In journalism, the personals section is
comprised of brief, private notices in newspapers or magazines. Typically
printed in a special part of the classified advertising section, “personals”
are sometimes addressed to a particular person and are sometimes “coded”
to provide confidentiality. In most media, the personals section is a place for people
to connect. People list their
positive attributes, best qualities, and/or interests, along with contact information
in the hope of meeting a significant other or just making friends with a
similar-minded someone. Online dating sites have eclipsed the old personal
columns to some extent, but they’re still found in many newspapers. For this
prompt, write a poem for the personals sections of a newspaper. Have fun with this!
Begin with a persona (either
your actual persona or a fictional one).
Try beginning with the word “You” in the
title (headline) to engage the reader.
Include something like this: Unknown poet seeks appreciative and nonjudgmental reader who can read between the lines.
Ask a question, again engaging the reader.
Note your gender and age. Tell what's important to you.
If you're writing about yourself, be honest, but step out of your box a little.
List your attributes (be sure to
exaggerate). Show the personality in the ad, don't tell about it.
Address the reader with a challenge to think about something
that requires use of his or her imagination. i.e., Imagine ______________.
Describe the person you'd like to meet.
Example:
