Speaking calendar/Bad Poetry Day
August 18th · Art & Expression

Bad Poetry Day

Celebrated on the 18th of August, Bad Poetry Day encourages people to write terrible, low-quality poems. The day is designed to relieve the pressure of perfectionism, proving that the creative process should be fun, even if the result is a disaster.

SPEAKING LESSONB1 / B2Discussion · Vocabulary · Activities
01 / LET’S TALK

Speaking Discussion

  1. What is the difference between bad art and no art at all? Which is better for the soul?
  2. Why are we so afraid of making mistakes when we try something new (like a new language or a new hobby)?
  3. Who decides what is good or bad art? Is it the experts, the public, or the creator?
  4. Do you think AI-generated poetry is better than bad human poetry? Why or why not?
  5. How does a perfectionist attitude prevent us from truly enjoying our lives?
  6. If you had to write a poem right now about a piece of burnt toast, what would the first line be?
02 / PUT IT INTO PRACTICE

Activity 1: The terrible Workshop

The Task: You are a Creative Writing Teacher. You need to convince your class that failure is the best teacher.

"The cat sat on the mat,
It was quite fat,
It wore a hat,
And that was that."

analyse this bad poem. What makes it hilariously bad?

Activity 2: Rapid Fire Sentences

Complete the sentence and justify it in 20 seconds.

  • "I think society is too/not enough focused on perfection because..."
  • "A creative hobby that I enjoy (even if I'm bad at it) is..."
  • "In my opinion, the best thing about making a mistake is..."