A Message From Bill

The changes in Wattpad over the last few years have not benefitted the community of Poets.

The Matty awards have all but ignored the Poetic community and have pushed their focus on novels that appeal to a younger generation, which make up the vast majority of Wattpad's readers and writers.

Unfortunately, that leaves the Poets out in the proverbial cold.

We, here at the Poets Pub, have tried for over five years to provide an environment of encouragement, support and inspiration to all Poets and our doors have always been open to any and all Poets, regardless of their age or ability. We intend to keep that protocol in place for as long as the Pub exists.

With the ever changing face of Wattpad and the ignoring of the Poetic writers on the site, I am sure all of us have noticed one significant fact that is undeniable.

All of us have noticed a dramatic decline in the number of reads on our Poetry. In speaking for myself, over the past couple years I have noticed that my reads have dropped by a staggering 95%. And I am sure many of our fellow Pubbers have felt the same decline.

The end result of this, unfortunately for many, is that the desire and inspiration to continue to write wanes as dramatically as your reads have declined. Inspiration and dedication go by the wayside and many find themselves rethinking WHY we bother at all.

I am sad to say that even I have fallen victim to the same loss of desire.

So, what can we do to stop this loss of interest and give back the dignity to all of our Poets. To me, the answer is simple.

We have to support ourselves.

It is time that every Pubber takes a little of their time and support one of their fellow Poets. Take a few minutes a day and check out the Poetry of one of your fellow Pubbers and remind them that they are not forgotten and that you appreciate their time and effort.

We have over 6000 Pubbers in the Poets Pub. That is enough to support ourselves and keep the lights of inspiration and support burning for all our members.

We have to become more active within the walls of the Pub and encourage our members even more. Encourage them to participate. Encourage them to suggest new ideas for the Pub, to help it continue to grow. Encourage them to recruit new Poets and readers to join the ranks of the Pub and further expand our influence, because without an unified approach, site like the Poets Pub and the Poetry community in general, just might fall victim to the shifting wave of interest and completely disappear.

Support the Pub and support your fellow Poets. It is the only way that we will survive.

A Unified Front

There are many small Poetry sites around Wattpad. Many of them have small memberships and struggle to build up their followers.

Over the years I have tried to gather those sites under one banner, because, as the old saying goes, 'There is Strength in Numbers'.

With the shift in Wattpad's directives, we have found that Poetry has all but become forgotten. That is a trend I would like to see change.

Over the years I have tried to get Wattpad to acknowledge the Poets Pub as a center for the Poetic community, but they have turned me down, citing the fact, as they put it, that we were not a significant voice in the Poetic forum.

Well I say, let's become one.

I say, let's band together all the smaller Poetic sites on Wattpad and gather as many Poets together, as we possibly can and let's show Wattpad that we are a united front and we do have enough voices to make a difference. Lets gather together the largest community of Poets that we can and then, and only then, we will have the strength and numbers to approach Wattpad and say ... 'Give us the recognition we deserve'.

With this in mind, I am looking for a group of volunteers who will help in this cause. A group of devoted Poets who will help us scan the corridors of Wattpad and find those small groups of Poets and convince them to join the Poets Pub, as an equal partner, united under one group, so that we will have the strength to approach Wattpad and work out some future plan with them, with regard to the Poets here.

It will not be an easy task, but if we all work together, I believe that we can swell our ranks to a point where we will be noticed.

The Poets Pub has always been a family. But we have more family out there that need our help. Let's all work together and have the biggest family reunion that we can.

The Poetic community on Wattpad is a different and unique one and we have always worked together and supported each other. Let's step it up a notch and open our arms to all Poets on Wattpad.

Together we can build the biggest community of Poets that Wattpad has ever seen.

If you want to be a part of this effort, drop us a message and together, we will get this thing started.

BILL

The Iliad (An Excerpt - Book One)
By Homer

Achilles' wrath, to Greece the direful spring
Of woes unnumber'd, heavenly goddess, sing!
That wrath which hurl'd to Pluto's gloomy reign
The souls of mighty chiefs untimely slain;
Whose limbs unburied on the naked shore,
Devouring dogs and hungry vultures tore.
Since great Achilles and Atrides strove,
Such was the sovereign doom, and such the will of Jove!

Declare, O Muse! in what ill-fated hour
Sprung the fierce strife, from what offended power
Latona's son a dire contagion spread,
And heap'd the camp with mountains of the dead;
The king of men his reverent priest defied,
And for the king's offence the people died.

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Random Poetry Prompt
Write a poem based on Greek Mythology.
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JANUARY 2021 CONTEST:

You have one week to get your entries in for this month's contest.  The Week 3-4 prompt is now open for submissions.  Again, you will be allowed two poems for this prompt.  If you have not submitted your prompts for Week 1-2 you still have until the end of the month.  Check out our contest book for full details.

This month we are going to ZIP, ZAP, ZOOM in to the new year with a silly fun futuristic contest using onomatopoeias.  The contest book's name is "A Whizz Bang Future" and in it you can find all the details for this contest.  Be sure to spread the word to your friends and followers.

POEM-A-WEEK:

Starting January 1, 2021, we will be starting the challenge over again, so anyone that would like to either continue participating or join in anew, please let us know as we will start with a new participants list.  I have some new ideas to spice up the challenge for next year, so I encourage everyone to join in!!

POEM A WEEK CHALLENGE:

The purpose of this challenge is to simply encourage writing, taking the time, at least once a week, to get a poem from your brain on to paper.

HERE IS HOW IT WILL WORK:

1. Anyone that would like to join in needs to use and existing book or create a new book on  their profile to post their poems in.

2. Send us a PM with a link to the book you will be using and let us know that you have joined the challenge.

3. We will post the cover of your book in the Chatter as well as here to let others know that you are participating.

4. Send us copies of your poems at least once a month, to post here in this collection.

5. Check the Pub Chatter 7th Edition each week for prompts for the challenge.  The prompts given in the Chatter are only suggestions, you can always write any kind of poem that you like for this challenge.

2021 Poem-a-Week Participants

A Paintbucket of Words by nubivagant_words

Genteel Reveries of an Outrié Poetess by MystresMyna

Petals of a Rose by Alkymarz

A New Leaf by most_bay

Five Drops of Ink by je2suisChris

Woven Threads by enchanting_figments

My One Last Gasp by BillTemple1957

Please stop by and check out their books, show them some Poets Pub love!

IF I MISSED ANYONE PLEASE LET ME KNOW AND I WILL ADD YOUR NAME TO THE LIST!

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Poem-a-Week Prompt
Week Four Prompt
Write a haiku chain about the ocean.
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storytellers-saloon

JANUARY 2021 CONTEST:

The first contest of the year is open and eagerly awaiting your submissions. This prompt for this month is, "A Bartender's Best Night". You have the entire month to get your stories in! You will need to head over to the contest book to get the full details of this month's challenge.

If you know anyone who would be interested in this challenge, then send them on over to the Saloon.

Every month there will be a new contest posted along with a couple words to use in your story. The stories will completely vary in genres. Check out the contest book for more details!

Come on by and support your fellow Pubbers by reading, voting, and commenting, and then consider to join in as well!!

Busted Gulch Vol. 15 Update:

Josie needed to speak to her brother as soon as she could. She wasn't going to let Sallie torture and destroy Jake's life again. Josie would get her back for the mean threats and for her ruined dress. Brody saddled Knight where they soon caught up with Lady, riding to meet up with Bella. Hilary and Silver both found Tiger's behavior not funny. Tiger pulled his snout out of a hole and jumped back with his tail wagging.

Thank you MysteriousDryad for another great BG update.

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Random Poetry Prompt
Write a poem the sound of dripping water.
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-flash-fiction-forum

January 2021 Challenge:

The Flash Fiction Forum has their newest challenge up and running! Please make sure to read the rules before joining the contest.

Our theme this month is all about technology coming alive. If this is something you would be interested in, come on over to the Forum!

THE ILIAD AND THE ODYSSEY BY HOMER

We cannot talk about poetic history without mentioning The Iliad and The Odyssey by Homer.  These epic poems are the oldest surviving works of Greek literature.  Thought to have been written in the 8th century B.C. (750 for the Iliad, 720 for the Odyssey).  Very little is known about Homer.  We do know that he was blind and therefore he would have had a scribe write for him.  Most scholars agree that Homer was most likely an entertainer, a singer, and composed these works as songs originally.

The setting of the Iliad takes place during the latter part of the Trojan war, with the Odyssey taking place a bit later, concentrating on Odysseus to his home, ten years after the Trojan war.  These epic poems have been compiled into 24 books each, the Iliad being the bigger of the two with 15,693 lines and the Odyssey with 12,110 lines. And although they rely heavily on Greek mythology, they both have elements of the true events of the Trojan war.

In an ever-changing world, let us all strive to be a beacon of light.  Remember that kindness and love are infinite and never come back void; so, share them with great and reckless abandon.  Resolve to brighten the lives of those around us, for the light drives back the darkness.

And remember to keep those pens and keyboards flying!!

Cheers from you Mystres of Chatter
MystresMyna

P.S. – Children's Poetry Corner by BB

Write a poem about bubble gum.