I just posted a new video over on the Simply Lettered YouTube channel and this one is one of my favorites I have made so far. If you love cursive, poetry, and the idea of practicing your penmanship with words that are actually worth writing, this video was made for you.
We are practicing cursive using an excerpt from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem "A Day of Sunshine," and there is a FREE download waiting for you so you can practice right along with me at home.
Go watch it here: Simply Lettered Studio on YouTube
Why Practicing Cursive With Poetry Is One of the Best Things You Can Do for Your Penmanship
Here is something I genuinely believe: the words you practice with matter. When you sit down to work on your cursive handwriting and you are copying something beautiful, something with rhythm and meaning, the experience is completely different from tracing the alphabet over and over on a blank guideline sheet.
Poetry has a natural cadence to it. The line breaks, the word choices, the way certain phrases flow off the pen. When you practice cursive with poetry you are not just training your hand. You are connecting to language in a deeper way. You start to feel the words as you form them, which changes how intentionally you write them.
Longfellow is one of my favorite poets to practice with because his language is accessible and lyrical at the same time. The words feel good to write in cursive. The letters connect naturally. The phrases have a rhythm that almost guides your hand through the stroke. It is the kind of practice that feels less like a drill and more like an experience.
What the New Simply Lettered Cursive Practice Video Covers
In this new video on the Simply Lettered YouTube channel, I work through an excerpt from "A Day of Sunshine" in my cursive handwriting while talking through my penmanship process. You get to watch the letters form in real time, see how I handle connections between letters, and observe the natural rhythm of working through a longer piece of continuous cursive writing.
I write the piece twice in the video. Once on dark paper with a beautiful gold ink that makes the lettering absolutely glow, and once in a clean black ink on white paper for a classic, readable practice version you can study and reference. Both have their own kind of beauty and I genuinely loved filming both.
The dark paper version you can see in the thumbnail is one of my favorite things I have created lately. There is something about gold cursive on dark paper that feels just completely right. The contrast is stunning and the lettering has a warmth and richness to it that really makes the words feel special.
Download Your Free Cursive Penmanship Practice Sheet
This is the part I love most about this video. There is a completely free download available that goes with it, a printable cursive penmanship practice sheet featuring the poem excerpt so you can work through it at your own pace at home.
You do not need to be a calligrapher to use it. You do not need fancy supplies. You just need a pen you love and a few quiet minutes to practice. Whether you are working through the Cursive Connection curriculum and looking for supplemental practice material, or you are just someone who loves cursive and wants something beautiful to write, this free download is for you.
The download link is in the description of the video on YouTube. Go watch the video, grab the free download from the description, and practice right along with me.
Watch the video and get the free download here
The Supplies I Used in This Video
Two products from the Simply Lettered Shop made appearances in this video and they are both worth knowing about.
The Sparkle Pop Pentel Pens were the star of the dark paper writing. The gold color on dark paper is the combination I was working with in the thumbnail and it is everything. These iridescent gel ink pens come in 8 colors including Gold, Silver, Violet Blue, Green Blue, Orange Yellow, Pink Pink, Blue Green, and Black Red. They write smoothly and beautifully on dark paper surfaces and at $2.85 each they are one of the best value purchases in the shop. If you want to recreate the gold-on-dark look from the video, this is the pen you need.
The Look Sharp Compressed Graphite Pencil at $13 also made an appearance for the pencil layout work I do before writing in ink. Compressed graphite lays down a rich, smooth line that is easy to see and easy to erase, which makes it a great tool for any practice session where you want to sketch your guidelines or work through letter spacing before committing in pen.
Both are available now in the Simply Lettered Shop.
Why I Love Bringing Poetry Into Cursive and Penmanship Practice
There is a tradition in classical penmanship education of using literary excerpts as practice material. The penmen of the Palmer Method era, the same tradition that informs the Cursive Connection curriculum I created, understood that the content of your practice matters almost as much as the form. Copying words that have literary weight gives your practice session a sense of purpose beyond the drill.
Longfellow was one of the most widely read and beloved American poets of the 19th century. His words were written in an era when penmanship was considered a mark of education and character. Practicing cursive with his poetry is a way of honoring both the words and the tradition of the handwritten page at the same time.
I think that is a beautiful thing. And I think you are going to love writing these words.
Subscribe to the Simply Lettered YouTube Channel for More Free Cursive Practice Videos
This is part of an ongoing series of cursive practice and penmanship videos over on the Simply Lettered Studio YouTube channel. I post new content regularly covering everything from warm-up drills and pattern practice to pen reviews, brush lettering tutorials, and behind-the-scenes looks at the business side of running a creative brand.
If you found this video helpful or you just want to practice more cursive, subscribing is the best way to make sure you never miss a new upload. It is completely free and every video comes with the kind of instruction I wish I had when I was first learning.
Subscribe to Simply Lettered on YouTube
And if you are ready to take your cursive practice to the next level with a full structured curriculum, the Cursive Connection is the place to start. Forty weeks of traditional Palmer Method cursive instruction, 12 surprise supply packages, historical handwriting study, and a mailed certificate when you complete the program. Available as a Complete Bundle, a Boxed Set, an Online Course, a Digital Download, or a Companion Set.
Happy writing, Cheyenne and the Simply Lettered Team