Connor Sansby

Epic poetry is a form focusing on long narratives, often used to tell stories of exceptional people, both real and fictional.

History
We are all familiar with the term ‘epic’—it is synonymous with great […]

Diamante are a form of concrete poetry, in which the poem forms the shape of a diamond.

History

The Diamante was first established as a form in the 1969 article ‘A New Poetry Form: The Diamante’ by Iris Tie […]

The Zajal is a traditional form of Arabic poetry, sometimes improvised to music.

History

No one can say for certain when the Zajal first originated, but the earliest records we have date from around the […]

Contrapuntal poems are those that weave two poems together.

History
It’s difficult to know who invented the idea of contrapuntal poetry, though it is probable that it evolved from the musical idea of c […]

The triolet is a short form of French poetry that has been adapted to be used in the English language.

History

Triolet first appeared in Northern France as a close cousin of the Rondel, in the 13th Century. […]

Ae Freislighe is an Irish form of poetry—a family of poetic types rooted in the history of Ireland.
History
Until the 5th Century, the only written form of Irish was Ogham, and the alphabet was mostly known f […]

Landay is a short form of Afghan poetry consisting of a single couplet, much like a Ghazal.

History

The Landay is believed to have been first brought to Afghanistan by Indo-Aryan nomads around 1700, though […]

The Nonet is a form of poetry where each line has one less syllable than the previous line.

History

Not much is known of the history of the Nonet. It is possible the form originated from Western interest in […]

The Burns Stanza is a form of poetry made famous by Scottish poet Robert Burns, and used in many of his poems.
History
While the Burns Stanza is named after Robert Burns, it was not invented by him. Originally, […]

The Décima is a Spanish form of poetry, though the term is also used to describe stanzas of ten lines.
History
There are several forms of poetry referred to as Décima, though the term originally referred to a […]

Pyo is a form of poetry from Burma, which is now Myanmar, that originated in monasteries.
History
The Pyo was originally developed in Buddhist monasteries, and the earliest written poetry in the Burmese language […]

Free Verse, also known as Blank Verse, is a form of poetry that is defined by its lack of form.
History
It may be fair to say that as long as there has been poetry, there has been Free Verse. Early examples can […]

The Sestina is a form of poetry built upon the number six: six stanzas of six lines each.
History
The creation of the Sestina is usually attributed to Arnaut Daniel, a troubadour in the 12th Century, lauded by […]

The Bush Ballad is a style of folk music and poetry, celebrating life in rural Australia, with a focus on simple rhymes and driven by narrative.
History
The Bush Ballad first emerged in Australia when English […]

The Eintou is a form which relies on syllable counts, much like the Haiku, but with more room for ideas.
History
The Eintou is a distinctively African-American form of poetry. The name itself is West African for […]

Daina is a short form of poetry that shares much in common with Haiku.
History
The roots of the Daina lie in 10th Century Latvia. Originally folk songs, the form of Daina is still full of traditional European […]

The Ballata is an Italian form of poetry that was popular in the 13th to 15th Century.
History
It is an understatement to say that Italy is a religious country. Because of this, Italian poetry has often tilted […]

The Clerihew is a whimsical form of poetry, named after its inventor.

History
The Clerihew owes its name to its inventor, noted English novelist E. C. Bentley, who conceived the form as a 16-year-old student […]

Pathya Vat is a simple form of poetry that originates from Cambodia.
History
Until the 19th Century, most Cambodian records were written on Tra leaves and wrapped in cloth to protect them from the jungle […]

A Found Poem is one in which the words come from a source and are given new context by a poet.

History
The idea of Found Poetry is highly correlated to the idea of ownership. This concept was explored by the […]