April 16
Write a short poem (rhyming not necessary) that includes each of the following 5 words (anywhere and in any order). Poems should not exceed 7 or 8 lines. Submit your poem at
this link.
dog-eared
politicians
jest
purple
sync
Send us your poem via our Submissions page or post on Twitter or Facebook using the hashtag #lifelines.
Today’s words were contributed by Jeannette Cooperman, writer for The Common Reader, WashU’s journal of the essay. You can read more of her work here.
Poems submitted for April 16
Poems will be published on a rolling basis throughout the day.
April 15
Write a short poem (rhyming not necessary) that includes each of the following 5 words (anywhere and in any order). Poems should not exceed 7 or 8 lines. Submit your poem at
this link.
un ange (“angel”)
une glace (“a mirror,” “an ice-cream”)
fier (“proud”)
un enchevêtrement (“entanglement”)
une saison (“a season”)
Send us your poem via our Submissions page or post on Twitter or Facebook using the hashtag #lifelines.
Today’s words were contributed by guest curator Lionel Cuillé and the students enrolled in FREN 325 “Defining Difference.” Cuillé is founding director of the French Connexions Cultural Center at Washington University, which was recently elected to the Centers of Excellence of the Embassy of France.
Poems submitted for April 15
April 14
Write a short poem (rhyming not necessary) that includes each of the following 5 words (anywhere and in any order). Poems should not exceed 7 or 8 lines. Submit your poem at
this link.
fray
error
buttermilk
glass
precedent
Send us your poem via our Submissions page or post on Twitter or Facebook using the hashtag #lifelines.
Today’s words were contributed by guest curator Ted Mathys, author of Gold Cure (Coffee House Press, 2020) and three previous books. He teaches at Saint Louis University and serves as president of the board of directors of the Saint Louis Poetry Center.
Poems submitted for April 14
April 13
Write a short poem (rhyming not necessary) that includes each of the following 5 words (anywhere and in any order). Poems should not exceed 7 or 8 lines. Submit your poem at
this link.
process
preposterous
belief
human
fatigue
Send us your poem via our Submissions page or post on Twitter or Facebook using the hashtag #lifelines.
Today’s words were contributed by the Kling Undergraduate Honors Fellows at Washington University.
Poems submitted for April 13
April 12
Write a short poem (rhyming not necessary) that includes each of the following 5 words (anywhere and in any order). Poems should not exceed 7 or 8 lines. Submit your poem at
this link.
aroma
sizzle
crisp
satisfied
sharing
Send us your poem via our Submissions page or post on Twitter or Facebook using the hashtag #lifelines.
Today’s words were contributed by guest curator Beverly Wendland, provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs at Washington University in St. Louis.
Poems submitted for April 12
April 9
Write a short poem (rhyming not necessary) that includes each of the following 5 words (anywhere and in any order). Poems should not exceed 7 or 8 lines. Submit your poem at
this link.
spirit
galaxy
blue
fire
moon
Send us your poem via our Submissions page or post on Twitter or Facebook using the hashtag #lifelines.
Today’s words were contributed by guest curator Jane Ellen Ibur, Poet Laureate for the City of St. Louis. She frequently posts poems on this Facebook page.
Poems submitted for April 9
April 8
Write a short poem (rhyming not necessary) that includes each of the following 5 words (anywhere and in any order). Poems should not exceed 7 or 8 lines. Submit your poem at this link.
mother
sister
slumber
mushroom
handle
Send us your poem via our Submissions page or post on Twitter or Facebook using the hashtag #lifelines.
Today’s words were contributed by guest curator Jae Kim, translator of Cold Candies and current PhD student in the Comparative Literature program at Washington University.
Poems submitted for April 8
April 7
Write a short poem (rhyming not necessary) that includes each of the following 5 words (anywhere and in any order). Poems should not exceed 7 or 8 lines. Submit your poem at
this link.
behind
days
stone
light
begin
Send us your poem via our Submissions page or post on Twitter or Facebook using the hashtag #lifelines.
Today’s words were contributed by guest curator Abram Van Engen, associate professor of English at Washington University and co-host of the Poetry for All podcast.
Poems submitted for April 7
April 6
Write a short poem (rhyming not necessary) that includes each of the following 5 words (anywhere and in any order). Poems should not exceed 7 or 8 lines. Submit your poem at
this link.
write
beat
nerve
sound
cry
Send us your poem via our Submissions page or post on Twitter or Facebook using the hashtag #lifelines.
Today’s words were contributed by guest curator Olivia Lott, translator of Lucía Estrada’s Katabasis and finalist for the PEN Award for Poetry in Translation. She is a PhD candidate in the Department of Romance Languages & Literatures at Washington University and a Graduate Student Fellow in the Center for the Humanities.
Poems submitted for April 6
April 5
Write a short poem (rhyming not necessary) that includes each of the following 5 words (anywhere and in any order). Poems should not exceed 7 or 8 lines. Submit your poem at
this link.
healing
humane
hopeful
heterogeneous
harmonious
Send us your poem via our Submissions page or post on Twitter or Facebook using the hashtag #lifelines.
Today’s words were contributed by guest curator Feng Sheng Hu, dean of the Faculty of Arts & Sciences and the Lucille P. Markey Distinguished Professor at Washington University in St. Louis.
Poems submitted for April 5
April 2
Write a short poem (rhyming not necessary) that includes each of the following 5 words (anywhere and in any order). Poems should not exceed 7 or 8 lines. Submit your poem at
this link.
burgundy
river
doorway
footstep
decision
Send us your poem via our Submissions page or post on Twitter or Facebook using the hashtag #lifelines.
Today’s words were contributed by guest curator Aaron Coleman, a recipient of a 2021 National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Fellowship. He will graduate with his PhD from the Comparative Literature Program’s International Writers Track this spring. For more information on his poetry, research and translations, click here.
Poems submitted for April 2
April 1
Write a short poem (rhyming not necessary) that includes each of the following 5 words (anywhere and in any order). Poems should not exceed 7 or 8 lines. Submit your poem at
this link.
mercy
hilarity
gathering
child
deviltry
Send us your poem via our Submissions page or post on Twitter or Facebook using the hashtag #lifelines.
Today’s words were contributed by Walter Johnson, the Winthrop Professor of History and professor of African and African American studies at Harvard University. He is author of The Broken Heart of America: St. Louis and the Violent History of the United States and the keynote speaker for today’s Faculty Book Celebration (4 pm) and Panel Discussion (12 pm).
Poems submitted for April 1
Headline image: NASA via Unsplash
