A Kindness Poem Party!

Morning Hearts

Photo by Amy LV

Today we are very lucky.  We have guests at The Poem Farm!.  Second grade teacher Mrs. LaMonaco and her poets from Brooks Hill Elementary School in Fairport, NY are visiting with their poems, all celebrating quiet kindnesses.  Last month I invited poets to share such poems, and I could not be more grateful that these young writers chose to do so.  

This is a lovely way to celebrate love and friendship and all of the good things that people do for us every day.  For more ways to do this, take a peek at all of the beautiful projects folks are taking on at the Global Kind Project.

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Thank you so much to Mrs. LaMonaco and to these poets for celebrating kindness with us today.  If you would be so kind, please leave them a comment with your thoughts. Happy almost Valentine's Day! 

Peace,

Amy

xo

Please share a comment below if you wish.

If you are under 13 years old, please comment only with a parent 

or as part of a group with your teacher and class.

Hearts, Heart Maps, & a New Georgia Heard Book!

Seeing Into Hearts

by Amy LV

Students - I wrote today's poem thinking about the many maps of many hearts that children and grownups have drawn over the past many years since Georgia Heard first suggested we do so.  As I considered this exercise and my own heart's table of contents, I imagined for a moment what it would be like if we could each just see inside each others' hearts, could know what others were carrying inside.

I got to thinking about my sister-in-law Suzi's e-mail tag line, how very true it is, how kind we might each be if we could only know the battles of others.  Since we cannot, we must trust that they are there.

In writing, one thing leads to another, and we must be open to this leading, this mystery.  Allow yourself to begin anywhere with your writing...and see where you end up.  The journey!  The journey!

I am so happy to welcome Georgia Heard, one of my own mentors, to The Poem Farm today. I was fortunate enough to first hear Georgia speak twenty-two years ago, and she lit a bright candle for poetry in my own heart.

Georgia Heard: Poet, Author, Teacher

I have learned lots from Georgia's books and talks throughout the years, and her new Heinemann book - HEART MAPS: HELPING STUDENTS CREATE AND CRAFT AUTHENTIC WRITING - is out just this week, so it's a perfect time to celebrate hearts!  

Available through Heinemann

Georgia's HEART MAPS Podcast

Georgia allowed me to ask her a few questions about this new book today, and Heinemann generously offered a set of two of her books: HEART MAPS and AWAKENING THE HEART to one commenter on today's post.  Much gratitude to both!

How did you begin working with heart maps as a way to spark writing?

I was a visiting writer in a school in Phoenix, Arizona and I began a heart-mapping project with third-graders. My goal was to inspire these young poets to write from their hearts – to show them that writing poems can give voice to our truest selves. I wrote about that experience of using heart maps to kindle writing in AWAKENING THE HEART: EXPLORING POETRY IN ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOL. Since that time I’ve introduced heart mapping to hundreds of writers of all ages as a way not only to dig deep into ideas for writing poems but also to spark writing in many different genres.

How has your work with heart maps deepened through your years as a writing teacher?

I began with the idea of one heart map: map what you love and what you’ve stored in your heart.  Over time I realized that other kinds of heart maps could provide opportunities for students to discover not only poems but also stories, ideas they want to explore, and what they wonder about. In my new book, I introduce twenty types of heart maps that I hope will inspire writers to bring their passions to the page no matter what genre they’re writing in.

Would you be willing to share one of your own poems that grew from a heart map?

Poets find poems everywhere in the surprising nooks and crannies of the world. I wrote about finding poetry in the world, and in my heart, in this poem “Where I Find Poetry.”

Where I Find Poetry

by Georgia Heard

I open my eyes and what do I see?

Poetry spinning all around me!

In small ants trailing over the ground,

Bulldozing dry earth into cave and mound.

In a hundred grains of ocean sand,

that I cradle in the palm of my hand.

In a lullaby of April rain,

tapping softly on my window pane.

In trees dancing on a windy day,

when sky is wrinkled and elephant gray.

Poetry, poetry! Can be found 

in, out and all around.

But take a look inside your heart,

that’s where a poem truly likes to start.

One of the heart maps in the book is called WHERE I FIND POETRY HEART MAP where writers look closely at the world to find poetry in all of its surprising specificity and then write and draw on their heart maps. Here are two examples of student WHERE I FIND POETRY HEART MAPS:

Thank you again to Georgia...to these two young heart mappers...to Heinemann...to Suzi...and to everybody who stopped by today.

I wish each and every one of you very full hearts this week.  May your own hearts overflow with goodness, and may you have the eyes to see the burning candles in the hearts of others.  Please leave a comment on today's post (by midnight on Thursday, September 22) to be entered in the drawing for a set of two Georgia Heard books - the new HEART MAPS and the classic AWAKENING THE HEART.

Speaking of great giveaways, congratulations to Linda Mitchell of A Word Edgewise, winner of the five copies of YOU JUST WAIT from last week's post. Linda - please just send me a note to amy@amylv.com with your snail mail address, and the books will wing their way to you.  Thank you again to Janet and Sylvia of Pomelo Books for the generous gift!

In my other space, I am tickled to welcome fellow Poetry Friday blogger, writer, and teacher Kiesha Shepard to Sharing Our Notebooks.  Stop on over there, peek into her notebooks, leave a comment...and maybe, just maybe, thank you to Kiesha, you might win a Mary Oliver poetry book.

Today's Poetry Friday roundup is over with Michelle at Today's Little Ditty.  Enjoy all of the poetry joy all week long!

Please share a comment below if you wish.

If you are under 13 years old, please comment only with a parent 

or as part of a group with your teacher and class.

Poetry Friday is Here - and a Healing Poem Too

is here today!

Goodbye

Photo by Amy LV

Students - This poem is for anyone who needs it.  I was not sure whether to write about the bowl of gorgeous tomatoes on our table or about all of the people I know who are somehow suffering right now, suffering with different sadnesses.  I needed to write about the second thing, about how helpful it can be to find other people who have been through what we are going through, no matter what our struggles may be.  

Whenever I need help with a hard time, I always turn to family and poems, friends and books.  I try to be a helpful friend, too, and sometimes I am...and sometimes, without meaning to, I say the wrong things. When that happens, I can only try again. That is all any one of us can do, our very best, every day, knowing the path is sometimes steep but that kind others have gone before.

Sometimes, even if you are not going through a tough time yourself, you feel what others are feeling.  You, too, can write about those feelings.  It helps.  

Language-wise, you will notice that this poem has some rhymes and some repetition too.  What do you notice about the rhyme?  What do you notice about the repetition?

Now...let's celebrate!  It is Poetry Friday, and once every few months, I am allowed to host the guests.  All through today, I will update this space with news from the Kidlitosphere: original poems and ideas, classroom stories and new books, favorite poems and found treasures.  All are invited to leave links to poetry posts in the comments, and I will add them below .  

If you have not visited my other blog, Sharing Our Notebooks, lately, I have the present pleasure of hosting poet and novelist, Irene Latham and her notebooks.  There's even a giveaway of Irene's beautiful book, DEAR WANDERING WILDEBEEST.

Welcome, welcome, welcome!  And enjoy, enjoy, enjoy!  I am grateful that you are my Someones.

xo, 

Amy

The Roundup!

Over at Radio, Rhythm and Rhyme, Matt Forrest shares news about a new adult anthology of which he's a part.

At TeacherDance, Linda celebrates the Cybils' judge announcements along with a memory of a small lovely moment of summer.

Douglas offers an original poem about gravity, taken from the newly published GUYS READ: TRUE STORIES, edited by Jon Scieszka. Find this poem at the Florian Cafe.

It's Homecoming season and Laura's daughter's going to her first high school dance. Should she wear a dress or push the envelope and go in a tux? At Author Amok, Laura's post about HS dances and challenging norms features Sue Ellen Thompson's poem "The Paper Dress."

Bridget at wee words for wee ones has an original poem, "Real Estate on the Web," about the importance of truth in advertising when selling a "home."

At Susan Taylor Brown, Susan is in with an original poem, "Celebrate With Me," which is modeled on a Lucile Clifton poem and has become her personal anthem.

Inspired by Renee's poem at No Water River last week, Laura does something she rarely does: shares a poem written for a family member.  You can read her poem for Maddie at Writing the World for Kids.

Heidi also shares a poem for a family member, a poem about her son and sleep, over at My Juicy Little Universe.

Tabatha brings us an uplifting butterfly theme today at The Opposite of Indifference.

At Michelle's Today's Little Ditty, Liana Mahoney is visiting Limerick Alley with a toad and some great news.

Margaret's post at Reflections on the Teche is an invitation to Carol's Summer Serenity Gallery and an offering of her original poem, "Deception Pass."

Mary Lee offers us "Autumn" by Linda Pastan over at A Year of Reading.

 At Keri Recommends, Keri is in with Joyce Sutphen's "First Words" and with some words for our poetry community too.

Jama joins in with a little birthday party for Cornelius Bear over at Alphabet Soup. Enjoy the poems and cookies, and bring Cornelius some warm wishes.

At The Logonauts, Katie teaches poetry and geography with her favorite J. Patrick Lewis poem about latitude and longitude.

At Reading, Teaching, Learning, Holly also celebrates Carol's Summer Serenity Gallery and shares her original poem, "City of a Hundred Spires."

Over at Random Noodling, Diane offers "Almost," the last of her Sketchbook Project poems. At Kurious Kitty, for Talk Like a Pirate Day, she shares "The Parrot" by James Merrill.

Carol's post, at Beyond LiteracyLink, revolves around these last bits of summer serenity with a photograph taken by her daughter and a poem by Helen Hunt Jackson.

After a long break, Liz is happy to be back at the Poetry Friday table with a poem about tomatoes.  Find it at Elizabeth Steinglass.

At Penny Parker Klostermann, Penny shares Episode 2 of A GREAT Nephew & a GREAT Aunt at my blog today.

Violet offers her found poem titled "Paul Simon Reunion" at Violet Nesdoly/poems.

Karen is having breakfast with Billy Collins today at Karen Edmisten.

Over at Dori Reads, Doraine shares one of her favorite Lucille Clifton poems, "blessing the boats."

At Hope is the Word, Amy shares Longfellow's "A Psalm of Life" along with some thoughts about her family's discussion and study.

At Musings, Joyce shares a visit with poet, storyteller, and national treasure, Ashley Bryan.

JoAnn begins a new series of posts about creativity with a sympathetic note to herself and anyone else who might need it. Today's post at Teaching Authors includes a wonderful Ted Kooser poem about creativity.

Anastasia offers VOICES FROM THE MARCH ON WASHINGTON by J. Patrick Lewis and George Ella Lyon over at Booktalking.

At Buildingsroman, Little Willow shares Lucy Frank's poem, "Two Girls Staring at the Ceiling."

Tanita shares Christine De Luca's "The Morning After" at [fiction, instead of lies].

At Poetry for Kids Joy, Joy is counting acorns with an original poem you might wish to act out.

Ramona offers Julia Kasdorf's "What I Learned from My Mother" at Pleasures from the Page.

Ruth, at There is no such thing as a God-forsaken town, is in with "The Yellow Dress," by Amy Beeder.

At Check It Out, Jone announces the Cybils Poetry Panelists and Judges and also points us toward Carol's Summer Serenity Gallery.

Tricia offers two James Stevenson poems over at The Miss Rumphius Effect.

Crystal is trying to slow down, and in doing so, she shares an original poem titled "A Lesson From My Dog" at Reading Through Life.

At Gathering Books, Fats is in with Walt Whitman and "When I Heard the Learn'd Astronomer."

Please share a comment below if you wish.