It's that time again! Last year we launched our first ever Write Out Loud poetry calendar with the promise of trying to inject a bit of fun, thought and reflection into the final dark and gloomy days of the year. We felt, like many, that in this troubled world we need poetry more than ever. And a year on, nothing has really changed and poetry continues to play as important a role as ever. Our regular bloggers have been sharing some great poems throughout the year, with over 50 regular users and more than 300 poems posted each month.

We are making one Instagram post a day with contributions from our bloggers, monthly Write Out Loud open-mic groups and previous anthologies and competitions, and a few surprises along the way. 

Today’s poetry advent calendar features a poem, Morning Moon, written by Louise Fazackerley for the children of Slaithwaite and the Moonraking Festival 2025, at the start of what's been a busy year for Young Write Out Loud. 

We are also challenging people again this year - to write a reverse-word nonet around the theme of hope, joy, or what it feels like to be coming to the end of another year.

A reverse-word nonet has nine lines,starting with one syllable in the first line and descending to nine syllables on the final line. The end product - if you're able to format it! - looks quite like a Christmas tree. You can post your poems on the Write Out Loud blogs. We'll be sure to spot them! Here's one from Graham Sherwood - who manages the bloggers section of the website - to get you started.