Home » Newpages Blog » The Poetry Marathon

Event :: 2025 Poetry Marathon

The Poetry Marathon 2025 AI-generated logo image

You don’t need running shoes for The Poetry Marathon, an annual, online event focused on generating new work within a set timeline. The challenge is to write 12 poems in 12 hours (a half marathon) or 24 poems in 24 hours (a full marathon) at the rate of one poem per hour.

This free, international event draws hundreds of poets from around the world, and like any endurance challenge, it takes true commitment and perseverance. Do you have what it takes?

This year’s marathon will start at 9AM ET on May 17 and end at either 9PM ET (half) or at 9AM ET on May 18 (full). Half Marathon participants can also choose to start at 9PM ET on May 17 and take the overnight shift until 9AM ET. The organizers post optional prompts on the hour, and participants can post their poems immediately, or, if having all-day online access isn’t feasible, the poems can be written on the hour but posted to the community later.

The event will be hosted in a private, member-only space on Circle, a community platform that allows participants to read and respond to one another’s works.

Participants are asked to apply by May 12.

Event :: 2024 Poetry Marathon

2024 Poetry Marathon logo

The 2024 Poetry Marathon is now open for applications! No running shoes required for this marathon, but you will definitely need stamina and perseverance!

This annual event invites writers to join in a half or full day of poetry writing, responding to prompts posted on the hour starting a 9:00am EST on Saturday, June 15, and running (pun intended) through 9:00am EST Sunday, June 16.

If you’re not up for the full 24-hour marathon, there are two 12-hour half-marathons (my speed). The first is for day folk and goes from 9:00am-9:00pm on June 15, and the second is for night owls, from 9:00pm on June 15 to 9:00am on June 16.

The platform software is new this year, and organizers promise it is designed to be more community-centric, allowing for more seamless engagement in posting, providing feedback, and staying connected.

Participants who successfully complete their event will receive a certificate of achievement and have up to a chapbook’s worth of poems! Over its history, the marathon has had as many as 500+ participants each year, though not all finished. That’s the challenge!

Registration is open through 9:00 PM EST on June 10. Hope to see some of you there!

Event :: 2023 Poetry Marathon

2023 poetry marathon logo image

The 2023 Poetry Marathon is now open for applications! No running shoes required for this marathon, but you will definitely need stamina and perseverance! This annual event invites writers to join in a half- or full-day of poetry writing, responding to prompts posted on the hour starting a 9:00am EST on Saturday, September 2, and running (no pun intended) through 9:00am EST Sunday, September 3. If you’re not up for the full 24-hour marathon, there are two 12-hour half-marathons (my speed). The first is for day folk and goes from 9:00am-9:00pm on September 2, and the second is for night owls, from 9:00pm on September 2 to 9:00am on September 3. The platform is WordPress, which allows each participant their own space to post as well as to give and receive feedback. Participants who successfully complete their event will receive a certificate of achievement and are eligible to submit works for inclusion in the annual anthology. Over the past several years, the marathon has had over 500 participants each year, though not all finished. That’s the challenge! Registration is open through August 28. Hope to see some of you there!

Event :: 2022 Poetry Marathon

No running shoes required for this marathon, but you will definitely need stamina and perseverance! This annual Poetry Marathon invites writers to join in a half- or full-day of poetry writing, responding to prompts posted on the hour starting a 9:00am on June 25 and running (no pun intended) through 9:00am on June 26. If you’re not up for the full 24-hour marathon, there are two 12-hour half-marathons (my speed). The first is for day folk and goes from 9:00am-9:00pm on June 25, and the second is for night owls, from 9:00pm on June 25 to 9:00am on June 26. The platform is WordPress, which allows each participant their own space to post as well as to give and receive feedback. Participants who successfully complete their event will receive a certificate of achievement and are eligible to submit works for inclusion in the annual anthology. Over the past several years, the marathon has had over 500 participants each year, though not all finished. That’s the challenge! Registration is open June 1-19, 2022. Hope to see some of you there!