I was in Chicago for NCTE (National Council for Teachers of English) the week before Thanksgiving. What a blast! The main reason I went was to be part of Sylvia Vardell‘s panel, “Poetry for Paupers,” offering low-cost?poetry resources for?educators.
- The Poetry for Paupers panel: (l to r) poet Laura Purdie Salas, poet Janet Wong, educator and poetry advocate Sylvia Vardell, Poetry Out Loud! National Champion Youssef Biaz, Poetry Out Loud! Director (I think) Stephen Young
The panel was terrific! Sylvia started off with an amazingly rich resource list of poetry, which she posted on her blog, too.
Then Janet talked about poetry e-thologies,’read a few poets’ poems,?and shared’some online resources, including her fantastic Poetry Suitcase, a project I’ve used?in schools–kids love this!
Then it was my turn. I shared some poems from both Stampede! and BookSpeak! and some features of my blog and website that I thought teachers might find especially useful, like 15 Words or Less Thursdays, Poetry Fridays, etc. I also talked about a few blogs/websites just perfect for teachers.?Get my handout right here.
Next, Stephen Young of Poetry Out Loud! spoke about the poetry recitation program for high schoolers and how it works and what it offers to kids. What a cool thing for high schoolers to be involved in.
Finally, Youssef Biaz, the current Poetry Out Loud! champion, performed “Filling Station,” by Elizabeth Bishop. Wow.
Sylvia, as always, ran this session with enthusiasm, grace, and a passion for poetry. We started on time, ended on time, and offered a wide variety of resources that I hope teachers will love.
Sounds so great. What amazing resources. And that gift made me smile. I think I have some of those left in the back of a closet I may have to haul out. ..
Do it! :>)
Sounds so great. What amazing resources. And that gift made me smile. I think I have some of those left in the back of a closet I may have to haul out. ..
Do it! :>)
Aw, shucks, you’re too kind to me! But thanks for tooting our horn a bit– I thought our session was particularly great– lots of energy in the room. You are a wonderful presenter and had the audience in the palm of your hand!
Thanks, Sylvia–that’s kind of you to say. I only attended a few sessions, but I thought ours was right on the money as far as professionalism and actual usefulness! And I’m now on the roster to possibly work with a couple of Minnesota high schools in the new year as they prep for Poetry Out Loud. Just a half-day at each school, I think. We’ll see if any of them have me come out. Interesting possibility:>)
Aw, shucks, you’re too kind to me! But thanks for tooting our horn a bit– I thought our session was particularly great– lots of energy in the room. You are a wonderful presenter and had the audience in the palm of your hand!
Thanks, Sylvia–that’s kind of you to say. I only attended a few sessions, but I thought ours was right on the money as far as professionalism and actual usefulness! And I’m now on the roster to possibly work with a couple of Minnesota high schools in the new year as they prep for Poetry Out Loud. Just a half-day at each school, I think. We’ll see if any of them have me come out. Interesting possibility:>)
Darnit to heck I wish I could have been there. I will try my best-est for sure next year. It seems like everyone had a blast. Salas power!!!!!!!!
There were so many great gatherings of poets! I just can’t afford to go to these things without publisher support. Next year, NCTE is in Vegas. Wishing I had a presentation to do there!
Darnit to heck I wish I could have been there. I will try my best-est for sure next year. It seems like everyone had a blast. Salas power!!!!!!!!
There were so many great gatherings of poets! I just can’t afford to go to these things without publisher support. Next year, NCTE is in Vegas. Wishing I had a presentation to do there!