Happy National Poetry Month! Here's Assignment #2...

The Brian Lehrer Show | Apr 12, 2016

April is National Poetry Month! Throughout the month, we're hosting a series of conversations and on-air classes with local poets Tracey K. Smith, Sharon Olds, Vijay Seshadri, and more.

This week, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Gregory Pardlo has an assignment for you. 

Choose a broad theme (for example: work, race, history, sex, etc.). Then, from your local newspaper, collect 6 or 7 headlines that speak to your theme in some way. Arrange the headlines so that there are no more than 10 syllables on each line of text.

Then revise the poem, altering at first only one word at a time, sifting the language for a surprising message and unique turns of phrase, until the poem reveals an unexpected attitude or opinion on your theme.

There you have it - a real poetry challenge! Best of luck. Drop your poem in the comments below!

There's no real deadline for this, but if you submit by Thursday, April 14th, there's a chance Pardlo will read your poem on the air!

And you can hear our conversation with Gregory Pardlo below (he reads several of his favorite listener-submissions!):

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