Announcing...The STUCK BUMBLEBEE Poetry Challenge 2026!
Welcome! In celebration of Earth Day and our book birthdays, we are channeling our creativity and writing a poem-a-day for seven straight days. Join us! There will be prizes!
Announcing the 2026 Stuck Bumblebee Poetry Challenge. Let’s celebrate Poetry Month.
Co-host, Cynthia Mackey, is author of IF A BUMBLEBEE LANDS ON YOUR TOE, illustrated by Vicki Zhang, published by Picnic Heist Publishing (2025) and BUTTERFLY SEA (2026), illustrated by Marie-Laure Couët, a fiction picture book that encourages young readers to get out into the natural world published by Tielmour Press.
Co-host, Joyce Uglow, is the award-winning author of STUCK: The Story of La Brea Tar Pits, illustrated by Valerya Milovanova. More picture books in the pipeline!
How does the Stuck Bumblebee Poetry Challenge work?
Subscribers will receive a Substack post from Joyce via Storied Ink April 20 - 26. Each post, beginning April 20, will feature a guest author who has a writing tip to share. We’ll provide a two-word prompt to inspire your poetry. Join us! You can choose to use one or both words to use in your poem and choose whatever form of poetry you desire. Some poetry forms and poetic devices. Let’s create!
Deets
When? “Registration” opens TODAY April 13
How do you register? Please leave a comment with your first and last name. One comment per person. When you subscribe to jpuglow Storied Ink on Substack the daily posts will arrive by email in your inbox. Find info and links on Books By Cindy and poetry on Storied Ink.
The word prompts chosen for the challenge also come from (you guessed it... ) our books. Both Joyce and Cynthia are passionate about caring for the earth and for that reason, we encourage participating writers to create poems in celebration of Earth Day.
A two-word prompt to kick off the challenge!
chickadee | museum
Who is the challenge for? Poets, picture book authors, writers of any kind… truly anyone who wants to play with words, including teachers and their students.
Why should you join in? April is Poetry Month! Join us! Discover new tips, celebrate the beauty of our planet, compel people to care for our earth, highlight issues around climate change, or simply for fun! Maybe you’d like to try out a new-to-you poetry form.
Did we say there will be prizes? All you have to do is comment on at least one of the STUCK Bumblebee Poetry Challenge posts. Each comment equals one entry in the randomized prize drawing with a maximum of 7 entries. Prize winners will be announced on here on April 30.
Tidbits
“Good poetry tells you something, then stops. There’s no wandering. It captures your heart, your mind. I like to tell children that a good poem is delicious, as delicious as a chocolate chip cookie.” —Jack Prelutsky in an interview with Lee Bennett Hopkins
Poetry Friday is a weekly blogging event in which poets, writers, readers, and lovers of poetry share blog posts about poetry for young people.
Miss Rumphius Effect National Poetry Month Projects (2025 )Uncommon and Unusual Forms
For Giggles (and maybe for project ideas)
Play the Earth Day Fortune Teller game
Fold Diagonally: Fold the square paper diagonally in half to form a triangle. Open it back up and fold it diagonally the other way. When you unfold it, you should have two diagonal creases that cross in the center.
Fold the Corners to the Center: With the square flat, take each corner of the paper and fold it toward the center point where the two diagonal creases meet. You should now have a smaller square shape.
Flip and Repeat: Flip the paper over so the folded flaps are facing down. Again, fold each corner to the center point. You’ll end up with an even smaller square.
Create Creases for Opening: Fold the smaller square in half horizontally, then unfold it. Then fold it in half vertically and unfold it again. This will create creases that make it easier to manipulate the fortune teller.
Form the Pockets: With the folds facing up, gently lift the paper and slip your fingers under the four flaps (pockets) created on the back side. Pinch the sides together to form a 3D shape.
Shape It for Use: Once your fingers are in place, you can move the flaps back and forth by pinching and pulling with your fingers. Your fortune teller is ready!
Featured Authors
April 13 announcement on Storied Ink on Substack. Sign up ( leave a comment with your name) today! Featured Author: Joyce Uglow writes kidlit poetry and lyrical picture books about nature, science, and our planet. She is the award-winning picture book poet of STUCK! The Story of La Brea Tar Pits. Joyce serves as Regional Advisor for SCBWI Wisconsin, a mentor at Mighty Kidlit, and as a Courage to Create Visionary for the Writing Barn. (Bluesky and Instagram) Two word prompt: chickadee | museum
April 20 Featured Author: Sara Andrea Fajardo ( Bluesky and Instagram) is a Peruvian-American storyteller and educator. She writes books that celebrate her mixed heritage and Andean roots. Sara has worked as a multimedia storyteller for humanitarian and agricultural research organizations across Africa and Latin America. The proud product of bilingual education, Sara now works as a dual immersion teacher in the Bay Area. ICYMI see Sara’s interview with Joyce on uGROnews. Two word prompt: brea | snail
April 21 Featured Author: Jenny Mattern (Instagram and Bluesky) has enjoyed weaving words into stories since she was very young. In addition to writing poetry and middle grade novels, Jenny loves to get creative in the kitchen, hang out with her family, and strive for a repeat of her September 2024 Wordle-in-one. Where the Light Shines In is her debut novel. Two word prompt: climate | hibernate
April 22 Featured Author: Kathy Halsey's board book, Be A Rainbow, released spring 2024 with KiwiCo Press. Her haiku has been featured in several poetry journals and podcasts. She serves on the State Library of Ohio's "Choose to Read Ohio" program. Kathy, a former school librarian and English teacher, loves poetry and Corgis. (Instagram and Bluesky). Two word prompt: extinct | giraffe
April 23 Featured Author: Irene Latham writes poems and stories from the Purple Horse Poetry Studio & Music Room in rural Alabama. The author or co-author of more than twenty books, including African Town, winner of the Scott O'Dell Award, and The Museum on the Moon, a Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award Honor Book, her current focus is on curating poetry anthologies. Read hundreds of Irene's poems for free at irenelatham.com. Meet Irene in person at the SCBWI Wisconsin Engaging Stories in-person conference on October 9, 2026 and gets tips on the topic of Wake Up Your Writing With Poetic Elements. Two word prompt: future | frozen
April 24 Featured Author, Natasha Zimmers loves being outside in all seasons and weather, but her favourite place to be is on a wild west coast beach, backpacking with her own not-so-tiny hikers. Her debut picture book is titled, Tiny Hiker. She teaches outdoor education and loves seeing the world through the eyes of her students as they discover the wonders of nature. (Bluesky and Instagram) Two word prompt: oozing | swooping
April 25 Featured Author, Susan Johnston Taylor is the author of the Crystal Kite-awarding STEM poetry book Animals in Surprising Shades: Poems About Earth’s Colorful Creatures. Her next picture book poetry collection, If Pets Wrote Poems: A Parody Collection, unleashes April 14, 2026 with Gnome Road Publishing. Learn more at staylorwrites.com (Instagram) Two word prompt: ecosystem | bumblebee
April 26 Featured Author: Cindy Mackey. Cindy’s poetry appears in The Toy, The Dirigible Balloon and Little Thoughts Press. Her debut picture book, If a Bumblebee Lands on Your Toe, published with Yeehoo Press/Picnic Heist with illustrations by Vikki Zhang. Her second picture book, Butterfly Sea, published with Tielmour Press in 2026. Cynthia lives with her husband in Victoria, Canada. Two word prompt: fossil | fox
April 30 Prizes announced here on Storied Ink. ( ͡ᵔ ͜ʖ ͡ᵔ)
Want to share on your social media that you’re participating? Use this graphic!
PRIZES!
All registered participants are automatically entered. For extra entries, comment on the posts!
 | A guest post by
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Annette Birdsall
Poetry Month! Earth day! Word Friends! I am in! Shout out to Tracie Renee for prompting me! Wow! What a lot of !!!!!!
Tracie Renee here, and I'd bee lying if I said I wasn't egg-cited to join this.