Mindful Poetry 2022 Book Submissions

Mindful Poetry Moments, our collaboration with The On Being Project, has wrapped its fourth season! Over the past four weeks, we all listened, gathered, and wrote in response to this year's selections. Now to celebrate we are publishing our third annual Mindful Poetry collection! 

If you would like to submit a poem (or 2!) to be included, please send the following to Rowe@thewell.world by May 14th. 

• Your name and location
• Poem(s) with preference if we need to limit
• Which week of MPM 2022 inspired your poem(s)*

We are not doing any editing of your poem, it is really how you wish it to be presented. If we have questions (capitalization, clear on intentions) we will reach out. Once we understand the scope of the book, page numbers, etc. we will figure out the pricing and the delivery and we will open preorders. Additionally, once the book is published there will be a celebratory hybrid event on August 17th at The Mercantile Library!

*The Mindful Poetry 2022 Selections are listed below along with the suggested prompt shared. You can also check out the virtual gatherings on this special playlist. 

Week 1: "December Morning in the Desert" by Alberto Ríos
Suggested prompt: Write a poem that reflects a morning in your part of the world. Or a memory of a morning. You can begin your poem like Ríos does with the line, “The morning is…”  

Week 2: "Coconut Oil" by Roshni Goyate
Suggested prompt: What routines connect you to your family, culture, or ancestors? These could also be connected to food, music, location, and language. How have those routines been received or adopted by others? Write about this experience, and any emotions or questions it brings up. 

Week 3: "On the Last Day of the Semester, the Library Is So Crowded with Raucous Historical and Literary Figures It’s Hard to Tell People Apart" by Brad Aaron Modlin
Suggested prompt: What historical or literary figures – or favorite authors or songwriters – could come alive from your personal collection or library? Write down a few names and begin to imagine how they would interact with each other. Who is sitting in the quiet corner? Who is the center of attention? Whom do you want to connect with the most?

Week 4: "Miracle" by Manuel Iris
Suggested prompt:  Can you think of a time that you witnessed a simple miracle? Use that as a starting point for your poem. Try to describe as much as you can of this moment. Smells, textures, sounds, other people involved. See how much detail you can add to your poem.