PITTSBURGH, PA— Pretty Owl Poetry, a Pittsburgh-based online literary arts journal, is introducing a new prompt series: POPcraft: Tarot for Poets.
Every other week a new writing prompt will be featured on the website (www.prettyowlpoetry.com) and will focus on a Tarot spread readers can use for writing inspiration. A play on the mystery and ritual of witchcraft, POPcraft invites writers to submit their own Tarot spreads, and an accompanying prompt to be featured on the site.
“The idea behind POPcraft is essentially to do Tarot readings for a poem,” said Kimberly Grabowski Strayer, creator and curator of the new series. “Tarot spreads can take almost infinite forms and can reflect the person creating them so closely, I felt like this was a resource we could really be taking advantage of as a community as a form of generating poems.”
Prompt submissions should be original and unpublished. The journal is looking for the disruption and surprise of Tarot combined with the enigmatic logic of a poem’s creation. Elements of both should be present in submissions. How they come together is up to the submitter. It is known that a large intersection of Tarot and writing is ritual and the journal editors encourage submitters to be precise and concrete with the procedure of their prompt. Submitters are welcomed and encouraged to send photos of Tarot card spreads using their favorite decks.
An example of the first prompt, “The Three Souls,” created by POPcraft’s curator Kimberly Grabowski Strayer is available on the Pretty Owl Poetry website. To hear more about POPcraft from its creators and a Tarot card aficionado, listen to the seventh episode of the journal’s monthly podcast: POPcast, which is co-hosted by Kelly Lorraine Andrews and B. Rose Kelly. All episodes can be found at https://prettyowlpoetry.com/popcast/.
To stay up-to-date on POPcraft and other Pretty Owl news, follow the journal on all social media: @prettyowlpoetry.
Pretty Owl Poetry is a feminist quarterly journal that publishes the visual arts, traditional and nontraditional forms, fiction masquerading as poetry, and work that does not snuggly fit into a specific genre, all with a lyrical quality. We’re especially interested in work centered around the bodily experiences of womxn, nonbinary, and trans folx. We’re committed to publishing underrepresented and marginalized voices and encourage submission from such artists. Learn more about our submission guidelines on Pretty Owl Poetry’s website.
Most importantly: Where are you located, what are your hours, and do you have a particular focus in terms of the Read more
This just in from our friends at WCoNA: "To provide additional preparation time, we’ve extended the deadline to submit a Read more
One of our favorite local authors, Joshua David Bellin (author, most recently, of MYRIAD) just let us know that he's Read more
From City Books’ website: "About the Residency The City Books Writer’s Residency offers flexible access to a comfortable, creative space within Read more
Altoona, PA—The WCoNA Writers Conference of Northern Appalachia® (here and after WCoNA) is pleased to announce a call for nominations Read more
love, Pittsburgh is hosting a “Pittsburgh Dog & Frog” coloring contest! Kids, color a page from the children’s book, “Pittsburgh Read more
From Parsec (Pittsburgh's premier Science Fiction & Fantasy Organization): "The theme of Parsec Ink’s 2025 Triangulation anthology is Dark Hearts. Read more
From Prime Stage Theatre: According to Shakepeare’s melancholy prince Hamlet, “The play is the thing, wherein I'll catch the conscience Read more
Littsburgh has always been a “nights and weekends” passion project, ever since we started the site back in 2015. We Read more
New York Times-bestselling author Patrick Radden Keefe will be featured at The Peters Township Library Foundation’s seventh annual Novel November Read more
"Life on the streets is hard but it's deadly when a young woman battles addiction." From the Publisher: "Where is Read more
"Founded in 2007 and sponsored by Madwomen in the Attic, the Patricia Dobler Poetry Award was created to honor the Read more
From the Publisher: "Calling My Life With Literacy a 'new intersectionality,' Harvey J. Graff explores both overarching and underlying patterns that Read more
From the Publisher: "An eyewitness to a murder calls the Pittsburgh police from one of the city’s 446 bridges, then Read more
In case you missed the latest email from White Whale, they're currently hiring ("which we really don’t do very often!"). Read more
This just in from our friends at Write Pittsburgh: "We are now accepting applications for our teen writing programs, Rule Read more
From the Publisher: “Bye, Ocean! We love you!” the little girl sang along, a big smile on her face, because Read more
When we posted about the Steel City Creatives writer's group, we learned that the founder (Charlotte Hopkins) also runs a Read more
From our friends at Pennwriters, Inc: What Makes A Writer's Road Trip Mini Conference Unique? • We offer industry experts, Read more
As part of its fourth year, the Books Books Books author event in Lancaster, PA this year will be welcoming Read more
