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In Memory of Jack
We just got home from the vet, where we had to have Captain Jack Sparrow put to sleep. It’s been a hard, hard day. Here are a few poems I wrote with Jack in mind, plus a video I made a couple of months ago. Thanks, you guys, for always being so fond of Jack
Gloves in the Snow [15 Words or Less]
Hello, and welcome to the final 15 Words or Less Poems of the year! This is a low-pressure way to wake up your poetry brain (guidelines here), and I’m very glad you’re here. Walking to the mailbox with Jack is always an adventure. Trying to corral him while unlocking the mailbox with a tiny key
Sailing Ships [15 Words or Less]
Hello, and welcome! This is 15 Words or Less Poems, a low-pressure way to wake up your poetry brain (guidelines here), and I’m very glad you’re here. So, the picture I posted last week was a filtered image (as usual) of some frosted glass with a coral‑y design on it. I think it was at
First Graders Ponder What Leaves Can Be…
There is hardly anything a writer likes better than hearing/seeing how readers respond to her work. A writer friend sent me this fun image a few weeks ago. Her sister is a substitute teacher in New Hampshire, and she used A Leaf Can Be… with first graders. They were studying the number 9, and the
Coral? [15 Words or Less]
Hello, and welcome! This is 15 Words or Less Poems, a low-pressure way to wake up your poetry brain (guidelines here), and I’m very glad you’re here. I took this pic in an airport a couple of weeks ago. Want to take a guess? I’ll reveal the correct answer (if I can remember exactly what
Writing Poetry with Third Graders
I had the best time at Pinewood Elementary last month. I got to spend two days there, which means that, in addition to two large-group presentations, I did writing workshops with each third-grade class. Love! The staff was amazing and enthusiastic, and the students were incredible. We had the best time. I’m going to share
Jellyfish Dance [Poetry Friday]
Happy Poetry Friday! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) So, last week, I shared a lai, which the Poetry Princesses tackled for December. I liked it and wanted to try another, so here’s a #poemsketch with another lai. I had one with a font I liked a little better, but it was a
Traffic Cones [15 Words or Less]
Hello, and welcome! This is 15 Words or Less Poems, a low-pressure way to wake up your poetry brain (guidelines here), and I’m very glad you’re here. Here’s a pic from a recent road trip. This image makes me think of several things:
December #Poemsketch
I can’t believe it’s almost the end of the year! Here’s a #poemsketch for you today:>) I love December and winter, and I enjoy the fresh start feeling of a new year (though fall always feels like the beginning of my year, personally). But when it’s frigid and icy, December seems a little…violent to me,
Lai-ing About with Poetry Princesses [Poetry Friday]
Happy Poetry Friday! Welcome, everyone! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) This month, we Poetry Princesses wrote lais (a 9‑line, aabaabaab poem) on the theme of hope, light, or peace. I had done the little drawing below before thinking about this month’s poem. Then I started thinking about how the sight of chimney smoke
Bike Rack [15 Words or Less]
Hello, and welcome! This is 15 Words or Less Poems, a low-pressure way to wake up your poetry brain (guidelines here), and I’m very glad you’re here. If you didn’t see my note earlier, sorry about last week! Major blog/Wordpress fail, and I lost several posts. Boo. And I was traveling without my laptop and
Silo Storm #Poemsketch
Apologies for those who visited last Thursday. I had several posts for Thanksgiving Thursday and Poetry Friday and one all about NCTE–and they have completely disappeared. :>( OK, moving on… There’s something about a farm silhouetted against the sky that always feels so nostalgic. As I’ve driven around Minnesota doing school visits, I’ve been treated
After #Poemsketch
I have decided I really prefer the idea of typed text rather than hand-lettered. The watercolors are already very fluid and, uh, imperfect, and when I try to hand-letter, the whole thing just feels sloppy to me. Also, I’ve tried a few of these watercolor background with black silhouette simple drawings on them, and they
Seamstresses #Poemsketch
I’m home from NCTE, which was lovely and overwhelming, as always! A little quiet time and a little nature (though it’s chilly here in Minnesota right now, so I’m mostly enjoying nature through the window!) always helps stitch my frazzled self back together!
Without [Poetry Friday]
Happy Poetry Friday! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) Today, I’m sharing a poem I wrote years ago, because on Michelle Heidenrich Barnes’ blog, my Lerner editor, Carol Hinz, challenged us to write poems about things not typically considered beautiful. As someone who thinks about life and death a lot, I have learned to
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Are You Looking For?
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