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May is rolling by, and I continue to celebrate all things poetry in honour of the release of my verse novel, Pearl Verses the World. Today another guest blogger drops in to share some wonderful advice on writing poetry. A big welcome to April Wayland. COPY CAT POEMI often write a poem in response to a prompt. Perhaps a friend has an anthology about bugs and needs a bug poem. Or a magazine

Ready Ed, who publish several of my educational books, have added a new feature on their website – free sample pages from their books of printables. If you’re interested, for example, in my book Assembly, you can click on a link on the book’s information page and see several pages, including two of the poems – Elephant and Rhyme Time. A cool function. I’m happy to see that Assembly is still

I spend so much time lost in my headphones; it helps me write anything from judge profiles to my novel. 

Every year I make a long, long list of gorgeous writing music for my friends. 

Here's the conclusion, complete with links and stories. In all, there are twenty songs on my Best Songs of 2007 list. This year, the whole mix is entitled: "Turn My Life Over and Over Again." (Free CD to the first person to spot which song contains that wonderful line).

The list is not ranked in order of my favorites, I put the songs in Ideal Listening Order instead.

4. "Will You Return?" by The Avett Brothers from Emotionalism. A bluegrass song that takes a magical swing at happy-go-lucky pop halfway through.

3. John Allyn Smith Sails by Okkervil River from The Stage Names. This band bowled me over this year, and this mixture of Beach Boys and confessional poetry would be my top pick of the year--if it wasn't so effing sad!  

2. Falling Slowly by Glen Hansard & Markéta Irglová from The Once Soundtrack. This cheesy, gorgeous anthem from a great film will help you recover from the last sad song. 

1. Flight 180 by Bishop Allen from The Broken String. "If you feel like dancing, dance with me." These are words to live by if you want to have a happy, happy new year.

Click here to see 16-20 of my Best Songs of 2007 list. Or click here to see 15-11  on my Best Songs of 2007 list. Or click her to see 10-6 on my Best Songs of 2007 List. 

Wowsa. Long day at the dayjob.

Here's the highlight of the interwebs this evening: Salon.com's Best Books of 2007 List. They included two supercool writers who visited this site in 2007, including Vikram Chandra and Joshua Ferris. Also dig Caitlin Shamberg's video about Raymond Chandler's marriage, looking at one hardboiled writer I would have on this site, were he still alive. 

In keeping with that happy reading spirit, here's part three of my happy writing music list for 2007. 

10. "What Light"  by Wilco from  Sky Blue Sky. If you feel like you are writing something wrong, listen to this song.  

9. "To the Dogs or Whoever" by Josh Ritter from The Historical Conquests of Josh Ritter.  If you feel like your metaphors are boring, then listen to this song.

8. "Satan Said Dance" by Clap Your Hands Say Yeah  from Some Loud Thunder. If you can't sit at your writing desk anymore, listen to this song. 

7. "Ultimate" by Gogol Bordello from Super Taranta. If you need to dance some more, listen to this song.

6. "The Underdog" by Spoon from Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga. If you can't stop dancing, this song will chill you out. 

Click here to see 16-20 of my Best Songs of 2007 list. Or click here to see 15-11  on my Best Songs of 2007 list. Tune in later this week for the conclusion of our official Best Songs of 2007 list.

You need some writing music. Right. Now.

Don't take my word for it, listen to the wise lit-blogger Maud Newton. A good soundtrack saved her novel:

"Listen to different music as you work on each section [of your novel], and make sure it’s the same music every time. And then, [my friend] said, the words will just flow out. In essence, you’re training yourself the way Pavlov trained his poor dogs. But with fewer harnesses and wires, and considerably less detachment."

Because I love music, here's part two of my  holiday present for you, some of the best writing music I heard this year.

15. "Rehab" by Amy Winehouse from Back to Black 

14. "Like Castanets" by Bishop Allen from Broken String  

13. "In Our Talons" by the Bowerbirds from Hymns for the Dark Horse

12. "Up The Wolves" by The Mountain Goats  from The Sunset Tree    

11. "Forks And Knives (La Fete)" by Beirut from The Flying Club Cup

Click here to see 16-20 of my Best Songs of 2007 list. Tune in later this week for the conclusion of our official Best Songs of 2007 list.  

Seriously, I would stop writing without music. 

Hoping to save my friends and family, I make a compilation CD for the holidays, sharing the songs that I loved the year before. This year, my circle of friends and family has expanded to include you. 

So happy holidays, here's a long, long list of gorgeous writing music. I challenge you to listen to these songs without scribbling some stories.

Here's the first part, complete with links and stories. In all, there are twenty songs on my Best Songs of 2007 list. This year, the whole mix is entitled: "Turn My Life Over and Over Again." (Free CD to the first person to spot which song contains that wonderful line. The list is not ranked in order of my favorites, I put the songs in Ideal Listening Order instead.

Feel free to add your own selections in the comments section...

20. "Our Life Is Not A Movie Or Maybe" from The Stage Names by Okkervil River This is a choice cut from my favorite album of the year. It took a week, but I woke up one morning humming this catchy tune--I never looked back.  

19. "Missed the Boat" from Were Dead Before the Ship Even Sank by Modest Mouse. A spectacular song from a so-so album. You will be wearing a big, big grin by the time that they start singing about "the tiny claps of tiny hands." 

18. "One Two Three Four" from The Reminder by Feist. This lovely new singer will rock every "Best Songs of 2007" list this year. But you already knew that.

17. "Chemicals Collide" from The Meaning of 8 by Cloud Cult. This sweet song cheered me up when I needed it this year.

16. "If The Brakeman Turns My Way" Cassadaga by Bright Eyes. When I couldn't be cheered up, this song somehow nailed every single anxiety and sadness that came crawling to the surface.