Think you can write twenty-four poems in twenty-four hours? Then charge your laptop battery, stockpile your snacks, make a big pot of coffee, and get ready to put in some serious poetry writing time! The research experts at Writer’s Relief have learned that registration for the 2021 Poetry Writing Marathon ends June 19 and the marathon starts on June 26. Here’s what you need to know to participate in the Poetry Writing Marathon.

The 2021 Poetry Writing Marathon

The 2021 Poetry Writing Marathon begins June 26 at 9:00 a.m. EST and runs until June 27, 9:00 a.m. EST. This is an international event, so there will be participants from all around the world. Participants will attempt to write one poem each hour for twenty-four hours. The poetry forms you use are up to you—and you can write poems in more than one style. Prompts will be posted each hour, but you don’t have to use them if you find yourself inspired by your own ideas or writing prompts. Registration for the 2021 Poetry Writing Marathon ends on June 19, so be sure to sign up soon if you want to officially participate.

If writing for twenty-four hours straight feels like a bit much, the challenge is also divided into two half-marathons. Poets who complete the entire challenge will have written twenty-four new poems—basically an entire chapbook! An anthology will be created based on the poems submitted to the website.

Important Note: Participants will be posting their poems on the official website. But keep this in mind: Many literary journals will consider a poem that has appeared on the Internet as previously published. Therefore, any poems you post on the website for the marathon may not be eligible for submission to literary journals.

You might want to consider trying a poetry marathon “unofficially” if you want to ensure you can submit any poems to literary journals. Rather than signing up, you can simply have your own personal poetry writing marathon using random writing prompts from the Poetry Marathon website—but not post any of your poems to the website.

If twenty-four or even twelve hours seems like too much, you can create your own mini poetry writing marathon. We have lots of great poetry prompts to help you get started: 125 Of The Best Poetry Writing Prompts For Poets.

Why Attempt A Poetry Marathon Challenge?

A challenge like the Poetry Marathon can help you bust through writer’s block and kick-start your creativity. When you only have an hour to write your poem, the looming deadline will push you through any mental obstacles that have been holding you back.

The marathon is also a perfect opportunity to try new poetic styles! Writing twenty-four poems in twenty-four hours means you’ll have twenty-four opportunities to experiment. Change the style of your writing based on the different writing prompts and inspiration: haiku, couplets, sonnets, free verse, rhyming, or whatever other type of poetry you might want to try!

And when you’re ready to submit your poetry to literary journals for publication, we can help you target the best markets for your work. Learn more about Writer’s Relief and our services here.

Question: What form of poetry do you write?