Imagine Imagine Imagine

Smiling Moon

Stamp & Photo by Amy LV

Students -  Happy World Read Aloud Day!  I love to be read to, and I love to read to others. Today, thinking about people reading to people all over the world, I remembered many joyful years of reading to our three children.  I remembered how sometimes my husband would stand in the doorway listening too.  I remembered how when he read, I would stand in the doorway and listen.  And then I thought about our moon, hanging so brilliantly outside each of our windows.  I imagined the moon as listening and learning, smiling up in the sky.  Just think of how many books the moon has heard!

Sometimes a bit of writing begins with a truth and then travels into the territory of wonder and wish.  Of course we can always write what we know.  But too, we can write of the truths that might be, the truths we imagine, the truths we hope and love to consider.  As writers, we may begin in truth and end in the country of our dreams.

What do you know to be true?  Where might this lead you?  Sometimes the only way to know is to write your way into knowing.

Tabatha is hosting today's Poetry Friday roundup at The Opposite of Indifference, with two thoughtful poems, both of which I will carefully copy into my paper notebook today. Please know that the Poetry Friday community shares poems and poemlove each Friday, and everyone is invited to visit, comment, and post.  And if you have a blog, we welcome you to link right in with us.

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.

Happy Book Birthday to READ! READ! READ!

My Family's Deacon's Bench

Photo by Amy LV

Students - When I was a little girl, my mom would regularly take my sister Heidi and me to the Vestal Public Library. We loved selecting our own books, and sometimes we even checked out sculptures, displaying them in our home for a week or two. (I distinctly remember the bunny sculpture...we checked it out several times.)  Sometimes Mom would go to the library without us, to refresh our book stock, and when she did, she'd pile up our books - one pile for Heidi, one pile for me - on this bench which lived in our front hall.

Today's book birthday celebration poem is about an object.  We are always surrounded by objects - inside and outside.  If you ever feel stuck for a writing idea, just pick one of those objects you see - I do this often. Follow your mind. If you wait, something will always show up on your page.

This bench you see above now lives in our home in Holland, NY.  I giggled as I filled it with my copies of my new book with talented illustrator Ryan O'Rourke for today's birthday of READ! READ! READ!  Back when I was a girl, I never would have imagined that this dream would come true, that I would write a book that lived on library shelves.  I never imagined that I'd have the opportunity to dedicate a book to a son, the little brother of our home...

Dedication Page of READ! READ! READ!

(Click to Enlarge)

Yes, children turn into grown-ups...and I did too.  And it's true that we never know what the days and years will bring. Yet I have learned this - if we hang on dearly to what we love doing and making, we learn about ourselves, and sometimes we have chances to share what we learn. I feel lucky to share these poems, to have been part of a team with amazing editor Rebecca Davis, fabulous illustrator Ryan O'Rourke, and all of the completely wonderful people at Wordsong/Boyds Mills Press.  Thank you to my best-ever agent Elizabeth Harding at Curtis Brown Ltd.  Thank you, all! 

To read more about our new book, please visit these bloggers who have posted about READ! READ! READ!  Much gratitude, friends, for these kind posts.

Tara Smith at a Teaching Life

Irene Latham at Live Your Poem

Linda Baie at TeacherDance

Lorraine Magee at Miss Magee's Reads

Boyds Mills Press (donating books) and I (signing and shipping books) are holding a giveaway for this book, joyfully illustrated by Ryan O'Rourke. This giveaway runs through tomorrow, September 20, and there will be five winners of one signed book each.  You may enter HERE.

Thank you so much for stopping by to celebrate with me...today and on all of the days that we share poems together.  I am very grateful for you, my poemfriends, and never more than on a day of celebration.

xo,
Amy

Amazing Book Cookie by MamaSeuffertSweets

Photo by Amy LV

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

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Day 26 - National Poetry Month 2015 - Sing That Poem!

Happy National Poetry Month!

Welcome to Day 26 of this Year's Poem Farm Project!

Find the Complete April 2015 Poem and Song List Here

First, I would like to welcome all old and new friends to The Poem Farm this April. Spring is a busy time on all farms, and this one is no exception.  Each April, many poets and bloggers take on special poetry projects, and I'm doing so too.  You can learn all about Sing That Poem! and how to play on my April 1st post, where you will also find the list of the whole month's poems and tunes as I write and share them.  If you'd like to print out a matching game page for yourself, you can find one here, and during April 2015, you'll be able to see the song list right over there in the left hand sidebar.

Yesterday's poem was Life's Door.  Here is the tune that goes along with it, below. Did you figure it out?

And here, below, is today's poem.  Look at the song list in the sidebar or on your matching form to see if you can puzzle out which tune matches this one.

Slice of Bookshelf

Photo by Amy LV

Students - As you may have figured out, I adore books.  In fact, my next poetry collection is titled READ! READ! READ! and will be illustrated by Ryan O'Rourke and published by Wordsong/Boyds Mills Press in the fall of 2017.  

Today I was thinking once again about how many places a book can take a person.  I remembered hearing Gary Paulsen tell a crowd how books helped him through difficulties in his childhood, and I know how different and good I feel when I am in the middle of a great book.  So this poem is just one more celebration of books!  

What do you wish to celebrate today?

Below you can see how I worked on the meter of this poem.  Each dot represents an unstressed syllable, and each slash represents a stressed syllable.  The straight up line shows where lines 3 and 4 each end, and the arrow indicates go back to the beginning.  This may help you puzzle out which tune matches today's words.

Meter Play

by Amy LV

Speaking of books and bookstores, today I am happy to welcome young poet Ada Bastedo, who shared her baseball poem at last Thursday's annual poetry reading at Monkey See, Monkey Do Bookstore in Clarence, NY.  I am always grateful to be a part of this beautiful and cozy evening, and too, I am thankful that Ada offered to share her poem here.  In the spirit of baseball and good sportsmanship, enjoy!

Monkey See, Monkey Do Bookstore

Photo by Amy LV

The Baseball Rules

When you are in a ballgame,

You should make it a fair play 

All throughout the innings

Even when it's not going your way.

When your turn is called

And you are up to bat, 

And you miss three swings.

Please oh please don't throw your hat

For alone in the dugout 

You will have to sit,

So try not to be tempted,

please don't throw a fit.

Just look at pro ballplayers,

When three strikes call them out.

They don't throw a hissy fit

Or cry, or yell, or pout. 

For when the game is over

You may leave in glory or shame,

But you will always want to hear

Your game was so well played. 

by Ada Bastedo, age 9

Warm wishes to all in this last week of National Poetry Month!  

Please share a comment below if you wish.

Books - Poem #12 for April 2014 Poetry Project

LIVE!

Learn about this, my April 2014 Poetry Project, HERE!

Book Sign
Photo by Amy LV

Thrift Store Bookshelf
Photo by Amy LV

Students - Each day of this month, I sit to write, beginning by asking myself the same question - "Should I write from the clothing department?  The toy department?  Housewares?  Shoes?  Furniture?"  I look at my list of already-written poems and see where the collection feels like going.  

Then I try to find an open window of the waiting poem.  "What will let me in? Will I write AS the books, TO the books, ABOUT the books?"

I also think about tone.  "What feeling do I want the poem to have?"  This has been interesting throughout THRIFT STORE LIVE so far.  Many days I have felt a nostalgia for these objects, yet I do not want the collection to be a weepy and sad, so I consider how the tone is moving along.  If one poem is a little bit sad, the next one will not be sad.

Then, it's all about words and sounds, and the head scratching and muttering begins.

In the draft below, you can see that I scribbled in my notebook for only nineteen minutes last night before starting typing, but I type-revised for quite a while because once again, I needed a lot of time to work out the ending.

Endings matter.  How you say goodbye - to a friend, to your mom on the phone, to a reader of your poem - matters.

If you are working on a poem, think hard about the ending.  Do not be afraid to rewrite and rewrite.  Will you write a surprise ending?  A circular ending? A funny or emotional ending?  Try to end your poem a couple of different ways. Which way sounds best to you?

Books - Draft Page #1
Photo by Amy LV

What do I like best in today's verse?  I like the way "less than a" repeats three times to create some internal rhythm and sound.

Today, I offer a giveaway of two books here: one copy of THE POETRY FRIDAY ANTHOLOGY FOR SCIENCE compiled by Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong and one copy of my own FOREST HAS A SONG. Each Saturday of April, I will offer this same giveaway here, for eight books in all.  Thank you to Sylvia and Janet for your generosity.  Please leave a comment below, and I will draw two names next Thursday evening to be announced next Poetry Friday!

For last week's winners, check yesterday's post!

For a fabulous Poetry Peek chock full of ideas for sharing poetrylove with your students, don't miss Thursday's post with librarian Vida Zuljevic.

Please share a comment below if you wish.

Are You There, God? Banned Books Week

 

They Count on Us

by Amy LV

 

Click the arrow to hear me read this poem to you.

Students - This is Banned Books Week, from September 30 - October 6.  This means that it is a week to celebrate and think about all of the books that people have tried to keep out of libraries and out of people's hands, a time to speak up for the freedom to read.  I do not believe in keeping books out of people's hands...so I wrote this poem. And I plan to read a challenged book - TO KILL A  MOCKINGBIRD, by Harper Lee - this week. 

One important thing to know about the challenging and banning of books is that there are many people who stand up for books and ideas.  Because of these brave librarians, booksellers, teachers, and others, the characters in the poem above are still alive, still speaking to us from the pages of books we love.  They are not out in the cold at all.  Today's poem is just pretend.

I wanted to write a poem in honor of this important week.  I did not know what the poem would say, but jotting along, I suddenly imagined all of these lovable book characters...sitting on the outside.  And I decided to let Margaret write the poem.  You may recognize some of all of the characters in today's poem for all of them live in books that have been challenged/banned. 

Here is a list of the ten most challenged books of the year over at Huffington Post.  In THE NEW  YORK TIMES, you can find some ways to celebrate Banned Books Week.

Here is my 2010 poem for Banned Books Week - Warning.

Reading is our right.

Reading is freedom.  Or as the banner on bannedbooksweek.org says, fREADom.

Where do we get writing ideas?  We get ideas from our beliefs.  I believe in books.  What do you believe in?  Write about it.

Speaking of beliefs, it is time to nominate books for the 2012 CYBILS awards! Nominations open today, and you may nominate books in any number of categories.  See here for details on how to nominate your favorite books of the past year.

Please share a comment below if you wish.

To find a poem by topic, click here. To find a poem by technique, click here.

Like The Poem Farm on Facebook for more poems, articles, and poemquotes!

Library Book

Students - this is a poem that I wrote a few years ago, a poem about something I love to do...take books out from the library! (Our family is much much better at taking books out than returning them on time, but fortunately the library likes our overdue fines too.)  Is there something that gives you a so-full-happy-cannot-wait-feeling?  If so, then you must write about it!  Maybe even today...

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Rhyming Couplets

A Couplet of Cats

Photo by Amy LV

Rhyming Couplets

"Couple" means two.  A "couplet" is a pair of two lines of poetry, joined by meter and often rhyme.

Reading through this year's poems, I realize that I do not write many poems in couplets.  Writing a lot and then looking back has helped me to see patterns, habits, tics, strengths, and weaknesses.  I think I'll try to write some more couplet poems!

 from November 2010

At Harold Underdown's website, The Purple Crayon, you can read Charles Ghigna's great post about rhythm and rhyme which offers information about couplets, quatrains, tercets, and more!

Paul Janeczko's A KICK IN THE HEAD: AN EVERYDAY GUIDE TO POETIC FORMS is a jaunty and colorful book full of examples and definitions of many types of poetic forms.

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Throughout April, I will continue to post poetry lessons and poem examples from this past year of writing one poem each day.  These posts are written especially for classroom teachers and students, homeschooling families, and any other people who enjoy children's poetry.

This Month's Poetry Revisits and Lessons So Far

April 1 -   Poems about Poems

April 2 -   Imagery

April 3 -   Poems about Animals We Know

April 4 -   Line Breaks and White Space

April 5 -   Poems from Everyday Life

April 6 -   Free Verse

April 7 -   Poems from Wonders & Questions

April 8 -   Classroom Poetry Peek & Circular Poems 
April 9 -   Poems about Science
April 10 - Today - Rhyming Couplets 

In case you missed some of this first week of poetry in the kidlitosphere, Elaine Magliaro at Wild Rose Reader has rounded up a list of many posts at several different blogs.

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Poetry Friday & Book Relatives - #352

Great Grandma Connolly's Hand in 1936

Print by Great Aunt Edythe Toebe

This is poem #10 in my series about books and reading and words.  

Students - yesterday our family went to the library.  It had been too long since we had been there, our evenings poorly prioritized, our fines too great to imagine.  But today we were back, and what a treat it was.  Now there's a full striped bag of books calling out to us from the corner of our own little home library.  And once again, I find myself wondering about all of the other hands, other lives, other unknown book relatives who checked these books out before we did.

Do you ever write about your own mysteries and feelings?  Today's poem comes from that place in me, from a place of feeling that I know people from the past.  Such feelings may be quiet, and to hear them we must first quiet ourselves.

The picture above is of my mother's mother's mother's hand.  It is an ink print, made by my Great Aunt Tom (Edythe.)  In the 1930s, Aunt Tom would print the palms of friends and family and then write notes about the different hand lines, predicting the future.  Once Aunt Tom told me that she stopped doing this because "so many things kept coming true."

If you live in the WNY area, there are two great events this weekend to know about.  One is the Buffalo Small Press Book Fair (free) which we plan to attend.  The other is a Roycroft class titled Integrating Book Arts in the Classroom, all about making books.

National Poetry Month is only two weeks away, and this means that there are only 13 days left of My Poem Writing Year.  With no plan for the next chapter, I am open to suggestions!

Andromeda has today's Poetry Friday roundup over at a wrung sponge.  Enjoy wandering through poems and thoughts and book reviews and celebrations as you visit this week's poetry neighborhood.

 

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Read Aloud Today with Poem #343

Students - I wrote this poem in celebration of a special day, the first World Read Aloud Day.  Sometimes people write poems for important occasions such as birthdays, anniversaries, deaths, and all kinds of holidays.  This is what I did today.  What occasions do you have coming up in your life which might deserve some writing?

Today on World Read Aloud Day, LitWorld asks, "What would you miss most if you could not read or write?"

The poem "How the Stars Came Down" by Pat Schneider helps me answer LitWorld's question.  This poem describes a quiet and magical evening watching shooting stars, wanting not to leave camp, but having to go home to tenements, / asphalt and streetlights....  The poem ends, 

What I didn't know that night

in my bedroll at Sherwood Forest Camp

was that when I got home,

home wasn't my real home any more.

I had a new home in my remembering

and it was dark and safe and beautiful

with shooting stars still falling all around.

For me, every book, every article, every story, every poem is a "new home."  And I can visit these places in my mind and heart and soul whenever I need them.  As a mother and teacher, I believe that one of my most important responsibilities is to build such "new homes" inside of the children I meet and care for each day.  

We never know when our reality-homes will crumble for days or weeks or years, and it is good to create safe havens of words within ourselves and those we love.

Fight for Global Literacy with LitWorld, and celebrate World Read Aloud Day today by reading aloud to someone you know. 

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Poetry Friday & Poem #338 - So Rich

This is poem #8 in my series of poems about books and reading and words.

Students - sometimes I begin writing one thing, and then suddenly realize, "This is not working.  At all."  At this point, a writer has a choice.  One can keep going and hope that the poem or story gets better OR one can abandon and begin something new.  Both work at different times, but last night was a night for me to leave a poem behind.  Perhaps one day I'll come back to that poem...but this poem had a greater desire to be born now. 

That's one of the beautiful things about a notebook - you can keep your leftovers there.  Maybe someday I'll make something from those few written ingredients, those lists of wordplay.  Then again, maybe not.  But often little notebook-nuggets surprise us by turning up years later...

Today is not only Poetry Friday.  It is also National Grammar Day!  Happy NGD to you!  On this day, I recommend the Kilgallons' sentence composing books.  One to start with for grades three and up is STORY GRAMMAR FOR THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. 

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Poetry Friday & Poem #324 - Every Night

Gigi & Mini Read Jack Prelutsky

Photo by Amy LV

This is poem #6 in my series of poems about books and reading and words.

Students - To find a writing idea yesterday, I pretended that I was a little girl again.  I imagined I was playing mommy, copying my own mom.  What would a mom do?  Read aloud, of course.  As a little-girl-mom, I imagined reading aloud to my cat, and today's poem was born.  Try this sometime.  Remember way back to another time in your life.  Pretend you are there, and discover writing topics as they float across your brain-canvas.

Teachers - this week I made my first Xtranormal movie.  One-and-a-half minutes long, it is about how some schools are losing read aloud time to other programs.  The title of the movie is "Teacher, Will You Read Us a Book?"

Parents and teachers - if you don't know it, don't miss Jim Trelease's work about read aloud.

Mary Ann is hosting today's Poetry Friday, over at Great Kid Books.  It's sure to be a wonderful poetry party...the last one of February.  If you're new to this crowd, please know that all are welcome to share poems or poem news each Poetry Friday.  Simply link into the host-post!

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Poem #316 Explores One Reader's Change

This is poem #6 in Story Poem Week, and even though I post poems about books on Fridays, this one snuck in today.

Students - sometimes I get an idea stuck into my head, an idea of something that troubles or concerns me, and I cannot shake it.  For a while, I have been thinking about how important it is for readers to read for ourselves, not for other people, not for prizes, not for grades.  Reading is so much bigger than any of these things: reading is life.  

When we write, we can explore our feelings, opinions, and ideas about the world.  Other people don't have to agree with us or even read our words, but somehow, through writing, we can make sense of our lives and our own thoughts.  We can discover what matters most to each of us.

What keeps rolling through your head?  Is there something you would like to change in the world?  Is there something you wonder about and wish you could help with?  Your writing is a magnificent place to begin.

Teachers and Parents - Alfie Kohn's article, "How to Raise Nonreaders" offers us some meaty food for thought (and I'm sure it had a hand in this poem too.)  And thank you to Barry Lane for pointing me to Dan Pink's book, Drive.  You might wish to listen to Dan's TED talk, "The Surprising Science of Motivation."

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Poetry Friday & Poem #310 - Forever

 Have You Been Here Before?

Photo by Amy LV

This is poem #5 in my Poetry Friday series of poems about books and reading and words.  I believe books echo within and through us over and over again, that the authors' voices become part of us, helping us to make decisions and never feel alone.

This week I am reading the new Newbery Medal winner, MOON OVER MANIFEST, by Claire Vanderpool.  Here is a bit of poetry I'll carry with me from page 144:

If there is such a thing as a universal -- and I wasn't ready to throw all of mine out the window -- it's that there is power in a story.  And if someone pays you such a kindness as to make up a tale so you'll enjoy a gingersnap, you go along with that story and enjoy every last bite.

Students -I learned from Georgia Heard that we can read all kinds of things seeking poetry tucked within.  Try it.  Pick up your picture book, your chapter book, your nonfiction article and ask, "Where is the poetry here?"  Maybe you, like me, will copy a line or two down into your notebook, just for the future echoes...

For today's Poetry Friday roundup, visit Dori over at Dori Reads where you be presented with a menu of poetry delights!

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Poetry Friday, Books, Socks, & #303

So Many Lives

Photo by Amy LV

This is poem #4 in my series of poems about books and reading and words.  My weekly ritual of writing about the same topic on a special day has been nourishing and a good stretch too.

Today's second poem is #5 in sock week, a challenge inspired by fifth grade teacher Jamie Palmer's class's project in Webster, NY. For each day of this week, several of Jamie's students are writing a new poem every day and posting them on their kidblogs.  Each has chosen one subject and continues to explore that subject on the seven days of this challenge.  With topics ranging from balloons to dogs to the ocean and lacrosse, they are creating all kinds of individual poetry collections.

I, too, am in on this project along with homeschoolers Nathaniel and Jessica from New Hampshire.  Nathaniel is writing about hermit crabs, and Jessica is writing about fireworks.  Poetry Friday is a perfect day to hop over to Family School and compliment them on their growing collection of poems.

 Draft of "Secret"

by Amy LV

Students - I wrote this poem because my daughters often wear mismatched socks.  I enjoy seeing their checked and striped feet sticking out from the ends of their pants, and it makes me happy to know that they feel free from having to look like everyone else.  Yesterday as I wrote, I imagined a girl who felt trapped by having to look popular and perfect, expensive and cool.  I imagined that this girl might rebel in a small way by wearing crazy combinations of socks.  For even when we feel trapped, we can find ways to preserve ourselves.

Did you notice that these two poems have quite a similar rhythm?

This week's Poetry Friday roundup is over at Elaine's Wild Rose Reader.  If you linger there, you will be treated to all sorts of poems, book recommendations, and poem-thoughts from Elaine.

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Poetry Friday & Poem #296 - An Open Book

ON WRITING WELL by William Zinsser

Photo by Amy LV

This is poem #3 in my series of poems about reading and books and words.

Students - something I enjoyed while writing this poem was thinking of expressions beginning with the word "open."  I also thought of "open house," but that's not in the poem yet.  You might want to try that sometime - think of an expression you've heard over and over again, and just crack it open.  Either expand it or ask "What if?"

Now it's time to sled on over to A Teaching Life, where Tara is hosting today's roundup.  Happy Poetry Friday!

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PF & Poem #290 - Is Your Body in a Book?

This is poem #2 in my Friday series of poems about books and reading and words.  I have posted other reading poems, but they emerged before this new series. 

Students - the idea for this poem came from just thinking about reading and expressions around reading.  So often people say, "You have your nose in a book!"  I just took it one step further, imagining every part of a person disappearing inside a book.

After reading this poem, my husband said, "Oh, it's a bookmark talking...and it's a bookmark."  He's right!  If you'd like a pdf of this as a bookmark, please just send your e-mail address to amy at amylv dot com. 

This week, our daughter Georgia had a poem published over at Anne Mazer and Ellen Potter's creativity blog Spilling Ink, named after their fabulous book which is a Cybils nominee.  I recommended this writing book and shared Georgia's poem here last June, and if you scroll down to the bottom of this post at Spilling Ink, you can read "Why Write?" on Anne and Ellen's blog.  Congratulations, Georgia!

Teachers and Parents - be sure not to miss the Teacher's Kit section of the Spilling Ink blog.  Both tone and information are happy and healthy for all writers!  Too, please don't miss my right-hand sidebar with information about places where children can publish their work.  I highly recommend encouraging and helping children enter their writing into contests, magazines, and other sharing opportunities.  Many adult writers are able to trace their writing-love to a childhood memory of publication.

Laura is hosting today's Poetry Friday over at Writing the World for Kids.  Skip on over there for the complete roundup!

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Poetry Friday, #283, & A New Poem Series!

Warm Lamp Bulb

Photo by Amy LV

Happy Poetry Friday!  This is the first Friday of 2011, and my first poem in a series of poems about words and reading and books.  2010 brought 31 poems about poems, and lately I have been enjoying writing about reading, perhaps because one of my resolutions is to read more books.  We shall see how long this series will last.

Students - as I have mentioned before, there are times when poets fall in love with a particular rhythm.  This happened to me this week. If you go back to Tuesday's poem, "Lonely," and read it alongside this one, you will feel that the beats are much the same.

Sometimes our writing minds get in a beat-groove and like dancing in one place.  I like staying in one place for a while and then moving along the dance floor to a new place.  It's good to be aware of how our writing sounds...just like watching ourselves dance in a mirror!

This March, Lee Bennett Hopkins has a new book coming out, illustrated by Yayo. It is called I AM THE BOOK, and I am pleased to share that I have a poem in this book and can barely wait to see the illustrations.

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Over at Poetry for Children, Sylvia Vardell has posted her "Favorite Poetry of 2010."  Don't miss her recommendations!

For any of you who might have missed last Poetry Friday due to New Year's festivities, please don't miss teacher Theresa Annello's generous post about her students' poetry calendar project which now also lives in the sidebar along with its Classroom Poetry Peek friends.

For the complete Poetry Friday roundup full of poetic favorites, originals, stories, and information, visit Irene over at Live, Love, Explore!

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