Blog

NPM2022 Day 24: pen + sticky note

Today’s sticky note poem:   Thanks for reading, and happy National Poetry Month! And if you ended up here by chance, fantastic! Here are a few links you might find helpful. Intro to what I’m doing this National Poetry Month ALL the sticky-note poems I’ve written so far To see each sticky-note poem as I

Read More »

NPM2022 Day 23: lunch + Kindle

Today’s sticky note poem:   Thanks for reading, and happy National Poetry Month! And if you ended up here by chance, fantastic! Here are a few links you might find helpful. Intro to what I’m doing this National Poetry Month ALL the sticky-note poems I’ve written so far To see each sticky-note poem as I

Read More »

NPM2022 Day 22: Happy Meal + Laura

Happy Poetry Friday! Sometimes my little daily poems this month are about emotional things. Other times, they’re just quick jottings. Here’s today’s, followed by links to this week’s sticky note poems. Day 16: “Island Day” (a found haiku) Day 17: “rain + night” (a riddle-ku) Day 18: “open curtains + lightning” (a riddle-ku) Day 19:

Read More »

NPM2022 Day 21: Dolphin Encounters

Here’s another poem that evolved from the oppositifying of a bit of a Taylor Mali poem. I shared the Mali passage, etc. here. Now, I don’t want to sound all high and mighty, because I love dolphins. Honestly, if I had a chance to swim with dolphins or kiss them at Sea World or whatever,

Read More »

NPM2022 Day 20: What the Rain Knows and a Cover Reveal!

Y’all might know that I love thunderstorms and rain. Today for National Poetry Month, I’m sharing one more rain sticky note poem (I shared two earlier this week here and here) AND a cover reveal! I have a picture book coming out in spring of 2023, and Elly MacKay is creating the absolutely stunning art

Read More »

NPM2022 Day 19: My Mom-in-Law Can Make Anything

Here’s today’s sticky note poem. This one started out with my reading some Taylor Mali poems for an upcoming poem. This one broke my heart, and I decided to oppositify the first few lines. I’m telling you, just trying to pick an opposite word for every noun is such an adventure in language. That in

Read More »

NPM2022 Day 18: Open curtains + lightning

And another equation poem from the storm.   Thanks for reading, and happy National Poetry Month! And if you ended up here by chance, fantastic! Here are a few links you might find helpful. Intro to what I’m doing this National Poetry Month ALL the sticky-note poems I’ve written so far To see each sticky-note

Read More »

NPM2022 Day 17: rain + night = ?

We had a lovely little thunderstorm last week at bedtime, and three poems came out of it. Here’s the first: I texted myself the thought that entered my head…I guess that’s draft 1? And wrote in my morning pages the next morning: Thanks for reading, and happy National Poetry Month! And if you ended up

Read More »

NPM2022 Day 16: Island Day

I’ve been having fun so far this month trying different poem springboards. Oppositify, the word association grid, N+7…Today’s sticky note poem came from a thought while I was fixing my lunch one day. I grouped three random things that I had out on the kitchen counter and took a photo. Then I used only words

Read More »

NPM2022 Day 15: Mean Words

Happy Poetry Friday! Here’s another sticky note poem inspired by an N+7 exercise. It came out of the same riddle-ku that Wednesday’s poem, “Mama Says” did. Below it, you’ll find some steps of my writing process on this one. Matt Forrest Esenwine has the roundup today. He’s got an interview up with fabulous poet Leslie

Read More »

NPM2022 Day 14: Wind: a Sky-High Designer

One more N+7 draft, the last one for now. But I really liked the poems that came out of this exercise. I didn’t love DOING the exercise–so tedious looking up nouns (especially when you don’t have a printed dictionary, ahem). But I liked the way it made me think differently and put unusual things together.

Read More »

NPM2022 Day 13: Mama Says #ClassroomConnections

Today, for Classroom Connections, I decided to use my Lion of the Sky poetry collection as a starting point for my sticky note poem. I picked a riddle-ku and used the N+7 exercise to swap out the nouns. (I used this online children’s dictionary, since I don’t have a print dictionary at hand.) Here’s the

Read More »

NPM2022 Day 12: Cold Aches

It’s another N+7 draft for you today. The one I’m sharing here and also the one on Thursday both came out of the same stanza that I shared yesterday.  Thanks for reading, and happy National Poetry Month! And if you ended up here by chance, fantastic! Here are a few links you might find helpful.

Read More »

NPM2022 Day 11: Travel Law #1

Today’s sticky note poem is the result of another exercise, called N+7 (read about it here). Again, I use it as a starting place. Not to write a poem but to give me a springboard into a poem. Below the image, you’ll see a stanza by J. Patrick Lewis, one of my very favorite poets.

Read More »

NPM2022 Day 10: Skyscraper Bones

Here’s another draft that grew out of an oppositify exercise. See a couple more here. I thought about pairing with art of a skyscraper being imploded or brought down with a wrecking ball…but somehow this image is what I wanted with it. Thanks for reading, and happy National Poetry Month! And if you ended up

Read More »
Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Join 2,548 other subscribers

Are You Looking For?

Poetry Friday posts

Classroom Connections posts

All my poetryactions

Go to my Poetry page for:

  • National Poetry Month projects through the years
  • Small Reads Roundups (poems grouped by topic)
  • Introductions to several favorite poetry forms
Tags
#waterpoemproject15 Words or Less Poems20for2030 Painless Classroom Poems50 State Poemsacrosticsactivity pagesactivity sheetALAA Leaf Can Be…Amy Ludwig VanDerwaterA Need to FeedanthologiesanthologyA Rock Can Be…art projectsaudiopoemsawardsbad newsBarbara Juster EsbensenBilly Collinsbiopoemsblog tourbookalikesbook festivalsBookSpeak!book spine poemsbook trailersbop poembyr a thoddaidcafepresscalendar poemsCamp Read-a-LotCan Be… bookscan be… poemsCapstoneCarol Varsalonacascade poemsCatherine FlynnccbcCCRA.W.3CCRA.W.4CCRA.W.5centoschapter booksCharles Waterschoral compositionschristina rossetticinquainsCLAclassified ad poemsclassroom connectionclassroom connectionsClover Kittyconferences and conventionscrown sonnetscybilsdansaDare to DreamDavid Elliottdeeper wisdom poemdefinitosdiamantesdiversitydizaindodoitsuDot DayDouglas Floriandownloadablesdrum corpse.e. cummingsekphrastic poemsepistolary poemsequation poemsessentialethereeseventsexquisite corpseFairy Tale Garage Salefamilyfibonaccifiction picture booksfinding familyfirefightersforeign editionsfound poemsfree author zoomsfree versefrom studentsgeesegeorgia heardghazalGift Taggiveawaygolden shovelgoldilocksgratitudehaikuheart of aheart of a teacherHeidi MordhorstHelen FrostHighlightshow-to poemshow to make a rainbowI Am FromI Am poemsidiomsif you want to knit some mittensIf You Were the MoonILAimagepoemsinterviewin the middle of the nightIRAIrelandIrene LathamJ. Patrick LewisJanet WongJoyce SidmanKendraKerlanKidlit Comboslailaura’s board booksLaura’s booksLaura’s poemsLaura’s readingsLaura ShovanLee Bennett HopkinsLilian MoorelimericksLinda Booth SweeneyLine Leads the WayLion of the Skylist poemslittle free librarylive writingLullaby and Kisses Sweetlyricsmadness poetrymagnipoemsmargaret simonMarilyn Singermary lee hahnmask poemsMatt Forrest EsenwineMeet My FamilyMelissa StewartMentors for Rentmentor textsmetaphorMichelle Myers LacknerMillbrookMinnesota Book Awardsmoneymoonmy reading lifemy writing processN+7naaninarrative poemsNational Poetry Month 2012 (haiku a day)National Poetry Month 2014 (riddle-ku)National Poetry Month 2015National Poetry Month 2016National Poetry Month 2017 (#wonderbreak)national poetry month 2018 (haiku a day)National Poetry Month 2020National Poetry Month 2021 (#EquationPoem)national poetry month 2022 (sticky-note poems)National Poetry Month 2023 (Digging for Poems)National Poetry Month 2024 (magnipoems)ncteNerdy Book Clubnifty newsnifty stuffNikki Grimesnonfictionnonfiction booksNonfiction Writers Dig Deepnovelsnovels in verseodesOne Minute Till BedtimeoppositifyOskar’s VoyagepadletpantoumsparodiesPatreonpeacepersonalpet poemsphotopoetryphrase acrosticspicture booksplagiarismpoempicspoemspoems for two voicespoemsketchpoetic pursuitsPoetry 7poetryactionspoetry activitiesPoetry Blastpoetry booksPoetry FridayPoetry Friday AnthologiesPoetry Princessespoetry promptspoetry sistersPoetry Tips for Teachersprogressive poempublishing processpuddle songPutridquotationsraccontinosRandy Salasread-aloudreadaloudreading poetry in the classroomRebecca Kai Dotlichrecipe poemsrefugeesresearchreview copiesreviewsrevisionrhyming booksrhyming nonfictionrhyming picture booksRhyming Picture Books the Write Wayrhyming poemsRiddle-kuriddle poemsRock Can Be…Rock the Blogrondeau redoublesRudyard Kiplingsalas snippetsSCBWIschool visitsScotlandseasonssecrets of the loonSELsestinasshrinking daysskinnyskypeslice of lifesmall readssnack snooze skedaddlesnowman-coldsonnetsStampede!storm poemstorytimestorywalkstudent poemsstudent workSylvia VardellTanita Davistankatautogramteachableteacher resourcesteen/adult poemsterza rimasthankfulthank yous and referencesthe business sidethings to do iftracy nelson maurertrioletstunie munson-bensonvideosVikram MadanvillanellevillanellesWater Can Be…wealthy elementaryWe BelongWhat’s InsideWhy-kuwinterwonderwonderbreakword of the yearwordplaywordsmithswork for hirewritingwriting bookswriting processwriting promptswriting the life poeticyoung authors conferencesYouTubeZapZap Clap Boomzenozentangle
Show More Show Less

Join Laura's monthly newsletter for eductators

Get three of Laura's favorite poetry activities when you subscribe to "Small Reads."