Make Friends With Your Notebook

A Clearing

Photo by Amy LV

Students - Last night I woke up a few times with a writing idea I had planned to work on this morning. I began that work, but somehow felt it was not the right poem for this day. So I flipped through my notebook and found this draft from April.

April Notebook Draft

Photo by Amy LV

It felt more important to write about magic today, so I decided to type up the above draft to see what would happen. I played around a lot with the sound and read aloud as I worked. And I am happy I did so! 

My tip for today is to make friends with your notebook. Just stuff stuff in there: ideas, wonderings, unusual thoughts, bits and snips of poems, cards, photos, sketches, leaves, ticket stubs, stickers, recipes...anything! See, it is not easy for a writer to do all of the things in one day: think of an idea, draft it, play with the sound and structure, and edit. That's a lot to do! So a notebook can be a trusty friend who holds onto your ideas until you may (or may not) wish to turn then into drafts. I used to keep a whole blog about notebook keeping - Sharing Our Notebooks - and I am considering getting back to this as a central practice in my teaching. Our writing in notebooks helps us know what interests and charms us.

You may have noticed that today's poem does not carry a lot of rhyme. Rather, I focused on the sound, playing with short lines, each one almost contained and holding a bit of rhythm. Reading aloud as I write is one of my most important revision tools. If you don't do this now, I recommend giving it a try. Write a bit...read it aloud...revise what sounds off...keep going.

So consider it - write in a notebook just to see what you get. Revisit the writings in a few weeks to see if one of the bits may wish to grow into a story or a poem or an essay or a letter or something else. Our brains and hearts do a lot of work that we don't even know about, and a notebook can help us hang onto that thinking and love.

This week, Rose is hosting the Poetry Friday roundup over at Imagine the Possibilities with a bit about her "Snippets" log and a poem about imaginings. Each Friday, all are invited to share poems, poem books, poetry ideas, and friendship in this open and welcoming poetry community.

I send you magic and belief in magic...

xo,

Amy

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HELLO MY NAME IS - Day 7

Happy National Poetry Month!

(Feel free to search for poems in the sidebar or watch videos in the tab above.)

Hello, Poetry Friends! This month I am sharing poems written in the voice of Little Red Riding Hood, and I invite you to join me in writing in the voice of someone else too. You might choose a fairy tale character or a book character or a person from history or anyone else real or imagined. These are your poems, so you make the decisions. Each April day, I will share my poem and a little bit about writing poetry. Mostly, we’ll just be writing in short lines with good words and not worrying about rhyming. Meaning first. Our focus this month will be adopting the perspective of another…for 30 days. I invite you to join me in this project! To do so, simply:

1. Choose a character from fiction or history or somewhere else in the world of space and time, and commit to writing a daily poem in this person's voice for the 30 days of April 2025. You might even choose an animal.

2. Write a new poem for each day of April. Feel free to print and find inspiration from this idea sheet that I will be writing from all month long.

Teachers, if you wish to share any HELLO MY NAME IS... subjects or poems, please email them to me at the contact button above. I would love to read what your students write and learn from how they approach their own projects.

LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD'S POEMS SO FAR

April 1 - First Poem

April 2 - My Name

April 3 - Red

April 4 - Frank

April 5 - The Big Bad Wolf Had Been a Stray

April 6 - 8am on a Sunday

And now for today!

Students - Since we live in the real world and are simply visiting Little Red's world this month, I - through Lou - have chosen to share the backstory of her best friend Goldilocks, a character we readers may have once perceived as spoiled and bratty (Breaking and entering! Stealing others' food! Ruining chairs!) Lou shares that as in her own tale, there is always more to the story. We harken back to Poem 4 of this month, in which Lou confides in us about her own life.

Today's poem gives us a small window into a character's life beyond the tale.

And today, again, I had some fun with a name. Here is the meaning of Orla Lola Bruin:

Orla = Golden Princess

Lola = a nickname that may mean Sorrows or Warrior

Bruin = Bear

Writing this now, I realize that I did not look up the meaning of our wolf's name, Frank. Why didn't I do this? I am not sure. I will look it up now.

Hmmm....

Frank = Free One

Well, that turned out just perfectly, didn't it.

Thank you for joining me on this seventh day of HELLO MY NAME IS...

To learn about more National Poetry Month projects and all kinds of April goodness, visit Jama's Alphabet Soup where Jama has generously gathered this coming month's Kidlitosphere poetry happenings. And if you are interested in learning about or writing from any of my previous 14 National Poetry Month projects, you can find them here. Happy National Poetry Month!

xo,

Amy

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Write in Third Person

November 20, 2024 Before

Photo by Amy LV

November 20, 2024 After

Photo by Amy LV

Students - Sometimes when we read, we assume that the author of a story or poem is writing about themselves, even if they have not said that this is true. The truth is, oftentimes, authors write in the first person 'I' voice when a piece is not about themselves. Rather, they PRETEND that they are someone else and IMAGINE a whole new world that they have never experienced. They write in the 'I' voice even though they never physically experienced what they are writing. For example, I could write a piece about my memories as a cloud (I looked down at tiny trucks and trains) even though I am not actually a cloud.

Similarly, authors can write in the third person 'she/he/they/it' voice even if a piece IS about their own life. Authors can take a step back and imagine themselves at a bit of a distance, watching an experience they truly had, shaping it for a character perhaps just like themselves, perhaps somewhat different. Sometimes characters are really the author, sometimes not the author at all, and sometimes a mix of the author and imagination.

Today's poem is true, it is about something that happened to me two days ago, and it is also in the third person 'he/she/they/it' voice. I wrote it this way because I wanted it to feel a little bit more like a story and as I wrote, I did imagine the character much like me but much older and grayer somehow.

You might wish to try this. Remember something that happened to you, and write about it in the third person 'he/she/they/it' voice. This will help you take a step back. You may choose to keep your memory as it really happened, or who knows? Perhaps you will change it a little. Perhaps you will change it a lot. Perhaps you will end up writing about a completely different thing than you started with. You are the author...so you make all of those important decisions.

Playing with point of view can give our poems and our stories new flavors and can bring new ideas into our minds.

Ruth is hosting this week's Poetry Friday roundup over at There is no such thing as a God-forsaken Town with some thoughtful words and an original poem around the phrase My world, your world, our world. Each Friday, all are invited to share poems, poem books, poetry ideas, and friendship in this open and welcoming poetry community.

Remember...difficult things will always happen in life, even when we work hard. It is good to take that time to sigh, but we can always start again. I wish you new beginnings.

xo,

Amy

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Make a Promise

Trees are Giving

Photo by Amy LV

Students - Have you ever read a book that revisits your mind and heart from time to time? Shel Silverstein's The Giving Tree is such a book for me. Today I imagined a favorite tree, began thinking about how giving and quiet and strong all trees are. I thought about how grateful I am for trees, and then I remembered the human character in Silverstein's book and the destruction he caused within the few short pages of a book. Somehow, my poem's narrator remembered this book too and chose to make a promise to one special tree.

Today I have a few possible writing ideas you might choose to take on:

1. Write about a favorite tree. You might pretend that you ARE the tree or you might write TO the tree or perhaps you will write ABOUT the tree from a distance.

2. Make a list of books that have stuck with you. Choose one and write about why it sticks with you. You may want to refer to it in a poem or story that you write.

3. Make a promise to a person or a group of people or an animal or a plant or yourself. You might wish to write this promise as a poem or maybe you will want to draw your promise. We become the promises we make.

Cathy is hosting this week's Poetry Friday roundup over at Merely Day by Day with an original poem for this week. Each Friday, all are invited to share poems, poem books, poetry ideas, and friendship in this open and welcoming poetry community.

I wish you loving and strong promises - made for and by you.

xo,

Amy

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ONE MORE OR LESS LINE CROW 26

 Happy National Poetry Month!

(For new poetry writing videos, see the COAXING POEMS tab above.)

 

Hello Poetry Friends! If you visited earlier this month, you may have noticed a change my National Poetry Month project title. For my National Poetry Month Project this year, I had originally planned to study crows and share a new crow poem each day of April with the number lines in each poem corresponding to the date. The plan was to write 1-line poem on April 1...and go all the way up to a 30-line poem on April 30. For a variety of personal and poetic reasons, I have changed the project. The poems have lengthened to 15 lines...and now they decrease from 15 back down to 1. Hence the new name: ONE MORE OR LESS LINE CROW. 

To do so, simply:

1. Choose a subject that you would like to stick with for 30 days. You might choose something you know lots about...or like me, you might choose something you will read and learn about throughout April.

3. Write a new poem for each day of April 2024, corresponding the number of lines in your poem to the date. For example, the poem for April 1 will have 1 line. The poem for April 14 will have 14 lines. The poem for April 30 will have 30 lines. OR....invent your own idea! And if you start later in April, just play around however you wish.

4. Teachers and writers, if you wish to share any ONE MORE LINE... subjects or poems, please email them to me or tag me @amylvpoemfarm. I would love to see what your students write and to know that we are growing these lines...and our understandings of different subjects...together.

Below you may read all of this month's poems:

April 1 - High in a Pine

April 2 - First Baby Picture

April 3 - Nestling Crow Appreciates

April 4 - Thirty Days Old

April 5 - Young Crow with his Sparkling Blue Eyes

April 6 - Free

April 7 - To Persevere

April 8 - Watch Closely

April 9 - September Sight

April 10 - Black

April 11 - Winter Roost

April 12 - All Food is Good

April 13 - Know Crow

April 14 - A Helper Now

April 15 - Family Tree

April 16 - The Choice

April 17 - Build, Wait, Hope

April 18 - Mobbing

April 19 - Don't Doubt It

April 20 - Crow Parents

April 21 - A Wire is Warm

April 22 - Is Crow Frightened?

April 23 - Over and Over and Over

April 24 - Bathtime

April 25 - Crow's Bank Account

And now for today!

Twenty-Six Crows, Five Lines

Photo by Amy LV

Students - Today's poem is a bit of a continuation of yesterday's poem. It is true that crows save nuts for the future...and true that they are smart enough to drop walnuts on the road to crack them open. This poem is like a little story.

Thank you for joining me for ONE LINE CROW... I have had a beautiful and busy two weeks away from home visiting seven different wonderful schools, and this afternoon I head home to see and hear the crows near our home.

Ruth is hosting this week's Poetry Friday roundup over at There is no such thing as a God-forsaken town with a dream of Haiti, a country she has called home. Each Friday, all are invited to share poems, poem books, poetry ideas, and friendship in this open and welcoming poetry community.

To learn about more National Poetry Month projects and all kinds of April goodness, visit Jama Rattigan at Jama's Alphabet Soup where Jama has generously gathered this coming month's happenings. Happy National Poetry Month!

xo,

Amy

ps - If you are interested in learning about any of my previous 13 National Poetry Month projects, you may do so here.

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A Magical Power...Meow!

Claude in His Tunnel

Photo by Amy LV

Students - Our newest cat Claude is a chatty and loving little soul. Every once in a while he will just walk around the house calling for his pal Winnie. For today's poem, I just imagined that I had the magical power I've always wished for: the ability to understand animals. (But just for one day...)

Today's poem is a story poem which quickly jumps into the realm of fiction yet was inspired by my meow-y young fuzzface. 

If you're looking for a writing idea, you might allow yourself to muse about a magical power you would love to have. You might write it as a story of living with this power, as I have. Or you might write a list of all of the things you would do with this power. I think I might be able to write a lot of these poems.

If you don't feel like having a magical power, perhaps you would like to simply write about a wish that you have had, you have now, or that someone else has or once had. Real...or imagined. You, my friend, are the writer.

And remember. If you ever aren't sure of how to title a poem, you can always name it after the spot where it takes place.

Right now I am happily in Denver, Colorado, teaching two sessions about poetry at the CCIRA 2023 conference. I feel so fortunate to be here, back amongst thoughtful educators and old friends.

Carol is hosting this week's Poetry Friday roundup at Beyond Literacy Link with a postcard swap share. Please know that all are welcome each Friday as folks share poems, poem books, poetry ideas, and friendship

Meow! I love you!

xo,

Amy

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Listening & A Poetry Peek

Woolly Bear on Wood

Photo by Amy LV

Students - I have been stacking a lot of wood for winter these days, and as I've done so, I have found three soft woolly bears tucked in the load of wood that was dumped in our yard. They are adorable, I simply love them, and I have written about them a few times here.

If you are looking for something to write this week, consider looking at and for creatures. Listen to the creature you choose. If it doesn't say anything, pretend! What might it say. What would you do?

I did tuck every one of those three woolly bears into my gorgeous, freshly-stacked pile. We're all ready for the big Western New York snows now.

You can learn more about woolly bear caterpillars here in The Westborough News "Nature Notes" column written by Annie Reid.

Today is such a special day here! It is the first Poetry Peek in a long time, and I could not feel more excited and grateful to welcome these fourth grade poets -  and their teachers Ms. Lewis and Ms. Miner - from Tioughnioga Riverside Academy in Whitney Point, NY.  These students are regular celebrators of Poetry Friday and are like old friends here at The Poem Farm. Ms. Miner and I have known each other for a long time, and we were reconnected by student poet Maykayla who shared her beautifu list poem "Blue" with me back in November. 

In the slideshow below, you will have the opportunity to read twenty poems, each with a note from the poet about where they found inspiration. I have not spoken with these poets about their process, but reading their words, it is easy to see that they have studied line breaks, careful word selection, repetition, comparisons (similes and metaphors) and solid endings. What do you notice when reading? What will ou learn from them?

As I read each poem and looked carefully at each joyful, thoughtful illustration, I felt as if I got to take twenty small vacations, right from my desk, kittens by my side.

Thank you, poets from Whitney Point! Thank you, Makayla! Today we celebrate you!

And reader friends, please enjoy these poems, a poetry anthology on your screen...

To enlarge the presentation, simply click the three dots at the bottom of it, and select ENTER FULL SCREEN.

Jone is hosting today's Poetry Friday roundup at Jone Rush MacCulloch with a double golden shovel poem, a gift poem, and a call for folks to join the Winter Poem Swap. Please know that all are welcome each Friday as folks share poems, poem books, poetry ideas, and friendship.

I wish you a warm and woolly week ahead!

xo,

Amy

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Surprises, Decisions, & Changes

 

Debby and Cooper, December 2, 2021

Photo by Amy LV

Students - Sometimes we are surprised by something wonderful! This happened for my mother yesterday. After losing her beloved Max in October, Max of the (JOHN AND BETSY poems), she was not sure she would ever want another dog.

Then...Cooper showed up. My sister and I are convinced that Max sent Cooper to her. And also convinced that Max is teaching Cooper to be a very excellent (and very housetrained) puppy, even from the great beyond.

Have you ever been surprised by something wonderful? Or have you ever changed your mind about something you felt sure about? Has your heart ever had to make a big decision? My mom had many mixed feelings about getting a new dog. She was a bit afraid that she might not love him as much as she loved Max, a little nervous about taking on such a big project, and still sad for her loss. But she is an overflowing-with-love person, and so of course Cooper, with Max's help, found her.

If you aren't sure what to write about this week, consider writing about a surprise or a big decision or a change of heart. This could be based on a true story from your life, from someone else's life, or it could be complete fiction. You might even include voices in your poem as I did, using the real words you imagine or remember someone would say or think.

Michelle is hosting today's Poetry Friday roundup at Michelle Kogan with a celebration of "holidaze" through joyful, hopeful, poetry and art. Please know that all are welcome each Friday as folks share poems, poem books, poetry ideas, and friendship.

xo,

Amy

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Linger on a Lived Moment

 

Winnie in Her New Fort

Photo by Amy LV

Students - Winnie is one funny cat! Yesterday I watched her leap into this big heater box, pleased as punch. She loves boxes, as do many cats, and today I thought I would just tell the story of her an her newest favorite box.

You will notice that there is little punctuation in this poem - no end punctuation until the end. This gives the poem a bit of a breathless feeling, and I am not exactly sure why, but I wanted the poem to feel just rambly with the repeated word and and such little punctuation.

Today's poem simply tells something that truly happened in my life. I just lingered on it, seeing it from Winnie's (huge sunflower) eyes and letting the words fall all over themselves.

What is one small experience you might linger on? Something small you might tell in a poem? Will you tell it from your eyes or from the eyes of another? Will you repeat lines as you linger, repeat lines as I did?

We have many grand decisions to make as writers. Let's enjoy them all, be thankful for the moments and the ability to write and photograph and draw them. Here at November's end, I am, as always, thankful for you and for this community. And at this very moment, I am also thankful for Winnie's best friend Tuck who is lying and purring here on my desk!

My Writing Pal Tuck

Photo by Amy LV

Carol is hosting today's Poetry Friday roundup at Beyond Literacy Link with a gorgeous gallery full of autumn poetry and images . Please know that all are welcome each Friday as folks share poems, poem books, poetry ideas, and friendship.

xo,

Amy

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Mend, Fix, Repair

Poochie

by Amy LV

Usually I write more here about Friday poems, but during this time (through June 12, 2020), I am instead sharing weekday writing videos for students and teachers at Keeping a Notebook and will crosspost here on Fridays.

Margaret is hosting today's Poetry Friday roundup over at Reflections on the Teche with a gentle, gift, a golden shovel poem for her students. As for Poetry Friday, 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.

Please share a comment below if you wish.day 

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

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Find Inspiration in Illustration

Little Vampire Girl

by MacKenzie Haley

Students - Life is a joyous journey! This Monday I drove a few hours to Clayton, NY to work with the good and generous teachers of the Thousand Islands School District. In my hotel room on Monday evening, I came across MacKenzie Haley's illustration of Little Vampire Girl. I commented on MacKenzie's Twitter post, she wrote back, I wrote back, she wrote back, I wrote back, she wrote back, I wrote a poem, and here we are.

Twitter Comment Thread

When I saw this MacKenzie's illustration, I wanted to talk with Little Vampire Girl, her rainbow-y unicorn, and Moon too.

And you know what?  In writing...I can. I loved imagining Little Vampire Girl talking with Wise Moon.  Had I eaten something different for dinner or slept a different number of hours last night, perhaps I might have written a different poem. One never knows. 

This poem tells a story. Even though a poem often has short lines and may rhyme and use a meter, a poem can tell a story. We can find or create a character or two and make something happen. We can invent conversations and settings and plots. We can build worlds in lines and stanzas, even very pretend ones involving conversations between imaginary and celestial beings.

We need never be stuck for ideas for our world is full of images: in museums, in magazines, on walls of our dentists' offices, in books, on the fabrics we wear and sleep under. We can draw our own images or from our friends' images or from art hanging in the kindergarten hallway at school. The art of others can awaken art inside of us. Each time we open our eyes, we can choose to be inspired.

Thank you, MacKenzie Haley, for your kindness in allowing me to share your Little Vampire Girl here today. I want to hug her! And yes, I AM willing to take a risk with my neck.

Congratulations to Linda Mitchell!  You have won a copy of Marilyn Singer's WILD IN THE STREETS: 20 POEMS OF CITY ANIMALS, illustrated by Gordy Wright and published by Words Pictures/Quarto. Please send me your snail mail address, Linda, and I will get this book right off to you!

Jama is hosting this week's Poetry Friday roundup at Jama's Alphabet Soup. We welcome everybody to join us each Friday as we share poems, poem books, poetry ideas, and friendship. Check out my left sidebar to learn where to find the roundup each Friday.

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Poems from Mind Pictures

A Bouquet of Owls

by Amy LV

Students - Today's poem grew from a picture I saw in my head.  Earlier this summer, I imagined a bouquet of owls (the mind is a funny place) and then, a few days later, drew them in my notebook.  I keep thinking about the image, and so today I decided to write a story poem connected to it.

Today's poem is a poem present for my husband Mark. This coming Monday we celebrate 24 years of marriage, and thanks to him, I am lucky enough to learn about birds (including owls) on every single day of my life. My book with Dylan Metrano, EVERY DAY BIRDS, is even dedicated to Mark:  For Mark, the bird lover I love... I am grateful.

Mark and Amy - July 29, 1995

(Must find photographer's name!)

Sometimes, when we turn off our devices, sit or lie still, walk or stand in one place, we can imagine pictures and places that we have never seen in real life.  Any one of these can become the start of a poemstory.

Notebooks are perfect word collectors, and they are perfect image collectors too. I am working to collect more of the images that fly across the frame of my mind. Watch your own screen.  See what pictures appear. Some may be memories. Some may be pictures never seen by anyone before, the pictures of your own picture-factory we call the brain.

And as I often say, a person can always give writing as a gift. Happy Almost Anniversary, Mark!

At Sharing Our Notebooks, my other online home, I am so happy to host Art Educator Matthew Grundler. Please visit his post about visual journals...and be inspired. There is a fabulous book giveaway too ending Sunday.)

Margaret is hosting today's Poetry Friday roundup over at Reflections on the Teche along with a with a fabulous title-steal and a hauntingly beautiful poem. Please know that we gather each Friday, sharing poems and poemlove, and all are always welcome.

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