Welcome, and happy Poetry Friday! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? Click here.) I’m so happy you’ve dropped by. Whether you’re a regular participant in the Poetry Friday world, or you ended up here from a search or a link, please know that we’re a welcoming community! Read, comment, think, share, and enjoy!
I’m in a flurry of packing and prepping, and then I’m off to Chicago for the NCTE/NCTM Joint Conference! I’m sorry to miss most of my reading and commenting this week, but I’m SUPER excited that I’ll get to hear Irene Latham and Charles Waters give the opening keynote! And I might even get to grab a few minutes to chat together. So great to see poetry friends in person.
Also, if you’re wondering about what I posted last week about letting go of some income writing, etc., you can find the whole story here at my How Much Money Does a Writer Make? page. Just scroll down to Big Changes Coming in the 2024 entry.
Now: poetry! I usually share my own work here, or occasionally that of someone else in the PF community. This week, I’m sharing a poem by a local Twin Cities author, Molly Beth Griffin. Molly is such a generous writer–one of those people who always champions others…who brings a community together. She’s written many lovely, often lyrical, picture books. But this is her first book of poetry for young kids. It. Is. Gorgeous. Both the poems and the fabulous scratchboard/watercolor art by Claudia McGehee.
Here’s one of my favorite spreads and poems. I love the prose scientific sidebar and the little fun fact, too. Layered text and different genres of writing mean wider reader appeal.
Home Improvement
Is your space feeling snug?
No need to jump ship!
No need for house hunting!
Moving is a hassle, and besides,
you’re attached to your home.
You can fix up your place,
build on, e x p a n d.
Start from the middle
and build out, out, out.
See? So roomy!
You’re comfy again…
at least for a while.
After all, we’re all under construction
most of the time.
–© Molly Beth Griffin, all rights reserved
And for lots of wonderful poetry, don’t miss the Poetry Friday Roundup and some firefly goodness with birdwatcher, photographer, and thinker Ruth!
10 Responses
Thank you, Laura! Have fun in Chicago!
Yay! Just requested this book at my library. Looking so forward to seeing you in Chicago, Laura!! xo
LOL. What a great poem…a fabulous illustration to accompany it! I love it. Thanks for the intro. to this poet for me. I will enjoy finding out more about her.
Have a great conference! I look forward to hearing about it. Thanks for sharing this beautiful book.
So much truth in those last few lines!
Gorgeous illustrations! They look like block printing!!
Oh! My public library has this book! Can’t wait to read it! Have a wonderful time at the conference!
Beautiful words and art, Laura! The art reminds me of Beth Krommes’ style. I will look for this book! Thank you!
Thanks for sharing, Laura. I love the illustrations in the book you shared. Enjoy the conference and the networking. I’ll have to go back and read your income article — I missed the reference to it last week.
I just read your 2024 section of your income article and want to thank you so very much for sharing this information in a straight-forward, honest way. I felt like we were having a conversation. I think it is so hard for authors today. I am one of the “privileged” that doesn’t need to rely on any writing income but still very much feel less than in my attempts to sell my writing. It’s part of why I indie published two books — but that income is a drizzle — far less than yours in that category. As far as school visits, I did that with my garden club curriculum but was never ever paid. The district just took advantage of me — and I guess I let them.
I had a bad experience with my local library too — when I held a writer’s circle there — they said I hadn’t paid to use the “room.” I didn’t know I was supposed to — no one ever asked for payment when I reserved the space. (It was $300 — hidden on the website — a ridiculously high and user unfriendly fee, I suppose because the library was new.) Essentially, I got in trouble because for the first time ever, I charged students $25.00 a piece (I only had three students) for materials and eight meetings with me for writing guidance over the summer. We held the remainder of our meetings outside on the grounds. The students never knew about this. I didn’t want them to loose their love for the library.
Over 15 years of teaching in extra-curricular fashion (serving 600 students in just this capacity) meaning after school once to twice a month and in classrooms on occasion 1–3x a year, or for school wide presentations, I was never paid. Thousands of children, in total, were served. I know I sound like I’m bitter about that, and I suppose I was/am — but I allowed it to happen to me because I wanted to teach and felt the subject matter and groups I led were important.
What I’m trying to say is thatI wish I had looked at it more analytically like you have. I congratulate you on your bravery in sharing the information and on your authentic way of preserving your desire to write. Now, with some pressure off, I hope you can enjoy the process more. Thank you, again.
Laura, I love the ending of the poem you shared. I hope you are having a wonderful time at the conference, especially listening to Irene and Charles.