Showing posts with label Poems about Writing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Poems about Writing. Show all posts

Friday, September 8, 2023

Give Some (Writing?) Advice


Hello friends! I am the grateful host of this Poetry Friday. Please scroll to the bottom of this post to visit all of the different people sharing poems and poemlove and fellowship today.

A Few Stones
Photo by Amy LV

In many places, it is the start of a new school year, and as I believe that writing poetry is a fabulous way to begin a new year and a beautiful way to get to know people, this poem is for all of you new poem writers.



Students - If you are in a place that is just starting school, happy new school year! If you have been in school for a while, happy day just the same! Today I am thinking about beginnings and doing new things, including making new kinds of writing. Each time I take too much time off or place too much distance between me and writing, it feels new again. This is good...and also difficult. For me, it is often trickier to start something new than it is to keep going with something already on the move. So writing regularly can be one helpful secret for writers. Then, the approaching-the-page feeling is simply I'm back! rather than What do I do again?

Today's little poem compares writing to a different activity I love - collecting stones. Truth be told, I also love collecting shells, buttons, pinecones, sea glass, yarn, flowers, old handkerchiefs, and of course words. I do believe that writing a poem is a lot like collecting little treasures and making patterns with them. And while I sometimes get nervous about writing or feel like there is a bag of tricks I do not know, the truth is that writing is collecting and arranging, standing back and rearranging. Writing is making time for the glory of words in all of their shapes and sizes. Writing is a way to figure out what we think and to think about what what we wish to figure out. It is not a mystery, and each of us can do it. But we need to eat. We need to rest. We need to not always be on the go-go-go. Pausing is part of writing. Allow yourself to look out the window, to look down at the pavement and to see the flat stone that is looking up at you. Eat.

What will you write this week? Perhaps you, too, will write a poem with a tip or a thought about writing as I did here. Maybe you, too, will think of an interesting "Did you ever...? question to begin a poem. Such an open-ended start could take you into the world of real or into the world of pretend. You may even choose to write a poem with a You Asked... title. Sometimes beginning with any old title gets a writer going, and you one always change a title later once the draft is on its way. Maybe you will compare one thing to a different thing as I have compared picking up and arranging stones to picking up and arranging words. We all learn from each other. If I could read your writing right now, I would learn from you.

Bloggers - I invite you to add your posts for Poetry Friday below. And if you're new to Poetry Friday, just click the blue button, and you will be able to visit other blogs and add your own if you wish!

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I leave you with good thoughts about trying new things and sticking with habits that help you be your favorite you.

xo,

Amy

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Friday, October 20, 2017

Happy National Day on Writing! #WhyIWrite



What's Inside?
Photo by Amy LV




Students - Today is the National Day on Writing!  On this day, we celebrate the power and beauty of writing, many sharing with the hashtag #WhyIWrite.  Today's poem is a tribute to writing and to all of the mystery it offers us.  You will note that this poem does not rhyme, but you may also note that there is a bit of repetition of structure.  This holds the poem...and the sense of mystery...together.

Teachers, please do not miss NCTE's rich website for the National Day on Writing.  There are so many ideas and resources and inspiring posts to learn from and share.  Below you can the little video I made for the Writer's Story Campaign.  If you and/or your students wish to share about your own writing on social media today, please include the #WhyIWrite hashtag so that all of us can find you!



Yesterday was the book birthday of my new POEMS ARE TEACHERS: HOW STUDYING POETRY STRENGTHENS WRITING IN ALL GENRES.  I am celebrating that good fun with a book and cookie giveaway...so if you're interested in learning more, please just head on over to yesterday's post where you find links to posts about the book (thank you, friends!) and enter a giveaway (through Thursday, October 26) too.

Please visit the latest post at my other blog, Sharing Our Notebooks to win a copy of Caroline Starr Rose's latest book!  She's sharing a poem AND a peek inside of her notebooks.

Happy Poetry Friday, friends!  Leigh Ann is hosting this week's Poetry Friday roundup over at A Day in the Life.  It's her first time hosting, and she's doing so with a beautiful book share...don't miss!

Friday, May 12, 2017

A Poetry Birthday Party for Poet Ben!



Village Bench
Photo by Amy LV




Students - Today's poem is for a friend, a friend you'll meet in a moment.  My new friend Ben.  Cats love to visit Ben's poems, and so when I knew Ben would be visiting today for his birthday, I wanted to write a poem about this truth.

Then, last evening, as I took a walk through the village, I saw the scene you see above: an bench holding only a bag reading I HEART CATS.  Perhaps cats around the world are all thinking about Ben's sixth birthday today!

Sometimes when I sit to write, I write a poem for someone I care about.  A thought of someone you care for is a great reason to place pen to paper.  If ever you are feeling stuck...consider your loved ones.  Who would appreciate a gift of words right now?  Who might need such a gift? Who do you wish to surprise?

Today it is my honor and delight to welcome a young poet and birthday boy to The Poem Farm.

Young Ben, his mother, his school's literacy coach, and one of his teachers join us today from Crossroads Academy-Quality Hill in Kansas City, Missouri.  I couldn't feel luckier!  Happy birthday, Ben!


Meet Ben!

A Note from Ben's Mom

Ben is a very special poet with a unique voice. He has been reading and writing poetry since he was two. His first poem, written in 2013, was a haiku:

A lady laughing?
Mama laughing. Falafel?
Falafel laughing.

Two of Ben’s favorite poets are Emily Dickinson and E.E. Cummings. One of his favorite phrases when he was two was “so many kinds of yes.” Here is a video of two-year-old Ben reading part of a Cummings poem about springtime: “Sweet spring is your time is my time is our time…”


Since 2013, Ben has read poems, made videos, and created artwork inspired by poets during Poetry Month. Here is a video of Ben reading William Carlos Williams for Poetry Month 2014: "The Red Wheelbarrow."


And a video of him reading Pablo Neruda for Poetry Month 2015: "Ode to Hope."


The Balloon of the Mind by W.B. Yeats
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A Note from Instructional Coach Mrs. Callahan

 I am the Instructional Coach at Ben’s school, and, since January, I have had the privilege of spending most afternoons with Ben.  During this time, Ben has worked on various poetry challenges and created two full books of poetry. Writing is Ben’s way to do what he loves. I introduced Ben to the poetry and lessons of Amy Ludwig VanDerwater, and he soon became a huge fan of The Poem Farm and Amy’s work. 

 A Note from Teacher Mrs. Lupton

 Ben has great interest and talent with poetry.  He loves words and his skills far surpass an average 5 year old. To try and meet Ben where he is, give him what he needs, and feed his creative spirit, we came up with the idea of partnering him with Emily Callahan (a fellow lover of poetry) during our school wide intervention time to work on deepening his understanding and love of poetry.

Hi I’m Ben!
Today, May 12, is my 6th birthday!

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I am a founding 1st grader at Crossroads Academy-Quality Hill.  Our school opened in August, 2016.  It is located in the heart of Downtown Kansas City, Missouri. I am lucky to have wonderful teachers here and the chance to write and read poems almost every day. I am a big fan of poetry! Here's a video of me showing this!



I like writing poems about cats. I like cats. Poems can follow any rules.  You do not have to write poems with the same rules that I did. I like writing poems because they can be about anything. I was 5 years old when I started publishing my poetry books.


This year, I discovered Amy’s 2012 National Poetry Month Dictionary Hike Challenge, and I was inspired to do my own! I have published two books: Alphabet Challenge for Poems: Poems A-Z and Color Poems (based on Amy’s Poetry Month challenge this year).

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You can hear me read these books and watch the book movies!

 
ALPHABET CHALLENGE, POEMS A-Z


Here are some of my favorite poems from my first book, ALPHABET CHALLENGE, POEMS A-Z:

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BEN'S COLOR POEMS! THE BEST POEMS OF 2017

Here are two of my favorite poems from my second book, BEN'S COLOR POEMS:

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I am working on my 3rd book, EMOTION POEMS.  Here are some of my emotion poems so far:

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On May 3, I got to Skype with Amy! My parents got to come too!

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Here is my favorite poetry quote and some of my thoughts about poetry…

“A poem helps the mind
play with it’s well-trod patterns of thought, and
can even help reroute
those patterns by making
us see the familiar anew.”
-Mark Yakich

“A poem is like a song
without music.
A poem is like a machine,
But also like a wild animal.
Every part is precisely
placed and chosen, but it
doesn’t have to follow any
rules.”
-Ben Stoker

Thank you to Amy, Mrs. Callahan, Mrs. Lupton, Mrs. Weseloh, Mrs. Reasby and Ms. Williams for helping and encouraging me.

Have fun and keep writing!
Love, Ben

Thank you so much to Ben and to his parents and teachers for joining us today.  What a celebration!  Ben, may your year ahead be full of joy, full of poetry, full of cats!  xo

To celebrate Ben's writing, today I am offering a giveaway of Kwame Alexander's new book, OUT OF WONDER: POEMS CELEBRATING POETS.

Image result for out of wonder alexander

Please comment to be entered into this giveaway, and I will draw a name next Thursday and announce the winner next Friday!

To continue enjoying poetry all week long, visit Tara at A Teaching Life where you will find this week's Poetry Friday roundup.  All are always welcome!

Thursday, April 27, 2017

Writing the Rainbow #27 - Blue Violet


Welcome to my National Poetry Month project for 2017!  Students - Each day of April 2017, I will close my eyes, and I will reach into my box of 64 Crayola crayons.

Aerial View of Crayola Box
Photo by Georgia LV

Each day I will choose a crayon (without looking), pulling this crayon out of the box. This daily selected crayon will in some way inspire the poem for the next day.  Each day of this month, I will choose a new crayon, thinking and writing about one color every day for a total of 30 poems inspired by colors.

As of April 2, it happened that my poems took a turn to all be from the point of view of a child living in an apartment building.  So, you'll notice this thread running through the month of colors. I'd not planned this...it was a writing surprise.

I welcome any classrooms of poets who wish to share class poems (class poems only please) related to each day's color (the one I choose or your own).  Please post your class poem or photograph of any class crayon poem goodness to our Writing the Rainbow Padlet HERE.  (If you have never posted on a Padlet, it is very easy.  Just double click on the red background, and a box will appear.  Write in this box, and upload any poemcrayon sharings you wish.)

Here is a list of this month's Writing the Rainbow Poems so far:


And now...today's crayon.  Blue Violet!

Writing in the Sky
by Amy LV




Students - Somehow, it just felt right that our little friend should have a blue violet notebook.  And who wouldn't want to write up in the sky?  Today's poem is about writing.  Writers often write about writing, and I've been thinking that this young person is very observant and most likely keeps a writer's notebook. 

Do you notice the repetition in today's poem?  Feel free to play with repeating words and lines in your own poems. Repetition can lend a playful air.

If you are Writing the Rainbow with me, perhaps your color for today will make you write about writing.

Colors can take us anywhere.  And if you'd like to join in with your own poem at our Writing the Rainbow Padlet, please do! It is one colorful and beautiful place to visit..

And please don't miss the links to all kinds of Poetry Month goodness up there in my upper left sidebar.  Happy twenty-seventh day of National Poetry Month!

Please share a comment below if you wish.

Friday, March 24, 2017

Poem Pep Talks & A Poetry Peek



My Pencil Case and Current Notebook
Photo by Amy LV



Students - I have been out of my normal writing routine.  Some good family things, and a big and different writing project have pulled me away from my notebook. These things have been good.....but oh, how I have missed my notebook.  I feel like I have been missing part of me.

So when I began writing this morning, I really did need to give myself a pep talk.  I wrote and wrote to myself about how much better I feel when I am writing regularly, and how much easier it is to write when writing is a habit.  Good habits help with living, yet sometimes I let my habits go.  Then, I must happily chase them down again.  That's what today looks like.

As way led onto way in this morning's notebook writing, my pep talk became a poem.  I thought I was writing it for you.  But if I am honest, I will tell you that I wrote it for you...and for me.  The words in this poem are true for me.  I hope that it will give me courage when I think to myself, "I don't know if I can find a writing idea today."  And I hope it might help you too.  Just begin.

We all have struggles in life, and sometimes writing a pep talk or a pep talk poem can lift a person up.  You might choose to write a pep talk or a pep talk poem for a friend or a family member...or for yourself.   The way we speak to each other and ourselves changes our thinking.  So writing to ourselves in positive ways matters and makes a difference.

And now...a Poetry Peek!  Today I could not be happier to welcome second grade teacher and author Mary Anne Sacco from P.S. 290, The Manhattan New School in New York City.  Mary Anne is author, with Karen Ruzzo, of a book I love, SIGNIFICANT STUDIES FOR SECOND GRADE, a book that I know helped inspire my own EVERY DAY BIRDS.  



The Cozy Writing Home of Our Grade 2 Poets
Photo by Mary Anne Sacco


by Mary Anne Sacco 

This winter’s second snow day in NYC was announced the day before it occurred. I perused The Poem Farm, as  I do often, when looking for some mentor poetry to use with my second graders.  Even though the first day of Spring was only a week away, on this Snow Day Eve, we found ourselves reading aloud John Rocco’s BLIZZARD.


We read these two poems from Amy. 




That evening the students had these poems in their home learning packet as mentors to help them write their own snow day poems.

It’s March and we have been using poetry in our home learning packets and in class since the beginning of the year. I also immersed the kids in a short December poetry genre study.  We focused on list poems and poems of address.  The most powerful teaching came from studying a few mentor poems. And these young writers are still holding those lessons with them. The slashes in some of these poems you'll read indicate the places where the students are planning their line breaks. 

My students love poetry and many of them choose writing a poem as a home learning choice to share with the class or a family member.  

Here are a few poetry writing tips from my students.

A Tip from Gillian

Tips from Serena and Georgia


Here are some Poetry Hands.

Poetry Hands Write
Photo by Mary Anne Sacco


Poetry Hands Make Books
Photo by Mary Anne Sacco


And here are some poems students wrote for snow day home learning.

by Olivia


by Conor


by Shiloh


by Georgia


by Aidan


by Caitlin

Some of these students' winter poems, as well as their spring poems, will soon be included in home learning packets too.

Thank you so much to Mary Anne and these poets for joining us today, during the first week of spring!  We can write about any weather at any time of year...and now as we totter between winter and spring, we thank you for these celebrations of snow.

Please allow me, too, to share a beautiful book about snow days.  If you do not yet own BEFORE MORNING, by poet Joyce Sidman, do not miss this enchanting work of art.


To honor today's poets, I will offer a giveaway of Joyce's book, to be sent to a commenter on today's post.  I'll draw names next Thursday, March 30...and will announce the winner next Friday as I host the Poetry Friday, Poetry Month Eve festivities and share my April Poetry Project.  (If you think your class might like to play along this year, pull out some crayons.  I'm buying a new box of 64 Crayolas.)

Catherine is hosting this week's Poetry Friday roundup and Kwame Alexander's new OUT OF WONDER at Reading to the Core.  Please stop by and visit. We share poems each week, and everyone is always invited.

Please share a comment below if you wish.