Daily Write
Every day in April and May of 2020, I offered a free guided writing session via Zoom. This session was open to everyone, everywhere, and the setup was simple: we all read an essay or poem, then I gave a prompt, and we wrote, together, for twenty minutes.
During the sixty-one days of Daily Write, over 200 hundred writers from twenty-one states and five countries joined in. We held three readings, where fifty readers shared work written during the sessions, and after the sessions ended, we pulled together a Daily Write anthology.
Below, find a list of the readings, prompts, and attendees for each Daily Write session. Even if you weren’t able to join, you can still write on your own, or, better yet, with a friend. Just read the selected piece, then set a timer for twenty minutes, and write, using one of the prompts or just doing your own thing. If you’ve got questions, or you’d like to share what you wrote, get in touch!
April 1
Reading: “Instructions on Not Giving Up,” by Ada Limón
Prompts: “When the leaves come…” or “What really gets to me…”
Thirty-one writers, from five states
April 2
Reading: “In Orbit,” by Brenda Miller
Prompts: “We’re all angled toward…” or “I don’t really understand why…”
Thirty-nine writers, from four states
April 3
Reading: “Tap Tap,” by Ross Gay (from The Book of Delights)
Prompts: “It’s really a kind of miracle…” or “Tap tap…”
Twenty-nine writers, from five states
April 4
Reading: Prologue to When I Was Puerto Rican, by Esmeralda Santiago
Prompts: “When I was…” or “I had my last…”
Thirty-two writers, from six states
April 5
Reading: Excerpt from “The Blue of Distance”, by Rebecca Solnit
Prompts: “Blue is the color of…” or “I was looking forward to…”
Thirty-four writers, from seven states
April 6
Reading: “Chronology of the Body”, by Sam Kiss
Prompts: Write a chronology of ___ (some core, repeated experience in your life), or write about a time when you didn’t look like you were “supposed” to.
Forty writers, from eleven states
April 7
Reading: “Black in Middle America”, by Roxane Gay
Prompts: Write about being ___ (identity) in ___ (place).
Forty-four writers, from eight states
April 8
Reading: “Girl/Thing”, written and read aloud by special guest Anna Vodicka
Prompts: Write about a moment, in your passage from childhood to adulthood, when a door clicked shut behind you. How’d that “click” look, sound, and feel?
Forty-three writers, from eight states
April 9
Reading: “Loneliness:Fourteen Variations”, by Barbara Hurd
Prompts: Write your own variations of loneliness, or, about “one lonely afternoon…”
Forty-four writers, from nine states
April 10
Reading: Excerpt from The House on Mango Street, by Sandra Cisneros
Prompts: Write about your name. Or, write about an invisible inheritance.
Thirty-eight writers, from eight states
April 11
Reading: “On Interruptions”, by Sarah Ruhl (scroll to bottom to find essay)
Prompts: Write about the life that is intruding on your writing.
Thirty-four writers, from nine states
April 12
Reading: Preface to The Boys of My Youth, by Jo Ann Beard
Prompts: Write about an early memory, or about something you saw out your window.
Twenty-nine writers, from ten states
April 13
Reading: “Snowbound,” by Natalie Lima
Prompts: Write about a time you thought you were ready for the cold.
Forty-four writers, from ten states
April 14
Reading: “A Primer,” by Bob Hicok
Prompts: “When I go back…” or “You never forget…”
Forty-eight writers, from eight states
April 15
Reading: “Someone I Love,” by Naomi Shihab Nye, from the anthology Short Takes
Prompts: “He/she/they didn’t know…” or “It was the season of…”
Forty writers, from eight states
April 16
Reading: “A Letter to My Students as We Face the Pandemic,” by George Saunders
Prompts: Write a letter to your ___ (unborn grandchild, dog, neighbor, planet, etc)
Forty-seven writers, from ten states
April 17
Reading: “Chop Suey,” by Ira Sukrungruang
Prompts: Write about a time you learned something surprising about a loved one
Forty-two writers, from eight states
April 18
Reading: Excerpt from Safekeeping, by Abigail Thomas
Prompt: Write about a time you were given something valuable on the street
Forty writers, from seven states
April 19
Reading: “Dating Profile,” by Rose Andersen
Prompt: Write your own “dating profile.”
Forty-five writers, from eight states
April 20
Reading: Excerpt from Crazy Brave, by Joy Harjo
Prompt: “Once I was so small…” or “I followed that sound…”
Fifty-one writers, from eight states and also Costa Rica
April 21
Reading: “Your Turn,” by Beth Ann Fennelly (scroll to bottom to find essay)
Prompt: Write about a hidden talent (the more useless, the better)
Forty-eight writers, from seven states
April 22
Reading: “Mornings at Blackwater,” by Mary Oliver
Prompt: Write about a natural place that’s sacred to you (Happy Earth Day!)
Forty-five writers, from seven states
April 23
Reading: “How to Write About Africa,” by Binyavanga Wainaina
Prompt: How to write about ___ (a place or identity that’s home to you)
Forty-three writers, from seven states
April 24
Reading: “All the Lies I’ve Told You So Far,” by Mel George
Prompt: Write a list of the (well-intentioned) lies you’ve told a loved one
Forty-two writers, from nine states and also Canada
April 25
Reading: “My President,” by Danez Smith
Prompts: “Today I elect…” or “My only border is…”
Forty writers, from eight states
April 26
Reading: “Things My Students Don’t Know,” by Rebecca Schwab
Prompt: Write about some things your ___ don’t know
Thirty-three writers, from eight states
April 27
Reading: “The Sky Inside the Body,” by Meg Freitag
Prompt: “You live entire lifetimes…” or “I wish you understood…”
Forty-four writers, from nine states
April 28
Reading: “Out of the Garden,” by Anis Mojgani
Prompts: “Sometimes in the garden…” or “In my veins…”
Forty writers, from seven states
April 29
Reading: “What Women Are Made Of,” by Bianca Lynne Spriggs
Selected and read by Susan Barthel
Prompt: Write about what you are made of
Thirty-nine writers, from eight states and also Costa Rica
April 30
Reading: “The Woods Are Going to Close,” by e.v. de cleyre
Prompt: Write a story in reverse.
Forty-one writers, from seven states
May 1
Reading: “Leftovers — What is Left?” by Assata Shakur
Selected and read by Emma Howland-Bolton
Prompts: “After you know…” and “I am in love with…”
Thirty-five writers, from five states
May 2
Reading: “Swerve,” by Brenda Miller
Prompt: Write about a time you swerved, or should’ve swerved.
Twenty-nine writers, from five states
May 3
Reading: Excerpt from I Remember, by Joe Brainard
Prompt: “I remember…”
Twenty-seven writers, from six states
May 4
Reading: “Objective Collapse Theory,” by Ali Shapiro
Selected and read by Maggie Starr
Prompts: “I don’t remember…” or any “if” line (if a tree falls, if I leave, etc.)
Thirty-seven writers, from eight states
May 5
Reading: The Lumberjack’s Dove, by Gennarose Nethercott
Selected and read by Reece Gritzmacher
Prompts: “It’s the same old story…” or “There are three rules of…”
Thirty-four writers, from six states
May 6
Reading: Excerpt from In the Dream House, by Carmen Maria Machado
Prompt: Write about feeling like a child, spending your own money for the first time.
Thirty-seven writers, from four states
May 7
Reading: “Antilamentation,” by Dorianne Laux
Selected and read by Laura Moulton
Prompts: “You were meant to…” or “You’ve traveled this far…”
Thirty-nine writers, from eight states
May 8
Reading: “Postcard to a Stranger,” by various authors
Selected and read by Anna Vodicka
Prompts: Write a postcard to a stranger
Thirty-four writers, from five states
May 9
Reading: Excerpt from “A Practical Guide to Getting Over the Guy Who Broke Your Heart,” written and read aloud by special guest Leslie Wells
Prompt: Write a “practical” guide to ____.
Twenty-six writers, from ten states and also Canada and Brazil
May 10
Reading: “Mother’s Day Instagram Post,” by Cheryl Strayed
Prompt: “There are so many kinds of…” or “I am holding…”
Twenty-five writers, from seven states
May 11
Reading: “I Am Glass,” by Nikki Giovanni, from Bicycles: Love Poems
Prompt: “We are all more than…” or “You can write your…”
Forty-seven writers, from nine states
May 12
Reading: “Things I Will Want to Say to You on Our First Date but Won’t,” by Ryan Van Meter, from If You Knew Then What I Know Now
Prompt: Write a letter telling someone all the things you’ll never tell them
Thirty-seven writers, from eight states
May 13
Reading: “The Birds Outside My Window Sing During a Pandemic,” by Lee Herrick
Selected and read by Chris Browne
Prompt: “What we need has always been…” or “What I mean to say is…”
Thirty-six writers, from nine states
May 14
Reading: Excerpt from Subduction, by Kristen Millares Young
Read by special guest Kristen Millares Young
Prompt: Write about a time you pushed yourself into motion.
Forty-two writers, from eight states
May 15
Reading: “Spring with Dogs,” by Abigail Thomas
Prompt: Write about spending spring with ____
Thirty-eight writers, from ten states
May 16
Reading: “The Inside Out Mermaid,” by Matthea Harvey
Selected and read by Christiane Bennett
Prompt: Write about a part of yourself others don’t get to see
Twenty-five writers, from six states
May 17
Reading: “Ink to Freedom,” by krisjaustin, from A World Where the Rules Were My Own
Prompt: “I write to…” or “I made my own…”
Seventeen writers, from four states
May 18
Reading: “We Can’t Comprehend This Much Sorrow,” by Teju Cole
Prompt: “The last time I…” or “Much of what I miss…”
Thirty-eight writers, from seven states
May 19
Reading: “From Blossoms,” by Li-Young Lee
Selected and read by Kate Gray
Prompt: “To take what we love inside…”
Thirty-six writers, from seven states
May 20
Reading: “Backwards,” by Warsan Shire
Prompts: “The poem can start…” or “I’ll rewrite this…”
Thirty-nine writers, from seven states
May 21
Reading: Excerpt from The Face, by Ruth Ozeki
Selected and read by Anna Vodicka
Prompt: Sit in front of a mirror for twenty minutes. Write about your face.
Thirty-four writers, from eight states
May 22
Reading: “Writing Advice for My Younger Self,” written and read by E.J. Koh
Prompts: Write an imagined moment in which you encounter your younger self.
Forty writers, from six states
May 23
Reading: “The Best Poem Ever,” by Brian Doyle
Selected by Molly Major
Prompts: “What if…” or “You can’t write down…”
Thirty-one writers, from eight states
May 24
Reading: “A Letter to My Father, Gabriel García Márquez,” by Rodrigo García
Prompts: “Not a day goes by…” or “If you were here now…”
Thirty-two writers, from nine states
May 25
Reading: “I’m Going Back to Minnesota, Where Sadness Makes Sense,” by Danez Smith
Prompts: “I’m going back to…” or “Have you ever stood…?”
Thirty-seven writers, from eight states
May 26
Reading: “An Address to My Fellow Faculty Who Have Asked Me to Speak About My Work,” by Ayse Papatya Bucak
Prompts: “My work is…” or “Years ago on the subway…”
Forty-three writers, from nine states
May 27
Reading: “Thieves,” by Jerald Walker
Prompts: Write about a time you had—or were subject to—an unfounded suspicion
Forty writers, from seven states
May 28
Reading: Excerpt from Call Me American, by Abdi Nor Iftin
Selected and read by Anna Vodicka
Prompts: Write about the day of your birth
Forty-one writers, from nine states
May 29
Reading: “Affirmation,” by Eve L. Ewing
Selected by Emma Howland-Bolton
Prompts: “I believe that…” or “Somewhere inside me…”
Thirty-five writers, from seven states
May 30
Reading: “Silence (Rough Draft of a Poem),” and “Where We Are,” by Kate Gray
Prompts: “What silence can there be…” or “Whatever we do to build fire…”
Thirty-two writers, from eight states
May 31
Reading: “Sharing Love,” by Ross Gay
Prompts: “On the other side…” or “The only thing…”
Fifty-four writers, from ten states
