Blog
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
What Didn’t Make the Cut in One Minute ‘Till Bedtime [Poetry Friday, Part 1]
Happy Poetry Friday–eerrr.…Thursday. Welcome, everyone! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) This week is a Poetry Friday two-fer. Somehow, whenever there’s an outside thing I’m participating in for Poetry Friday, it’s always the first Friday of the month. So, that means I’m juggling two poems this week! Here’s the first one, and the other
Grid [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. Teachers, if I met you at NCTE recently, I’m glad you’ve come to visit! This is actually my hand under an outdoor table at some fast food restaurant.
[Crow Balance] 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 shared 15 Words or Less poems with some educators at NCTE last weekend, and though probably none are here on Thanksgiving day, if you ARE here, I’m
Umbrella Chandelier [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. When I was at the Minnesota Children’s Book Festival back in…September? October?–anyway, when I was there, I loved this cool umbrella chandelier inside the Anderson Center. This image
Storm [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. Here’s another pic from Duluth. It was a stormy early morning, and we were watching a 1000-footer come into the harbor. Water was pouring over the canal walls
Terza Rimas with the Poetry Princesses [Poetry Friday Roundup]
It’s November, and the Poetry Friday Roundup is HERE! Welcome, everyone! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) So, this month, our Poetry Princess challenge was the terza rima, Tricia’ choice. Initially, someone threw the election out as a possible theme. No way. I don’t like to read political poems nor write them. And then
Locks [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. While Randy and I were in Duluth for my birthday, we noticed this set of posts on the lakewalk that are suddenly covered with a bunch of locks.
The Country, by Billy Collins [Poetry Friday]
Happy Poetry Friday! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) I was lucky enough to attend a Billy Collins event a couple of weeks ago for my birthday. I love his work, and he’s an excellent reader–wry, understated, and funny. My husband compared his delivery to Bob Newhart’s. He (Collins, not my husband nor Bob
Viking Ship [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. A couple of weeks ago, Randy and I attended the Youth in Music marching band show at the new Vikings stadium downtown. (Awesome show, but what’s with no
Freighter Drama [Slice of Life Tuesday]
For my birthday, my husband and I spent several days in Duluth, a harbor city at the southern edge of Lake Superior. We love Duluth, and one of our favorite things is watching ships come and go from the harbor–especially the 1,000-footers. There are 14 or so of them that travel the Great Lakes, hauling
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