Okay, I've been meaning to make this post all month, but I've been waiting to get it perfect. There's no better way to delay a project than trying to make it completely perfect. So I'm just going to post the guidelines the best I can and then make edits as needed.

What is the April PAD Challenge?

PAD stands for Poem-A-Day, so this is a challenge in which poets write a poem each day of April.

Who can participate?

Anyone who wants to write poetry--whether you've been writing all your life or just want to give it a shot now, whether you write form poetry or free verse, whether you have a certain style or have no clue what you're doing. The main thing is to poem (and yes, I use poem as a verb).

Where do I share my poems?

If you want to share your poems throughout the month, the best way is to paste your poem in the comments on the post that corresponds with that day's prompt. You'll find folks are pretty supportive on the Poetic Asides site. And if they're not, I expect to be notified via e-mail.

Here are some more April PAD Challenge guidelines:

• Poeming begins April 1 and runs through May 1 (to account for time differences in other parts of the world--and yes, poets all over the world participate).
• The main purpose of the challenge is to write poems, but I also will choose my favorite poems of the month from poets who submit up to 5 poems by May 5 to my e-mail address (robert.brewer@fwmedia.com) with the subject line: My April PAD Submission. Poets can only submit up to 5 poems, and I will only consider the first submission--so make sure it's what you meant to send. Unless you need formatting in Word, please include the poems in the body of your e-mail message.
• I will make selections by August 8, and they'll be announced on this blog.
• Poem as you wish, but I will delete poems and comments that I feel are hateful. Also, if anyone abuses this rule repeatedly, I will have them banned from the site. So please "make good choices," as I tell my 3-year-old son.

Other rules, questions, concerns, etc?

If you need any other questions answered, put them in the comments, and I'll revise this post as needed.

Other than that, I can't wait to start poeming later this week!

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Follow me on Twitter @robertleebrewer and my personal blog at My Name Is Not Bob.

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