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Five Pieces of Poetry Science Fiction Fans Will Love

 
That first song? Pure poetry, we tells ya.
 
We’re used to poems that explore romance, mythology, deep emotion, but sometimes these same poems incorporate a more science fictional component. And why not? Why shouldn’t astronauts, aliens, and killer clones get their share of the lyrical limelight?
 
Monstrous creations grown in secret dank labs need an outlet, and the poems inspired by our inevitable apocalypse will likely be full of beautiful pathos (one hopes that someone will be around to read them). Here are some poems that merge science and art, and do so wonderfully.

Posted by Alyssa Favreau

Stopping by Wawa on a Snowy Evening

In honor of Wawa's 50th birthday, we're posting Stopping by Wawa on a Snowy Evening, a poem found in Broetry by Brian McGackin.

You can also enter to win a copy in the Rafflecopter below. Enjoy! 

Stopping by Wawa on a Snowy Evening

Is Wawa open? Yes or no?
We need to stop if it’s not closed
To stock up for the party. Shit!
But Wawa doesn’t sell beer, though.

I’m such an ass. I must admit
I’d completely forgotten it:
Convenience stores don’t sell booze here.
Now how the hell will we get lit?

We’ve only got two racks of beer
And one bottle of Everclear;
That’s just enough for maybe three
Or four of us. It would appear

That some of us will have to be
Spending the night alcohol-free.
I guess I’ll drink lemonade tea,
I guess I’ll drink lemonade tea.

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Posted by Eric Smith

Haters Gonna Versificate: Some of Our Favorite Poetic Insults for National Poetry Month

Poems can invoke the deepest of emotions, the most beautiful of sentiments, but they can also pack a huge, insulting punch. There’s something about the form—maybe the lilt, the rhythm—that lends itself perfectly to derision and condescension. Need to tell someone that they’re beneath you? A short story won’t do. Want to skewer your professional rival? Veiled allusions in your novel aren’t going to cut it. What you need is a good meter to set your scorn to.

Since April is National Poetry Month, let’s explore the poems that expertly take their targets’ ego and grind it under their perfectly cadenced heel.

Posted by Alyssa Favreau

How-To Tuesday: Start Stacking Your Books and Make Spine Poetry!

Writing poetry isn't really a talent of mine—unless you count humorous/sarcastic haikus and "Roses Are Red" variants—but I do randomly stack books to create sentences and mini-mini short stories. Then I discovered that this a Thing: spine poetry! Naturally, I got sucked into the Internet and bounced from Pinterest to Tumblr to blog posts filled with books stacked and photographed to create a poem. 

So for no reason at all and with no prize promised, I challenged myself to see how many sentences I could create with the books in my office. My self-imposed rules were no title repetition and only using print books on my shelves. Here's what I came up with.

Deep in the shade of paradise, when you are engulfed in flames, this book will save your life.

Posted by Jamie Canaves

Eat More Books: Episode 5 “Book Case”

Posted by Rick Chillot

Ten Celebrities We Wish Would Write Poetry

Image via Inquisitr

In case you haven’t heard the news, James Franco is scheduled to publish a collection of poetry, currently titled Directing Herbert White, in 2014. I assume he was inspired by his role as Allen Ginsberg in Howl (2010).

There are many other celebrities that I’d like to see pen poetry and so I present to you, ten celebrities Quirk wishes would write poetry. Please note, if your name is on this list and you actually do have a collection of poems sitting in your bedside table, here’s a link to our submissions page.

Posted by Maria Vicente