Blog
Shouldn’t Being Fearless Get Easier Eventually?
If you’re a regular reader, you know about my summer drum corps adventure and how far out of my comfort zone I am. I thought it would get easier as the summer went along, but, well, that’s just not happening. Instead, I just keep realizing how much further I need to go. A couple of weeks
Quotation Motivation: Falling Without Hitting the Ground
“Flying helicopters has been referred to as the art of falling without hitting the ground–and the same might be said of the ride to publication. It’s the art of hanging in during the free fall, keeping your eye on the horizon, and refusing to give up. No matter what.”–Robert B. Robeson (in the Jul/Aug
10 Life Lessons from a Bus Trip
From Thursday evening to Sunday evening, I was on a drum corps bus trip from Minneapolis to Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. We took charter buses for the almost 24-hour trips there and back. Randy and I rode the “baby bus.” The “wine and cheese bus” (adults, light drinking) was full, so we had to choose between the “party bus”
Over My Head
Photo: Patty McKenna (This pic is from our very first show.) I’ve been feeling in waaaaaaaaaaaaay over my head in color guard. Staffers will call out commands that I have no idea of the meaning of, like, “If it’s windy, spin outside the silk more.” Or something like that. Anyway, there’s just so much stuff
Wait! I’m Not Ready!
Well, I survived my first two drum corps shows. After a disastrous run-through at practice, I said to staffer Heather, “I’m clearly not ready to do the opener.” That’s the opening number that includes the oar work above. “You need to,” she said. And that was that. So I did all my planned songs in both
Poetry Friday: Golden Possibilities (by me)
Happy Poetry Friday! Last week, I shared “Get Smart With the Periodic Table,” which recently appeared in KNOW Magazine, a Canadian science magazine for kids. The theme for the issue was the elements, and here’s the other poem I had included in that issue. Golden Possibilities Labeled Au Gold, assigned Drilled out of rock
First Show Tonight
Quick update for anyone following my color guard adventures. Our first show is tonight. I will maybe (if I can get oar work figured out this afternoon) be doing everything but the closing piece. I am terrified. That is all. If you’ve never seen drum corps, here’s a sample from Minnesota Brass’ show two years ago.
In Praise of Feedback from Kids
A few weeks ago, I shared the Praise Poems workshop I did with 4th-8th graders at a week’s worth of Young Authors Conferences. One of the very best things about this set of YAC is that the kids pick their favorite session (out of the 3 they attended) on an evaluation form. There are probably 20–30
Poetry Friday: Get Smart With the Periodic Table (by me)
Happy Poetry Friday! I thought I’d share my light verse poem that recently appeared in KNOW Magazine, which is a Canadian science magazine for kids. The theme for the issue was the elements, and I had fun poring over the periodic table for the first time mumble, mumble years. Get Smart with the Periodic TableI know
Write After Reading: Living the Life Poetic (Chapter 71)
It’s Wednesday again, time for Write After Reading!Write After Reading: Living the Life Poetic is a weekly online book club with poetry participation. It alternates between my blog and Susan Taylor Brown’s blog. Last week, we did Chapter 63: Taking Shape, Experimenting with Poetic Forms at Susan’s blog. Zip over there and take a read if you missed it. This week,
Revising a Poetry Collection, Day 3
Yay! It’s day 3 of the 4 days I set aside for revising my current poetry collection. I did day 2 last week at Barnes & Noble, and it was a tough one. I was trying to work in setting and sensory words, without making my poems any longer (I spent revision day 1 trying
March Your Dots, or Guide to Another Writer?
In color guard, there are two conflicting techniques for how to know where you should be on the field at any given beat of music: March Your Dots — Know exactly what your position should be for every step–for instance, 3 steps outside the 45-yard line and 8 steps behind the front hash mark. Guide
An Actual Writing Day!
Between freelance work and family obligations (especially over the summer, when I practically wear a chauffeur uniform), I don’t get much time to work on the writing I love. That’s why I am so excited to have carved out several chunks of days to work on a poetry project. I’ve finished draft 2 of this
Even-ing Out the Scales, Staying Sane, and Finding Balance
I’ve said how hard my color guard experience has been. (Here’s how my color guard adventure started out…) It’s tough on everything–my body, my schedule, my brain…My body’s taking the most beating, though. I’ve had two black eyes, too many big bruises to count, swollen fingers, and a knee that now seems to be permanently
Write After Reading: Living the Life Poetic (Chapter 58)
Write After Reading: Living the Life Poetic is a weekly online book club with poetry participation. It alternates between my blog and Susan Taylor Brown’s blog. Susan led last week’s episode, and we did a very cool exercise of writing poems to given titles. Terrific results! This week, we’re doing Chapter 58: Writing the Zeitgeist. Here’s where I
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