poem because it flows better when read out loud. However, I've never actually sat down and objectively "destroyed" my poetry. I'm curious more than anything to see what everyone else's strategy for editing poetry looks like. Doesn't necessarily need to be for publishing a book either. Simply put, just the editing process in general.