A New Poem Form, and Lingo is its Name-o

My friend (and 30 Poets/30 Days alumni!) April Halprin Wayland has come up with an intriguing new poem form: the Lingo. The definition of the form, from April, is simple: A Lingo is poem based on the lexicon of a particular field of interest. 

In her introductory post, her example is a knock out.

The possibilities seem endless. I might swing for the fences and see if I can force out a baseball example. Hope doesn't turn out foul....

Whatcha think? You gonna lingo?

Three New Shel Silverstein Poems...

These three new Shel Silverstein poems will appear in tomorrow's New York Times, but they're already available online. Sweet!

The poems go along with a short article that's worth a look, too... and all this attention is related to the upcoming, posthumous Silverstein collection "Every Thing On It" due out this fall which, at least for me, will be worth a look as well!

RIF and KidLitCon - They Go Together

So, KidLit Con is fast approaching (come join us in Seattle if you're a blogger writing about children's literature or an enthusiast interested in the blogging world!), and this year, Conference directors Colleen Mondor and Jackie Parker-Robinson have added a great partnership: we're raising money for RiF (that's Reading is Fundamental)!

You can read the "why" of it all in this post by Colleen, but the short version is this: RiF rocks; RiF's budget has been decimated; RiF could use help; RiF helps others; Partnership.

I hope you'll join in (you can skip straight to the Con's donation page, if you'd like)... and I hope you'll help us spread the word.

Reality Sets Back In

This past weekend was the 40th anniversary SCBWI Summer Conference here in LA. It was sold out... and while I wasn't a paid attendee, I did get to hang in the lobby and join folks for meals and the like. It was a blast. Being around 1000+ people who love what you love, understand why you're driven to what you're driven to, and... well, let's just say it's a fabulous thing.

Over at my other blog, The Happy Accident, I've written up a post about the social media steps you might want to take after a conference like this in order to keep the experience alive (and to capitalize on the time you already spent). Are there tricks you've learned that help you stay connected? I'd love to hear your thoughts here, at the Happy Accident, or elsewhere....

The Second Los Angeles Kidlit Drink Night!

Yup. If you're in LA this Sunday night, August 7th, why not join us at the Pink Taco in Century City from 6 PM til 8 PM for the 2nd ever LA version of the Kidlit Drink Night? Good. You can be come over from the SCBWI Conference or drive in special for the occasion. It's all good, as they say. It's all good. (And remember, this is not us throwing a party, but everyone coming in, eating or drinking or not on their own, and socializing til we're plum talked out!).

The details are clearer at Lee Wind's blog (and on a Facebook event, in fact). I hope you'll come on by and say hi to me and the other organizers Lee Wind, Rita Crayon-Huang, Sara Wilson Etienne, and Jill Corcoran. 

Hope to see you there!