Blog
Jungle Tile [15 Words or Less Poems]
Hello, and Happy Thanksgiving! I figure we have plenty of images of turkeys and cornucopias and all that other good holiday stuff, so I just go with whatever catches my fancy:>) I’m thankful, as ever, for this 15 Words or Less community. You’re an important part of it, whether you stop in every single week
NCTE 2015: Passion-Driven Research and Into the Poem
Whew! NCTE was awesome and exhausting. What a lovely, lovely time. I’m going to share some highlights here over the course of several posts. Thursday night was my first taste of NCTE, with a lovely get-together with Janet Wong and Sylvia Vardell (aka Pomelo Publishing), Susan Marie Swanson, and Heidi Mordhorst. We celebrated the release
Inside Music [15 Words or Less Poems]
Wake up your poetry brains with 15 Words or Less (guidelines are here)! I usually share photos I take, but I couldn’t pass by this one that my husband emailed to me. This picture makes me think of: Shadows (again!) — I love them Tiny elves holding a concert INSIDE a viola or a cello
2 Kinds of Cats, a Poem by Laura Purdie Salas
I recently wrote a poem called “2 Kinds of Cats,” comparing a housecat and a tiger. I wrote this poem on assignment, for the International Fund for Animal Welfare, and they wanted something that could be used in their magazine for 1st-graders. Here’s the first half: You can read the whole poem in the magazine,
Leaf Creations by 3rd-Graders
Last week on Twitter, Madison Bailey shared some 3rd-graders’ leaf creations they made after reading A Leaf Can Be…! How awesome is that? My Can Be… books are all about seeing common things in new ways, and that’s exactly what they did. Some looked at the shapes of the leaves and thought about what they
Brinicle, from National Geographic’s Book of Nature Poetry
Happy Poetry Friday! And happy Friday the 13th! No bad luck here today, unless you happen to be a starfish. Last month, I shared my Sailing Stone poem from J. Patrick Lewis’ anthology with National Geographic, the Book of Nature Poetry — which just won a Eureka Silver Medal. Congratulations, Pat and National Geographic! Now
X Marks What? [15 Words or Less Poems]
Wake up your poetry brains with 15 Words or Less (guidelines are here)! I love trees and their shadows! This picture makes me think of: X marks the spot (of what?) Could you climb a shadow? Do shadows wish their casters would MOVE more so they could play together? And, here’s my first draft.
Unwrapped, a Wild Poetry Cheer for Irene Latham
Happy blogiversary, Irene Latham, and thank you for inviting us to share in your theme of WILD this year! I live in the suburbs and have lived in the suburbs my whole life. I know it’s easy to trash talk about the suburbs, but, frankly, I’m pretty happy here. Would I like to live out
Ekphrastic Poems with the Poetry Sisters [Poetry Friday]
Happy Poetry Friday! It’s that time again–we Poetry 7 are sharing poems! Last month, we Poetry 7 wrote etherees, which I loved! This month, we tackled ekphrastic poems–all inspired by the same image. Tanita Davis shared this one, which caught our eyes and our imagination right away.
Armor [15 Words or Less Poems]
Wake up your poetry brains with 15 Words or Less (guidelines are here)! I took this picture in Edinburgh Castle, I’m pretty sure. The swords and armor felt appropriate after all the cool costumes of Halloween! This picture makes me think of: I wonder if knights handed down armor to their little brothers? The baskets
A Tree Can Be…, by Mrs. Vallarino’s 3rd-Grade Class
As a writer, nothing makes me feel better than knowing that my words inspired someone else to do something: to write, to think differently, to take some kind of action (or even just to relax, to laugh, or to learn). Last month, I got the nicest letter from teacher Ashley Vallarino, who wrote: I am
Airplane Window [15 Words or Less Poems]
Wake up your poetry brains with 15 Words or Less (guidelines are here)! I took this picture on an overseas flight a couple of years ago. There’s something about seeing clouds from overhead that makes me feel a lot safer while flying–totally irrational, but I can’t help it. It’s like they’re a safety net waiting
Water Can Be… Chinese!
At a library event this past spring, a woman introduced herself to me and explained that she had translated Water Can Be… into Chinese for Lerner, my publisher. Cool! I just received my 5 copies and thought I’d share. The paper is porous, not glossy, so Violeta Dabija’s gorgeous art is more muted than in
Poetryaction and Bookalikes for In Mary’s Garden
Happy Poetry Friday! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) If you’re not a regular reader here, welcome! I share poetryactions, or poems written in reaction to picture books (usually) on a fairly regular basis. And I’m sharing one today! In Mary’s Garden, a lovely picture book biography of unconventional artist Mary Nohl made
Cows [15 Words or Less Poems]
Wake up your poetry brains with 15 Words or Less (guidelines are here)! I took this picture in Ireland. I always picture sheep and cow barns as so warm and cozy, but the reality rarely supports that! This picture makes me think of: Waiting in line for my turn on the slide Horses/mules that used
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