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Once again I find myself apologizing for being gone awhile. I think I hit the blog “wall” and ran out of steam for a bit, but I’m back with a slew (as we say in Texas) of poetry news!

One of my favorite teaching resources, Book Links magazine, has merged with it’s parent, Booklist, to become a regular supplement beginning this month. It’s still full of all kinds of wonderful items with a focus on social studies in this issue, including articles about war, heroes, persecution and intolerance. (Our October issue of Bookbird has a similar focus, interestingly enough!)

My “Everyday Poetry” column looks at works of fiction published this year that feature characters reading and writing poetry, including:

• Bella and Bean by Rebecca Kai Dotlich
• Stanza by Jill Esbaum
• Gooney Bird is So Absurd by Lois Lowry
• Also Known as Harper by Ann Haywood Leal
• Metamorphosis by Betsy Franco

In addition, the author of each of these books was kind enough to share a few great comments with me which are included in the piece. (Thank you, all!) The full text is available at BooklistOnline (but I can't seem to get the link to post here-- sorry!).

And look whose book is featured on the COVER of this issue of Book Links… drum roll… Laura Purdie Salas and Stampede! Go, Laura! I reviewed Stampede earlier this year and just loved it and she was kind enough to provide the unpublished poem that is featured in this October issue of Book Links. Her poem is “Fiesta,” inspired by fond memories of her Spanish teacher Señora Everson and captures the fun of a foreign language class taught by a teacher with pizzazz, full of the interlingual (25 cents please) use of Spanish. You’ll have to get the magazine to get your hands on that poem, but it comes with permission to reproduce it! Thank you again, Laura, for sharing this gem.

Join the rest of the Poetry Friday crew with Kelly Herold at Crossover this week.

Posting (not poem) by Sylvia M. Vardell © 2009. All rights reserved.

Image credit:booklistonline

Please allow me to plug my "Everyday Poetry" column in the May issue of Book Links. In this issue, I focus on celebrating poetry written by young people themselves in "Sharing the Poetry of Children and Teens" (pages 40-41). Here's an excerpt.

As the school year draws to a close, now is a good time to invite children to create or compile class or individual books that can become keepsakes for them to take home to remember the year. Poetry, in particular, can be a lovely form for expressing their growing up feelings.

Generally, my goal in sharing poetry with children is to focus on reading, performing, and discussing it, rather than on writing it; on the experience of poetry rather than the production of it. After all, everyone can enjoy poems, but not everyone will grow up to be a poet. Children shouldn’t be expected to write poetry until they’ve had some experience reading or listening to it, but many children will naturally experiment with writing poetry when they are immersed in reading and talking about it. Sharing published poetry written BY kids can be especially appealing because it inspires children to think of themselves as possible creators of poetry.

Poetry By Children
Several poets who have worked in schools, libraries, and with other youth projects have gathered anthologies of poetry written by children of all ages. Collections such as Salting the Ocean edited by Naomi Shihab Nye, vibrantly illustrated by Ashley Bryan, or Ten-Second Rain Showers and Soft Hay Will Catch You both edited by Sanford Lyne, show the range of thought and feeling that children can express in writing. Invite children to choose a favorite poem by an age-mate to read aloud, recopy and remember, or respond to.

Bring a camera to school to capture kids at work and play (you may already have photos of the year’s activities handy). Invite students to compose poems to accompany the photos and create a class book. For a wonderful example, look for teacher Ayana Lowe’s Come and Play; Children of Our World Having Fun. If you take digital photos, you can even “publish” simple books using commercial tools from photoprocessing sources (like Kinko’s or Snapfish.com).

Poetry by Teens
There are even more examples of published poetry by teen writers, including two volumes from the WritersCorps: Paint Me Like I Am and Tell the World and two other pocket-sized graphic poetry collections, Movin’: Teen Poets Take Voice compiled by Dave Johnson and Angst! Teen Verses from the Edge edited by Karen Tom, Matt Frost, and Kiki. Poet Betsy Franco has assembled several notable collections of poetry written by teens including Things I Have to Tell You (by girls) and You Hear Me? (by boys), plus the recent Falling Hard: 100 Love Poems by Teenagers, and Night is Gone, Day is Still Coming; Stories and Poems by American Indian Teens and Young Adults, compiled with Annette Piña Ochoa and Traci L. Gourdine-- all books full of unsentimental and authentic young voices.

I also write about poetry contests and about helping young people submit their original poems for possible publication. Be sure to help aspiring poets become familiar with the protocol for submitting manuscripts (style, format, etc.) and prepare them for the competitive process and for possible rejection. Outlets for their writing are also suggested. I also mention "Poetry Writing Resources" written specifically for young writers, including:

Inside Out: Children's Poets Discuss Their Work by JonArno Lawson and Pizza, Pigs, and Poetry; How to Write a Poem by Jack Prelutsky. Older students will enjoy Kathi Appelt’s Poems From Homeroom: A Writer's Place To Start or Ralph Fletcher’s Poetry Matters: Writing A Poem From The Inside Out.

As the school year ends, let’s share the words of children and teens—either in published works of young people’s writing or by creating homemade books to cherish or to add to the library for others to enjoy.

Once again, I'm thrilled that Book Links is featuring a previously unpublished poem to accompany the column. This month's poem features a fresh voice in Donna Marie Merritt. This poem challenges readers to step into a secret world and dream big. As a culminating activity for the school year, students can express their dreams in poems, writing individually or with a friend. Then compile them all into a time capsule to be opened at the end of the following year.

The Open Door
by Donna Marie Merritt

Truth sails across great spaces
Of invitations,
Offering images, which before,
Have only been mine in dreams…
The chance to be everywhere, anywhere, nowhere
At once.

Who else knows of this wonder?
Has it popped up like a mushroom,
Stirring the silent earth
In the quiet of the night?
Where does this enchantment begin?
Do its delights ever end?

I step through
The open door
As other seekers appear, then
Disappear along myriad, marvelous paths
Into that secret world of possibilities…
The library.

Image credits: http://www.ala.org/ala/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklinks/index.cfm

Posting (not poem) by Sylvia M. Vardell © 2009. All rights reserved.

Once again, I’d like to call your attention to the ALA magazine Book Links and my most recent “Everyday Poetry” column. In this issue, I focus on biographies told through poetry, a big new trend, IMO. Here is a brief excerpt:

If there’s a twenty-first century trend in poetry for young people, it may well be the marriage of poetry and biography. There are over a dozen recent biographical poetry books available for young people, with many focusing on subjects who are African American, Latino and/or women. Perhaps the poetic form allows the subject’s voice to emerge in a more personal way or perhaps this genre format simply allows for more creative experimentation. Whether the focus is on a key event in one life history or a cradle-to-grave complete biography, there are many excellent works that weave together history, biography, and poetry.

Individual verse biographies
Like the “novel in verse,” another trend in poetry is the biography told through a series of connected poems or poetic vignettes particularly appropriate for older children and young adults. Carole Boston Weatherford calls this a “fictional verse memoir” in her new work, Becoming Billie Holiday. Marilyn Nelson set the trend in motion with her award winning biographical poetry book, Carver: A Life in Poems, a blending of fact, poetry, and images of primary source material. Others by Nelson are fact-based, moving poetry collections in a variety of poetic forms:

Fortune's Bones: The Manumission Requiem
A Wreath for Emmett Till
The Freedom Business

Carmen T. Bernier-Grand has also used the verse format for her biographical works, César; ¡Sí, Se Puede! Yes, We Can! about activist César Chavez and Frida: ¡Viva la vida! Long Live Life! about artist Frida Kahlo. Add to this roster of innovators Margarita Engle whose recent verse biography, The Surrender Tree, features Cuba’s legendary healer Rosa la Bayamesa, told from multiple points of view during several wars for Cuba’s independence.

Older readers can research primary source documents to help them visualize and conceptualize historical times. One excellent resource is Jackdaws Publications, a source of full-size facsimiles of actual letters, diaries, telegrams, newspapers, study maps and many other authentically reproduced documents from various eras. Create displays to showcase biographical poems alongside these contextual artifacts and realia. Weaving biography and poetry together makes sense. For poetry lovers, it’s way to absorb history, and for all readers, the poetic format provides a unique entrée into stories of people of the past.

I also wrote about collective poetry biographies and picture book poem biographies, with examples of each. And the most fabulous feature is a new original poem by Rebecca Kai Dotlich. It’s “Dear Diary” from the point of view of Anne Frank, capturing a snapshot moment with haunting details and lyrical language. Don’t miss it!

Next month’s column is about pairing poems and award books. We all tune into the major awards (especially the ALA awards announced at the end of January) and try to keep up with what the experts recommend as outstanding literature. Why not make a poetry connection here? In this column, I showcase the ALA multicultural award winning books of 2008 by connecting each with a work of poetry that extends the topic, theme, or tone in interesting ways. Watch for it.

Picture credit: ala.org

Please allow me to plug my “Everyday Poetry” column once again, since the May issue of Book Links just came out this week. This time, I’ve focused on “Blue Ribbon” poetry, looking at the many poetry books that won major awards this year including the Newbery, Printz honor, Coretta Scott King honors, Pura Belpre and Schneider awards, and of course, the brand new Odyssey Award. (And just last week, Pat Mora’s lovely book, Yum! ¡Mmmm! ¡Qué Rico! Americas’ Sproutings, Lee & Low, 2007, won the Americás award.) I’ve written about this before, but I don’t think I mentioned all the poetry titles that also appeared on some of the ALA “best” lists this year. Another dozen poetry books and novels-in-verse made the lists of 2008 Notable Children’s Books, Best Books for Young Adults, and Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers, including:

• Blue Lipstick: Concrete Poems by John Grandits (Clarion, 2007)
• Chess Rumble by G. Neri (Lee & Low, 2007)
• Frida: ¡Viva la vida! Long Live Life! by Carmen T. Bernier-Grand (Marshall Cavendish, 2007)
• Glass by Ellen Hopkins (Simon & Schuster/Margaret K. McElderry, 2007)
• Good Sports: Rhymes about Running, Jumping, Throwing, and More by Jack Prelutsky (Knopf, 2007)
• Here’s a Little Poem: A Very First Book of Poetry edited by Jane Yolen and Andrew Fusek Peters (Candlewick, 2007)
• Miss Crandall’s School for Young Ladies and Little Misses of Color by Elizabeth Alexander and Marilyn Nelson (Boyds Mills/Wordsong, 2007)
• Tap Dancing on the Roof: Sijo (Poems) by Linda Sue Park (Clarion, 2007)
• Today and Today by Issa Kobayashi (Scholastic, 2007)
• Tough Boy Sonatas by Curtis L. Crisler (Boyds Mills/Wordsong, 2007)
• What My Girlfriend Doesn’t Know by Sonya Sones (Simon & Schuster, 2007)
• Yum! ¡Mmmm! ¡Qué Rico! Americas’ Sproutings by Pat Mora (Lee & Low, 2007)

Isn't it exciting to see so many poetry books get this recognition? Finally, beginning this month, my “Everyday Poetry” column will also feature an original poem by a children’s poet alongside my short article. This month, it’s “Keep a Pocket in Your Poem” by J. Patrick Lewis, inspired by Beatrice Schenk de Regniers’ poem “Keep a Poem in Your Pocket.” Thanks, Pat! Readers may reproduce this poem for noncommercial educational purposes, as long as the author and Book Links are credited. The downloadable poem is available here. Enjoy!

Join the rest of the Poetry Friday Round Up at Wrter2b.

Picture credit: ALA Book Links

On this date in 1901, New York became the first state to require license plates for cars. Each plate carried the initials of the car’s owner and cost $1. In honor of this occasion, I have a not-yet-published poem by Janet Wong to share with her permission. She was kind enough to write the following poem for my “Everyday Poetry” column for Book Links magazine scheduled to be published in July. When I asked her if I could post it, she suggested I share some of the different versions she went through as she revised the poem and we dialogued back and forth about it. What a great idea and such a generous gesture! So, this is for all of you who work with children—who, in my experience, are often shocked and surprised to see that adults don’t create perfect poems in single drafts. Showing them the PROCESS of writing can be helpful and eye-opening. Here are SEVEN, count ‘em, seven versions of Janet’s poem about the age-old favorite car game, the License Plate Game.

First version:
(Notice the couplets with some end rhyme)

THE LICENSE PLATE GAME
by Janet S. Wong

Take the letters
in a license plate—

RSN
MST

And see what you can say.
Play with words:

Rest Stop Now!
Milk Shake Time!

Find words to steer
the driver’s mind

to places where
you want to go—

You can use
The License Plate Game

to disengage
the cruise control.

Second version:
(Notice the new title)

THE LICENSE PLATE LETTERS GAME
by Janet S. Wong

1RBT296 could mean
one Really Boring Trip.

Or if you’re hungry, just think quick:
say, it’s Really Burger Time!

The license plate letters game
lets you steer the driver’s mind.

Nothing jams a driver’s ear
more than asking, “Are we there?”

Find some letters, play things smart,
use your words to take aim:

Master
the License Plate Letters Game.


Third version:
(Back to the old title; notice fewer words, the tighter structure)

THE LICENSE PLATE GAME
by Janet S. Wong

1RBT296 could be
one Really Boring Trip.

So brainstorm silly things,
think quick:

Root Beer - Thirsty?
Rest - Burger Time!

Use words to steer
the driver's mind

to the destinations
that you name:

you control the cruise
with the License Plate Game.


Two fourth versions:
(Notice the shift from couplets to tercets in the first option)

THE LICENSE PLATE GAME
by Janet S. Wong

When you’re aching
to complain,
when the drive is driving you insane,

play with the letters
in a license plate.
Think silly things, concentrate.

If the plate says
RSN 225,
you might suggest the family drive

to a nearby ReStauraNt.
Or what about a Rest Stop Now?
It really doesn’t matter how

you play the game.
Just try to find
words to steer the driver’s mind.

When you’re aching to complain,
and your legs are numb and your seat’s aflame,
why not try The License Plate Game?

Or

THE LICENSE PLATE GAME
by Janet S. Wong

Take the letters in a license plate—

RSN
MST

and see what you can say.
Play the License Plate Game!

All three letters in one word:

RaiSiN, ReStauraNt, gingeRSNap
MuSTard, MySTery, druMSTick

Or choose a string of three:

Rest Stop Now
Milk Shake Time

The trick is, you have got to find
words to steer the driver’s mind.

When you’re aching to complain,
it’s time to try the License Plate Game.


Fifth version:
(Notice the tercet form prevails, but the end lines come from the second version)

THE LICENSE PLATE GAME
by Janet S. Wong

When you're aching
to complain,
when the drive is driving you insane,

play with the letters
in a license plate.
Think silly things, concentrate.

Suppose you see
RSN 325.
You might suggest the family drive

to a nearby ReStauraNt.
Or what about a Rest Stop Now?
It really doesn't matter how

you play. Three words? OK.
Or use just one.
The thing is, try to have some fun

and search
and search until you find
words to steer the driver's mind.

When you're aching to complain,
all numb feet and seat aflame,
don't forget: The License Plate Game.


Final version:
(Notice the new ending stanza)

THE LICENSE PLATE GAME
by Janet S. Wong

When you’re aching
to complain,
when the drive is driving you insane,

play with the letters
in a license plate.
Think silly things. Concentrate.

Suppose you see
RSN 325.
You might suggest the family drive

to a nearby ReStauraNt.
Or what about a Rest Stop Now?
It really doesn’t matter how

you play. Three words? OK.
Or use just one.
The thing is, try to have some fun

and search
and search until you find
words to steer the driver’s mind.

When your toes are numb
and your bottom’s blue,
the LPG will rescue you!

Thank you, Janet, for writing and sharing your poem and your poetry writing process!

For more poetry gems, check out the Poetry Friday Round Up at The Miss Rumphius Effect.


Picture credit: www.euro-sign.com

In my regular “Everyday Poetry” column for Book Links magazine, I wrote about pairing and comparing poetry in the most recent (January, 2008) issue. It’s entitled “Pairing Poems Across Cultures” and here’s a brief excerpt:

Seeking out the poetry of parallel cultures enables children to see firsthand both the sameness and the differences that make the human landscape so dynamic and fascinating. Poets of color are using the language, experiences, and images of their cultures in ways that are fresh and powerful. The special succinctness of poetry is also appealing, and powerful points about prejudice, identity, and cultural conflict can be made in very few words.

Sharing poems in pairs can help children to engage their critical thinking skills by comparing the topics, themes, points of view, or language of the two poems. Selecting poems that reflect cultural details adds an additional layer of meaning and interest. Of course, reading and enjoying the poem for its own sake is the first step. Responding, comparing, and analyzing often follow naturally when children read, hear, and recite poetry together. Repeated readings could incorporate choral reading arrangements and child participation. Here is one sample poem pairing:

Compare Poems about Poetry
• “Wish” by Linda Sue Park, from Tap Dancing on the Roof; Sijo Poems (Clarion, 2007)
• “A Blank White Page” by Francisco X. Alarcón, from Iguanas in the Snow and Other Winter Poems / Iguanas en la Nieve y Otros Poemas de Invierno (Children’s Book Press, 2001)

“Wish”
by Linda Sue Park

For someone to read a poem
again, and again, and then,

having lifted it from page
to brain-- the easy part--

cradle it on the longer trek
from brain all the way to heart.

and

“A Blank White Page”
by Francisco X. Alarcón

A blank white page
is a meadow
after a snowfall
that a poem
hopes to cross

Look at how poets have captured the beauty of poetry itself and what a poem can be and do. Newbery Medalist Linda Sue Park explores the Korean poetic form of sijo to describe poetry’s impact, “from brain all the way to heart,” while Francisco X. Alarcón uses images of “a meadow / after a snowfall” to describe the page a poem is written upon. Children can try writing their own “definition” poems modeled on the sijo or free-verse format of these two examples. Next, create a “dictionary” anthology of all of their “defining” poems.

Picture credit: ala.org/booklinks

I have released my new online store offering 25 and 50 limited edition Giclée prints of diverse digital illustrations. They are extreme high quality prints on 100% cotton rag, acid free fine art paper. Check it out here.

Also I’m glad to announce that I have three more Giclée Prints available through Shack29.