Woodland Pattern's Writing Prompts Against Anxiety

We're reading Woodland Pattern's Prompts Against Anxiety today. The weekly project asks poets from the community to share a writing prompt "for as long as we're sheltering in place, and maybe after that too," and is sponsored by the Milwaukee Public Library. So far, contributors include Hoa Nguyen, Rosa Alcalá, CA Conrad, WP co-directors Jenny Gropp and Laura Solomon, and more.

Solomon's prompt, "A Series of Rooms," is a "3-day series of activities [that] asks you to consider the resources that may be available to you via memory," advising you mentally re-enter rooms from your life. More:

Day 1: Finding a Place or Places to Begin

Before getting started, take a few minutes to acknowledge the sheer number of rooms you have occupied whether at length or briefly over the course of your life. Take inventory of these spaces by envisioning yourself passing through as many as possible: all the kitchens, bathrooms, living rooms, bedrooms, basements, and attics of places you have lived; all the rooms you have visited in the homes of family members, friends, partners, neighbors, colleagues, and acquaintances; hotel rooms, hospital rooms, dormitories, hostels, tents, and other spaces that have housed you even if only temporarily; all the rooms in which you have ever labored—offices, factories, call centers, classrooms, studios, etc.; all the public spaces you have ever entered—shops, restaurants, movie theaters, libraries, churches, bars, and gas stations. 
 
Now, list every space as it appears in your mind. If helpful, try using your phone or other device as an audio recorder so that you can capture as many memories as possible, as quickly as possible. Don’t be afraid of the speed of your mind—if the memory of one place is interrupted by the memory of another, keep moving and know you can return to the previous room later. What is important right now is to allow your mind the freedom to go wherever it’s inclined. Do this for at least 5 minutes.

Play back your recording or look at your list. Delve into each space one at a time, recording its specific details. Record or write down everything your memory can see, hear, taste, smell, and touch in each space. Do not be concerned with time, only with space. For instance, you may hear sounds in the same room that reflect different periods of your life. Allow all moments experienced in a single space to co-exist together. Spend at least 5 minutes on each space, and then let your mind rest for at least 24 hours.

Read on, and find more prompts, at Woodland Pattern.