MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Join Leslie Helakoski and Darcy Pattison in Honesdale PA for a spring workshop, April 23-26, 2015. It's a great Christmas present to yourself or a writer friend! Full info
here.
COMMENTS FROM THE 2014 WORKSHOP:
- "This conference was great! A perfect mix of learning and practicing our craft."�Peggy Campbell-Rush, 2014 attendee, Washington, NJ
- "Darcy and Leslie were extremely accessible for advice, critique and casual conversation."�Perri Hogan, 2014 attendee, Syracuse,NY
Thank you!
Your support for the last year has meant so much. And because of your nominations, Fiction Notes has been named one of the Top 10 Blogs for Writers 2015!
WritetoDone.com has named the 2015 Top 10 Blogs for Writers.
The other blogs named to this honor are amazing! Click on the image to check out the full list.
This blog succeeds only because of readers like you! If you’d like to see a special topic covered this year, please leave a comment and we’ll try to research answers and write a post for you.
Happy Poetry Friday, all! The poem I'm sharing today isn't my best, but it's near and dear to my heart. See the end of this post for a link to today's Poetry Friday round-up.
In case you missed it, in her last post, April tagged me in the brand new Children's Poetry Blog Hop (CPBH). I'm writing this post in advance because of other commitments, so I haven't yet seen Janet Wong's CPBH post, also scheduled for today. I hope you'll hop on over to the PoetryFridayAnthology.blogspot.com and/or PoetryForChildren.blogspot.com to read it when you're done here.
In April's Sept. 6 post, she introduced Mortimer as the CPBH meme:
And she also explained how to participate in the CPBH:
1) Make up three questions you've always wanted to be asked in an interview about children's poetry and then answer them on your own blog;
2) Invite one, two or three other bloggers who write poetry (preferably children's poetry, but we're broad-minded) to answer any three questions that they make up on their own blogs (they can copy someone else's questions if they'd like)
3) In your post, let us know who your invitees are and when they're are going to be posting their own Poetry Blog Hop questions and answers...if you know the dates.
4) You do not have to use Mortimer, the CPBH meme.
Pretty simple.
I've tagged two fellow children's poets to participate in the
Children's Poetry Blog Hop:
Laura Shovan, a children's author and poet-in-the-schools who blogs at
Author Amok, and
Tabatha Yeats, author of nonfiction children's books as well as poetry, who blogs at
The Opposite of Indifference. (As you'll see below, Tabatha is hosting today's Poetry Friday round-up.) Be sure to hop on over to read their CBHP posts next week. Laura will share hers at
Author Amok on
Tuesday, Sept. 24, and you'll be able to read Tabatha's at
The Opposite of Indifference on
Friday, Sept. 27.
Now for my three (actually four) CPBH questions:
1) When was your first poem published? Would you share it with us?
2) Who was your first poetry teacher?
3) What poetry forms do you like best?
And here are the answers:
1) When was your first poem published? Would you share it with us?
I began writing poetry when I was in sixth or seventh grade, and my first poem was published when I was in high school (I won't tell you what year!), in
Crystals in the Dark: An Anthology of Creative Writing from the Chicago Public Schools. I was immensely proud to have my writing in this collection (which you might guess, since I still have my copy of the book.
J)
However, I had to resist the urge to edit the poem as I typed it up. Here it is, in original form:
My Sanctuary
If I could find a place far away from the world and its sounds,
Distant from the din and clatter of civilization;
Far away from pollution, politics, and people,
Away from worry, death, sorrow, and pain;
The only place that I could think of where I would be
undisturbed, tranquil, and at peace,
is within myself.
© Carmela A Martino. All Rights Reserved.
I went on to have several of my poems published in our high school yearbook,. After that, though, I pretty much gave up on writing poetry until many years later, when I began writing for children. Which leads into my second question:
2) Who was your first poetry teacher?
In high school and college, I studied poetry only as a reader, not a writer. While I did participate in some workshops on using poetry techniques in fiction at
Vermont College, I didn't take my first poetry-writing class until 2002. That's when I attended a four-week workshop by poet and author
Heidi Bee Roemer, "The ABC's of Children's Poetry.
" I learned so much from Heidi in that short time. The weekly assignments challenged us to write poetry in a variety of forms. And that leads into my third question:
3) What poetry forms do you like best?
The poems I wrote in junior high and high school were usually either free verse or rhyming couplets. It wasn't until I was in Heidi's class that I dared experiment with other forms, including triplets, quatrains, limericks, terse verse, and shape poems. Thanks to the confidence I gained in Heidi's class, I went on to have a terse verse poem published in
Pocket's magazine, and a poem in two voices published in
Chicken Soup for the Soup: Teens Talk High School. Since then, I've tried my hand at list poems, found poems, diamante poems, sonnets, and just about any form that strikes my fancy. Heidi's class, along with poetry-related posts by my fellow
TeachingAuthors, and inspiring posts by members of the Poetry Friday community, have opened me to new poetry worlds.
That's it for today. Now hop on over to the
Poetry Friday round-up at
The Opposite of Indifference .
Happy Writing!
Carmela
.
Howdy, Campers! You have just a few more hours to enter our latest book giveaway (details below)! AND today we celebrate not one, not two, but three things! Rosh Hashanah, the new Children's Poetry Blog Hop, and Poetry Friday (hosted today by Laura Shovan at Author Amok)!
My PF poem is below.
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Thanks, Laura!
* * *
1) Let's start with Rosh Hashanah. Happy New Year (both the Jewish New Year and the New School Year) to all! After I put the finishing touches on this post, I going to walk to the end of our pier and toss bits of bread to seagulls and fish as part of a Jewish New Year ritual called
tashlich.
2) And now on to the Children's Poetry Blog Hop. Having heard of other blog hops, poet Janet Wong and other
kidlitosphere poets have decided to start a Children's Poetry Blog Hop (CPBH) for...who else? Children's poets.
I nominate Mortimer as CPBH's meme:
To participate in the Poetry Blog Hop, simply:
1) Make up three questions you've always wanted to be asked in an interview about children's poetry and then answer them on your own blog;
2) Invite one, two or three other bloggers who write poetry (preferably children's poetry, but we're broad-minded) to answer any three questions that
they make up on their own blogs (they can copy someone else's questions if they'd like)
3) In your post, let us know who your invitees are and when they're are going to be posting their own Poetry Blog Hop questions and answers...if you know the dates.
4) You do not have to use Mortimer, the CPBH meme.
That's it!
I've invited author, poet, and web mistress extraordinaire
Carmela Martino to the Children's Poetry Blog Hop (it sounds like a sock hop, doesn't it?) Carmela will be posting
right here at
TeachingAuthors.com on September 20th.
On the
same day, the marvelously creative author, poet and poetry supporter
Janet Wong promises a surprise twist on the blog hop theme. Find her guest post at
PoetryFridayAnthology.blogspot.com and
PoetryForChildren.blogspot.com on September 20th!
Okay...here are my three questions:
1) What children's poem do you wish you had written? Include the poem or link to it.
2) What's your process? How do you begin writing a poem?
3) Please share one of your poems with us.
And here are my answers:
1) What children's poem do you wish you had written? Include the poem or link to it.
There are so many! The first that pops into my mind is Deborah Chandra's "Cotton Candy" from her book, Rich Lizard and Other Poems (FSG)
I met Deborah years ago in Myra Cohn Livingston's master class in writing poetry for children. Deborah's a stunning craftswoman and looks at the world in madly original ways. And, as you're about to read, her metaphors are spectacular.
COTTON CANDY
by Deborah Chandra
Swirling
like a sweet
tornado,
it spins itself
stiff.
A storm
caught on a paper cone.
I hold it up,
the air grows
thick and
sticky
with the smell of it.
A pink wind
made of sugar
and smoke,
cotton,
earth crust,
delicious dust!
poem © Deborah Chandra. All rights reserved
2) What's your process? How do you begin writing a poem?
Sometimes
my process is to start with a word and I spin out from there. Sometimes I find a poem I admire and imitate its rhythm, meter and form. Sometimes it's a feeling. I ask myself,
what are you feeling today? What is true? What is authentic? And sometimes it's just,
you have ten minutes. Write the damn poem. (I don't actually use the word damn because, as I'm sure you know, children's authors and poets don't swear.)
3) Please share one of your poems with us.
Here's a
Rosh Hashanah/tashlich poem
first published in Jeanette Larson's book,
El dia de los ninos/El dia de los libros: Building a Culture of Literacy in Your Community
SAYS THE SEAGULL
by April Halprin Wayland
Shalom to slowly sinking sun
I sing in salty seagull tongue.
But who're these people on my pier?
I sail, I swoop and then fly near.
They're singing, marching up the pier
I think they did the same last year.
A father gives his girl some bread
she scans the waves then tosses crumbs.
I dive, I catch, I taste
and...yum!
I like this ritual at the pier.
I think I'll meet them every year.
I screech my thanks, and then I hear
"L’shanah Tovah! Good New Year!"
note: Shalom can mean hello, good-bye and peace.Copyright © 2013 April Halprin Wayland
Walking up the pier for tashlich in my hometown.
photo by Rachel Gilman
Thanks for stopping by TeachingAuthors today
--but wait! Before you head off,
be sure to enter for a chance to win a copy of Lisa Morlock's terrific rhyming picture book, Track that Scat! (Sleeping Bear Press).
posted by April Halprin Wayland 
Please
join me in welcoming our newest TeachingAuthor, Jill Esbaum of Iowa City,
Iowa!
TeachingAuthor describes Jill
perfectly.
She
not only authors award-winning picture books, such as Ste-e-e-e-eamboat A-Comin’! (Farrar, Straus & Giroux) and To the Big Top (FSG),
as well as a National Geographic nonfiction series; she also teaches her
own Picture Book Workshops and in the University of Iowa’s Summer Writing
Festival. She’s served as an instructor
for the Institute of Children’s Literature too.
I’ve
been a True Fan of Jill, her writing and her teaching since SCBWI first connected
us oh, so long ago.
Click
on ABOUT US to learn about our newest TA.
Then
visit Jill’s website to learn even more.
And
be sure to read Jill’s first TeachingAuthors post this Friday.
My
fellow TA’s and I thank the Universe Jill stepped up to fill the shoes of JoAnnEarly Macken, a TeachingAuthor original and our first alum.
Lucky
us!
But
best of all, lucky you, our readers!
And
speaking of you, our lucky readers, time’s
running out for one among you to win a copy of Sylvia Vardell’s The Poetry Teacher’s Book of Lists in
our current Book Giveaway.
Now
that you’ve entered our Book Giveaway, join me as I vicariously attend the 41st SCBWI Conference, held this past weekend in LA.
Current word count: 22,588
New words written: 729
Words til goal: 17,412 / 415 words a day til the end of September
Another good writing day. I’m waiting the well to dry up! hahaha Hopefully, not til I’m done.
Writing is very solitary work. It’s just you, a computer or notebook and your story in your head. It’s great to have others that you can bounce ideas off of, but, sometimes that can be difficult as everybody has their own lives and no one else is as obsessed about our book as we are. 
But as much as we’re the only one who can actually write our story, we are not alone as writers, and that has never been more clear to me than yesterday when I was catching up on some blog reading. We have friends on the blogosphere who are going through the exact things we are going through.
In blogs online, writers are talking about their experiences from all different levels, like Will (21st Century Paperback Writer blog), who posted a comment on my blog post yesterday and is a long-time reader who’s currently outlining his first novel; Brit (Dream the Dream blog), who’s currently working on her first novel; Katie Anderson (Plot This blog with Sarah Francis Hardy), who like me has written and revised her novel and is seeking an agent; Beverly (Prana Island of Witches blog), who has just signed with an agent; and Shelli (Market My Words blog), who has a number of books already in the market.
In the blogosphere, we’re not alone, no matter where we are on the writing road. And no matter what, we can always find help, comfort and encouragment in the experiences of others.
So, build up a set of go-to blogs, keep adding to the list whenever you find new ones, and anytime you feel alone, start browsing and reading. We’re all going through the same things in front of our computers.
And if you ever feel like you need help with anything, I think I speak for all bloggers by saying, just reach out. Post a comment saying what you’re feeling. You won’t be alone.
If you want help in setting up a go-to set of blogs, check out the ones listed on the right. And if you’ve got favorites you think I should add, post them in the comments.
Write On!
For anyone interested in writing, reading blogs about writing can help in many ways. As well as gaining useful information about the craft of writing and the publishing industry, reading blogs also can help inspire writers and remind us that we’re not alone.
I became an avid writing-blog reader when I got serious about wanting to write fiction full time. Mainly I wanted to suck up whatever information I could. But along the way, I realized that on days that I’m tired or busy or blocked, reading a blog can help me get back on track by simply keeping my mind on track — on writing.
For me, though, unless the blogs were in front of my face, I’d rarely go to them and would forget which ones I liked. That’s when I discovered iGoogle, and I wouldn’t be without it now.
There are many types of blog readers, and iGoogle might not be for you, but as that’s the one I know, that’s what I’m going to talk about and why I think it’s useful. A blog reader is simply a technology that allows you to see the titles of the latest posts of a number of blogs in one place, then you can click through to the blog post and read it on the blog if you’re interested. If you’re into children’s book, the networking site JacketFlap also offers a blog reader.
I use iGoogle because I wanted to have the blogs on my home page and I wanted to also have a Google search bar handy. There’s also a Google search bar in the top right corner of the Web browser, but for whatever reason, I like having the one on my home page. Google is my prefered search tool, so that’s why I went with iGoogle.
The cool thing about iGoogle (and this might be the case with others) is that you can set up the page pretty much any way you’d like. There are loads of widgets you can put on your iGoogle page with your location’s weather, the time and date, the current time in other countries and news feeds from CNN, BBC, etc. I’ve got all those in my right-hand column.
Also, I should point out, all of this is free.
My left two columns are writing blogs, mostly agents and editors because of where I am in my writing right now, but also some writers, and I regularly add new ones and move them around. I put the ones I read the most and find the most useful at the top and the others below, where I have to scroll to get to those. Those are the ones I read maybe a couple times a month when I have time. The ones at the top, I read whenever they post something new.
The other fun thing about iGoogle, which I particularly like as an inspiration tool, is that you can choose out of masses of themes to decorate your iGoogle page, and you can change them whenever you want. I just changed mine yesterday to images from the Hubble, and they rotate all day. I’ve had cartoons, beach pictures, lots of things.
I’ve set my iGoogle page as my home page for my browser, so when I open Internet Explorer, it’s the first page I see and I can immediately see if any of the blogs have posted new items. I’ve also got my daily weather, some news headlines and my Google search bar. So, from there, I can do whatever I want.
A while ago, I was talking to a friend about staying in touch with publishing and writing and how it helps you get motivated to write even in the difficult times. She didn’t have a blog reader, so this past weekend, I set up an iGoogle page for her and put on it a bunch of blogs, including this one, of course.
If you’re interested in doing this, I highly recommend it. I find it very useful to keep up to date without spending a lot of time. And you can find out some really great stuff.
If you’d like to try iGoogle, go to www.igoogle.com and click on the Get Started link under the search bar. It’ll ask you to select your interests, a theme and your location. Then it’ll give you a basic page based on what you clicked. Once you have your page, click on Add Stuff in the top right corner to search for and add widgets like a clock or a to do list, whatever you’d like. On the Add Stuff page, you can also add blogs. Use the Add Feed or Gadget link on the left hand side about half way down the page. Paste the URL of the blog you’d like to add in the window that pops up when you click the link and hit enter. Add as many cool writing blogs as you’d like, then click on Back to iGoogle Page at the top left hand corner. You can move the blogs around on your page by clicking and dragging. Make this your browser’s home page, and keep up to date with your writing news every time you go online.
Got any other tech tips?
Write On!
By:
Paintgranny,
on 2/14/2008
Blog:
Middle of Nowhere
(
Login to Add to MyJacketFlap)
JacketFlap tags:
needlefelting,
Bird Moon,
wheely bird,
mysterious parcel,
Gifling,
Gillian Lee Smith,
Bird Moon,
wheely bird,
mysterious parcel,
Gifling,
Gillian Lee Smith,
needlefelting,
Etsy,
Etsy,
Add a tag
The lovely early Spring weather has fled, to be replaced with cold, pasty February skies. I am juggling several pictures at once - including a 'proper job', which - while interesting in itself - does not particularly spark fireworks. Needing to knuckle down and get on with a good day's painting, I was merely going to post this old thing -
Bird Moon - 2001 - (not for sale) 15 x 10 cm
And what an wonderful pack it was; I love her work, redolent with themes of fairy tales, theatre and circus, all executed with a gorgeous muted palette and swathed in melancholic mystery. Just to have one delightful print would have been enough - but, oh generous Gifling!
A print, a postcard pack, AND a set of scrummy circus family badges -
Well, what can one say, but thank you, thank you, thank you! And thank you. (Did I say thank you?) So feeling rather spoilt, I moved hungrily on to the other anonymous packet...large, soft and squidgy. And literally gasped out loud. After the nice comments (bless you all) about my wheely bird, and suggestions of needlefelting it into a real toy, I investigated further, and discovered a whole new craft waiting for me. I am really excited about the thought of creating some of my creatures in 3D, and this looks like an ideal way to do it. However pennies are very tight again, and I put the thought aside for a while. So the arrival of this -
- was like a classic fairytale scenario, where the poor woodcutter's daughter finds some kind, anonymous benefactor has left the tools to her destiny on her doorstep. Not only that, but chosen well, as they are 'my' colours - so someone who knows my work too. And no note...no receipt...I have a hunch though. Just a whisper of a hunch. (edit...my hunch was wrong so I really am completely clueless...) To the great-hearted person who sent me this - thank you x 100. This is one craft about which I have absolutely no knowledge; I really thirsted to try it out and now, happily, I can. Big smiles and great restraint needed not to pick it up at once and start playing.
Did you notice the happy accident? Don't you just love it when things serendipidously fall into threes? Look at these colours...
Chance? Fate? Fluke? Who knows.
Talking of multiples, I have been a little overwhelmed this month with various tags/list invites - too many to do really, and not much about me that is at all interesting which I haven't already posted. But thank you to lovely bloggers Paula, Tara, Little Robot, Erica and Corinne, who mentioned me on their blogs. All of whom are in my list of 'creative lovelies' on the left over there. Like having a basketful of kittens, it is hard to choose a favourite...so I will simply scoop everyone up and squeeze them. Gently of course.
YIKES--Mortimer's before and after photos! (He went to Italy to have a little plastic surgery done by a certain incredibly talented Dr. LaTulippe.) Looking forward to all the hopping that will be going on in the poetry blog world!
Carmela, I loved reading about your poetry history. Heidi's class sounds great! And it is so true that these early pieces we publish matter forever. You remind me of the importance of teachers and parents helping children find opportunities to share their work beyond the walls of home and classroom. Thank you for this hop! Happy Poetry Friday!
Oh, that explains everything, Janet! :-)
Thanks for the feedback, Amy, and for hopping by.
Carmela, I love your hop today! It's always so enlightening to hear how poets got to where they are. How wonderful that Heidi's class opened so many windows for your writing. Maybe we should get her to do an online version! :)
I will definitely be visiting your hoppees next week for their Mortimer Minutes!
Hi, Carmela. Thank you for inviting me to the hop and -- oh my goodness -- did it take me that long to connect our hoppy mascot with the blog hop?! You're brave to share a poem from the distant, high school past. What a beautiful reminder you sent yourself to be still within. I've save my long-ago writings, too. We'll see what I dig up for next week.
Thanks for hopping by, Renee. :-) You'll have to share your idea with Heidi.
And Laura, I wish I'd saved more of my long-ago writings. Alas, I have only a few pieces, so they are extra-precious to me.
Just loving this idea and can't wait to read more! I agree with Renee about Heidi's course online possibility. I would love to learn more from her!
Will be back to savor more of these.
Janet F.
Hi Janet, thanks for your comment, and for hopping by! :-)
Those early encouragements can mean so much! I love hearing about your first published poems, and also about your poetic experimentation. Liked this quote: "Heidi's class, along with poetry-related posts by my fellow TeachingAuthors, and inspiring posts by members of the Poetry Friday community, have opened me to new poetry worlds." Go, Carmela!
Thanks so much for the encouragement, Tabatha!
I was also a little confused by the transformation, but now I get it. Thanks to Janet for the cool logo. This idea is a fun one. While I am nervous to join in, I am happy to be a part of this special poetry loving community.
I am encouraged by your bravery to post your first poem. I also enjoyed learning about your journey.