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the way of 10
writing poetry that empowers your tongue
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What is a 10? A 10 is a new short form of poetry, that hones the power of your communications
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Teachers
While 21st century students of all ages may balk at studying and memorizing the classic poems we were taught in school, they quite often respond to this new form, partly because it feels fresh and different and partly because it fits with their ever-shortening attention spans.
Instead of fighting it, why not try embracing micro-poetry as a viable avenue for self-expression and literary development?
When combined with modern technology—namely the convenient way that 10s fit into Twitter updates—students can become inspired to actually communicate in short verse and send each other original poetry. Isn’t that a radical concept!
Teaching 10s is surprisingly simple, and even very young children can participate. On this site we offer some basic teaching guides for different class levels. If you decide to try using 10s in your classroom, we’d love to hear about it and post some of their efforts on this website. Please see this page for information on how to contribute your poems.
Remember: A 10 is not fully born until you have “breathed” it to another. Trees count as others. In fact, it may be more satisfying to speak a 10 to live trees than to write them on dead ones.
Rachel Bagby, author of Divine Daughters: Liberating the Power and Passion of Women’s Voices, has read at and curated poetry programs for the Library of Congress and serves on the Advisory Board of Robert Hass’ River of Words project, connecting children to their watershed through poetry. Learn more about Rachel here.