I Packed the Poetry

from writtennerd's etsy shop

While I don't talk about it much these days, I'm actually starting year nine of volunteer librarian-ing at my kids' elementary school. The last two years, the job wasn't much, as we frequently weren't able to get into our library space. As a result, this year... we're on the move!

The unfortunate part of the situation, besides actually physically moving the books, is that we're leaving a really wonderful set of rooms and downsizing. Still, having a room full of books you can't visit is, for me at least, in some ways more frustrating than not having books at all. So, we're packing up with the goal of also leaving a good collection behind in the original space and setting up our new, smaller-but-ours space, too.

We're lucky in that over the last eight years we've built a pretty solid collection and can create two viable collections. But geez... when there aren't duplicates of a book - particularly, I've noticed, a picture book - I do NOT want to leave it behind. I mean, some day a kid might pull Tell Me a Mitzi off the shelf, ya know?

Anyway, yesterday was particularly trying as I discovered that leaving any poetry book behind, even the many, many doubles (note: if you live on donations, you will get Shel Silverstein), was not something that was in my blood. It was an act of discipline to make choices, even knowing that we can access the books from either location. In the end, I admit it, I packed the poetry in a ratio that kept more of it with me.

And I'd do it again, too.

That said, let this be our secret, okay? Thanks. You're the best. (Oh, and all you amazing people who have donated books to the library or signed books when I've found you? Thanks again! All your books are staying with us, I guarantee!)

It's Poetry Friday, and Tara has the roundup over at A Teaching Life. Check it out for gobs of poetry joy....

You Can Be a Cybils Judge!

Yes, it's that time of year again - time to sign up to be on a Cybils panel! If you don't know the Cybils - the Children's and Young Adult Bloggers Literary Awards, well, it's also a great time to learn about 'em, I tell ya. You can even read about the early days before there was even an awards sticker that graces books....

If you blog about children's books (board book to YA) or children's apps, you're likely eligible to be a judge. And judging, I must tell you, is a lot of fun (and a great responsibility, cuz it's wonderfully serious business). I judged the poetry category for a few years and am still in touch with all my fellow panelists. Nuff said.

So, get thee hence and sign on up!

Well, I Guess I'm Interested....

I have to admit this amused me greatly - email from Amazon suggesting that I, G. Pincus, might be interested in Greg Pincus' poetry collection The Late Bird:

It's a fine book, but I already own it :-) 

I guess this proves that algorithms are only human....

Conference Time!

Ah, yes - it's about time for the annual SCBWI Summer Conference which, I'm happy to say, takes place in my own back yard. Not literally, of course, because there's not room for 1000 there. But close enough that I can drive to and from every night, saving hotel fees and food charges and the like.

Sadly, this year I'm not a paid attendee (schedule, time, time schedule, etc.), but I'll be there a whole bunch, hanging out in the hotel lobby or out on the patio or just plain old milling about seeing friends old and new.

If you're there, please say hello! And look for tweets with the #LA13SCBWI hashtag to keep up to date on the Twitter talk. (Plus, SCBWI's team blog's blog is always a great read!).

The Disability in Kidlit Blog

Just want to point out the Disability in Kidlit blog, in case you've missed it. Cuz it's great, ya see.

This isn't just about listing books where disability factors in. No. We're talking critical looks at representation, conversations about myriad issues/concerns, and well-written thought pieces by folks who know of what they speak.

The blog may only be active for the month of July, but I, for one, hope it continues. It reminds me of Debbie Reese's American Indians in Children's Literature blog... and that's a good thing.

We talk about children's literature being a mirror for kids, and it's important to examine how we're really doing in that regard when it comes to our portrayals of others different than "the norm" (whatever the norm might mean these days....). Check it out, I say!

In Which I See ARCs... and Squee

What's this?

Could it be?

Squee!!!!

 
Yes, it's ARCs (advance reader copies or galleys or uncorrected proofs or whatever you might want to call them) of the 14 Fibs of Gregory K.!

And I freely admit it's a great feeling to hold one. Can't quite imagine what holding the final book will be like. Makes me want October 1 to come sooner.....

This calls for pie!

 

It's the Fourth Anniversary of #kidlitchat!!!!

It's true - our chat this week (as always on Tuesday night at 9 PM Eastern/6 PM Pacific on Twitter) will be celebrating our fourth anniversary. Since chat is modest, it will not be all about it, of course, but focusing more on all the chatters and the industry itself.

Please come join Bonnie Adamson and me and chat your fingers off.

If you need some chat help, check out this great writeup by Debbie Ridpath Ohi. (As an aside, for those looking for a new chat-following tool, the site Twubs.com was recommended to me and worked well last week.)

Hope to see you there!

J. Patrick Lewis - Where is the Fourth of July?

Where is the Fourth of July?
by
J. Patrick Lewis

The Fourth of July
isn't what it used to be,
isn't what it used to be,
not even close to being close
to what it used to be back in the days of old.

Where is the Fourth of July parade?
The bands? Remember the bands that played,
picnics, cookouts, fireworks adventures?
Remember when Grandpa lost his dentures,
Granny made ice cream, the four uncles sang
(almost in tune) like a barbershop gang,

Saluting the flag? Dressed in red, white, and blue?
Kids riding bikes down the avenue?
Where is the Fourth of July of old?
I said to Gramps, "It's holiday gold!
July the Fourth is a household word!"
But missing his teeth, he said to me, "Son,
Ish only July da fird."

(©J. Patrick Lewis. All rights reserved.)

It's always nice (and a bit of a thrill) to have J. Patrick Lewis stop by here at GottaBook and share a poem. And today it's a poem for the 4th... or the 3rd... or both!

Whether you celebrate Independence Day or not, I wish you a happy Fourth. As for me... I'll be watching the fireworks, saluting history, and enjoying friends and family. Sounds like the July Fourths of old, perhaps? Just no lost dentures....

Not that I'm excited about it or anything....

The 14 Fibs of Gregory K. is due to launch three months from today!

Here again, because it makes me abundantly happy, is Linzie Hunter's fabulous cover:

You should stop by your favorite indie bookshop and encourage them to order gobs of copies, don't you think? Yes. Of course, you do. Don't know why I asked. Or you can pre-order it on Amazon, even.

But really what I encourage most is to hang out and be gleeful with me or with any other author you know who's got a book coming out soon. It's an exciting time, yet it's easy to forget to celebrate. So find an author and have some fun!

Almost There.... - a writing poem/a poem poem

Almost There....
by
Greg Pincus

I've been thinking about a new poem.
I can see the way it should begin.
Yet the writing is pending
'Til I know the ending -
I don't want to leave it unfin...!

Happy Summer, y'all (well... y'all in the Northern Hemisphere!). This week's Poetry Friday Roundup is over at The Poem Farm where Amy Ludwig VanDerwater keeps you stocked in poetry all year round.

And if you want to get all the poems hereabouts (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!

Congratulations, Kenn Nesbitt!

I'm excited to see that Kenn Nesbitt has been named the Poetry Foundation's next Children's Poet Laureate!

It's a two year term, so Kenn will be taking over for J. Patrick Lewis this year and be laureating until 2015. I'm looking forward to tons of laughter from Kenn, as always, and I know he'll be inspiring kids to love all kinds of poetry for years to come.

Congratulations, Kenn!

Poetry Re-Issue: Hello, Summer!

It's that end of the school year time yet again, give or take a week or two, so I figured it was worth dusting off a poetic tribute of mine....

Hello, Summer!
by
Greg Pincus

Goodbye, classroom!
Goodbye, Teach!
You can find me at the beach...
Or in the park or at the pool
Or any place that isn’t school.

Goodbye, quizzes!
Bye, reports!
Hello days packed full of sports
And days when I’m just lazybones
While eating melty ice cream cones.

Goodbye, homework --
Lunchroom, too.
There’s so, so much I wanna do.
I know the school year flew on past…
But please, please summer -- last and last.


It's Poetry Friday, and you can see the roundup of this week's posts over at Teaching Young Writers.

And if you want to get all the poems hereabouts (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!

Banana Stickers

So, today I voted here in the LA mayoral election... and I got one of those "I Voted" stickers. And I flashed back to childhood.

One day in either late elementary or early middle school, a friend and I had collected enough Chiquita banana stickers to give to everyone in the class and planned that at the top of the hour (I think it was), we'd all put said stickers on our noses and continue class as if nothing had happened.

My memory from here is even hazier, though I seem to recall the teacher continuing to lead the class without really acknowledging anything was amiss, though clearly aware.

What I don't recall was how I felt afterwards or whether the weeks of collecting stickers had paid off for me. I do know I never organized another banana-in. But to this day I have the urge to put stickers from bananas on my nose.

Nothing profound here, but it was a happy flashback for me and something I hadn't thought of in decades. And if you were there (or arranged a similar event!)... well... feel free to add your memories here. (You know... letting me know I'm not alone in my silliness!)

Good - a baby sitter poem/a perspective poem

Good
by
Greg Pincus

Last night we had a sitter
Just like Mom had said we would,
And since I am a real nice kid, I'd promised to be good.

I kept my word. Indeed I did.
I think it's plain to see.
In fact, I'd say that I was just as good as good can be.

I was good at whining
And at scaring our pet cat.
And throwing food against the wall? Yes, I was good at that.

I was good at tantrums
And was good at staying up.
I was extra good at pouring too much soda in my cup.

I was good at playing -
I played lots of "I can't hear!"
And my sitter said that I was good at changing her career.

So Mom and Dad, I'm asking you,
I'm shouting through this door:
If I was so, so good last night, what'd I get grounded for?


Let me just go on record as saying there is nothing autobiographical about this poem (well, except for me being a good kid, of course!!!). I'm just sayin'.....

You can check out this week's Poetry Friday roundup over at Ed DeCaria's Think Kid, Think!, and read some Poetry Friday history as well as see a slew of other great poetry posts. You should go. It's the "good" thing to do.

And... if you want to get all the new poems hereabouts (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!

Reading News that Shocks No One

Well, perhaps it surprises some, but certainly not me - It turns out that the ability to choose what one reads is critical to promoting reading, or so says this Canadian study. This echoes an earlier Scholastic report I mentioned here (and no surprise: the Canadian study looked at prior data and studies to reach conclusions).

I think this plays out a lot with poetry, too, kinda along Lee Bennett Hopkins' idea that you should read kids poetry and get out of the way. Poetry and reading shouldn't be treated as chores - they're pleasures. How this plays out in a classroom is challenging, I know, but take away freedom all over and... well.... Choice, I say!

And you?

30 Poets/One Day - 2013 Edition

Logo by Carter Higgins

I miss April already! Thanks so much to the 30 poets who shared their work here this month - 30 Poets/30 Days couldn't happen without you. Big thanks, too, to Carter Higgins for her logo. And to all of you who read along... I can tell you that all the poets and I appreciate you hanging out with us.

In case you missed anything (or even if you didn't), here's a review of the 2013 edition of 30 Poets/30 Days:

Mary Lee Hahn - The Green Door
Kelly Fineman - Where Are Your Shoes
Andrew Fusek Peters - Blackbird
Heidi Bee Roemer - 3-D Geometry Geek
Sonya Sones - Hayfever 
Doug Cushman - Olympic Sprouts
Tamera Will Wissinger - The Judge of Fudge
Jill Corcoran - Sing it Loud
Robert Schechter - Mistaken Identity
Nancy Bo Flood - Immigrant's Song: Coal Dust, Peppers, and Tomatoes
Debbie Levy - The Garden Secret
Jon Agee - High Jump
Thalia Chaltas - Today's Topic
Stephen W. Cahill - Scatterpillars
Emily Jiang - Painting with Sound
Laurel Snyder - Bluster
Robert Paul Weston - Freddy and the Yeti
Kristin Elizabeth Clark - Pronoun
Jenny Whitehead - The Litterbug
Maria Testa - First Game Ever, Perfect
Steven Herrick - Climate Change
Renée LaTulippe - A Council of Cats
Guadalupe Garcia McCall - Under the Awning/Debajo del Toldo
Joyce Lee Wong - Wedding Photo
G. Neri - June Bug Bash
John Foster - Add a Letter, Find Another Word
Lesléa Newman - Teen Angels
Dave Crawley - Eye of the Hawk
Naomi Shihab Nye - Driving Back

For even more poetry, you can check out prior years' editions of 30 Poets/30 Days:

Logo by Debbie Ridpath Ohi

Logo by Mary Peterson

Logo by Bonnie Adamson

Again... thanks for being part of the fun. I hope you stay in touch!

And as always, you can can join my poetry list and get all the poems that appear here emailed out the day they hit my blog. Enter your email address below and click subscribe:

Here's to poetry!

Naomi Shihab Nye - Driving Back

Driving Back
by
Naomi Shihab Nye

People do not
           pass away.

They die,
           and then

they stay.

©2013 Naomi Shihab Nye. All rights reserved.

---

I wanted to mention all the various honors Naomi Shihab Nye has received (multiple Pushcart Prizes, being a Guggenheim Fellow, the 2008 Cybil for Poetry for her book Honeybee) but on some level, I always wonder if that's really necessary... particularly after you've just read Driving Back. I mean... you don't really care about the awards, do you? You just read and that's enough.

I love the way Driving Back conveys so much heart and truth in just 11 words. It's a lesson I constantly have to relearn - brevity, honesty, simplicity, and the right words in the right order are the keys. Luckily, when I need a refresher, I can just turn to the poetry and prose of Naomi Shihab Nye to see all those elements at their best. And whether she's writing for adults or children or novels or standalone poems, she will make you think and feel... which is one reason why I'm so thrilled to have her here today to finish up this year's 30 Poets/30 Days.

Yesterday, Dave Crawley gave us Eye of the Hawk. Tomorrow... a recap of the 2013 edition of 30 Poets/30 Days. Which means it's over! Sigh. It's always a bit sad for me when April comes to an end, though there's much to come here at GottaBook in May and beyond. I hope you stick around to see it... and more than that, I hope your whole year is full of poetry!

Dave Crawley - Eye of the Hawk

Eye of the Hawk
by
Dave Crawley

Broad wings hover in a cloudless sky.
Shadow on meadows where songbirds fly.
Bright eyes gleaming, from a world on high.
     The tall blue sky of the hawk.

Red-tailed raptor with a taste for prey.
Nail-sharp talons that will have their way.
The hunter rules at the end of day.
     Beware the eye of the hawk.

Blacksnake slithers where a field mouse stirred.
House wrens flee from the great, brown bird.
For one lone creature, the last sound heard:
     The hungry cry of the hawk.

©Dave Crawley. All rights reserved.

---

First off... congratulations to Dave Crawley, winner of this year's March Madness (poetry style, that is)! Dave ran off a string of created-under-pressure poems based on assigned words (like his tourney ending entry using "bumbershoot" or his semifinal battle where his "sesquipedalian" poem barely topped vs. M. M. Socks' "portmanteau" verse) that was epic, impressive, and a whole lot of fun, too.

Now, if you followed March Madness or have read any of Dave Crawley's books, you'll know that he's got an incredible ability to make folks laugh. He turns a phrase and plays with words like nobody's business. In fact, he sent me a very funny poem as well as Eye of the Hawk, but I chose the latter because what I think often gets lost for those of us who write funny is that, well... I mean, look at the word choice, the imagery, the hidden rhymes and all that good stuff! It's there in all his funny stuff, too, but if you ignore it here, well, you'll end up prey, I tell ya!

I step off my soapbox with an entreaty that you find Dave Crawley's books and re-read his Madness poems. Or just enjoy the Hawk and see why I'm thrilled to have him here as part of 30 Poets/30 Days.

Yesterday, Lesléa Newman gave us Teen Angels. Tomorrow, the 2013 edition of 30 Poets/30 Days finishes up with Naomi Shihab Nye and Driving Back.

Lesléa Newman - Teen Angels

Teen Angels
by
Lesléa Newman

Raymond Chase
Tyler Clementi
Billy Lucas
Asher Brown
Seth Walsh
Carl Walker-Hoover

19 years old
18 years old
15 years old
13 years old
13 years old
11 years old

Raymond Chase
Tyler Clementi
Billy Lucas
Asher Brown
Seth Walsh
Carl Walker-Hoover

“Fag”
“Faggot”
“Fairy”
“Sissy”
“Homo”
“Queer”

Raymond Chase
Tyler Clementi
Billy Lucas
Asher Brown
Seth Walsh
Carl Walker-Hoover

punched
slapped
kicked
chased
tackled
stripped

Raymond Chase
Tyler Clementi
Billy Lucas
Asher Brown
Seth Walsh
Carl Walker-Hoover

ashamed
afraid
enraged
depressed
defeated
alone

Raymond Chase
Tyler Clementi
Billy Lucas
Asher Brown
Seth Walsh
Carl Walker-Hoover

Hanged himself
Drowned himself
Hanged himself
Shot himself
Hanged himself
Hanged himself

Raymond Chase
Tyler Clementi
Billy Lucas
Asher Brown
Seth Walsh
Carl Walker-Hoover

Friend
Brother
Cousin
Teammate
Classmate
Mama’s Boy

"Teen Angels" copyright ©2013 Lesléa Newman. Reprinted by permission of the author.

---

Perhaps some or all of the six names in Lesléa Newman's Teen Angels were familiar to you before you read the poem, but I'd be willing to bet that now you'll remember them all the next time you see them... and you'll know why. What a powerful piece of writing!

Today's poem could easily be a companion to Lesléa Newman's most recent book, October Mourning: A Song for Matthew Shephard, a novel-in-verse that deals with some similar themes and issues (and uses many points of view (including many of the silent witnesses to Matthew Shephard's death, such as the fence to which he was tied). I just read it recently, and I have to say it simply sticks with me. Another book I highly recommend.

Whether in her standalone poems, novels, or picture books (over 20 of them, by the way, including the oft-challenged Heather Has Two Mommies), I think it's safe to say that Lesléa Newman writes from her heart, and we're the lucky beneficiaries. It's a phrase say frequently in April, but, darn it, it's true: I'm an unabashed fan... and I'm thrilled to have her here today as part of 30 Poets/30 Days.

Yesterday, John Foster showed us how to Add a Letter, Find Another Word. Tomorrow... Dave Crawley with Eye of the Hawk! For more on 30 Poets/30 Days and ways to follow along, please click here.

John Foster - Add a Letter, Find Another Word

Add a Letter, Find Another Word
(a word-finder's alphabet)
by
John Foster

When does the letter A create an opening?
When it turns jar into ajar.

Why is the letter B hot?
Because it turns oil into boil.

Why is the letter C skilful?
Because it turns raft into craft.

When is the letter D artistic?
When it turns raw into draw.

When is the letter E friendly?
When it turns mat into mate.

When does the letter F become airborne?
When it turns light into flight.

Why is the letter G deadly?
Because it turns rave into grave.

When does the letter H cry out?
When it turns owl into howl.

Why is the letter I angry?
Because it turns rate into irate.

When does the letter J sound harsh?
When it turns angle into jangle.

Why is the letter K good at tying?
Because it turns not into knot.

Why is the letter L good at making chains?
Because it turns inks into links.

Why is letter M good at multiplying?
Because it turns any into many.

Why is the letter N good at subtracting?
Because it turns one into none.

Why is the letter O good at providing access?
Because it turns pen into open.

Why is the letter P polite?
Because it turns lease into please.

Why is the letter Q quite sickening?
Because it helps to turn easy into queasy.

When is the letter R careless?
When it turns ash into rash.

Why is the letter S good at digging?
Because it turns hovel into shovel.

When does the letter T make a down-and –out?
When it turns ramp into tramp.

When does the letter U create a custom?
When it turns sage into usage.

Why is the letter V wicked?
Because it turns ice into vice.

When does the letter W create a turnaround?
When it turns heel into wheel.

When does the letter X reveal the inside story?
When it turns ray into X-ray.

When does the letter Y create longing?
When it turns earn into yearn.

Why is the letter Z bizarre?
Because it turns any into zany.

©John Foster. All rights reserved.

---

Dear editors who read GottaBook - would you please contact John Foster and inquire about turning the above poem into a picture book? It is very, very clever and even I, the non-visual guy, can see wonderful illustration potential. Thank you.

Word play is a recurring joy in John Foster's poetry, as is what I'd best describe as "smarts." (Note: I was going to make some reference to a letter S and turning marts into smarts, but geez... it's hard to do what he has done up above in a coherent way!). Head on out to read a couple poems at his site and while you're there, listen to him reading/performing a few poems, too. If you choose to attempt your own performance of Sean Short's Short Shorts, don't blame me if you have to ice your tongue after....


Besides being a wordsmith in his own right, John Foster also puts together fantastic anthologies, an art in and of itself. This means y'all have a lot of options when you leave this post... but in the meantime, I hope you share my happiness at having him here today as part of 30 Poets/30 Days.

Yesterday, G. Neri brought us the June Bug Bash. Tomorrow... Lesléa Newman with Teen Angels. For more on 30 Poets/30 Days and ways to follow along, please click here.