Inspiration Guide

River of Words is looking for artwork and poetry that...

• Thoughtfully considers ideas, images and language. Be specific!
• Shows the reader something. Paint a picture (with paint or with words)!
• Creates an experience for the reader/viewer: use images that take us on a journey or make us feel something.
• Has fun: with form, images, textures. Surprise yourself by trying something new!
• Features a specific aspect, formation, ecosystem, or organism of nature that resonates with you.
• Exhibits scientific knowledge of a particular subject learned in the classroom.
• Invites us into your backyard: go outside, what do you see? What do you hear? What do you smell? What do you feel?
• Shows what no one else sees: a poem or artwork that reveals your own unique observations or personal experiences.
• Speaks to an awareness of a global community or collective consciousness: a poem or artwork can reflect the experiences of a culture or natural world surrounding you.

Students may want to ask themselves, what do the ideas above mean to me? The answers will be different for everyone, though we hope to give you some idea of what we are looking for. We want students to follow their creativity to its fullest extent by exploring and trying things they have not done before while they create poetry and art of environment and place.