This week Mary Biddinger gave the following prompt to her MFA poetry students:
Write a poem that includes some kind of linear narrative or chain of events. Instead of putting the events in chronological order, however, convey the events backwards. Include at least two of the following: the make and model of a vehicle, a food that you personally dislike, a musical instrument, an item that is broken beyond repair, a love note that falls into the wrong hands, a bird of prey, a lost item of clothing, or an extinct species of animal.
We liked it so much that we wanted to share it. Of course, the prompt would work for short stories as well.
Happy Writing!
-The BLP Team
Mary Biddinger is the author of Saint Monica which was a finalist in the Spring, 2009 Black River Chapbook Competition. Saint Monica will be available from Black Lawrence Press in 2011.