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 finally got my contributor copy of A Universe of Rainbows (address change issues)! It is such a fabulous anthology, and I’m proud to be part of it! I read bits of it as a digital ARC, but I’ve only now been able to sit down and savor it. The poems range from witty to wise, from lyrical to surprising, from scientific to awe-inspiring…I love the design and Jamey Christoph’s art, too. I think every reader will get something from reading this. Poetry paired with prose scientific sidebars is one of my favorite formats, and this anthology accomplishes it brilliantly. Thank you to Eerdmans Books and Matt Forrest Esenwine!
A while back, I shared my “Rainbowfish” poem that was included in this book. Today, I thought I’d share my initial word bank brainstorming and a couple of other poems I wrote.
I did a bit of research on the rainbowfish and then played with words. Here’s a screen capture of my Word document.
Then I wrote five poems, each with a different form and/or focus and/or tone. Here’s a screenshot of two of them.
And do you know where I found mentor text poems for both of these, I think? Amy Ludwig VanDerwater’s fabulous Poems Are Teachers! I adore finding a poem I love and then trying on something about the structure/approach in my own poem. So fun to play with a topic that way!
That’s it for this week. Happy Mother’s Day to all who celebrate, and hugs to all for whom the holiday is bittersweet or painful (including my own close family members).
Author and poet Sarah Grace Tuttle has the Poetry Friday Roundup this week!
8 Responses
Laura, your sharing of process is inspiring & show how much time you spend to find the right words. I’m aglow in your sharing rainbow.
I love seeing your process. Thank you! All that rhyme brainstorming is so fun. And, I’m glad you finally got the book! It’s just beautiful and good on ya for being in it. Well done!
So inspiring and helpful to have a peek at your process, Laura! Thank you.
Laura, your process posts are always so fun and instructive!
Thanks for sharing these two forms. I love them both! And as I clean out my classroom, I am definitely taking home Poems are Teachers.
Laura, this is a great post! I always love seeing how folks find their poems. Word banks rock! It’s also neat to see how different forms encouraged you to explore different themes connected to your topic. Thank you for sharing, and happy Poetry Friday!
I always love a good process post! Thanks!
Laura, thank you for a peek into your process. I hope Mother’s Day was a day of sweetness with your family. I send you many thanks for your card. How thoughtful.