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The Uprising–a Sestina [poetry friday]
Happy Poetry Friday! This month, we Poetry Princesses tackled sestinas. Huh. Here’s what I wrote in the Google Doc where we shared our drafts. As you can see, I did not feel all lightness and happiness about this month’s project! I hate long poems. I generally don’t like narrative poems. My sestina is destined to
Spectacles [15 words or less poems]
Wake up your poetry brains with 15 Words or Less (guidelines here)! I’ve been having glasses issues lately, so I’ve been to the eyeglass store several times. Sigh. I might or might not have a pair I can live with now. This image makes me think of: 1) bug eyes 2) security scan at the
Welcome to Rock the Blog: March 2015
Wheee! It’s publication day for A Rock Can Be…, my third and final Can Be… book with Millbrook Press! I’m celebrating here on my blog all month with pictures of rocks. I’ve gathered some interesting adjectives from teachers and kids, and each day, I’ll post a new picture of a rock (taken by me this
Blizzard, by Barbara Juster Esbensen
Happy Poetry Friday! Usually, when I recommend poetry books–whether it’s to educators, kids, or aspiring poets–I recommend focusing on very current books. But Barbara Juster Esbensen is one of my favorites, and her poems always feel like they could have been written just this morning. In honor of the northeastern United States, which has gotten
Yarn [15 words or less poems]
Wake up your poetry brains with 15 Words or Less (guidelines here)! It’s yarn–pretty yarn close-up. This image makes me think of: 1) split ends 2) Santa Claus 3) bird nest And here’s my?first draft. I thought about how I find random bits of fuzz and fabric on the ground sometimes, and it made me
A Rock Can Be… Book Trailer + Adjectives Wanted
My new book comes out on Sunday, and here’s my trailer for it! Please share the trailer if you like it. I’d love for lots of people to see it! Also, for my March Rock the Blog pictorial event, I need some adjectives! So far, I have: Adjectives from Mrs. Simon’s GT Allstars: fluffy giant
Wonder About the World…
Less than a week until A Rock Can Be… comes out! This Sunday, March 1, the final book in the Can Be… trio tumbles into stores. I’ve been thinking about what it is I have really tried to do with these books, and I feel like a lot of what these books are REALLY about,
Why Can’t I Feel the Earth Spin? Why-ku by Laura Purdie Salas [Poetry Friday]
Happy Poetry Friday! I’m back with another why-ku–I’ve shared a few of these pairs over the past week, and it’s fun to look at them and remember just how much fun I had writing them! These are from my latest 30 Painless Classroom Poems book,?Why-ku: Poems of Wonder About the World. Here’s the final one
Old Tree [15 words or less poems]
Wake up your poetry brains with 15 Words or Less (guidelines here)! I think this tree was near Niagara Falls…but I’m not sure! Just one of those random pics I’ve had squirreled away for a 15 Words or Less day! OK, what kind of tree is this? I wanted to refer to a specific tree
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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