Blog
Theater [15 words or less poems]
Wake up your poetry brains with 15 Words or Less (guidelines here)! The Gordon Lightfoot concert last month was at the beautiful State Theatre in Minneapolis. I always love looking at the architecture and embellishments inside. This (Waterlogued) picture is looking up at the ceiling. This image makes me think of:
Fall is like a last-chance hand (the Poetry 7 are at it again)
Happy Poetry Friday! In June, we Poetry 7, Poetry Sisters, Poetry Princesses (depending on what day you catch us) wrote “poems in the style of…“After much hemming and hawing and debating, we decided to each write a poem inspired by a specific e.e. cummings poem. e.e. cummings scares me. He is illogical and rule-breaking. There
Belly of the Beast [15 words or less poems]
Wake up your poetry brains with 15 Words or Less (guidelines here)! Randy and I went to see Canadian folksinger Gordon Lightfoot perform a couple of weeks ago. The stage design was very simple, with these long skinny triangles of fabric stretched taut in the background. Different colored lights dreamily came on and off
poetryaction for Giant Squid
Happy Poetry Friday! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) I love the ocean and its mysterious creatures. I really enjoyed the text of Mary Cerullo’s Giant Squid, but one of Clyde F.E. Roper’s photos is what inspired this poetryaction.
Marie [15 words or less poems]
Wake up your poetry brains with 15 Words or Less (guidelines here)! Randy and our older daughter, Annabelle, visited family in Atlanta a couple of weeks ago, and Randy sent me this sculpture of Marie Antoinette made entirely of cut paper except for the mannequin. Read more about the artwork here. I love the
A homework-hating poem
When I was poetry-touring the Arrowhead region of Minnesota last April, a kindergarten or 1st-grade girl tugged on my arm on her way out of a session. “Can I give you these?” she asked. She held out a few papers to me. I took them, told her I couldn’t wait to read them, and off
“Hello” to a Magazine Merit Honor
I had a lovely message a few weeks ago about my poem “Good-Bye, Hello!” It’s a back-to-school poem that appeared in Highlights magazine last year, and it is the runner-up for SCBWI’s 2015 Magazine Merit award. Yay! And, I’m happy to say that Michelle Heidenrich Barnes of Today’s Little Ditty was the winner for her
A Jig and a Poem [15 words or less poems]
Wake up your poetry brains with 15 Words or Less (guidelines here)! Usually, I post pictures I find beautiful or spooky or engaging. This one just makes me smile. When we were in Dublin, we were signed up for the Irish Dance Party at the Temple Bar. It was an afternoon event where we
poetryaction for See What a Seal Can Do
I loved See What a Seal Can Do (Candlewick). It has delightful language, beautiful art, and clear, simple facts. One of the words early in the book inspired this poetryaction full of wordplay. Check out my Pinterest boards of poetryactions and bookalikes if you’d like to see more:>)
A Poem for Charleston
I don’t usually post or write poems in response to current events, political issues, etc. It’s just not me. But last week, I wanted to write a poem using a random word from a Twitter or Facebook friend. I had decided to write a poem that included an apple, somehow (probably because I am in
poetryactions and bookalikes for Snow School
Happy Poetry Friday! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) OK, I perhaps went a little overboard with Sandra Markle’s Snow School, which I loved! This book was so full of wonderful, vivid action, so my first poetryaction is simply a list of verbs. It’s my way of thinking of all of the things the
Iron Man [15 words or less poems]
Wake up your poetry brains with 15 Words or Less (guidelines here)! When I was up in the Arrowhead Region of Minnesota in late April, doing a two-week poetry tour, I visited this 36-foot statue of an iron miner in Chisholm a couple of times. It looked so exposed and lonely in the snow.
poetryaction for Hoot Owl, Master of Disguise
In Hoot Owl, Master of Disguise (Sean Taylor), I love the contrast between the dark, majestic language and the silly, everyday tone when Hoot Owl’s hunting methods don’t work. It makes me picture a kid pretending to be a superhero or something and talking all superhero‑y and then breaking off to say, “Oh, wait. I’ve
Skyping with Leigh Anne Eck’s SPARK poets!
I Skyped with Leigh Anne Eck’s 4th- and 5th-grade students recently as part of their SPARK Camp. The students had been writing wordplay poems based on the lesson plan I shared here. Besides talking with them a bit about where my ideas come from and what my writing process looks like, I also got to
poetryaction and bookalikes for Wolfie the Bunny
Happy Poetry Friday! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) [Addendum: I didn’t even realize when I scheduled this post that it was for the day after the #SharpSchu book club on Twitter where Ame was one of the guest stars. She is hysterical!] Dot in Ame Dyckman’s Wolfie the Bunny got me thinking about
Subscribe to Blog via Email
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