I’m holding a Poetry Fishbowl in The Wordsmith’s Forge today. (There is also a permanent landing page.) The December theme is ”cultures of the world.” Come watch poetry created live from reader-generated prompts!
What Is a Poetry Fishbowl?
Writing is usually considered a solitary pursuit. One exception to this is a fascinating exercise called a “fishbowl.” This has various forms, but all of them basically involve some kind of writing in public, usually with interaction between author and audience. A famous example is Harlan Ellison’s series of “stories under glass” in which he sits in a bookstore window and writes a new story based on an idea that someone gives him. Writing classes sometimes include a version where students watch each other write, often with students calling out suggestions which are chalked up on the blackboard for those writing to use as inspiration.
In this online version of a Poetry Fishbowl, I begin by setting a theme; today’s theme is “cultures of the world.” I’m soliciting ideas for culture heroes, historic figures, ancient or modern societies, objects linked to a certain culture, winter holidays around the world, cultural practices, culture clashes, historic evolution of cultures, places associated with a given culture, and poetic forms linked to a culture in particular. Then I use those prompts as inspiration for writing poems. I’m hoping to get a lot of ideas and a lot of poems.
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