39 Comments

Such a good list! I'm now following so many more teachers and eager to hear what they have to say. Thank you, Nelly! (and just FYI, I consider you part of this list).

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Thank you lovely. I LOVED hearing your voice last night. That poem was stunning. So glad you were able to make it x

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💛💛💛😊

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Gorgeous selection Nelly! I'm biased but Maya C. Popa's group is incredible xo

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On my "if I make more cash next year" wish list.

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Thanks so much for the shout out 🙏🏻 And also for compiling this wonderful list!

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Thanks so much, Nelly!

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What a great resource this is, Nelly! I look forward to checking out the ones I'm not yet familiar with. And thank you so much for including 100 Poems - I'm honored!

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This is a great list! Thank you!

I write Image Word Mystery featuring weekly poetic prompts and play: https://lisettemurphy.substack.com/

I also host gamified and oracular poetry workshops! ✨💕🤘

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Hi Lisette, I'll add you on to the list, what you are creating sounds great x

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That sounds intriguing!

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Nice to connect, Corie! I like reading your work at the intersection of body and poem !

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Ah! Thank you so much, Nelly ! 🫶🏼🫶🏼🫶🏼

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You offer more here than you give yourself credit for. Thank you for all that you've shared today, as well as everything else.

It's fascinating to hear about the shop having no dedicated poetry section, yet had one dedicated to dogs. Given it's a charity shop, I'm guessing it's based on what they receive in donations. To an extent, that would make sense, as devastating as that may be for literary folk!

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I can only assume us poetry lovers never want to part with our poetry books because they are just so damn good. Dogs though?! I mean I love dogs but a whole shelf... haha. And thank you, I very much appreciate your support x

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Thank you for including mine! ♥️

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What a lovely read! Thanks so much for including me here 🫶🏻 i'm tickled!!

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So many good ones here!! I teach poetry sometimes, and I lead poetry groups and classes ❤️❤️

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That's a useful list thanks, I'm aware of some of them already but will check out the rest.

A sestina you say, I did write one once....

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Ooh did you. Hope you manage to dig it out? I've just had another look and have immediately had to put the kettle back on, ha.

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Hello, thank you for this list! Poetry is such a needed art for this transitional and transformational time. I would love to be a part of this list! I share my yoga and body based poems and also teach an online poetry writing workshop for women (called Bodylove). Just let me know what you need and I'll get it right over to you!

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Yoga pose poems! Well if they don't sound so interesting and fun. I can add you onto the list no probs x

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Thanks for the list, so helpful and like you, I really want to improve my craft!! And yay to a sestina, I actually looked up how to write one of these the other day, so the universe must be telling me something!! Thanks Nelly, we appreciate you, and can't wait to party tomorrow night!! ❤️

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No way!!! That’s crazily in-tune. Love that.

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Thank you for sharing the Unschool, Nelly. I look forward to reading your sestina! Have fun...

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Sestina:

Do You Hear What I Hear?

_____

Do you hear what I hear, the winter’s breath,

Its whispered touch on snow-laden night?

The stars gleam sharp in the frozen air,

Singing in patterns with crystalline grace.

Boughs bow low to the silent choir,

A symphony born of frost’s quiet song.

.

Each flake drifts softly, part of the song,

Swirling and weaving on the wind’s breath.

The world lies hushed, an endless choir,

Its voice a hymn to the endless night.

In every branch is a quiet grace,

A stillness carved from the brittle air.

.

Icicles tremble in the moonlit air,

Their shimmer ringing a silver song.

Each fragile thread holds a glint of grace,

A fleeting warmth in the frost’s cold breath.

The earth folds deeper into the night,

Cradled by shadows, encircled by choir.

.

The trees, adorned with frost, form a choir,

Each limb outstretched in the numbing air.

Stars pierce the velvet expanse of night,

Their light a pulse in the winter’s song.

Do you hear the echo of the frost’s breath,

A soft refrain in its timeless grace?

.

Snow blankets hills with unyielding grace,

The silence swells as if led by a choir.

Each note is carried on the wind’s breath,

Dissolving gently in the frozen air.

Its harmony lingers, this endless song,

Suspended above the cradle of night.

.

Time stands still in the heart of the night,

Each shadow etched in immaculate grace.

The heavens resound with a radiant song,

A reverent hum from a celestial choir.

Do you hear the call in the winter air?

The stars themselves seem to hold their breath.

.

Envoi:

On winter’s breath floats a sacred night,

Through still, cold air comes a fleeting grace,

A choir of stars singing their endless song.

———

This should adhere to all the rules of a sestina:

•The six end words are breath, night, air, grace, choir, song.

•These words are repeated in the correct rotational order across the six stanzas.

•The envoi (final tercet) incorporates all six words, two per line.

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