Hello wonderful poets!

Mish here bringing you Poetics and pub food. We are in the final days for submissions for our 15th Anniversary anthology, so please don’t hesitate to choose your poems and send them our way.

Call for Poetry Submissions: Krisis: Poetry at the Crossroads (Working Title)

In celebration of our 15th anniversary in 2026, dVerse Poets Pub invites poets from around the globe to contribute to our upcoming anthology, Krisis: Poetry at the Crossroads. Rooted in the Greek word krisis, meaning a pivotal decision point, we seek poems that explore moments of transformation, choice, and change.

Submission Period: April 1, 2025 – June 30, 2025

Full details here.

If you look at the examples of writing themes provided in the anthology details, (thanks to Grace and Bjorn) you will find many thoughtful sub-topics for inspiration. It was during a closer look at these, that I couldn’t help but think about my experience with Kintsugi Bowls and how the philosophy could relate to “Krisis: Poetry at the Crossroads”. In keeping with the theme of our upcoming anthology, I wanted to revisit this ancient art that Grace introduced in a Haibun prompt in 2017. You can read it here.

After losing my stepson to suicide in 2020, my husband and I were fortunate to find a very helpful Suicide Loss Support Group. As part of the healing process, we participated in a Kintsugi Bowl workshop. It proved to be a very profound and meaningful experience, providing us with an active representation of “building from the broken”.

The workshop began with an interesting ritual of choosing from an assortment of pretty, patterned bowls, carefully arranged on a table. One by one, we circled the table to find the one that spoke to us. Back in our seats, we were then asked to name our bowls, to acknowledge a connection before the journey. Next, with a towel placed over our precious bowl, we basically destroyed it, using a hammer. We hit it as many times as we wanted to. We absorbed how this felt and the symbolism of our shattered lives after a very tragic loss. Where did we go from there? Using an epoxy resin, we began the meticulous mission of rejoining the pieces back together.

Would our bowls ( our hearts, our lives ) ever be the same?

No. We talked about why. It was difficult to reconstruct. It was impossible for the bowl to ever look the same. For some with a heavier hammer hand, it seemed like a hopeless puzzle. In the end, some bowls were missing pieces. Some bowls had a hole in the bottom. Some were completely reborn into a different shape. Yet…all were new and beautiful. The final step was to apply a gold lacquer over every crack in the bowl, embracing the flaws and imperfections and honouring resilience. Our scars need not be hidden.

This process aligns with the idea of transformation, growth, acknowledging pain, moving forward, redefining, restructuring, rebirth, renewal, all being elements of “krisis”. It applies personally or on a broader level. We have broken vows, broken systems, broken expectations, broken agreements, broken communication, broken societies. Especially right now in this world, many of us know “broken”. Will we be able to repair the divisions? Can we put the pieces back together? Can we recreate a better world? What would it look like? What would YOU want it to look like?

UN-Secretary General Antonio Gutteres referenced the Japanese art form of Kintsugi during his 2020 speech for the International Day of Peace.

“Let’s apply this principle to our fractured world. Let’s address the fragilities and inequalities that work against peace, so that we emerge from the crisis stronger than before.”

I hope I have given you enough to ponder and poem about. Here are the specific anthology sub-topics that inspired this prompt. You can choose to write to one or you could also write about Kintsugi.

The Individual Perspective

Breaking Open to Become Whole – A time in your life when you knew nothing would be the same again.

Metamorphosis of the Self – How pain or loss led to self-discovery and healing.

Leaving the Old World Behind – A personal reinvention or a departure from a past identity.

Love as a Crossroads – A moment when love or heartbreak redefined you.

The World Perspective

A World After Crisis – Rebuilding after war, pandemics, or economic collapse.

The Rebirth of Justice – Moments when laws and policies changed for the better.

The Dawn of a New Era – What the world might look like after the changes we are witnessing today.

Here’s how to join in:

• Write a poem of any style in response to the prompt. Post it to your blog.
• Click on Mr. Linky and add the direct URL and your name.
• Add a link to dVerse so that others can find us.
• Read and comment on the work of others.
• Pop into the pub to comment or say hello! We are friendly folk.