Thanks for popping in for Poetry Pop’s debut blog post! Some of you may know me as Children’s Book Author, Danna Smith, but writing poetry is where I got my start. I have loved words from the moment I met them. I visited them often and encouraged them to fill my head and heart. Before long, poems were spilling onto the pages of my notebook. 

I wrote my first poem when I was eight years old and continued writing my way to and through adulthood. With this blog, I aim to carve out a place for adults with all levels of experience in writing poetry (beginners to seasoned poets) to read, learn, create, and share our mutual passion for poetry.

The blog focuses on seven main features: 

• Poetry Pop: I will post an original poem written in a specific poetic form (haiku, acrostic, sonnet, etc.). Along with my poem, I’ll present the rules of the form and encourage you to write one too (and I hope you will share it with us in the comments). Writing a poem within specific guidelines is challenging and fun. It’s like solving a word puzzle!
• Poetry Pop Quiz: I’ll present a poem and a short biography of the poet. You can take a fun interactive pop quiz to test your knowledge or learn more about the poet. Did you know that E. E. Cummings dedicated his self-published volume of poetry, No Thanks, to the fourteen publishers who had turned it down?  
• Poetry Pop Prompts: We’ve all been there, waiting with pen in hand for a poem to show up. I’ll be blogging about and writing from written and visual prompts for those inevitable days when your poem misses the bus.
• Zen Pop: Sometimes, a little encouragement is just what we need. If you see a Zen Pop blog post prepare to feel loved and inspired.
• Guest Pop: Here, I welcome other poetry bloggers as my guests to share their poetry and thoughts on Poetry Pop. I am happy to reciprocate.
• Poetry Pop Blog Hop: We will hop over to other poetry blogs for a visit to see what our fellow poets are up to.
• Poetry Pop Shop: These blog posts are a place for me to share fun, writerly and readerly gadgets and books I think you might enjoy. 

Thank you for joining me on this poetic quest. I hope you enjoy today’s poem—a welcome poem to you, my readers. Next, we will take a look at writing How-To poems, and later in the week, we’ll have fun with Found poetry (no, it’s not cheating!).