Singapore Poetry Writing Month: a rapidly-growing Facebook group that gathers the wildest, the zaniest, and the most masochistic Singapore poets to surmount 30 mind-boggling prompts by a team of sadistic moderators that includes published poets like Alvin Pang, Pooja Nansi, Desmond Kon Zhicheng-Mingde, and Joshua Ip.
We shifted from our annual print anthologies to an online magazine, and are currently operating on Facebook and Instagram - with a growing community that is almost 10,000 writers and readers strong.
Swing by and just stalk the page as it goes mad with poetry every April. Like some poems, whether you write or not. Write some poems, if you like. Follow the prompts, if you want to. Or just scribble your own version of what you think is a poem. Maybe drop an encouraging comment for a favorite piece, or a critical one for one that needs some help. Get addicted. Have a nervous breakdown over your news feed. Take a weekend off. Come back for more. You could even be featured by our selected Senior Moderators.
Delve deeper into the SingPoWriMo lore by getting a copy of our past-published Anthologies on our online store.
Media Coverage of SingPoWriMo
“T. S. Eliot’s cruelest month seems the natural choice for SingPoWriMo, or Singapore Poetry Writing Month (SPWM, to abbreviate it even further). The brief is deceptively simple: Write a poem each day for thirty days.
But the month truly comes alive thanks to daily prompts by poet-moderators, and how the SPWM community rises to the occasion – not just penning their own pieces, but commenting on others’ works with encouragement or helpful criticism.”
““I have been an active participant in SingPoWriMo for the past two years, and this experience taught me more than what literature lessons in Secondary 2 can ever impart. It takes heart to be open with the world and write what we feel deeply inside, let alone sharing it with strangers hiding behind Facebook profile pictures. Yet it is here where I learnt how to write a haiku (finally), keep my creative juices flowing, and find solace in poetry with so many like-minded individuals. ””
More:
"Poetry readings on bus 67 from Tampines to Choa Chu Kang", Reena Devi, Today, 2 Jun 2017
"#spwm17 Singaporeans showcase their inner poet", Janice Heng, The Straits Times, 29 Apr 2017
"#spwm Poetry with peer pressure", Chua Mui Hoong, The Straits Times, 1 Apr 2017
"Book-ends", Lee Jianxuan, The Straits Times, 3 Apr 2016
"Spend Monday clicking through this poetry map of the Singapore MRT", Mrigaa Sethi, SG.Asia-City.com, 25 Apr 2016
"This interactive MRT map features a poem for every individual MRT station", Thet Nyi Nyi, mothership.com, 28 Apr 2016
"Singapore poetry in motion", Daryl Chin, The Straits Times, 1 May 2016
"Thirty Days, Thirty Poems", Shao Kai Chng, Kent Ridge Common, 1 May 2016
S.P.W.M. F.A.Q.
CHALLENGE: I will write 1 poem a day from 1 April to 30 April.
INSTRUCTIONS:
Post a poem every day. you can follow the lovely prompts provided daily by mods, or you can just write whatever.
In your post, include #singpowrimo20XX #singpowrimodayX #yourname. This is so that (1) people who want to read all the poems from day15 can just click (2) people who want to read just you can just click.
Don't get depressed if you don't get likes and comments, this isn't a competition, and the opinion that matters most is your own.
Don't be ashamed of your own work. every poem here is a work in progress. just put it out there, and if it's lost in the rush, remember: TODAY I WROTE A POEM IN 24 HOURS. AND TOMORROW IM GOING TO DO IT AGAIN
Engage with the amazing work going on around you as much as you are moved to be!
F.A.Q.:
Q1: what is a poem?
A: whatever you want it to be
Q2: is it cheating if i don't complete my poem in 24 hours? / is it cheating if i pre-write some poems? / is it cheating if i post-write some poems and backdate them?
A: do i look like i care
Q3: is there a prize for finishing?
A: no
Q4: is there a penalty for not finishing?
A: no
Q5: can i write prose instead?
A: see Q1
Q6: are haikus counted
A: see Q1
Q8: what if i'm not comfortable with sharing my raw work?
A: then don't post them in the group and keep them in your journal or wherever it is. see Q4.
Q9: if i don't finish my poem for the day can i just post a fragment or a draft?
A: see Q1.
Q10: are there copyright issues with posting my intellectual property on fb?
A: i actually don't know how to answer this question so if you're actually worried, see Q8.
Q11: i'm really busy in april, can i do this another month?
A: re: "really busy", see Q6, or really, Q1.
re: "do this another month", see Q2.
Q12: look, if you really don't give a shit about what and when i'm writing, why am i even in this group?
A: because artificial constraints and public/community commitments can lead to interesting results. also, Q2.
Q13: do i have to be a writer to join?
A: you *are* a writer if you join.
Q14: are there resources that can help me? like prompts or what not?
A: people are free to toss out prompts/challenges if you want and people are equally free to completely ignore them.
Q15: can i invite my friends? is this an elitist writer-only group?
A: feel free to publicise and add anyone you want.
Q16: am i expected to comment on other people's poems?
A: no.
Q17: am i allowed to comment on other people's poems?
A: yes.
Q18: what if i don't want people to comment on my poems????
A: then say so in your post, or something. gosh just deal with it.
Q19: what does "per day" mean?
A: to me, it means 00:00 to 23:59, singapore time. to you, whatever.
Q20: is there censorship? are there any topics i should avoid?
A: this is a public forum and if you want to make yourself look like an idiot you are always welcome. i think the internet is self-policing. worst comes to worst i will troll you.
