An “I Am” poem is a type of personal poem in which the author describes themselves through a series of prompts. Writing and sharing these are a wonderful way for the author to express themselves and feel known, and for readers or listeners to gain insights about their loved ones.

In 'Where I'm From' Lyon delves into themes of identity, home, and history. By looking deeply into her own childhood, and pinpointing the things that make her unique, Lyon is able to lay out a roadmap to understanding herself.

Directions: Start with a strong first line. Describe two things about yourself—special things about yourself. Avoid the obvious and the ordinary. Don't tell us things we can tell just by looking at you or knowing you for a day.

To write an I am poem, you need to be ready to talk about yourself and who you are. You might use imagery words to define yourself or to illuminate descriptive personal traits. While you might use an I am poem to talk about yourself, you can also create them about a hypothetical or imaginary character.

Directions: Start with a strong first line. Describe two things about yourself—special things about yourself. Avoid the obvious and the ordinary. Don't tell us things we can tell just by looking at you or knowing you for a day.

I am from an Appalachian holler where on summer nights fireflies dance to the crickets' chirp while foxhounds yelp beneath ebony skies. I am from clean-swept dirt yards galvanized bath tubs, snow cream, pawpaws, feedsack dresses, tobacco hanging in the barn.

It does not have to rhyme. Below is a simple plan to write your own autobiographical poem. Just follow the steps and— before you know it—it's done. The piece should be ten lines long, and should begin and end: I am .

From” poem during a writing workshop here at IBP.

Here are some examples of prompts that you can use to write an “I Am” poem: I am... I am not... I am who I am because... I am grateful for... I am afraid of... I want to be...