When you look at me what do you see? Do you see what I am or what I once was. Do you see who I am or do you just see cracks in the clay that make me up? Do you see a person in whole? Or just scratches and imperfections in your own welding; and perhaps those imperfections came from the welder.

Speak to yourself like a coach, not a victim like you’re teaching lightning how to remember its own name. Tell your legs to rise even if they’re shaking, because even earthquakes are just the earth deciding It’s done staying still.

Deep in the forest where the animals sleep The quiet is interrupted by a peep. One little frog playing away, Watching her babies, they hatched today!

these jokes are old and getting older my humor gets worse as I grow taller touching doorframes on my tiptoes slipping underwater in a summer stream

Carolina blue arrives before the sun fully wakes, resting itself over rooftops and telephone wires, over the slow hush of buses breathing at red lights, over students carrying entire worlds inside their backpacks.

Love me or hate me There’s no in between The look in your eyes Twinkles at the thought of my demise But have you ever thought about what that’d mean

The world is big And we are small But we can make changes

Lined up for vampire service. That’s how I think of it. Today I’m not the one, but my husband is in line to feel the sting of the vampire’s teeth in the form of a steel needle.

Editing and revising are part of the writing lifecycle, and no poem is complete until you have given it the editorial attention it deserves. There are lit mags and presses out there that explicitly say in the submission guidelines not to send them your 4 a.m. first drafts. While we all enjoy a hot take every now and then, there’s some wisdom to exercising a little restraint and sitting with your words until after sunrise.

I have this habit of picking off bits of me I bite the inside of my lips tear away tiny pieces I used to spit them out now I swallow them deep

There are almost as many different types of editing as there are writing. And, depending on the piece you’re working on, its audience, and how far along you are in the writing process, there are various tools you can use to make your writing the strongest it can be. Let’s take a tour of the key types of editing and how they enhance your work.

Poet, musician, and teaching artist Dasan Ahanu took the time to answer Ink & Oak’s questions via email. He is a talented spoken word poet and integral to the local Durham poetry community. Let’s get into the influences behind his inspiring work and the vision he has for continuing that work in 2026.

Looking through the glass was like watching a silent movie in slow motion. It’s all a blur now. Was I seeing in color or in black and white?

Fiction is full of vivid examples of painstakingly crafted worlds that immerse the reader in a new place, time, and way of life. While worldbuilding is often viewed as part of sci-fi and fantasy, it’s hardly exclusive to those genres.

Ambiguity invites readers to draw their own conclusions by purposefully allowing space for the readers to interpret. This is sometimes mixed up with confusion, but a seasoned writer will deploy ambiguity strategically in a way that heightens the overall experience for the reader.

Dr. Amanda Bennett, the newly appointed Poet Laureate of Carrboro, NC, took the time to tell us about her work creating community with poetry. Her poetry centers themes of queer Black feminism and spirituality. We at Ink & Oak are honored she shared her insight with us and are excited to see how she combines poetry and community during her tenure.

Light frees the bastard night From migrants in their sentinel sleep, Hands without guides To the ready and the yoke for their wages, Any rough job, And they wake to the bondage of their freedom

Tell me what I owe when rain beats down on a calendar of old times and scatters the riches of our friendship as a body of habits comes to death having made no notice of our bond

Poetry has never been a one-size-fits-all art form. It stretches, bends, borrows, and reinvents itself, sometimes quietly and sometimes with a sense of rebellion. Beyond the sonnets and free verse many of us are well-acquainted with, there is a wide world of poetic forms that invite play, experimentation, and risk. Let’s explore 22 unique types of poems that move past the familiar and remind us why poetry remains one of the most inventive corners of the literary world.

Poet Bartholomew Barker graciously took the time to tell us at Ink & Oak more about his writing practice and involvement in the local literary scene. He lives in Hillsborough and is the author of the full-length collection, Wednesday Night Regular and a chapbook, Milkshakes and Chilidogs: and other food poems.