December 31st (Looking Back) - an end of the year poem/a New Year's poem

December 31st (Looking Back)
by
Greg Pincus

The year’s near done. Let’s review:
Resolutions? Kept a few.
Top 10 goals? I reached two.
School and chores? At least they’re through.
Learned to drum. Tried kung fu.
Wrote and sang and read and drew.
Food I’ve tried? A list that grew!
Had a crush, but won’t say who.
Played with friends (including you).
Failed a lot as this year flew.
Tonight one year will say “adieu.”
Tomorrow, we can start anew...
But looking back, this much is true:
I tried my best, and that'll do.


Thanks to all of you for being part of the year here at GottaBook. I wish you all a new year filled with health, joy, and juuuust enough of the dessert of your choice.

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!

Thoughts While Sweeping the Kitchen (After Taking Out the Trash) - a cleaning poem

Thoughts While Sweeping the Kitchen (After Taking Out the Trash)
by
Greg Pincus

I said I was bored.
I got chored.
Why can’t I ever just be ignored?

The last Poetry Friday roundup of the year is over at Julie Larios' blog, the Drift Record. Be sure to check it out!

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 Good Things

First up for your end of the year pleasure... the last Carnival of Children's Literature of the year, over at Jennifer's Jean Little Library blog.

And then, to kick off 2012 in style, why not join my friend Deb Marshall for a middle-grade read-a-thon? It's running Jan 2-Jan 8, and entry is as easy as signing up. There are even some prizes, if you need incentive beyond just reading good middle grade books.

Two good things, indeed!

Dear Santa, About Your Lists... (a paradox) - a Christmas poem

DEAR SANTA, ABOUT YOUR LISTS... (a paradox)
by
Greg Pincus

I’m really quite nervous I’m on the wrong list:
I’ve been “naughty” so much of the year.
And this means that Santa, if you do exist,
My Christmas won’t be full of cheer.

You see, this creates us a terrible mess.
Truly it wasn’t my goal,
But there’s only one thing I want, I confess:
A shiny, big, black lump of coal.

The problem, I think, is that if I’d been nice,
I’d get what I want in my stocking.
But since I behaved well perhaps once or twice...
To get what I want would be shocking.

Yet “naughty” kids get what I want, so you see...
That’s the reason I lied, spat, and stole.
Please keep that in mind when you come to my tree:
I want a big, black lump of coal.

I’d hate to get presents like music or money.
Don’t bring me a new catcher’s mitt.
No movies or Lego or books that are funny.
No, I wouldn’t like them one bit.

I know I was “naughty,” but please break your rule.
I’ve heard you’re a jolly old soul...
And giving me what I don’t want would be cruel!
So, please, bring a big lump of coal.

The Poetry Friday roundup is over at Dori Reads today. Why not head over and check it out?

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!

Children's Poetry in 2011

Over at PACYA's Poetry at Play blog, there's a post chock full o' info about poetry books published this year (from picture book up to YA. from collections of poetry to novels in verse).

Head on over to check it out and join in celebrating the talented folk writing poetry for kids today.

Lists and Changes

Gobs and gobs of end of the year lists are coming out these days: books of the year, YA books of the year, picture books of the year, no doubt even lists of the year. There are a whole bunch of great books, like all years, so that's not the change I'm noticing. Instead, I'm noticing how many of the authors on these lists I interact with: at SCBWI conferences, on Facebook, on blogs, or on Twitter.

There are some authors on these lists who I know solely from social media (Mike Mullin, author of Ashfall, comes to mind). There are some I know from conferences or other children's lit related events. Many are a combination of the two.

When I flash back to 2006, when I started blogging here at GottaBook, I see this as a huge change - both for me personally but also for how our community has continued to connect via social media.

I think it's important for authors and illustrators to be building a platform for so many reasons (not, by the way, so that I get to know them, but so that thousands of "I's" get to know them!), so I'm excited to see folks being visible. And personally? Well, I admit I'm excited seeing people I know get recognized for their achievements.

And here's to more of the same in 2012 and beyond!

It's a Good Deal, I Say! Get Lee Wind in Your School....

I am excited to see that my friend Lee Wind has announced a grant program to help schools afford his speaker visits in 2012. This is a great deal for everyone... and it particularly benefits students, as Lee's speaking work is a critically important.

If you don't know Lee and his blog, I'm Here, I'm Queer, What the Hell do I read?, then I doubly urge you to go check his site out. As a speaker, Lee offers a Smashing Stereotypes workshop and a school assembly called SAFE SPACE: Ending Anti-Gay bullying in our Culture... and in Your School. And if you do know Lee, I'm pretty darn sure you'll join me in urging others to do what they can bring him to your school today.

Lee doesn't like to toot his own horn (okay, fine - who does???), so I was glad to see him post comments from students and counselors who've attended his workshops. I look forward to more such comments rolling in throughout 2012!

This Tuesday's #Kidlitchat

Last week, #kidlitchat ran into technical difficulties on Twitter, so we've re-scheduled the same topic for this week... and since it might be of interest to some of you, I thought I'd share it here. We'll be talking about book launches: what to do to help put your book out into the world... and when to do it, too. We'll be sharing tips, asking questions, coming up with timelines, sharing what's worked and what hasn't... and it'd be great to see you there.

#kidlitchat happens every Tuesday night at 9 PM Eastern/6 PM Pacific on Twitter. If you've never joined a Twitter chat, Debbie Ridpath Ohi has a fabulous article on the hows and whys of them that I highly recommend.

Hope to see you there, this week or some Tuesday in the future!

Poetry Resources

The fabulous Sylvia Vardell put together a post with various FREE poetry resources that she shared during her NCTE presentation.

If you love poetry, or love to teach poetry, or want to love poetry, or want to find other ways to teach poetry, or... oh, heck, just check it out.

S.A.T.U.R.D.A.Y Afternoon! And Evening!

Hey, my LA friends (or those coming through town). This Saturday, the 3rd, we're having another LA Kid Lit Drink Night, this time at the Wellesbourne in West Los Angeles. If you're involved in children's literature (author, illustrator, librarian, teacher, bookseller, etc), come on by... and bring cookies! (And, if you could, bring a new or gently used book to donate, too, as we're trying to help out a couple places as we go).

The event starts, officially, at 5PM, but I think a fair number of us will be arriving at 6 or a bit after, as Carol Tanzman, an LA author, is having her book launch for Dancergirl at Curve Line Space in Eagle Rock in the afternoon. (Click here to see details and follow her blog tour.)

It's a busy, LA kinda Saturday, and I hope to see you out and about!

Too Much Dinner - a food poem

Too Much Dinner
by
Greg Pincus

I ate too much dinner.
I think that I'll burst!
Good thing I was clever and had dessert first.

Heidi is hosting this week's Poetry Friday roundup is over at My Juicy Little Universe. For those of you who celebrated Thanksgiving yesterday, I hope you stay in

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!

Hugo (the movie version of The Invention of Hugo Cabret, that is)

I was lucky enough to get to a screening of Hugo, the Martin Scorsese directed 3-D version of Brian Selznick's Caldecott-winning The Invention of Hugo Cabret. For any of you who are fans of the book, I think you'll be amazed at how extraordinarily the movie captures the world Brian created: the look, the feel, the tone. It might be the best such translation I've ever seen.

The movie also treats the themes, subtexts, and contexts of the book faithfully and effectively even as it has to simplify it a tad to make it fit. This is not your typical, fast-paced, rollicking movie for kids any more than the book was typical. The movie lingers intentionally and gives everything and everyone a moment or two to just be. While young kids who don't know the book might get fidgety, anyone of any age willing to invest in watching a movie, rather than passively sitting back and being assaulted by one, so to speak, will really appreciate the space, I think.

Did I mention how amazing the movie looks? Ya. Also, it's in 3D. Personally, I don't love 3D. In Hugo, there was some great use of the technology (the shots of various clock workings, for example), and it was never used as a gimmick. That said, I'd've been just as happy watching in 2D, though, but that's a personal thang, I suspect.

Anyway, it was a relief and a thrill to see the care given to taking this book to the screen. I can't wait til you all see it (and you should) so we can compare notes!

Poetry Re-Issue: An Ode to Air Travel

An Ode to Air Travel (Upon Flying Cross-Country in Seat 31A)
by
Gregory K.

My seat belt is fastened – it’s snug and secure.
Been sitting here hours... and feels it for sure.
I finished my books during airport delays.
It turns out my iPod’s been uncharged for days.
I’ve studied the plane wing: I’ve counted the rivets.
I’ve noted my seat cushion’s deepening divots.
I spilled all my water (my pants are still drying).
I hear one babe cooing... and 17 crying.
The man right behind me drones stories so boring,
I think I’m preferring my seat-mate’s wheezed snoring.
My back aches in tense, upright, locked tight position.
It’s clear 30A has a stomach condition.
Yet just when I think I can’t take anymore,
And I’m wishing my window would turn to a door,
I hear these great words (over 30B’s cough),
“This is your captain… we’re cleared to take off!”

(This poem originally appeared here at GottaBook on October 12, 2007)

This week's Poetry Friday roundup is up over at Tabatha Yeatts: The Oppostive of Indifference. Go on over and check out the links AND the blog....

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!

See you in Spokane? Or...?

I'm quite excited to be heading up to Spokane this weekend, thanks to the SCBWI Inland Northwest chapter ( with special thanks to Mary Cronk Farrell!) . I'm leading an all day workshop called Unleashing the Power of Social Media. The workshop is designed for writers and illustrators, with a specific "children's lit" bent to it in this case.

I love doing these workshops, I must say. Really getting in depth enables folks to leave with a great understanding of what to do on their own, how to do it, and how to do it efficiently. Good times.

I'm looking forward to more such workshops in 2012 and beyond. Feel free to email me if you want to bring me out your way... and if you're ever near where I'm yakking, I do hope you'll stop by and say "hi!"

I Tried to Write a Poem - a writing poem

I Tried to Write a Poem
by
Greg Pincus

I tried to write a poem.
The words just didn’t flow.
I’d write a few
Then scratch them through
And in the trash they’d go

I gave myself a deadline…
I guess this one I’ll miss.
Time’s come and gone,
Now I’ll move on…
Since all I’ve got is this.


The Poetry Friday roundup is over at Teaching Authors today. Do go check it out (and poke around over there, too).

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!

The List of Lists

It's that time of year when "best of" and "top books" and awards galore are handed out. How's a reader supposed to keep up with all this news in children's publishing? Us mere mortals can't, but luckily for us, Susan over at Chicken Spaghetti keeps a list of all the lists and awards - updated frequently, at that.

It's one of my favorite resources for finding books to read, determining good gifts, and simply seeing what's out there in a whole slew of different children's literature related categories. I hope y'all like it, too (and thanks, Susan!).

Alicia Alonso: Prima Ballerina

Back in the 2010 edition of 30 Poets/30 Days, Carmen T. Bernier-Grand shared Dancing Fingers with us. The poem came from her then upcoming biography of Alicia Alonso, a Cuban ballerina, though it stood wonderfully on its own.

Well, flash forward 18 months, and that biography is now out. Check out this review by Betsy Bird (Fuse #8). Sweet!

Leslie Muir, the Little Bitty Bakery, and a Rhyming Interview (Yes. Really!)

I’m really thrilled that I can say that Leslie Muir is here today. We’re friends, you see, from long ago (as you will read way down below).

Her newest book is out right now, with art by Betsy Lewin (wow!). So when she said “I’m on a tour. Can I stop by?” I said “Well, sure! There’s only one small hitch for you – I want a rhyming interview.”

Leslie didn’t blink. Now I’m hoping you’ll enjoy our rhyme.

As authors we don’t get to choose
Our artists, so we wait for news.

Can you recall what you were doin'
When you heard "It's Betsy Lewin"?

The phone had rung, the light was blinkin’,
Can’t recall what I was thinkin’.

The ID name sure caught my eye,
said: D-I-S-N-E and Y!

But why would Walt give me a call?
Especially since he’s dead and all?

I held the phone up to my ear,
a distant voice said loud and clear:

“I love your tale, it’s right on track,
I’ve got great news, so please call back.”

I fainted—SLAM!—and cracked a bone,
then rang my agent on the phone!

She said: “Hold on. I’ll get the scoop!”
I dared let go a tiny “Whoop!”

She called right back: “We’ve got a deal!”
My tiny whoop became a SQUEEEEAL!!!

“And guess who’s going to illustrate?”
my agent screamed, “She’s really great!”

I must admit I was boo-hooin’,
When I heard: “It’s Betsy Lewin!”

Did your title ever change?
Did you ever re-arrange
Your plot? Your words? The cast? The tone?
Or did you shout "Leave this alone!"?

I’ve rearranged, I will confide,
so many times my brains are fried.
I must admit this story’s been
around the bend and back again.

The title changed. Oh yes, and how!*
I very nearly had a cow
and held my breath till I turned blue—
I loved my title, it was true.

But sales and others made their case,
so grudgingly I did erase,
and in the end I don’t feel glum—
behold the power of Valium!**

*Explanation: My original title for the story was The Wee Patisserie. The sales and marketing team at my publishing house felt that my Frenchy title might not jump out to buyers, especially those unfamiliar with the word patisserie. In the end, I deferred to their expertise. I’m usually open to changes during the revision process, but I was very attached to the original title and hated to lose it. It’s all good though.

**And for the record: I took poetic license with the Valium line!

I wonder if you could take time
To talk about meter and rhyme
Since I know that it
can be so hard to fit
Any story into picture book form at all as you need to keep the story front and center without letting people even think about the writing, and you do it so effectively without forcing word choice or story points or... uh... uh... using slime.

Yes, a moment I can spare,
hear my creed if you so dare:
First the story, then the rhyme,
or you’ll waste a ton of time.
Keep your meter smooth as cream,
a bump in rhythm is like a blood curdling, really distracting SCREAM. See? I told you.
Dang, I’m tired, exhausted, yuck,
rhyming interviews really…
well, actually, it might be the pound of Halloween candy I just ate…put me in a mammoth sugar coma…yeah, that’s it…it wasn’t this interview at all…really!*,**

*Explanation to above terrible poem: Before you jump into a rhyming tale, have the story figured out from beginning to end so you’re not developing the rhyme with no real direction. There’s nothing more frustrating than having to delete a batch of hard-earned stanzas because the story wasn’t well thought out from the get-go. And watch your meter! Keep it consistent and smooth. And by all means, let others read your work aloud. It’s a sure-fire method for weeding out tiny glitches in rhythm that you: a.) completely missed b.) ignored on purpose or c.) are in denial about. (Greg nods his head in vigorous agreement.)

**I really did eat a pound of Halloween candy.

Now, sadly we must say adieu...
So quickly, please... what's next for you?

C. R. MUDGEON is out real soon!
In 2012, but not in June,
actually it’s March....

Thanks for having me, Mr. Pincus,
You smell nice, you seldom... stinkus.

Leslie Muir's newest book, The Little Bitty Bakery (Disney/Hyperion), is a sweet, sweet story with fabulous illustrations by Betsy Lewin. It's a treat to read aloud, and it's a filling confection any time of day. But my excitement with having her here goes deeper than that. You see, Leslie and I were in the same online, rhyme only critique group (an exceedingly talented bunch, I must add) back before either of us had sold anything at all. 

Leslie always blew me away with her poems, picture book manuscripts, and her notes on others' work, too. Our critique group broke up years ago, but flash forward to 2011 and Leslie has THREE picture books out (Barry B. Wary and Gibbus Moony Wants to Bite You being the others) with C.R. Mudgeon coming next year. The success is no surprise to me, and if you'd seen her work back when I first saw it, it'd be no surprise to you, either.

I'm only stop two on Leslie Muir and Betsy Lewin's blog tour, so there's more good reading out there. In fact, yesterday, Jules had a fabulous post (full o' art and more) over at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast. Tomorrow, the tour moves to Jama Kim Rattigan's always appetizing Jama's Alphabet Soup. And Friday, the crew stops over at the ever-entertaining Elizabeth Dulemba's blog. I hope you'll check 'em all out.

And my thanks again to Leslie for being here and not even blinking when I said "wacky idea - let's do a Q&A in rhyme." That's friendship (and bravery!).

(THE LITTLE BITTY BAKERY. Copyright © 2011 by Leslie Muir. Illustrations © 2011 by Betsy Lewin. Published by Hyperion Books, New York. Images used with permission of the publisher. Photo of Leslie Muir and Betsy Lewin used with permission of Leslie Muir.)

I'm the Squeak Upon the Stair... - a spooky poem

I’M THE SQUEAK UPON THE STAIR...
by
Greg Pincus

I’m the squeak upon the stair...
Yet when you look, there’s no one there.
I’m howling winds, groaning floors,
Extinguished lights, slamming doors.
I’m flitting shadows, darkening skies,
Piercing screams, distant cries.
I’m all your fears – heard, felt, or seen.
I’m in your head. I’m Halloween.

The Poetry Friday Roundup is over at Random Noodling this week. Check it out, if you dare. Spooooooky. And remember, if you end up with any extra of those little Reese's cups this Halloween, I'll gladly help you out with them.

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!

Advocating for Poetry

If you're a regular GottaBook reader, then I know something about you: you like poetry, at least a little. With that in mind, I wanna send you over to the blog of PACYA - Poetry Advocates for Children & Young Adults.

As you can figger from the name alone, this is a group that wants to make some poetic noise, and, I think, is well positioned to do so behind the leadership of founder Steven Withrow.

Why not check out their goals for 2011-12 and take note of various volunteer opportunities. If you love poetry, and love spreading it to kids (ages 1-99, I'd say!), then check it out and see if you want to get involved. Advocate! You know you want to....