Genre: Poetry
New Millennium Writing Awards
The Time Is Now: Writing Prompts and Exercises

Write a poem that creates unexpected connections, a story from the point of view of someone older than you, or a pair of lyrical essays that explore your personal responses to losses and gains.
Civitella Ranieri Foundation
The Civitella Ranieri Foundation “Nature of Wonder” workshop will be held from November 15 to November 24 at the 15th-century Civitella Ranieri Castle in Umbria, Italy. The workshop features writing sessions, craft lectures, and excursions to museums, local towns, religious sites, and natural settings for poets. The faculty includes poets David Baker, Camille T. Dungy, and Linda Gregerson. Residents are provided with a private apartment that includes a bedroom, a kitchenette, a bathroom, and a studio.
Civitella Ranieri Foundation, 28 Hubert Street, New York, NY 10013. (212) 226-2002. Greta Caseti, Program Assistant.

Book Contest
Poetry Open Book Contest
Page One: Where New and Noteworthy Books Begin

The first lines of a dozen noteworthy books, including Florida Water by aja monet and I’ll Tell You When I’m Home by Hala Alyan.
Most Wanted and Unwanted
To write their latest book, People’s Choice Literature: The Most Wanted and Unwanted Novels (Columbia University Press, 2025), Tom Comitta used data compiled from a specially designed national public opinion poll on literary preference and composed two novels: a formulaic, fast-paced thriller and an experimental epistolary sci-fi romance with elderly aristocratic tennis players as protagonists. Responses to the poll included preferences and aversions to attributes such as characters’ identities, genre, verb tense, setting, and point of view. Taking a cue from this project, jot down a brief list of what you would guess to be the most and least desired attributes of poetry, including rhyme, length, diction, and imagery. Write a “Most Wanted Poem” and “Most Unwanted Poem” based on your list. How do your own idiosyncrasies and thoughts around literary taste infiltrate each piece?
Listen and Learn: First Tracks and First Impressions

The author of Scream / Queen (Acre Books, 2025) encourages writers to consider how music albums are introduced as they craft the beginning of poetry collections.
CD Eskilson With Ashia Ajani and Preeti Vangani
CD Eskilson celebrates the release of their debut poetry collection, Scream / Queen (Acre Books, 2025), in this reading and conversation with poets Ashia Ajani and Preeti Vangani at Green Apple Books in San Francisco.
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