Extending Invitations To Write
My nine favorite writing invitations (so far) in 2026 plus one amazing bonus!
Now that I have officially begun my retirement (July 1!) I am looking back on my six-month practice retirement - specifically what I learned from reading, watching, and writing in community. Many of my friends, especially those who write with me, know that writing in community is my jam. Part of what I enjoy about the experience is crafting a great writing invitation. I truly believe this is one of my teaching superpowers (see my web site for many exhibits aka invitations), but the Rebel Cartographers are now my sole audience (although Sawstone Poets and MoreheadWP Teen Writers have granted me opportunities to share my invitations). I’d love to craft an invitation for your writing group/event! In the tradition of sharing my favorite reads and watches, I thought it might be fun to share my favorite writing invitations for 2026 (so far).
Some of my most meaningful writing (and sometimes best) comes out of self exploration. The “Someday I’ll Love…” poem is a great tradition to explore our origin stories and the often long struggle to come to terms with who we are and what we value about ourselves. I can’t believe I have since forgotten to write to this prompt after composing A Recommended Reading List (subtitled Someday I’ll Love CIS White American Men…). I need to put this back on my writing radar!
How can any writing invitation that includes both Elizabeth Oldfield and Lucille Clifton fail to offer inspiration? What rules of living inform your life choices? See Fly and A Dangerous Season for my response.
As a writer I always get myself in trouble when I focus on the big picture and so I need constant reminders to find the poetry in small moments. Not a bad rule for life as well.
So much of my 2026 was inspired in one way or another by Mary Shelley and I am certain that I am not done Monster Geometry as an invitation to write. See my reading and watching lists for more thoughts as well as one poem to come of it: Contemplating the Works of Mary Shelley.
I will stand firm that a list is one of the best ways to jumpstart your writing especially when it comes to making a list of memories. I believe this poem came out of this exercise: I Want To Remember…
We have all craved, sometimes regretted, and received dangerous gifts in our lives. Maybe it is some physical trait, a tendency to speak before thinking, or a Red Ryder Carbine-action 200-shot Range Model Air Rifle there are a lot of things to consider.
I have a strong preference for a small poem and will often shy away from a poem of any length as a reader so I love this celebration of pocket poems. I hope to work on compiling a list of my very favorite pocket-sized poems by next year’s celebration.
What life preservers keep you afloat when life is challenging? What life preservers have you thrown out to save the lives of others? Lots of room for inspiration here!
Milestones are always an invitation to reflect and write even if we do not always want to recognize their passing!
Bonus: The above list includes at least one invitation from each of the first five months of 2026, but as I posted 30 times during LexPoMo (June) I didn’t want to include those invitations so I will cheat by including this July entry: Celebrating the Cento which includes a poem listing lines from each of those 30 posts.
What are you writing about this year? I didn’t include my cowboy invitation on the list, but I have been thinking and writing a lot about the patriarchy. Which of my invitations catches your eye and imagination?