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! 

At the Beach - a beach poem

At the Beach
by
Greg Pincus

Tide pools. Shell walks. Drippy sand.
White capped breakers hitting land.
Body surfing. Miles to walk.
Joining in as seabirds talk.
Cooling breeze. Bright warm sun.
Nothing here that must be done.
Toys and tech inside, ignored.
On the beach I'm never bored.

This week's Poetry Friday Roundup is over at the Book Aunt. Go on over and check out the poetic goodies (including two originals by the host, Kate Coombs).

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

Kidlitcon! Oh, Kidlitcon!

w00t! The 5th Kidlitcon is coming soon - September 16th and 17th in Seattle, to be specific. Are you going? You should, and not just cuz you'll see me there. You should go because it's a great chance to meet fellow bloggers who are passionate about children's literature AND a great place to learn, too.

Oh, yeah. And Scott Westerfeld is keynoting.

Plus, it's a really good time, if the past is any indication.

I've written about Kidlitcon before (here's one example), and this year, I gotta say, our conference hosts Colleen Mondor and Jackie Parker really seem to be raising the bar all around (no easy feat when you know how hard everyone has worked in years prior, always making Kidlitcon better than the year before!).

I hope you'll check it out... and I hope to see you there!

I'll Name This Poem Someday... - a procrastination poem

I'll Name This Poem Someday...
by
Greg Pincus

I can't be sure - am I the best or worst procrastinator?
'Cuz when I try procrastinating, I say "Nah, I'll do that later."


The Poetry Friday roundup is over at A Year of Reading today. Go on over and check out the poetic goodies (and stick around and check out Mary Lee and Franki's blog, too, while you're at it!).

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

Two Years of #Kidlitchat! Join Us for the (Virtual) Party!

Would you believe that we've finished two years of #kidlitchat on Twitter? Well, we have. This Tuesday begins year three, and Bonnie Adamson and I are having a (virtual) party to celebrate. Well, okay, fine... we're hosting #kidlitchat on Tuesday at 9 PM Eastern/6 PM Pacific and that'll be the party. You're all invited!

I hope you'll come join us as we talk about why we all pursue our interest in children's literature (be us authors, readers, librarians, illustrators, teachers, parents, or other!). If you've never been to a Twitter chat, Debbie Ridpath Ohi wrote a great article that'll help you get up to speed.  And if you've joined us before, I do hope you'll come on by again.

By the way, thanks to Bonnie's diligence, we now have a list of all the topics from the two years of chat. You can check it out right here... and be sure to thank Bonnie next time you see her!

No Poem Today - a writer's block poem

No Poem Today
by
Greg Pincus

No poem today.
The words won’t come.
My mind is bare.
My pen’s struck dumb.
The page is blank.
I’ve naught to say.
And that is why
No poem today.

It's Poetry Friday, and the fabulous Elaine Magliaro has this week's roundup over at her blog. Check it out for a gob o' fun.

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

Something's In the Air - a 4th of July poem/a friends and family poem

SOMETHING’S IN THE AIR
by
Greg Pincus

My friends have all been arguing.
My brother spats with sis.
My mom and dad
Are fighting mad
(Although I saw them kiss).

Perhaps it’s just the summer heat
That’s making tempers flare?
That could be true.
I have no clue,
But something’s in the air.

So now, today, July the Fourth,
I think a picnic’s right.
I’ll make a call,
“Come one and all,
Let’s eat and talk all night.”

I’ll post big signs about each guest,
I’ll list their flaws and quirks.
Then I’ll step back
To yell “attack!”...
And watch the fireworks.


Happy July 4th to you all (whether you're celebrating Independence Day or are, perhaps, overseas and merely experiencing July 4th as another day). For that matter, happy whatever day it might be when you read this! I've heard this Internet thang is forever, and you might just run into this another day... :-)

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

The June Carnival of Children's Literature....

It's up! And it's in two places. So, if you want to see a whole bunch of great stuff from the month of June, check out...

Book Dads for part one

and...

Chapter Book of the Day for part two (aka, the bonus edition).

Oooh. A New Form to Try

It's Poetry Friday today (you can find the weekly roundup over at Carol's Corner) and, while I don't have an original poem to share this week... April Halprin Wayland has shared a new-to-me form of poetry called the trimeric that looks well worth trying.

Check out April's examples and see what you come up with. Try a trimeric, she says! Indeed. Indeed.

Sleeping In! - a sleep poem/a sleeping late poem

Sleeping In!
by
Greg Pincus

Sleeping in!
What could be greater
Than staying in bed ‘til it’s later and later?
Forget about sunrise and breakfast and brunch,
If I have my way then I’ll sleep right through lunch.
Sleeping in!
There isn’t much to it:
You stay fast asleep - that’s the best way to do it.
On weekends, vacations, and random days off
(On days with no need to fake fever or cough),
There’s nothing that’s better than waking at 10
Then rolling right over and snoozing again.
Sleeping in!
I’ll start in tonight...
And practice all summer to get it just right.

It's Poetry Friday once again, so head on over to Check It Out for the weekly roundup, kindly gathered by Jone, and, uh, check it out.

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

Counting Down (Always) - An end of the school year poem/A summer vacation poem

Counting Down (Always)
by
Greg Pincus

Counting down
Time goes slow...
Six long days of school to go.

Counting down
Five, four, three...
So, so close to being free.

Counting down
Two... one... yay!
School is out! Hooray! Hooray!

Counting down
Time goes fast.
80 days... then summer's passed.

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

Announcing Kidlit Drink Night- the Los Angeles Version (June 18th)!

Here in L.A., many of us have been watching the New York Kid Lit Drink Night for some time with a tinge of jealousy. Heck, I've even BEEN to one, and it was a whole mess of fun. So, driven by Lee Wind and Jill Corcoran, a plan has been concocted for the first ever Los Angeles Kid Lit Drink Night. Here are the details:

The First Ever Informal And Amazing
Los Angeles Kidlit Drink Night
June 18, 2011
6-8pm
at
Pink Taco in the Century City Mall
meet on the patio!

Who should come? Anyone involved in the world of children's literature from board book to YA: authors, illustrators, bloggers, librarians, teachers, agents, editors, etc. Who will be there? Folks involved in the world of children's literature (including Lee, Jill, me, Sara Wilson Etienne and Rita Crayon Huang (all of us, of course, contingent on schedules)!

This is TOALLY informal and driven by all who attend not the five of us listed above. In other words, if you want to come chat, you come chat; you want to chat and eat, you buy your food and chat and eat; you want to chat and drink, you buy your drink and chat. It should be a mess of fun.

The location was chosen with eyes on having a second LA Kid Lit Drink Night during the upcoming SCBWI Summer Conference (not that the night is affiliated with SCBWI, mind you, though many of us will know each other from there). So keep that in mind for August.

Gonna be there? Cool! Let me know... or I'll just see you there.

Zoom, Zoom, Zooooooom!

Days fly past around these parts - I suspect a rift in the time/space continuum, though I can't prove it - and I have had precious little time for blogging. Ahhh, but I've been scribbling and jotting and writing other things, including poetry, so it's all about tradeoffs, I tell ya.

Since time is gonna move fast for all of us (due to the rift, I'm telling ya!), I don't think it's too early to mention the next KidLitCon! It's coming September 16-17th in Seattle, and I can't wait. I missed last year's Con (my first absence :-(), but sure darn tooting plan on being there this year.  You can get more details at Chasing Ray... and even more info will be forthcoming soooooooon.  Hope to see you there!

Now, off to slow down all my clocks....

It's June (And I Am Still In School) - an end of the school year poem

It’s June (And I’m Still In School)
by
Greg Pincus

I’ll tell you something most uncool –
It’s June… and I am still in school.
I’ve got some friends whose year is done.
They’re sleeping in. They’re having fun.
Next week they’ll only play and rest
While I will take an English test.
And when they run and laugh and swim...
Guess what? I’m stuck in math and gym.
It isn’t right. It isn’t fair.
I need the late spring’s fresh, warm air.
It’s not that I hate school at all.
I’ll gladly come back in the fall.
And sure, vacation’s coming soon,
But I’m in school. And. It. Is. June!

It's Poetry Friday, and you can see the roundup of blogosphere poetic doings over at The Writer's Armchair. Good times and good reading, indeed.

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

J. Patrick Lewis - With Nuts Only (on Yell "Fudge" at the Cobras in North America Day)

With Nuts Only
by
J. Patrick Lewis

If you enter his arena
From here to Pasadena
And laugh like a hyena—
A cobra will not budge.

You wave a red bandanna
From here to Indiana,
Or dangle a banana—
He’s sober as a judge.

Since the time of Noah,
A cobra’s like a boa,
And neither one will go a-
Way till you say

“Fudge!”

Did you know that today, June 2nd, is Yell "Fudge" at the Cobras in North America Day? No? Well, I didn't either until J. Patrick Lewis (oh, excuse me - Children's Poet Laureate J. Patrick Lewis) sent me this piece of wonderfulness. And so, I pass on the news and the poem to you. Fudge!!!!

Kindergarteners Don't Scare Me!

Last week, I was lucky enough to hang out with TWO classes of Kindergarteners at Westwood Charter School here in Los Angeles. This was another visit that was part of my Poetry: Spread the Word project, and it was an absolute blast.

Now, I'll admit, I was a tad nervous about spending two hours with kids that young (I did back to back hours with separate classes, not two hours with one group!). But they were engaged, engaging, constantly coming up with fabulous ideas, laughing a lot, and clearly in classrooms where poetry and language were valued. We read some poems, brainstormed, shared stories, and in one case wrote a poem together. Good times, indeed, and further proof that poetry and kids mix well no matter what age!