Playing with Pattern

Dear Poetry Friends,

For the foreseeable future, I will crosspost on Fridays, here and at Sharing Our Notebooks, where I have been sharing - and will continue to share - a daily notebooking talk. (Today is Day 10.) Instead of writing about my poem in a blog post as is usual on Fridays, I will include that day's video talk from Sharing Our Notebooks.

If you are new to visiting The Poem Farm, I welcome you to poke around. There are all kinds of things to try.

Fridays are for Poetry...here and for now, at Sharing Our Notebooks

Sending all the best from my home to yours.

xo, 

Amy

Another Week of Talks from Inside Betsy the Writing Camper

Photo by Amy LV

Students - Today's poems were inspired by poems by young people as well as by some writing I did this week. I won't be writing much here these days, but you can learn more about the poems above by watching this short video below.

Thank you so much to Irene for sharing our my new book with illustrator Ryan O'Rourke at her wonderful place, Live Your Poem. It was fun to think about "the delicious, the difficult, and the unexpected" related to WRITE! WRITE! WRITE!

Tabatha is hosting today's Poetry Friday roundup over at The Opposite of Indifference with a neat exercise and a lovely poem which grew from it. We invite everybody to join in each Friday as we share poems, poem books, poetry ideas, and friendship. Check out my left sidebar to learn where to find this poetry goodness each week of the year.

Next Friday will be April 3, the third day of National Poetry Month! I will be sharing this year's project (still thinking), which I will crosspost each day here and at Sharing Our Notebooks next Wednesday, April 1. Happy almost National Poetry Month!

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.

Poems Can Ask Questions - Poem #271

Yesterday our family had the opportunity to serve a meal at the Response to Love Center in Buffalo, NY.  Service will become a part of our family's life in 2011; it is time that we reach out beyond our own four walls.

Students - you may notice that this poem asks a question right in the last line.  If you want your reader to think about something, go ahead and ask a direct question in your writing.  You will not get to hear the answers in your readers' heads, but you will stir up some thinking.  And stirring up questions is part of any writer's responsibility.

If you did not notice the sidebar note, I will be donating $1 to Reading is Fundamental for every new twitter follower I receive before December 31, 2010.  Here is a list of those participating in this campaign for RIF, launched by Jason Pinter.  If you are not on twitter, I have to say that I wondered about it too.  I'd describe twitter as a quick version of facebook with many fascinating links and connections...all tied to what interests you most, professionally or personally. 

For a wise post about wants and needs, read Stacey's piece over at Two Writing Teachers.  I'm sharing this too late for the giveaway, but these book-peeks are not to be missed.

(Please click on COMMENTS below to share a thought.)