Ever since I was introduced to it when I was 8 years old, I’ve loved writing poetry more than writing anything else.
Whereas prose is often confined to sentences and paragraphs reflective of regular speech, whether formal such as an academic paper or informal such as a conversation, poetry lets its writer explore and express oneself through structures and sounds beyond normal language. Poetry has rules, and it’s those rules I’ve seen and heard cited (by students and teachers) as to why poetry is supposedly difficult to read and write, but I’m here to tell you that it doesn’t need to be difficult.
Writing good poetry takes practice, but what’s “good” is subjective, and practising writing poetry is how to get better at it. My goal with this website is to teach students and educators how to write poetry by exploring different forms of poem, how to compose them, and why they work.
I post poetry to Reddit and Uncookd under the username reillywalker195. Reader discretion is advised since some of my poems are inappropriate for some audiences, but I invite you to read my poetry and partake in my love for the medium. Three of my poems can also be found in Wishbone Words Magazine Issue 15 (May 2025).