Sunday, March 30, 2014

Fibonachos! (A Recipe)

So, I ran across this recipe on a scrap of paper on my desk today - I recall quickly writing it late one night while brainstorming ideas for The 14 Fibs of Gregory K. launch.  I don't recall what my exact thoughts were, but I bet it was something like "Hey! It's food! And Fibonacci!" Regardless, here it is:

Fibonachos

1 bag of chips
1 can refried beans
2 lbs. ground beef
3 handfuls shredded cheese
5 tablespoons sour cream

Serves 8.

In a large pan, brown the meat, seasoned to taste (with 13 spices, ideally). Combine with beans. Pour bag of chips onto cookie pan to form an even layer. Cover chips with meat-bean mixture. Sprinkle the three handfuls of cheese on top. Put in oven at 250 degrees for 10 minutes. Serve warm, garnished with sour cream.

Yes, I had all that written down. I was serious about this idea, I tell you! As you may recall... I had pie at the launch party instead. I'm okay with that... but if you ever want to invite me over for Fibonachos, I'm game!

Now, I already knew about a similar idea as presented by Bill Amend in Foxtrot. But I decided to Google "fibonachos" today and lo and behold, check out this gorgeous post on the Tech in Translation site. The picture below gives you the idea. And with that, I say... Fibonachos for all, and for all a good night!




Friday, March 28, 2014

Announcing the 2014 Redux-Edition of 30 Poets/30 Days!

This year, I'm doing something a little different with 30 Poets/30 Days: I'm going to the archives and re-sharing the first two years of the amazing poetry I've been lucky enough to have here at the blog.

This will be the first year without new poems - logistics and life conspired to make it so that I wouldn't be able to offer up 30/30 the way I wanted. So, as I tried to figure out what to do to keep the event moving forward (because finding 30 poets was NOT the problem!), I went back and re-read old poems... and the answer became clear.


Each day of April, I'll re-share the poems that came out on that day in 2009 and 2010. For example, on April 1, you'll have poetry by Jack Prelutsky and Alice Schertle. So, two poems a day... and here's the full list of whose poetry you'll see in during National Poetry Month here:

Arnold Adoff, Jaime Adoff, Francisco X. Alarcón, Kathi Appelt, Jorge Argueta, Brod Bagert, Carmen Bernier-Grand, Calef Brown, Joseph Bruchac, James Carter, Kurt Cyrus, Graham Denton, Rebecca Kai Dotlich, Ralph Fletcher, Douglas Florian, Betsy Franco, Kristine O'Connell George, Charles Ghigna, Nikki Giovanni, Joan Bransfield Graham, Nikki Grimes, Avis Harley, David L. Harrison, Georgia Heard, Mary Ann Hoberman, Lee Bennett Hopkins, Alan Katz, Bobbi Katz, X. J. Kennedy, Bruce Lansky, Julie Larios, Arthur A. Levine, J. Patrick Lewis, George Ella Lyon, Elaine Magliaro, Pat Mora, Heidi Mordhorst, Walter Dean Myers, Kenn Nesbitt, Linda Sue Park, Ann Whitford Paul, Greg Pincus, Jack Prelutsky, Adam Rex, Laura Purdie Salas, Liz Garton Scanlon, Alice SchertleJon Scieszka, Joyce Sidman, Marilyn Singer, Charles Waters, Charles Waters, April Halprin Wayland, Carole Boston Weatherford, Janet Wong, Jacqueline Woodson, Jane Yolen, and Tracie Vaughn Zimmer.

You can see why I'm excited! I admit, I had not re-visited some of those poems in five years... and I'm suspecting most of you will find some wonderful surprises (or weren't even here with us those first years), so let me just say... there is some amazing work coming your way.

There are many ways to follow along with the fun. You can visit the blog each day, subscribe to the blog, or sign up for my "poetry only" list which sends out poetry as it hits the blog (just enter your email address in the box below then click subscribe)

I'm looking forward to April, as always, and celebrating poetry a little more than during a typical month. But only a little more since poetry is a year-round thang!


Monday, March 24, 2014

What a Poem Can Be - a poem about poems

What a Poem Can Be
by
Greg Pincus
(inspired by Marilyn Singer's What Water Can Be)

Complete in a couplet
    A poem, petite
Placed well on the page
    A poem, concrete
An A B, A B verse
    A poem that's rhyming
Clear metered precision
    A poem with timing
Strong words in set structure
    A poem well formed
On stage off the page
    A poem performed
Fun twists causing laughter
    A poem with wit
Best words in best order
    A poem well writ

Today's poem was written in response to the poetry prompt at The Miss Rumphius Effect, sharing Marilyn Singer's poem from her book How to Cross a Pond: Poems About Water.

I don't know that this form has a name, but it was true that it forced me to think of word choice. I suspect I will tweak and tweak and tweak this one because I had so much fun with it, but I promised myself I'd post what I had today... and here 'tis!

Good fun. Thanks for the prompt, Tricia!

By the way, if you want to get all the new poems hereabouts emailed to you for freeee as they hit the blog, enter your email address in the box below then click subscribe!

Friday, March 14, 2014

Happy Pi Day!

If this isn't the most numerical beautiful pie around, I don't know what is (from The Nerdista)


As a lover of pie, pi, Fibonacci, math, and circles (who doesn't love circles?), 3/14 is fine day, indeed. I hope you get to celebrate it more than three times today!

Tuesday, March 04, 2014

Blinding You With Science (Poetry, That Is)!

I am super excited to be part of The Poetry Friday Anthology for Science, out this week from Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong!

The book is chock full of over 300 science related poems by an incredible assortment of poets - Laureates J. Patrick Lewis, Mary Ann Hoberman, and Kenn Nesbitt, for example, or Joyce Sidman and Jane Yolen as other examples. Oh, and I'm in there, too!

The poems say they're for K-5, but I've been reading them since they arrived and... oh, just buy it. It's great stuff (and I'm not even using the classroom bonus material).

If you want the poems broken down by grade level, you can get that, too - there are six smaller books - the K through 5 booklets, really - that you can purchase individually (with bonus poems, but not all the same teacher-ish stuff in it).

You can check out all the Poetry Friday Anthologies on the Pomelo Books website as they are all worth a look.

But in the meantime, I say to you... Science!!!!