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Pawprint [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. This is Captain Jack’s pawprint on our front sidewalk. Something about our weather cycle of snow, melt, freeze, etc., and that fact that he goes in and out
Tower [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 of Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park, which I walked through several times a day at NCTE. This image makes me think of several things:
My One Little Word [Slice of Life]
All week I’ve been thinking about my One Little Word, and everyone’s posts lasts week were inspiring–and a bit intimidating. A couple of mornings ago, I woke up knowing my word. CLEAR My life and to-do lists and home are overly full. They are full of wonderful stuff, but too much stuff for me to
Long Distance Relationship–Somonka with the Poetry Princesses [Poetry Friday]
Happy Poetry Friday! Welcome, everyone! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) The Poetry Princesses are starting off 2017 with somonka, two combined Japanese tanka written in a love poem/response form. What better way to start off a new year than with some love? Still, with the end of a year, and Maddie heading back
Dolphin Lady [15 Words or Less]
Hello, and welcome to the first 15 Words or Less Poems of 2017! 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. At NCTE in Atlanta, walking back and forth from my hotel to the convention center, I passed this
Rounding Up the Poetry Princesses
I’m so happy to be continuing to write monthly with my Poetry Sisters–Liz Garton Scanlon, Kelly Ramsdell, Andi Sibley, Tanita Davis, Sara Lewis Holmes, Tricia Stohr-Hunt, and Mary Lee Hahn. Our list of collaborations is getting rather long(!), so instead of including it in my post on the last Friday of each month, I’m going
Losing Perspective [15 Words or Less Poems]
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 hope everyone’s holidays have been going great! Mine have, but today is Maddie’s last day at home. Tomorrow, we send her back over to Scotland, and it
Airport Gorilla [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. More fun from the Atlanta airport. There was a series of sculptures by a Zimbabwean (I think) sculptor. I loved the bold shapes. This image makes me think
The Scraps of the Year–Happy Holidays!
I love evergreens draped in snow, and I took this pic a few weeks ago. This filter on it made the bare trees even more beautiful, though. So stark and sharp and delicate. I thought about how this filter emphasized light and pale colors, and how even barrenness turns to beauty. This made me think
Taking Pictures (by me) [Poetry Friday]
Happy Poetry Friday! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) Last week, I shared about the awesome Risking Writing session at NCTE. Today, I thought I’d share my final poem in a more legible way. But if you’d like to hear about the session and see my writing process, click here. Believe it or not,
Jigsaw [15 Words or Less Poems]
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. Going through the Atlanta airport for NCTE recently, I was enchanted by this ceiling in one terminal hallway. It was dark and hushed, and then wildlife sounds would
What Will the Aide Do? [Poetry Friday]
Happy Poetry Friday! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) I had something else scheduled for today, but this week, I noticed that several copies of my indie-published Heart of a Teacher sold in paperback (it’s also available in a Kindle edition). It dawned on me that perhaps someone bought them as gifts for colleagues
Cookie Monster! [15 Words or Less Poems]
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. Before we start, I want to share something. Longtime 15 Words or Less participant and fabulous teacher Margaret Simon (of Reflections on the Teche) was at NCTE. When
Risking Writing–an Awesome NCTE Session About Modeling Writing for Students
I wanted to share my writing from one of my favorite NCTE sessions. The topic was Risking Writing, and in it, Shanetia Clark, Mary Lee Hahn, Heidi Mordhorst, and Patricia Hruby Powell, talked about and demonstrated the process of writing in front of an audience. I have done this on some school visits and in
Going Peacock on You with the Poetry Princesses [Poetry Friday]
Happy Poetry Friday! Welcome, everyone! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) Poem 2: Ekphrastic Poem with the Poetry Princesses This is Part 2 of my Poetry Friday post this week. If you didn’t see yesterday’s Part 1, I invite you to go check out a poem I submitted for One Minute Till Bedtime that
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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