Yrteop!

Yrteop is poetry backwards - not a form of poetry, but the word. It seemed an accurate title, too, as I ask all my poetry loving fans a question....

Know any poems for kids that are about things/people being backwards?

In rapid succession this week, I ran into Mary Ann Hoberman, Shel Silverstein, and Douglas Florian poems predicated on the idea of a person doing things backwards - walking on ceilings or underwear on the outside or riding a horse backwards or or or.

The poems were all different and funny, and I started thinking there must be more that I could group together for a readaloud. Perhaps couple them with David LaRochelle's fab fairy-tale-in-reverse picture book The End for a backwards festival!

All suggestions welcome. And while you're thinking poetry, head on out to see the Poetry Friday roundup, hosted today at Picture Book of the Day - one of amazing author, teacher, blogger Anastasia Suen's blogs.

I'm Pretty Well Connected (v. 2.0) - a Social Web poem/a social network poem

I’m Pretty Well Connected (v. 2.0)
by
Greg Pincus

I’m pretty well connected.
I’ve got my Facebook page.
I tweet, blog, plurk
From home and work.
I link, connect, engage!

I Stumble, and I Ustream.
My YouTube channel’s big.
I’m there on Sphinn,
MySpace, LinkedIn.
I HARO, and I Digg.

Goodreads, Hulu, Google -
Flixster and Squidoo -
You’ll find me there
While in my chair!
I Yelp and podcast, too.

FourSquare, FriendFeed, Flickr?
Of course I have accounts.
And also Ning
and Ping and Bing
Plus eight I can’t pronounce.

I’m pretty well connected.
I love the web, it’s true.
But it’s just fine
If you’re offline...
I’ve got some friends there, too :-)


Just as with last year and version 1.0 of I'm Pretty Well Connected, I look forward to clicking those hyperlinks in years ahead to see if they all still work. This time, by the way, a few link to my own profiles rather than just the sites themselves - another 2.0 revision.

With FriendFeed already acquired by Facebook, will it be the first to go... or will someone else above be acquired or just go under? Any predictions, comments, or thoughts about what v. 3.0 will look like are more than welcome!

Nomination Time at The Cybils and 28 Days Later

It's nomination season all you fans of children's literature! And you've got two great ways to be part of the fun....

28 Days Later, a Black History Month celebration of children's litetature, is the flagship initiative of The Brown Bookshelf. The event is a month-long showcase of the best in Picture Books, Middle Grade and Young Adult novels written and illustrated by African Americans. (Yes, I took that from their site because when I tried to write it differently, it ended up the same!)

You can nominate books until November 1st, and all the details are at this link.

The Cybils are also open for nominations, though only until October 15th. You've got nine categories to choose from this year... though you don't have to choose! Nominate your favorite qualifying book in any or all categories (though only one per category). I am a Cybils judge on the final panel for poetry books, just so you know.

Click here for the Cybils' rules and categories, and I highly urge you to head on out and join the nominating fun.

Spot the Plot (on Poetry Friday!)

This week in my volunteer librarian hat, I not only read aloud what turns out to be the most challenged book of the last three years - And Tango Makes Three - but also had the pleasure of reading J. Patrick Lewis' Spot the Plot - A Riddle Book of Book Riddles to a slew of appreciative kids.

Spot the Plot is a book of poems each of which is also a riddle. The solution to each riddle is the name of a well-known children's book. Yes, it really is a riddle book of book riddles! The art by Lynn Munsinger helped (and amused) the kids immensely as they tried to solve those riddles. And...

We had a blast: I'd read a poem, count to three, and then all of us would shout out our answers.

And I was always right! The kids were almost all always right, too, but a few made some pretty interesting guesses that led to great conversations. An added bonus.

The poems are a hoot by themselves, but the concept made it a total win. The kids talked about writing their own book riddles! Yes, they wanted to WRITE POETRY!

I was also inspired, and so, for Poetry Friday, I shall share one of my own attempts at a book riddle:

J. Patrick Lewis
Gives us the clue-s.
We read all his poems...
Then name all the tomes.

(All together now. 1, 2, 3: "Spot the Plot!")

Thank you. Thank you. I'm here all week.

You can see a whole bunch more poetry at this week's Poetry Friday roundup hosted over at Kelly Herold's Crossover - where books have no boundaries.

You can also see two poems by J. Patrick Lewis right here at GottaBook: The Poet of the World (his contribution to 30 Poets/30 Days) and A Sixth Grader Sees the Future.

EDIT: J. Patrick Lewis has left two not-in-the-book book riddles in the comments! Be sure to check 'em out.

A post about #kidlitchat...

... is hanging out over here at the Happy Accident if you'd like to read it. Even though the chat is all about children's literature, the post itself seemed to belong more over there.

Still, if you're interested in what Bonnie Adamson and I are thinking about in terms of chat - as a resource, a community building tool, and a way to spread the word about children's literature to an even wider audience - I hope you'll check it out.

Final Freeeee Webcast Reminder: tomorrow at noon/9 Pacific

The fourth and final free webcast in the Social Media and the Book Industry series that Mark Blevis and I have been offering is tomorrow (Thursday) at 12 noon Eastern/9 AM Pacific. This week's topic is social media success stories (in terms of books and book promotions, that is!).

You can find all the information about the series here. Or you can click here to register. "See" you there!

September's Carnival is Up!

The September Carnival of Children's Literature is up and ready for ya. It's chock full, once again. It's hosted over at Susan Taylor Brown's blog, so once you're done with the carnival, I think you should poke around there, too, because you'll find a lot of great stuff.

I'm gonna find me some kettle corn and have some fun reading. See you there?

It's Library Season!

In the middle of last school year, I attempted to go into retirement as a volunteer librarian. I succeeded for a while, but... well... I'm baaaaaaaaaack. It's unlikely I'll ever put in as many hours in the job as I once did (and as it needs), but budgets being what they are, the gig is gonna remain a volunteer position for some time. This year, there should be plenty of help, however. Or so I hope!

The year started off we me needing a short, simple, fun book, and I grabbed John Stadler's Wilson and Miss Lovely (thanks, Amanda!). It started the year off with as a rousing success.

This being Banned Book Week, I've got some ideas for a read-aloud... though I'll be driven by quality, not by whether a book's been challenged or not.

It's good to be back in swing!

Issues. There are issues.

Yes, it's true - there are issues in the world, and those of us who write for children are faced with wondering how (or sometimes if) we should address them. And which issues, as you can't address them all.

Luckily, many smart minds think about this... and I can link you into a couple conversations with the idea that maybe you'll add your voice, too. Or at least enjoy the thinking!

To start with, over at Chasing Ray, Collen has put up part 7 of her What a Girl Wants series. This post is called Because We Are Not All Rich Girls. It's thought provoking and full of great comments already.

Over at author Mitali Perkin's blog, she approaches a related issue in a post about Consumerism and the YA Novel. Mitali's blog is full or wonderful posts about many topics, by the way, including many about race and culture and writing.

Banned Book Week beings on Saturday... and recently, New York Times bestselling YA author Ellen Hopkins found her books pulled from a school and her school visit canceled. You can read about the situation on her blog, starting here. In a touch of irony, Ellen had penned a poem for Banned Book Week called Manifesto.

There are so many more issues out there we should all be thinking about... and I hope one of these three resonates enough with you to get you to share your thoughts, too.

Webinar Reminder

Tomorrow (Thursday) is part three in the Social Media and the Book Industry series that Mark Blevis and I are doing. This one is all about engaging with social media communities. It's at noon Eastern/9 AM Pacific.

You can get all the information about the series here.

Or you can just click on this registration link.

Hope to "see" you there!

Shel Silverstein and Piles of Books

Betsy Bird, aka Fuse #8, has a great post up at her blog at School Library Journal today featuring, among other things, a video of Shel Silverstein on the Johnny Cash show!

The title of the post alone, taken from the video, should get you over there: Sometimes he shaves his head and wears a beard. Sometimes he shaves his beard and wears his head.

And I also want to shoot you over to The Happy Accident, where I have a post up featuring 14 pictures of people's To-Be-Read piles. If you've got a pile, you might feel better seeing some of these. Or worse, I suppose. I felt better, though, and a real sense of camraderie, too.

A Poetry Window

For Poetry Friday this week (with the links rounded up at Becky's Book Blog), I want to send you to the Poets' Window to take a look at 7 Deadly Sins written by Fassbinder... and all in Fib form.

While the site (and these poems) aren't geared towards kids I love the site's inspiration - poems displayed in the window of a charity bookstore in London - and also, I admit, love seeing how people continue to play with Fibs.

Hope you're all have a lovely Friday, a Happy New Year (if it applies!) and have a good weekend, to boot.

A Webcast Reminder and a Possibly Useful Link

I wanted to plug the (freeeeee) webcasts I'm doing with Mark Blevis (of Just One More Book and much more) since the next one is tomorrow (noon Eastern/9 AM Pacific). This webcast is all about Twitter and the book industry... and I hope folks will find it useful.

Here's the link to all the information about the series and the way to register.

I also went to send you off to an interesting article at Mashable called HOW TO: Write a Novel Using the Web. There are some great resources within the article that I think are useful whether you use them as part of a bigger "write using the web" strategy or not!

What do you think? Any of the links in that article seem helpful to you?

The 3rd Kidlitosphere Conference - You Really Should Go

The 3rd Kidlitosphere Conference is fast approaching - it's October 17th in Washington D.C., and you can check the information about it here. The reduced hotel rate at the Sheraton ends on Wednesday (NOTE: it's been extended!), so now is really the time to make your reservations. And why should you go?

Because, if you are someone who blogs about children's literature, be you author, illustrator, editor, agent, librarian, parent, reviewer, fan, or whomever, you will be among your people - learning more than you expect, creating and cementing friendships and relationships that (at least for me) enrich life, and understanding how we collectively and individually can help ourselves and children's literature via what we do online. Plus there'll probably be cookies!

Not enough? Why not read what Betsy (aka Fuse#8), Jen, Colleen, Sarah, Pam (aka MotherReader), Jules and Eisha and Lee Wind have to say about the Conference (and why you should go).

This Morning I E-mailed My Manuscript Out - a poem for writers

THIS MORNING I E-MAILED MY MANUSCRIPT OUT
by
Gregory K.

This morning, I e-mailed my manuscript out –
Clicked send then I let out a huge, happy shout.
Now that it’s gone, there’s so much I can do:
Like speak to my friends and my family, too!
I’ll do all the dishes. I’ll sweep all the floors.
I’ll visit that place that they call “the outdoors.”
I’ll catch up on reading. A movie sounds good.
I’ll clean off my desktop to check if it’s wood.
I’ll cut back on coffee and eat some real meals.
I’ll see if my legs like how exercise feels.
I do hope I hear ‘bout my manuscript soon,
But I won’t check my inbox... at least until noon.


Elaine has the Poetry Friday Roundup over at the Wild Rose Reader today. It's well worth checking out, as is her blog itself.

If you want to get all my poems (and only the poems) emailed to you for freeee as they hit the blog, enter your email address in the box below then click subscribe!

The Attack of the Spammmmmers

Every now and then, I get a rash of spam comments here at GottaBook. If you've ever left a comment here, you'd know that you actually have to type in a verification word, so these spammers have a real person working for 'em.

What amuses me is that the comments they leave are so... uh... not sounding like people this way might talk ever link here maybe... that I cannot figure out how they expect me not to notice and delete.

I'm sure over the 3 1/2 years here, some comments have gotten through, but still.

Ah well, onward! And if you see a spam comment... don't click on the links :-)

#kidlitchat (again!)

Tonight is #kidlitchat on Twitter (9 Eastern/6 Pacific), and if you aren't already joining us there, I highly encourage you to come check it out. Yes, you've probably missed this week, but we're there every week. It's quickly become a highlight for me, and I'd love to see more of y'all there.

If you're wondering what twitter chats are and how they possibly work, Debbie Ridpath Ohi has a great article about them on her Inkygirl.com blog. I highly recommend reading it before jumping in.

Also, I've been saving the transcripts of prior chats. Take a read to see just how much fun they are!

Hope to see you there!

Poetry and Fires

It has been a smoky, hot week here in Los Angeles. I'm lucky not to be affected directly by the flames, though thinking of all the folks I know (and all the people I don't know) who have been impacted still takes up mental space. Ash, unfortunately, takes up lung space, too.

I mention this here on Poetry Friday because I want to send you off GottaBook to read my friend Sara Wilson Etienne's blog entry No One May Ever Have the Same Knowledge Again.

To me, her piece is poetic, in the best sense of the word (a sentiment I see is echoed in the comments there!), even though it's prose. As a bonus,it also talks about one of my favorite, quirky places in Los Angeles: the Museum of Jurassic Technology! I think you'll enjoy the post, so I hope you'll go check it out.

Afterwards, why not head over to Kelly Herold's Crossover blog and check out the Poetry Friday roundup? You might even want to take a gander at all the posts. After all, no one may ever have the same post list again....

Announcing a Free Web Series on Social Media and the Book Industry

I am excited to tell you about a series of free webcasts that Mark Blevis and I will be offering come September.

The series is called How social media can help you sell books: Guidance for the book publishing industry and its stakeholders.

I like Mark's description of what we're offering: a series of FREE webcasts that will give book publishers, publicists, authors, illustrators and enthusiasts social media savvy for outreach and promotion.

In short, each installment will have a different focus and seek to answer the question "Yeah, but how does this help me sell books?"

Here's a brief rundown of the four sessions (with a handy link so you can register now):

September 10 – Finding the Conversation: Who’s talking about you and what they're saying

Understanding search and alerts to monitor the digital conversation. This session will focus on effective use of Google with references to Technorati, Twitter and IceRocket... and, yes, talking about how this can help you sell books.

September 17 – Twitter: More than “What are you doing?”

Exploring why to use Twitter, how to engage and craft your message, how to use hash tags plus a few "aha!" Twitter stories.

September 24 – Bloggers/Podcasters are People, Too: Engaging with the social media community

Ideas and recommendations for meeting, relating to and collaborating with the social media community.

October 1 – Remarkable Uses of the Internet to Promote Books (and the People Behind Them)

Interesting and successful examples of effective book promotion in the digital age.

You can click here to register for the free sessions. And I hope to "see" you there!

The Back To School Carnival is Up!

It's the last Carnival of Children's Literature of the summer, hosted at a blog whose name always makes me nod: In Need of Chocolate.

The Carnival is chock full of great stuff, with posts covering everything from ethics, racist picture books, book reviews, calls for submissions, poetry, and much much more.

And deep fried Twinkies!!!!!

Oh, wait. That was another carnival.

Anyway, go on and check it out.

Thoughts turn to Shel Silverstein...

... on this 100 degree plus Poetry Friday. One could sit around in one's bones here today, and it'd still be hot!

For some cool poetry, though, head over to Kate Coombs' blog Book Aunt for the roundup of Poetry Friday posts. There's lots of great links, as well as Kate's own tribute to the remarkable poet Karla Kuskin who just recently passed away.

And when you're done, could you send me some ice? Thanks!

KidLitCon 3 (three!!!!!) in October!

On October 17th I'll be speaking at and attending the 3rd KidLitCon - a conference largely for folks who blog about children's literature. You can see the details here at the Kidlitosphere.org site.

I say largely, because if you love children's literature or love the folks who blog about it or are interested in that world or are thinking of starting a blog or or or... you really should come.

I have made great friends in the kidlit world, and getting a chance to see them IN PERSON is by itself a reason to go to this conference, at least for me. Plus, there's such a huge base of knowledge and such a willingness to share.... Good times!

So... you coming? You know you want to....

A Poetry Re-issue: The First Day of School - a first day of school poem

(This poem originally ran here at GottaBook in September of 2006 and again last year, I believe. But it is that time of year again!)

THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL
by
Gregory K.


I don’t know the teacher.
I sure hope she’s nice.
But what if she’s mean with a heart cold as ice???
What about bullies?
There might be a bunch.
And what a disaster if I mess up lunch!
I don’t like that playground:
The slide hits the sky!
And now here at drop-off, I can’t say “goodbye.”
My stomach is queasy.
My stress can’t be greater...
But then a voice calms me,
“Bye, Dad! See ya later!”


Good luck to all parents (yeah, and kids, too) as the first day of school comes 'round once more. And happy Poetry Friday to all! Why not check out the roundup of this week's posts over at The Boy Reader?

Oh, yeah - you can change "Dad" to "Mom" in that last line, as necessary!

If you want to get all my new poems (and only the poems) emailed to you for freeee as they hit the blog, enter your email address in the box below then click subscribe!

Come See Me October in Seattle

(This post is cross post from my other site, The Happy Accident. If you happen to see it twice, well, the truth is that I really do want to see you all in Seattle! That's all I'm saying....)

On October 12th and 13th, I'll be up in Seattle, courtesy of the wonderful folks running the SCBWI Western Washington Region.

On the 12th I'll be presenting a four hour "Training Camp" seminar called Unleashing the Power of Social Media for Writers and Illustrators. How wonderful are the folks up there?

Stretching (poetically speaking)

I have not been writing nearly as much this summer as I'd like - not poetry, stories, or even blog posts. Sometimes it's nice to get a wee kick to restart the process or, for that matter, just to inspire me even when I'm writing a lot.

So, thinking some of you might be like me, I want to send you over to the Miss Rumphius Effect where Tricia puts up a new poetry stretch every Monday.

You don't have to share what you write (I rarely do... but that doesn't mean I don't use 'em), but if you want to, you can add them to the comments or post them on your own blog. On Thursday's, Tricia also shares the results of the stretch on her blog (which, for some, might work as accountability).

I also like poetry stretches because I never hurt my hamstrings while doing them yet still keep my (writing) muscles limber. So head on over and stretch!

Sneaking in a link!

Sure, it's already Saturday in much of the world, but here it's still Friday, so I feel okay in sending you all over to Andromeda Jazmon's a wrung sponge for this week's Poetry Friday roundup. As always, a lot of good stuff... from videos, to reviews, to original poems to some Jefferson Airplane.

Go on and check it out!

A Post-SCBWI Conference Sorta Wrap Up Post

With the great coverage of the Conference by the SCBWI Team Blog and all the folks tweeting, there's little I can add that hasn't been said already. But that never keeps me quiet :-)

One key thing I took away from the conference: the picture book might not be dead, but it's still a soft market. Sigh. I'd also note that NO ONE spoke of poetry books that I heard. Double sigh. Still, children's books in general aren't hurting as much as other areas of publishing during the economic downturn.

There were more agents at the conference this year than in any prior year... and a bit of a sense in general that it helps if one has an agent. True... or simply a reflection of the attendees? It's unclear. Still, what was clear is that there are some mighty savvy, smart and funny agents out there.

There were cookies with morning coffee, something that made me feel very adult. I ate them BECAUSE I CAN DO THAT. The ratio of female to male attendees was around 7-1. Attendance this year was a record high. And the coffee was drinkable!

One of my jokes was a winner - the first time that has happened in a couple years. The last time I won, it was actually my friend Dan Hanna putting my name on one of his entries since he'd won so much (note: he's funny!) already.

As usual, it was the people who made the conference great. Everyone - faculty, staff, attendees - meshes together in a rather remarkable way for four days of community at its best. I miss folks, and I mean lots of folks the moment the conference is done.

I probably have an anecdote or two left in me for the days ahead, but I do highly encourage you to go to the SCBWI Conference blog and do some reading, if you haven't already done so. It'll make you feel like you were there... and then I'll miss you, too!

Overload!

Heading off for the last day of the SCBWI Conference... and as usual, it's total overload.

One of my favorite tiny bits so far came via author Karen Cushman. I will paraphrase (though it might be an exact quote, actually, but since I'm not sure, I call it a paraphrase!).

They say write what you know. If I did that, it would be

I woke up.
I made stuff up.
I went to bed.

Instead, I say write what you want to know.

Indeed!

Conference Time!

Tomorrow starts the SCBWI Summer Conference - four days of learning, fun, and fun learning (plus food and fun and schmoozing and fun and some fun, too). I have literally just gotten back to town and can't imagine being ready by morning, but I know when I check in and start seeing familiar faces... well... it's gonna be a blast!

If you're there, be sure to say hello! I hope to put up some updates, but this year you can check out the SCBWI Live Blog and also try tracking the #SCBWI09 hashtag on Twitter (and yes, that's a zero not a capital O).

Now, it's time to sleep (after shopping and unpacking and and and....)

Boogie Boarding - a beach poem, a Fib, a boogie boarding poem

Boogie Boarding
by
Gregory K.

Waves
Break
I zoom
On white foam
‘Til I glide to shore
Then the ocean roars, “One more ride!”


Today's Poetry Friday roundup is at Sylvia Vardell's fabulous Poetry For Children. Why not go check it out?

If you want to get all my new poems (and only the poems) emailed to you for freeee as they hit the blog, enter your email address in the box below then click subscribe!

Carnival Time

Over at Melissa Wiley's Here in the Bonny Glen (which, by the way, you should check out on a regular basis), you can find the most recent Carnival of Children's Literature. This Carnival encompasses two months worth of goodies, rather than the normal one, and now that I've nabbed some net access and read it over, I can heartily recommend it. Sure, there's no fried Twinkies, but it's still a party!

Mellow days here at GottaBook....

I expect to be on a slightly reduced posting schedule over the next week or two, as I take some summer time off... then get to see many of you at the SCBWI conference here in L.A.

Not that I'm disappearing, mind you, but if there's a longer than expted lull, just picture me writing poetry on a secluded beach at sunset. It won't be the case, but I like the image!

Awful Library Books

Oh, my... this site cracked me up enough that I felt a need to post simply to refer you there:

Awful Library Books


I have many favorites but Do-It-Yourself Coffins ranks mighty high on that list.


A Twitter hat tip to BookwormBites for the link!

A Poetry Re-issue: I Threw a Baseball - a baseball poem

This poem originally appeared here in April of 2006 (and the post contains one of my fave comments (at number five)).

I THREW A BASEBALL
by
Gregory K.

I threw a baseball into the air.
If fell to Earth I know not where.
And so you see, I can't explain
What happened to your window pane.


You can check out the Poetry Friday roundup over at the wonderful A Year of Reading. For more baseball poetry (hey... there was a perfect game tossed yesterday, so baseball's on my mind!), hope on over to Bardball.

If you want to get all my new poems (and only the poems) emailed to you for freeee as they hit the blog, enter your email address in the box below then click subscribe!

Another Reason Not to Judge a Book By Its Cover

I encourage you all to go over to author Justine Larbalestier's blog to read her post Ain't That a Shame.

The post is about how the US cover of her book Liar does not reflect the content of the book and, in fact, could undermine the story for some readers. The cover, you see, features a long-haired, white female... yet the protagonist of the book, per the author, "is black with nappy hair which she wears natural and short." That the character is also a nearly pathological liar creates even more disconnect with the cover and the story within.

Justine's written a very thoughtful piece on race, imagery, publishing and much, much more. There are many important issues here, and I highly recommend you read the post... and I'll be curious to hear your thoughts.

The Fib Review #4 is Up!

For those of you who've been here awhile, you've seen me mention the Fib Review before... and now you get to see me mention it again. The fourth issue of this online journal of Fibonacci poetry is now up and available over at R.G. Rader's Muse Pie Press site.

If you click on the Writers tab on this Fib Review site, you'll see the talented poets contributing this time around (including at least one who contributed Fibs here early on!). And if you want to submit for the next issue, you can do that, too.

I love seeing what folks can do with the Fibonacci form, and if you do, too, I highly recommend a trip to the Review.

Next #kidlitchat - Tuesday, July 21st at 9P Eastern/6P Pacific

Yes, #kidlitchat is coming back this week, but we're trying out Tuesday night. There were 40 of us (!!!!) chatting last week, but we were in some conflict with two other chats that attract writers (#WNW - Wednesday Night Writers, and the rather self-expanatory #editorchat). If Tuesday flops, we can move back, but for now, Tuesday evening is our home unless/until we announce a change.

So, please join me and Bonnie Adamson for...

What: #kidlitchat
Where: Twitter
When: Tuesday, July 21st at 9:00 PM Eastern/6:00 PM Pacific

You can find last week and future transcripts posted here at the Happy Accident, at least until we have a happy home for the chat and info elsewhere.

Looking forward to seeing you at the chat!

Poetry Post Squeeze

Sure, every week you can get a poetry stretch over at the Miss Rumphius Effect, but today I offer you a poetry post squeeze. Yup, Poetry Friday flew past me, yet here at a couple minutes before the end of the day, I'm squeezing in a post.

First off, the roundup of Poetry Friday posts is over at Becky's Book Reviews. As usual, it's great reading. And...

I also want to single out a post today by Laura Purdie Salas about her experience the Poetry Blast at ALA this past week (AND it includes a poem each by Lee Bennett Hopkins and Rebecca Kai Dotlich!). I would have LOVED to be in the crowd at the Blast to hear Laura and all the other amazing poets who were there. Ah well. Another year.

A New Twitter Chat - all about children's literature!

Bonnie Adamson and I are excited to announce a brand new Twitter chat that we'll be co-hosting. The first chat will be Wednesday night, 7/15, at 9 PM EDT/6 PM PDT, and we're using the hashtag #kidlitchat for now. Neither time nor tag are set in stone, by the way, but we wanted to get up and running sooner rather than later.

We hope that ANYONE with an interest in the craft and/or business side of writing for children, from board books through YA, will come join us.

The initial plan is that each chat will feature topics from a range of craft and business areas (hopefully suggested by all of us chatters!). We also hope to incorporate special guests in future chats. This first one will also include a focus on what we all would like to get out of a children's literature Twitter chat - be it community, knowledge, specific topics, a recreation of an SCBWI schmooze or...????

If you have any ideas, questions, or want more information, please leave a comment here or find Bonnie or me on Twitter.

Hope to see you there... and look for updates here and there as the chat evolves!

Why wasn't I informed???

What? There's a new Harry Potter movie coming out this week? And there are seven of those books???? Huh. Who knew?

And speaking of movies from children's books (nice segue, eh?), do any of you have an opinion on the odds of Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs living up to the fun of the picture book? I'm sure the special effects will be good enough to eat, but you could say I'm a bit nervous here. Am I alone in that feeling?

Father Goose Blogs!

Charles Ghigna, aka Father Goose, is now blogging! Ooooh... and he's posting poetry. In a word, "yay!"

Charles was one of the participants in 30 Poets/30 Days here at GottaBook, and since it's Poetry Friday, it's a fine time to re-link you to his "A Poem Is..." contribution to that project.

And finally, don't forget to go check out the roundup of Poetry Friday posts over at Jama Rattigan's alphabet soup. Good times, indeed!

It Was a Dark and Stormy Contest

Over at her blog, Brooklyn Arden, Cheryl Klein is having a contest! It's fun. It's silly. It's baaaaad.

Inspired by the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest, Cheryl's asking everyone to submit a really bad, totally made up opening sentence to a children's book. Actually, you can submit up to three times. The contest ends July 17th, and already the competition's steep.

Still, I have confidence that you GottaBook readers can do bad as well as anybody else, so go on over and try your worst!

Crash Into Me

Today, Crash Into Me, the debut novel by YA author Albert Borris hits the shelves. Normally as an author, when your book comes out, particularly your first one, you're telling everyone you can to help spread the word. But back in December, Albert Borris suffered a massive stroke which has left him currently unable to write or say words in the order he wants them to be in.

You can read more about Albert's story here on the blog of the Class of 2K9, of which Albert was co-president. This would be frustrating for anyone, of course, and must be terribly so for a writer and teen counselor like Albert.

Crash Into Me has gotten strong reviews in Kirkus and in the blogosphere (for example, at The Reading Tub), and the fellow authors in the Class of 2K9 have been helping spread the word. Now I am doing the same (here's a tweet of mine you can feel free to use/retweet/modify) ... and encourage you to join in, too.

For more information, click on any of the links above. And thanks!

One month to the SCBWI summer conference!

August 7-10 is the 38th Annual SCBWI Summer Conference here in LA (which is, admittedly, two days more than one month away but this is a poetry oriented blog, not math oriented).

So, who amongst y'all will I be seeing there?

Already looking forward to it... and even without waiting for answers, I know I'll be seeing many of you there!

The New Kite Tales is Up!

Kite Tales is the quarterly, free publication of the SCBWI-Los Angeles chapter. If you are at all interested in writing or illustrating children's books, the whole issue, edited by Rilla Jaggia, is well worth checking out. It's free and chock full of interviews, updates, and information. And...

I'm excited to point you all to an article of mine called Twitter, Tweeting and You that starts on page 25 of this issue! The article tells you step by step how to set up an account, find people to follow, use direct messages, tweet effectively, and more. The publication is a PDF, and the link to Kite Tales will take you straight to the download page.

I hope you download Kite Tales and enjoy it... and if you have questions about Twitter or SCBWI-LA, ask away!

A Poetry Re-Issue: Garage Sale - a garage sale poem

Garage Sale
by
Gregory K.

Mrs. O'Leary from down the street
Owned a Chevy and also a Dodge.
She must've sold them both, I guess.
Why else would she sell her garage?


Originally posted here back in 2006 (complete with a comment from Leonardo Fibonacci!), the poem popped into my mind because we're hosting a garage sale today. I figure most of you can't come by and buy, but at least this way you can be with me in a poetic sense.

Please note, by the way, that the garage is not for sale, nor is the yard. If you make a great offer on the sidewalk, however....

Lazy Days of Summer Wherefore Art Thou?

Oh, sure... I'll kick back and take it easy. I'll write and relax this summer. Yeah... well... as you can tell by the fact that I don't have a Poetry Friday post up, there was no kicking back and just relaxing. It's all good, though, particularly since part of the day involved going to a hole in the wall donut joint I'd never been to before. Yum.

Here's another person who's not kicking back this summer - my friend Cynthea Liu who's celebrating the luanch ofher book Paris Pan Takes the Dare by hosting an auction full of critiques and the like to benefit a Title I school in Oklahoma. There are critiques from editors and authors and agents... and you can do some good, too.

I hope you'll head over and check out Cynthea's auction (with other ways to help out, too!).

No laziness this weekend for me, but no more donuts, either. Don't worry... I'll survive!

Writing 2day (and almost a contest!)

I have a post up over at The Happy Accident called, in part, 2 B or Not 2 B all about the importance of writing well on Twitter (and everywhere, really). And the title of the post got me thinking...

What rewrites could we do in Twitter/instant message/Internet-speak to children's book titles or quotes? Or could we update them to make them "hip and now"?

Here were a few of my ideas from the different categories....


2 Think Th@ I Saw it on Mulberry St.

Jacob Have I <3'd

Charlotte's Web - "Where's papa going with that Google search?"

Wikipedia Brown (and the Case of the Missing URL)


I'd love to see what you come up with. I didn't turn it into a full blown contest this time because I couldn't narrow the idea down (well, that and I'm tired!), but if y'all have fun with it... who knows where it'll lead in the future?

Would you believe...

I was looking for an old query letter of mine that predates this computer and sent me the dreaded "paper files." And looking through there, I found a picture book manuscript I had completely forgotten about.

It's not great or nothing, mind you, but the fact that I completely erased it from memory seemed highly unfair - it had no bad history nor was it deserving of such a fate.

Does this happen to you? Do you run into material that you are surprised to find? And is any of it ever fabulous? Cuz, like, if it is... I'm gonna dig some more!

The Return of the Search Fib

It's been a lonnnng time since I posted a Search Fib - wherein I create a Fib from the search terms that have led people to my blog from a rather staggering assortment of search engines. But today, the muse struck... mostly because of the search that turned into the last line of the poem. And so, with no further ado:

Search Fib (Untitled)

Greg
K.
Fib Day
Last week school!
Poem: really bad
Poetry for my bestest dad


Bestest, indeed! And while I wish a happy almost Father's Day to all you good, better, and bestest dads out there, I note that it's still Friday, and that means Poetry Friday is here. So head on over and check out the roundup of posts over at Carol's Corner. You'll find some great stuff if you go poking around... though probably nothing else quite like the Search Fib :-)

Go say "hi!"

Today I had a slightly paranoid moment, I must admit. Just a flash. But at first glance, I thought the email in my inbox said "Arthur A. Levine is following you." My editor? Wha???? He's onto me! Ah, but wait... the full subject line said "on Twitter" at the end.

Ahhhh. I get it!

So if you're on Twitter, why not head on out and start following @AALBooks? And if you're not on Twitter... well... maybe come join us!

And if you're in the traveling mood, there's been some great conversation over at Read Roger lately. If you're a blogging book reviewer or author or illustrator or editor or anyone interested in how the online world is challenging (or not) the print world in terms of reviews, criticism and marketing, the come jump on into the conversation (the posts Blogs and Buzz and "The fanboys can be merciless." being two current hot-spots).

Books! Books! Books!!!!!!

I haven't spoken as much this year about my volunteer school library gig, in no small part because I took a sorta-hiatus from the day-to-day of being the librarian. I miss the almost-daily readalouds but have enjoyed having solid blocks of time to work. The library is in fine hands... but it's not like I've disappeared totally!

Unfortunately, one of the challenges of running a library with no budget is that it's mighty hard to get new (as in recently released) books on the shelves. We've worked hard to make the library a place the kids love coming to, and it really helps being able to have, say, the Lightning Thief books or the Clementine books or or or hundreds and hundreds more. This is the area I keep working on, and I have to say that considering the budget, we've done more than okay. How? Because...

My secret weapon has been you, my online friends.

Thanks to each and every one of you who has sent books my school's way. Seriously - like major, major thanks. This year, I want to offer up a really super-duper big hat tip to Amanda at A Patchwork of Books and author-illustrator Antoinette Portis for particularly big piles o' book donations. But each one of you - reviewers, authors, illustrators, publishers, friends, bloggers, readers - who has gotten me even one book has made a difference for us. And kids love our library.

If any of you are ever in L.A. and want to see what you've helped create, please let me know, and I'll see if I can bring you by at least one of the two libraries we've got running. And once again "thanks!" on behalf of all the students, teachers, and parents at the school. The generosity of book lovers never ceases to amaze....

Summer? Reallllly?

Okay, I want to lodge a complaint with someone or another about the fact that almost half the year has gone past already. Who do I call?

Still, the arrival of summer does mean I'll be switching into summer mode here at GottaBook, though looking at my likely schedule these next few months, I don't think there'll be a huge impact. Just know that if I appear to be a little lazier, it's nothing personal - it's just summer!

Blogging poetry lovers weren't lazy today, so why not head on over to the Poetry Friday roundup over at the Critique de Mr. Chompchomp? Good links, good poetry, what more could you want (other than the last 5 months not to have gone so fast)?

What a Girl Wants....

Over at Chasing Ray, Colleen has kicked of a series with a post called "What a Girl Wants: The Books We Can't Forget." The series itself will tackle various issues for girls and books, with this entry serving as an introduction to the group who'll be having the conversation.

Reading was not as big for me growing up as it was for many of my book-loving friends or, for that matter, my book-devouring brother. So, there truly is no one book that holds a special place in my memory... though I will say that it was reading a slew of mystery and action-adventure books (hand picked by Mom!) that made me start to appreciate reading a whole lot more.

What about you? Is there a book you can't forget or a book that made a huge difference for you growing up? Feel free to mention it here or go on over to Chasing Ray and jump on in the conversation....

Do You Haiku? And...

I do like Haiku
Strict form, thriving on word choice...
And they are not Fibs!

I'm excited to tell you all that Nikki Grimes is running a month-long Haiku contest on her new Facebook page. You can win a signed book... just for writing poetry! Why wouldn't you?

And.... Yes, there was an and: I'm pleased to say that Children's Poet Laureate Mary Ann Hoberman is now on Twitter! How cool is that?! That makes at least 20% of the 30 Poets/30 Days group who are there. Can the rest be far behind? I hope you'll come join us!

Doughnuts! Oh, Doughnuts! - a donut poem/a doughnut poem

Doughnuts! Oh, Doughnuts!
by
Greg Pincus

Doughnuts! Oh, doughnuts! Fried circles of yum.
You food that I simply adore.
You’re sure not nutritious, but you’re so delicious
I’m always left wishing for more.

I love you with frosting or covered in sprinkles.
I swoon for you, sweet, sugar raised!
When you’re filled with jelly, you warm up my belly...
While still leaving room for a glazed.

I’ll dip you in coffee or dunk you in milk.
I’ll eat you for breakfast or brunch.
I get so impassioned for simple old-fashioned
That sometimes I make them my lunch.

Doughnuts! Oh, doughnuts! Definers of yum.
You perfect fried circles of dough.
Although you’re caloric, you leave me euphoric...
So give me a dozen to go!

Today is not only Poetry Friday (with the roundup of posts hosted at Sara Lewis Holmes' Read Write Believe), but it's also National Doughnut Day (or, if you prefer, National Donut Day)! This certainly rates as one of my favorite "holidays" to celebrate, so this year I'm doing it with food AND poetry. And you? Wanna meet me at Stan's or Bob's or...?

You can find this poem and 53 others in my collection The Late Bird, available on Kindle (and all the free Kindle apps, too) and Nook. 

If you want to get all my new poems (and only the poems) emailed to you for freeee as they hit the blog, enter your email address in the box below then click subscribe!

More soon, but now I'm off to dream of Bavarian Kreme....

Bright, Glowing Cheers!

I'm excited when any of my friends have new books out, and I love seeing them get good reviews, too. That'd make me doubly pleased to see that Chris Barton's The Day-Glo Brothers got a starred review in Kirkus. But I admit I'm even happier than normal.

You see, I met Chris at the very first SCBWI conference I attended - at the late, lamented open-mic night, specifically - and we've stayed in touch ever since. He and his blog are among the chief reasons I started blogging, in fact, and you'll see him over there as the first blog in my (waaaaaay out of date and in need of love) blogroll. I was excited when he sold Day-Glo, felt his angst as it was delayed and delayed, and now am thrilled to see that the wait and work was all worth it.

Congrats, Chris! And I'm looking forward to the rest of the books in the pipeline hitting the shelves....

Sights and Sites

I'm heading off to Washington D.C. and the Computers, Freedom and Privacy Conference. I even have a few hours for some D.C. sight-seeing fun, something I always love. Since I can't take you all with me, I thought I'd give you some site-seeing ideas instead:

30 Poets/30 Days alum April Halprin Wayland's new site is up and running. Join her there and celebrate her new book, New Year at the Pier: A Rosh Hashanah Story, too.

I mentioned my own new site yesterday, but I'll take another opportunity to send you over to The Happy Accident. I'll be talking about social media over there, while still talking children's books and poetry over here. Sometimes, no doubt, the topics will mix! I hope you'll come check it out.

Finally, why not head over to Lin Oliver's site? Lin is an incredibly funny writer and speaker, as well as being one of the founders of the SCBWI, an organization I strongly urge folks to check out (assuming you're interested in writing or illustrating for children, that is!). Not only that...

A handful of years back, I had a meeting with Lin about a TV project, but conversation quickly and serendipitously turned to children's books. By the time I left the meeting, I was a member of SCBWI. Within a year, I was at my first conference, meeting editors, writers, and illustrators and knowing for sure that this whole writing for children was something I had to pursue. Happy accidents, indeed....

So, thanks Lin! Now everyone off to her site... and I'll see you back here next week!

Made-up Words

Today, over at my new site, The Happy Accident, I've defined a brand new word: confrustewilderation. I've had fun making up words before, but I realized it's usually something I've done when I'm writing poetry. And, of course, poets have been doing that for a lonnnnnng time now.

So then I got to thinking: what are some of my favorite made up words (that aren't mine)?

I settled on two, and you probably won't be shocked that one is from Dr. Seuss. I coulda picked from many (nerd, perhaps?), but I've chosen "Grinch" because it is such a perfect description of someone who is... well... who's a grinch!

I also love Edgar Allen Poe's "tintinnabulation" from his poem, The Bells (excerpt below):

Keeping time, time, time,
In a sort of Runic rhyme,
To the tintinnabulation that so musically wells
From the bells, bells, bells, bells,
Bells, bells, bells -
From the jingling and the tinkling of the bells.

Since today is Poetry Friday (with the round-up of posts hosted over at Irene Latham's Live. Love. Explore!), I picked my made-up words from poetry and verse. Still, I'd love it if you leave me a comment featuring your favorite made-up words... no matter the source!

Charles Ghigna - The 'If-You-Were' Poem

If You Were My Book
by
Charles Ghigna

If you were the pages of my book
And I were reading you,
I’d read as slow as I could go
So I never would get through.


I've been looking forward to putting up this post for more than a month now, ever since Charles Ghigna sent it to me. It's got some of his original poetry, which makes me very happy, and just like when his A Poem Is... appeared in 30 Poets/30 Days, there was more poetry than I could fit in a post! Sorry about that (though you have my word on it all being faboo). Plus, this post is a writing prompt, something I am often not clever enough to come up with myself.

These are fun, fun poems to write, and I hope you'll all give it a try (or give it to students to try). And please... feel free to leave your poems in the comments here at GottaBook.

And with that from me, I say "take it away, Father Goose!"

The If-You-Were Poem
by Charles Ghigna (Father Goose)

The If-You-Were poem consists of 4 lines (quatrain) and 2 rhymes (lines 2 & 4). It contains 2 comparisons (metaphors), one for the “I” of the poem and one for the “you.”

Instructions: Think of a person you like. Compare that person to some thing (inanimate object). Now compare yourself to some thing associated with the first object.

Examples:

If you were a shining star
And I were your midnight,
I’d let you shine above me,
You’d be my only light.

If you were a scoop of ice cream
And I were an ice cream cone,
I’d put you on my shoulders
And hold you for my own.

If you were a grand piano
And I were a sweet love song,
I’d let your keys tickle and tease
My melody all day long.


Just for the fun of it, you might want to reverse the process and write an If-I-Were poem!

If I were a bumblebee
And you were a buttercup,
I’d buzz around until I found
Your bright face looking up.

If I were the autumn wind
And you were a maple tree,
I’d lift your leaves with a gentle breeze
And hold them close to me.

If I were a lonely lighthouse
And you were a ship at sea,
I'd shine my light all through the night
Till you returned to me.

These poems also make great Valentines. Try writing one for each of your friends and family members. The titles of your poems can be your friends' and family members’ names. You might want to make a little book of them and decorate it with your drawings.

Have fun writing, drawing and sharing!

For more examples of the If-You-Were poems, please see the book If You Were My Valentine by Charles Ghigna (Simon & Schuster, 2005)

For a list of other poem formats, please visit the Classroom Fun section of Charles Ghigna's website!

A Question and a Tease

This morning at around 7:00 AM, the helicopters started circling. Sounds dramatic, I know, but in this case it was nothing more than the L.A. Marathon beginning. I've spoken with many folks who've run marathons, so I understand that desire... but I started to wonder if there are any good books for kids on the topic of marathons, either the history or compelling individual stories, or...? I came up with none on my own, but if y'all know of any, I'd love to hear about 'em!

As for the tease... I'm excited because Wednesday, Charles Ghigna returns to GottaBook with some poetry AND a poetry "prompt" and/or teaching idea. It's been a long time since I've had one of those here at GottaBook, and I'm really looking forward to it (plus I'd read Charles Ghigna's poetry any day!). I hope to see you all then!

Baseball + Poetry = Bardball!

As baseball great Yogi Berra once said, "It's like deja vu all over again!" Last Friday, I posted my original father-son-baseball poem A Perfect Game. This Friday, I'm pointing you to it again, but in a totally different place. Where, you ask?

On Bardball!

Bardball's sub-heading is "Reviving the Art of Baseball Doggerel" and as a lover of the game and the poetry around it, I was instantly a fan. Go on over and poke around for awhile. Find poems about your favorite team or maybe even a favorite player. Or go on over and leave the exact same comments on my poem there that you left me here! The idea is to have some fun and check it out. Just be sure to grab your popcorn, peanuts, and cracker jacks....

Then don't forget to check out the Poetry Friday roundup, hosted over at Susan Taylor Brown's blog. You'll find original poetry and so much more from around the Kidlitosphere. Good times, indeed.

Twittering away....

I have to say, I've been having a lot of poetic fun on Twitter, even with National Poetry Month over. It's not all children's poetry specific - in fact, most of it isn't - but it's not like that really creates a barrier to conversation: it's poetry! Plus, Twitter's how I ran across this Lewis Carroll poem. Oooh. Who wants to take up that form as a poetry prompt?

A bunch of us have been chatting every Thursday night (9 PM Eastern/6 PM Pacific, with details here), and poet/novelist Colin Kelley put together a great list of poets on Twitter, so I've met even more cool folks.

There are also great lists of YA authors on Twitter, picture book authors on Twitter and even a new list of middle grade authors on twitter.

If you're tweeting, I hope you'll find me on Twitter or let me know here, cuz it's not like I'm going anywhere. I'm just saying there's good times to be had! Although right now, I must admit sleep sounds like the best time of all right now, so I gotta book....

The Up Late Update

Last night - or this morning, really - I was up til 2:30. Unfortunately, I think it was a caffeinated-not-decaf coffee issue, but as I was lying in bed wide awake, I was flashing back to nights when I was up at the same time by choice... reading.

I know that the last book that I read waaaay past my bedtime was Adam Rex's The True Meaning of Smekday. I like to say I simply had to finish it because someone else was reading it, too, and would need it back in the morning... but that'd be stretching the truth. I was reading late cuz I was having a blast.

I know I'm not the only one who has found themselves pushing bedtime later and later... so what about you? What was the last book that kept you up late? Seems like a list-worthy topic to me, so drop me a note or a comment and let's see what we come up with!

A Perfect Game - a baseball poem/a father-son poem

A PERFECT GAME
by
Gregory K.

Tonight we’re at a baseball game:
The minors (double A).
But I don’t care! it’s me and Dad -
My siblings stayed away!
My soda couldn’t be more flat.
My Cracker Jacks taste old.
The peanut vendor never came.
My hot dog caught a cold.
But Dad and I are having fun.
In fact, it’s quite a blast.
We’re talking, laughing, telling tales
As innings move on past.
He tells my why he loves the game,
Each hit, each out, each run.
I tell him why I don’t like math.
He says "Like Dad, like son."
I tell him that I had a crush,
How weak it made my knees.
He tells me how he met my mom
And when to try a squeeze.
I ask about a stolen base
And why folks like to dance.
He tells me tales of baseball greats
And all about romance.
Dreams, home runs, and silly jokes –
They all come up, and more.
Tonight we’re at a baseball game...
And we’re not keeping score.

If you want to get all my new poems (and only the poems) emailed to you for freeee as they hit the blog, enter your email address in the box below then click subscribe!

Also, it's Poetry Friday! Kelly Polark is hosting over at her blog, and you can click here for the roundup post. Go on over and check out what else is going on, poetically, in the Kidlitosphere today....

Triple the good-osity

If you're not already familiar with Guys Lit Wire, there's a mighty fine reason to go check them out. GLW's mission has always been to bring great books to the attention of teenage boys. Now it's going one step further than just reviewing/posting/talking - they're having a Book Fair! Specifically:

Today we start the first two week Guys Lit Wire Book Fair for Boys to help the teens incarcerated in the LA County Juvenile Justice System. They have no books - at all - and they need them; they need them desperately.

There is much more information in this announcement post, and I hope you'll go check it out.

Also, of the good-osity variety... I'm gonna toss out another mention of the Bridget Zinn Auction. I know I mentioned it before, but there is a ton of new stuff up for bid. Yes, lots of great gift items, but also things like lifetime membership in the Children's Book Insider Clubhouse, website design, social media planning, and critiques from writers and actual EDITORS. Don't believe me? See for yourself!

And finally... today, Fuse #8 posted the number one picture book based on her poll. Go see what it was... and tell me if you're surprised. I got that right... though was off on so many others that it wasn't funny! Anyway, it's a fab and fascinating list of 100, and I'm looking forward to her final notes in days ahead.

More soon... but I gotta book!

Umpteen choices....

It's a simple question, really, but I am a simple fellow, so I'll ask it anyway: what's your favorite made up number?

I mentioned "umpteen" on a Facebook update earlier today and have already been "countered" with bajillion and gadjillion (and their root, jillion), as well as eleventy, dubbed "the funniest number ever." Hmmmmmm.

I'm sticking with umpteen as my favorite non-number number, but here among my fellow writers, teachers, and poets I hope to learn of many more. Let me hear your number... and let's see if I get umpteen comments!

Zooming through Poetry Friday!

Well, now, this was unexpected - I lift my head up and Poetry Friday is almost done! Still, there's time to shoot you to a couple links:

First... my very own Mother's Day poem here on GottaBook!

Second... the Poetry Friday roundup hosted over at Anastasia Suen's Picture Book of the Day.

And that's it, other than noting that I'll be going to one of my favorite forms of "poetry" tomorrow - a baseball game. Good times. Good times.

Ongoing goings-on

Have any of y'all been following Fuse #8 as she lists the results of her Top 100 picture books poll? It's mighty fine stuff. She's up to number 8... but number 11 held a very soft spot in my heart. Are your favorites up yet?

Also... a yearly event returns! It's Children's Book Week next week. The Children's Book Awards will be announced in conjunction with the week on May 13th.

And MotherReader has announced the Fourth (!!!!) Annual 48 Hour Book Challenge for June 5-7th. How much you gonna read? (BTW... M.R. is a stop on the Chicken Butt blog tour. Would I make that up? No. Of course not!)

Finally... there's a new blog in town (okay... there are many) that's well worth checking out: Booklights over at the PBS Parents site. You'll see some familiar faces over there (well, familiar to me!) and get a ton of great info, too.

There's more, of course, but now I gotta book. I've got some blog reading to do!

What's next?

April's done, and it's time to look forward here at GottaBook. I have to say that the only downside I can find so for to 30 Poets/30 Days is that my blog content isn't gonna match that level of quality/quantity again any time soon!

Still, although I won't likely be posting every single day, there will be poetry, as mentioned Friday, both mine and others! And there will be anecdotes and ruminations and talk of my wild adventures, as well as links to the cool stuff other Kidlitospherians are doing AND perhaps even an Oddaptation or two. Plus, there are events coming up to talk about. And... well...

A lot of y'all are new readers here either through the "poetry only" email list (available over on the right hand side of the blog) or by reading/subscribing to the whole blog after finding it during April. I'd love to hear from you about what you'd like to see here. I have a lot of fun at GottaBook and want to make sure it's not just me! So feel free to leave a comment or e-mail me if you've got ideas.

Finally today, I want to send you all off to an online auction to help a fellow writer/blogger, Bridget Zinn. Bridget got an agent in February... then a cancer diagnosis (plus a marriage proposal!) shortly after. Friends of hers have put together an auction to help Bridget with medical bills, and many of us in the Kidlitosphere have offered up items to help. (Have I ever mentioned what a great community the children's lit bloggers are? True!) Anyway, there are many signed books available as well as original art, manuscript critiques and other services great for writers/illustrators/others. It's win-win, really - get something you want (or want to give someone) and help at the same time. I hope you'll check it out and/or stop by Bridget's blog (where her wonderful attitude is on display despite the adversity) and wish her well.

Thirty Poets/One Day (or, wrapping it all up)

It had to happen - National Poetry Month and the first ever 30 Poets/30 Days are done. I'd be sad, but I just can't be when I look at what happened here this month. To review:

Jack Prelutsky - A Little Poem For Poetry Month
Rebecca Kai Dotlich - Midnight Stray
Charles Ghigna - A Poem Is...
X. J. Kennedy - Ladder to the Moon
Ann Whitford Paul - Owl
Jaime Adoff - Rock n Roll Dad
Marilyn Singer - In the Museum
Adam Rex - The Flight Before Christmas
Joyce Sidman - Spring is the Time
Bruce Lansky - Rules for Spot
Avis Harley - Perfect Pitch
Nikki Grimes - All Eyes
Lee Bennett Hopkins - SPRING
Linda Sue Park - Villanelle: Why I Love Libraries
Mary Ann Hoberman - I Dreamt I Saw a Dinosaur
Betsy Franco - Me and Joe Lining Up After Recess
Jon Scieszka and Emily Dickinson - 200 Typing Monkeys Almost Make It
Kristine O'Connell George - Skeleton at Dinner
Arnold Adoff - n o justice n o p e a c e
Jane Yolen - My Teacher
Gregory K. - I Went to the Farm Where Spaghetti Is Grown
Janet Wong - My Green Grandfather
Nikki Giovanni - My Sister and Me
J. Patrick Lewis - The Poet of the World
Julie Larios - No Strings Attached
Joan Bransfield Graham - I am the Poem
Kenn Nesbitt - My Chicken's On The Internet
April Halprin Wayland - How to Read a Poem Aloud
Douglas Florian - kinda, sorta
Pat Mora - Books & Me

At the halfway point, I said "Wow!" I stand by that statement here at the end, too :-)

There are so many people to thank in regards to 30 Poets/30 Days, and many of them have been mentioned here before. So for today, I'll break it down into three groups - my family and friends, offline and online, for answering logistical questions, showering the project with link love, and brainstorming ways to spread the word; all the poets for showing such amazing generosity and support; all of you for reading along this month. You're the reason we're here!

Now, I must add that at GottaBook, I celebrate poetry year round, so the end of this month only means there won't be a poem EVERY day. But there will be new poetry here in the weeks and months ahead. Some will be by me, of course, but there will be surprises, too. So if you're new to these parts, I do hope you'll stick around. And if you've already been sticking around for awhile... well... yay and thanks! And just think... it's only 11 months until the NEXT National Poetry Month.

Finally, it's Poetry Friday! Why not head over to Maya Ganeson's blog allegro and check out the roundup of poetry posts. April's over, but the Kidlitosphere poetically rocks on....

More on Monday but for now, I gotta book!

Pat Mora - Books & Me

Books & Me
by
Pat Mora

We belong
together,
books and me,
like toast and jelly
o queso y tortillas.
Delicious! ¡Delicioso!
Like flowers and bees,
birds and trees,
books and me.

©2009 Pat Mora. All rights reserved.

---

Pat Mora has written oodles of picture books and poetry for kids (and teens), has published non-fiction and poetry for adults, and won a scad of awards along the way. Yet she still has time to be the driving force behind El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children's Day/Book Day), now celebrating its 13th anniversary. You can read more about Día by clicking that link or by checking out the Bookjoy! blog. I hope you'll be celebrating today!

Books & Me is such a wonderful conclusion to this month, at least to my eyes. The poem is a sweet, perfect capture of a feeling that I suspect is quite prevalent among readers of GottaBook. And I love, love, love how this poem illustrates language and cultural differences while still highlighting the universal. Good stuff, indeed, and just one of the many reasons why it really is a treat and a pleasure to have a Pat Mora poem to send us out on a celebratory note here at the conclusion of 30 Poets/30 Days.

Yesterday, we kinda, sorta had a visit with Douglas Florian. Tomorrow, a final recap of 30 Poets/30 Days!

The 30th = triple the fun!

So, tomorrow could be a "sad" day around here with the end of National Poetry Month and all, but since I celebrate things poetic year round, I don't view it as anything beyond the completion of 30 Poets/30 Days. Besides, I think it's a happy day. You see...

April 30th is El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children's Day/Book Day) also known as Dia. Why not find out if there are celebrations going on anywhere near you?

Or if you're looking for something where you don't have to leave your seat, come join the Twitter poetry chat at 9 PM Eastern/6 PM Pacific. I'll be late to this chat, but it'll be going on nicely without me, I'm sure. The conversation every week has been fabulous and often spread out over four continents! I'd also note that two of the other participants in 30 Poets/30 Days have jumped in, as well as many other fabulous poets and poetry lovers.

AND... the 30th is the 2nd Annual Poem in Your Pocket Day. You can print out any poem from this month here at the blog to pull out and share with people all day long. You can nab Bobbi Katz's new More Pocket Poems for some perfect pocket fodder. You can write your own, tweet your own or find other poems you love... but I sure hope you do something to celebrate.

I'm looking forward to tomorrow, indeed, but now I gotta book. See you then!

Douglas Florian (kinda, sorta)

Things have been running so smoothly here in the inaugural year of 30 Poets/30 Days, and yet today, in the words of a rather famous poet, things have gone aglay! Due to scheduling and communications gaffes, I do not have a new Douglas Florian poem to share with you as I type this. But fear not! It will come anon. And right now? Welllllllll... there still must be poetry!

I'm a huge, huge, huge Douglas Florian fan and have been for a long time. And, in fact, years ago, he was nice enough to answer questions of mine sent to him from out of the blue, so I, of course, became an even bigger fan! But his work always tickles my funny bone, and his ability to find new ways to talk about things like bugs, planets and dinosaurs continues to amaze. Plus he actually led me to write one of my early attempts at a children's poem, something I'm sure he does not know. But I was reading his collection Bing Bang Boing and ran into...

Styropoem
by
Douglas Florian

I think I've never
Seen a poem
To praise a piece
of Styrofoam.
I've waited years -
I'm waiting still.
I guess I never
Ever
Will.

I was inspired. So I sat down and wrote the following:

Ode to a Piece of Styrofoam
(For Douglas Florian)
by
Gregory K.

Styrofoam's good -
There is no debate.
And Styrofoam won't
Disintegrate!


Now, I never thought I'd have a chance to actually ANSWER Douglas Florian, nor do I hold this up as a shining example of my work... but sometimes fate gives you an opportunity you just have to take. So, ha! We'll see if he rewrites his poem any time soon. By the way, Douglas Florian was the first ever guest-poet on GottaBook, way back in April, 2006, and I know he'll be here again soon. So stick around, as they say, and you'll get more Douglas Florian even if timing wise, it might not fit perfectly into 30 Poets/30 Days.

Yesterday we had April Halprin Wayland's How to Read a Poem Aloud. Tomorrow, to help celebrate Dia and bring National Poetry Month to a close, Books & Me by Pat Mora!

April Halprin Wayland - How to Read a Poem Aloud

HOW TO READ A POEM ALOUD
by
April Halprin Wayland

First, read the title of the poem

and the poet’s name.


Be clear.


Now completely

disappear.


Let each line

shine.


Then read it

one more time.

When the poem

ends, sigh.


Think about the poet at her desk,
late at night, picking up her pen to write…

and why.

© 2009 April Halprin Wayland. All rights reserved.

---

April Halprin Wayland writes stand-alone poetry, novels-in-poems, and picture books (including a brand new one, New Year at the Pier, coming out in June!). She's a teacher as well, and she is now part of a collective of six fellow teaching authors who have just started blogging together at TeachingAuthors.com. Oh, and she still has time to be one of the nicest folks I've met in the children's book world!

April is another poet who sent me a few poems to choose from, any of which, again, I would have been incredibly happy to post here. The poems were different as could be, but shared the same ability to connect with me... to make me see things from a new perspective (in one case, that would actually be from a dog's perspective!)... to make me ask myself fun questions. I always love reading April's work, so I'm especially glad to have gotten to read extras AND to be able to have a poem of hers here as part of 30 Poets/30 Days.

Yesterday, Kenn Nesbitt gave us My Chicken's On The Internet. Tomorrow... Douglas Florian!

Kenn Nesbitt - My Chicken's On The Internet

My Chicken's On the Internet
by
Kenn Nesbitt

My chicken's on the Internet.
She surfs the web all day.
I've tried to stop her browsing
but, so far, there's just no way.

She jumps up on the mouse
and then she flaps around like mad
to click on every hyperlink
and every pop-up ad.

She plays all sorts of chicken games.
She messages her folks.
She watches chicken videos
and forwards chicken jokes.

She writes a blog for chickens
and she uploads chicken pics.
She visits chicken chat rooms
where she clucks about her chicks.

I wouldn't mind so much
except my keyboard's now a wreck.
She hasn't learned to type yet;
she can only hunt and peck.

© 2009 Kenn Nesbitt. All rights reserved.

---

Kenn Nesbitt writes funny, funny poetry and has a funny, funny website. Of course part of what makes Kenn funny, funny is that he's also a very good, good poet. Kenn can turn a phrase, build to a punchline, capture images, and make a point all while making it look easy. Plus, I think he knows and gets his audience like very few others.

Even as he's been busy with the launch of his new book, My Hippo has the Hiccups (which has been getting faboo reviews, by the way!), Kenn has been a big help to me here, and I want to thank him for that again. That was just a bonus, however, because I knew from the start that I wanted a poem from him as part of 30 Poets/30 Days. I'm happy to have his poem up and running today... but I think you all better go back up your data, because there's a chicken loose on the net!

Yesterday gave us Joan Bransfield Graham's I am the Poem. Tomorrow... How to Read a Poem Aloud by April Halrpin Wayland!

The week ahead....

Ack! It's the last week of National Poetry Month!!!! Luckily, there are still four more poems/poets here, and, of course, poetry doesn't stop when April does....

Still, as the month hurries to a close, I wanted to mention other things about the end of April -- April 30th is both El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children's Day/Book Day) AND the 2nd annual Poem in Your Pocket Day. You can combine them in any way you want, as they are both celebrations and meant to be great fun.

More on this as the week moves on, but I have to get ready to release Kenn Nesbitt's chicken onto the internet, so I gotta book!

Joan Bransfield Graham - I am the Poem

I AM THE POEM
by
Joan Bransfield Graham

I am the poem
out
of reach
I make you
spin
and leap and
stretch
and when you're
just
about to
catch
me
off I twirl
in clever
choreography
but we are
never
far apart
I pirouette
around
your heart
and head and
tease
with all the
mysteries
I can employ:

it is the dance
that is the joy.


© 2009 Joan Bransfield Graham. All rights reserved.

---

Joan Bransfield Graham has written two of my favorite poetry books to pull out and read aloud from - Flicker Flash and Splish Splash. The poems in the books about light and water are not only wonderful to say aloud but, since they are all concrete poems, they are also wonderful to show. To see what I'm talking about, head on over to the Miss Rumphius Effect where Tricia has actually put up a few examples of those poems in her great Poetry Makers piece on Joan. Then try these poems out yourself and see their impact on kids.

But, of course, Joan Bransfield Graham's poetry isn't just about the shape on the page. In fact, I was lucky enough to see a few poems from Joan in putting this event together, all of which were great and none of which were concrete. Her food poems made me hungry (and I swear to you I could actually smell one), and another poem had me ready to go out and ride my bike. One could say I danced with her poems and, in fact, it was a joy... just as it's a joy to have a poem of hers here as part of 30 Poets/30 Days.

Yesterday brought us Julie Larios's No Strings Attached. Tomorrow, My Chicken's on the Internet by Kenn Nesbitt!

Julie Larios - No Strings Attached

NO STRINGS ATTACHED
Julie Larios


If I were a kite
with no strings to hold me,
I 'd let the wind take me –
I'd let the crows scold me,
I'd float through the sky
with the sun on my shoulders.
The clouds would all bite
at my ears. I'd be bolder
than bold, I’d dance, I'd go soaring—
a life in the sky could never be boring.

I'd fly over houses then over the tops
of skyscraping buildings
but I wouldn't stop there, I'd sail over sailboats
and islands
and oceans.
I’d drive the world loco with my locomotion.

Diving and squawking,
The seagulls would show me the migrating whales
as they spouted below me.
Over Kansas and Kashmir,
the hot sands of Cairo,
Mt. Fuji, Mt. Everest –
higher and higher—
wheatfields would wave to me,
deserts would sigh.
Icebergs would stare as I rose in the sky.

The sun would be one friend,
the bright moon another.
And what would the stars be
but sisters and brothers?

I'd know all the secrets the sky's never told me
if I were a wild kite
with no strings to hold me.


©2009 Julie Larios. All rights reserved.

---

Julie Larios writes poetry for children and adults, teaches at the Vermont College of Fine Arts, and blogs, to boot! You really should be reading her blog, by the way, as she often tosses up her own poems there (and tosses out prompts and the like). Good stuff.

I love the way Julie Larios plays with words in her poems - sometimes funny wordplay, sure, but often just mixing words together to create something that makes me think or wonder in a new way. She has said she likes to create mystery in her poems, and that's certainly something else that I really enjoy when reading her work. But to make it really simple, anyone who can write I'd know all the secrets the sky's never told me is gonna have me as a reader! Indeed. I'm really looking forward to seeing her next book of poetry for kids, but in the meantime, I'm very happy to have a poem of hers here at 30 Poets/30 Days.

Yesterday gave us J. Patrick Lewis's The Poet of the World. Tomorrow... I am the Poem by Joan Bransfield Graham!