What Sparks Poetry

What Sparks Poetry is a serialized feature in which we invite poets to explore experiences and ideas that spark the writing of new poems. Most issues include a writing prompt.

Browse every issue of What Sparks Poetry by series title, writing prompt subject, or key word.

“Explore What Sparks Poetry” is made possible with funding from The Virginia Commission for the Arts.

“Home Ward (Seoul, Korea, 2012)” approximates the physical layout of a room. My memory of the real room, one of the last where my grandfather stayed, is marked by the concentration of patient beds in a rectangular space that, if empty, I would have considered a wide hallway.

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