The Tail of the Children’s Poetry Blog Hop

Greetings poetry lovers!

It’s my turn to participate in the Children’s Poetry Blog Hop, and since I have not recruited anyone to follow me, it looks as though I’m the tail end of this leg of the hop. I’m grateful to be here at all, and I want to thank Michelle H. Barnes for inviting me to participate. Here is her humorous children’s poetry blog hop entry from last week at Today's Little Ditty 

Meet Children’s Poetry Blog Hop mascot, the dapper Mortimer.   

And now to my three questions:

Why do you like to write poetry for children? I simply like to write poetry. It just happens that some of my poetry appeals to children and I consider that my good fortune. I write poetry because I enjoy giving a sharp focus to something specific. I also love to work the words in a poem like a puzzle, moving them around until they fit just right.

Why are you so interested in poetic forms? At first I wrote rhymes because it was something that I enjoyed and didn’t pay much attention to rhythm, techniques, or forms. As a result, I wrote quite a bit of mediocre verse. Once I realized how mediocre it was, I was no longer satisfied and I wanted to improve. That’s when I began to study the elements of verse and poetry and started to apply those to my writing. Bit by bit I learned a few things and my poetry got better.

Do you remember the first poem you wrote? (This is the question borrowed from Michelle)

No. I’m sure I was writing poetry in early elementary school, but I don’t have those earliest poems. I do have some of my poems from my later elementary school career.

Here is an early action-based poem that I wrote:

Running

Running is fun,

I like to run.

I was once told,

You shouldn’t run in the cold.

You shouldn’t run in a storm,

But you should if It’s warm.

Tamera Will Wissinger ©2013 

 Here is the original handwritten poem:

 

With this feedback from my teacher – how could I not become hooked on poetry? (I don’t remember which teacher wrote this encouraging comment and grade. I have a feeling it was my fourth grade teacher – the one who read from James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl out loud to my class each day after lunch.) Thank goodness for the teachers who helped inspire us when we were young!

Who inspired you when you first began to write poetry?

Thank you for joining me for this Mortimer Minute poetry break.

~~~~~

Poetry Friday is hosted today at Merely Day by Day

10.18.2013

A Surprise at Sunset

Today I'm at Smack Dab in the Middle Blog with a video clip of a surprise during an October Sunset, and how it applies to writing.

My October Sunset

Excerpt:

In preparation for this month’s October Sky theme, I recently set out to film sunset on the bay. I didn’t have a specific plan for what to write. In truth, I didn’t plan to film the sunset until I was on the dock doing it – let’s be honest, it’s not the most stunning sunset ever filmed. For some reason, though, I was drawn to the water, I-pad in hand. All I had to do was start to film and try to hold still while the Earth spun me away from the sun. So I did.   

Focused on my mission, I didn’t realize that...

Click through to view the video and my simple revelation. Showing Up for October Sky

Tamera 

10.14.2013

Class of 2k13 October Giveaway

During the month of October, The Class of 2k13 is giving away FIVE Swag Bag prizes that will include signed book plates, book marks, and other goodies related to our debut books. I sent GONE FISHING book marks and book plates that I designed myself. Click this Class of 2k13 icon to visit our giveaway page and sign up using rafflecopter:

 

Good luck! 

Preview of What The Heart Knows: Chants, Charms, and Blessings by Joyce Sidman, illustrated by Pamela Zagarenski

I’ve been feeling glum. At first I thought it was because I’m not getting unpacked and settled into my office and house as quickly as I had hoped; after weeks and weeks I’m still staring at a punch list that’s long and messy and not complete and nearly every day some worker or another is at my house to paint, hammer, or saw something. I realize that these things are temporary and that if these are my “problems,” I don’t really have problems. My gloominess is something more: Patriot’s Day, better known as 9/11, was this week. 

It's a day that makes me pause and consider. It's a day that makes me sad. I wasn’t necessarily looking to shake this emotion; somehow feeling low this week seemed okay. Despite that, I received a small lift, in just the right way. Earlier this week Joyce Sidman posted that her book trailer for What the Heart Knows: Chants, Charms, and Blessings is now available. I clicked on it. I watched, read, listened. I felt a little better. 

Maybe others have been feeling this same way, so today I’m sharing a bit of info on Joyce and Pamela’s book along with a link to this beautiful tiny movie that unexpectedly lifted my spirits.

From the Houghton Mifflin Harcourt website:

What the Heart Knows: Chants, Charms, and Blessings is a collection of poems to provide comfort, courage, and humor at difficult or daunting moments in life. It conjures forth laments, spells, invocations, chants, blessings, promises, songs, and charms. Here are pleas on how to repair a friendship, wishes to transform one’s life or to slow down time, charms to face the shame of a disapproving crowd, invocations to ask for forgiveness, to understand the mysteries of happiness, and to bravely face a dark and different world. These words help us remember or grieve; they bolster courage and guard against evil; they help us celebrate and give thanks. This elegant gift book also includes a red ribbon for readers to mark their favorite poems.

Poet extraordinaire Joyce Sidman won the Newbery Honor Medal for Dark Emperor and Other Poems of the Night and continues to write poetry for children that has been called "fresh," "inspiring," and "accessible" to her young audience. She is intrigued by the idea of "words of power"—chants and charms that were once believed to have real influence in everyday life. Caldecott Honor-winning Pamela Zagarenski's beautiful art captures a world of emotion and the essence of Sidman's words.

Here is a link to the book trailer on Joyce Sidman's Website.

These are the words that the young voice is reading. I think the poem might be called Blessings on the downtrodden:

Should you think we are strangers,

I will prove we are not

Should you think you know me,

I will surprise you

Should misfortune bind your wings,

I will fly before you to find us shelter

Should your armor crack,

I will hold the pieces steady

Should the crowd turn against you,

I will turn against the crowd

Should hate mask your true face,

I will look into your eyes and read your story there.

Oh, what a nice message for an aching heart. And from what I can see, the delicate illustrations by Pamela Zagarenski compliment the text so well. And that young voice and the guitar strum…it all lifted the cloud of gloom and made me a little bit happier. The book arrives on October 8 and promises to provide comfort...this week, with this tiny book trailer, it already has. 

Thanks, Joyce, Pamela, and Houghton Mifflin Harcourt!

~~~~~

Poetry Friday this week is at: Teach Mentor Texts 

For Verse Day, Gabrielle has a discount on pre-orders of her forthcoming verse novel: Audacious at Versenovels.com

9.13.2013

Book Review and Giveaway! Words with Wings by Nikki Grimes

I was lucky enough to read Words with Wings by Nikki Grimes shortly after I received an ARC directly from Nikki  the day that we both read poetry at the ALA Poetry Blast in Chicago this past July. I’m still not over that event. You can click here to view My ALA Poetry Blast Recap.

Shortly afterward, I had to focus on the final phase of our home renovation and also move from temporary housing back home, and then take delivery of EVERYTHING that had been in storage or boxed for the move.

Unfortunately, this:

has left little time to think about my online presence. Even though it's a mess of boxes right now, I'm happy to be home. And it's good to be back online, too. Last week I began slowly moving back into my real desk after months at a temporary desk.

One of my favorite parts of moving into my office has been opening my boxes of books. While I was opening and sorting my books, I came across my Advance Reading Copy of Words with Wings. Then, a short time later, I unboxed a second ARC of Words with Wings. I’m really not sure how I came to possess two copies, but sure enough, I have two:

 

I intended to write a review when I read this wonderful book back in July, and time just slipped away. Now, September is nearly here and this book is ready to release, so thank goodness I opened my book boxes this week. Going with the adage of better late than never, here is my review of Words with Wings by Nikki Grimes, and as a bonus, I'd like to give away one of these ARCs.

Description From Wordsong Press:

Gaby daydreams to tune out her parents’ arguments, but when her parents divorce and she begins a new school, daydreaming gets her into trouble. Her mother scolds her for it, her teacher keeps telling her to pay attention, and the other kids tease her...until she finds a friend who also daydreams and her teacher decides to work a daydreaming-writing session into every school day. With a notebook “thick with daydreams,” Gaby grows more confident about herself and her future. This verse novel poignantly celebrates the power of writing and the inspiration a good teacher can deliver.

Ages: 8 and UP

Pages: 96

List Price: $15.95

Published: 9/1/2013

ISBN-13: 978-1-59078-985-8

Tamera's Review of Words with Wings by Nikki Grimes

WORDS WITH WINGS by Nikki Grimes is a tenderly written contemporary verse novel with a sensitive, imaginative young protagonist – Gabrielle (named after the angel Gabriel because, “He was so fierce people fainted at the very sight of him.” There is much to love about this story told in Gaby’s first person narrative voice. First and foremost, it does exactly what a good verse novel should do: the poems work together to each reveal more of the story as Gaby struggles to cope with her parent’s divorce, missing a dad whom she takes after, living with a mom she seems to have nothing in common with, moving to a new school, and tempering her daydreaming. A sensitive, thoughtful teacher, Mr. Spicer, (a character inspired by the real Mr. Ed Spicer, a sensitive and thoughtful first grade teacher!) helps Gaby find balance and at the same time turns what might be perceived as a weakness (her daydreaming) into a strength that he ends up cultivating in all of his students.

It’s such a pleasure to see how Grimes weaves in rhyme, rhythm, poetic forms and techniques to enhance the story – like just the right blend of spices in just the right amount. One of the poetic details that I admire most about this book is that the placement and structure of the poems help reveal character and plot. For each of the real-world poems, the font is a bit formal, structured on the page – centered. When Gaby daydreams, the poem font and position on the page become lighter, higher – free, even whimsical at times...like a daydream… like words with wings.

My Goodreads rating: 5 stars out of 5

~~~~~

Here is one of the fine daydream poems from Words with Wings by Nikki Grimes:

Spring 

Say “spring,”

and I am bouncing

on the balls of my feet

in a field of wildflowers

while April showers

tickle me

till I am slippery

as a snake

and soaked straight through.

A story entitled Words with Wings deserves to fly. So I’m offering you a chance to win one copy of Nikki’s book by leaving a comment and entering this Rafflecopter drawing. (The other copy I will keep for myself.) The raffle will be open through Monday, September 9, and when it's over, I'll notify the winner to request a mailing address, and will send Words with Wings soaring away!

Good luck and thanks for entering!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Raffle Update: Thank you to everyone who entered the contest. Our ARC giveaway winner is Michelle H. Barnes! Congratulations, Michelle!

Here’s what else is happening:

Verse Day this week is at Verse Novels

Poetry Friday is at A Teaching Life 

08.29.2013