Nightmare Jones by Shannon Bramer

 Hello and welcome to Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Robyn at Life on the Deckle Edge for Roundup.

  Quick question for the Poetry Friday community: are any of you accepting members in your poetry critique groups? Or do you know of groups who are accepting members? (Asking for a striving children's poet!) Please reply to my email irene (at) irenelatham (dot) com. Thank you!

Also: this week's Tuesday 2-Minute Writing Tip #26 is something I shared at Boyds Mills (Highlights) Poetry Palooza: a poem is a bird (not a birdcage). Click here to listen!

Today I'm excited to welcome Shannon Bramer to Live Your Poem! I fell in love with Shannon's work when I read her first book Climbing Shadows (illus. by Cindy Derby, House of Anansi/Groundswood Press, 2019). Read my blog post here. Shannon's voice is entirely her own, and her poems are full of surprises, which I love! 

Shannon hails from Canada. She's also a mom and a playwright. She doesn't have a website (yet!). The illustrator Irene Luxbacher, who worked on Shannon's book Robot, Unicorn, Queen, inspired "Auntie Irene" (!!) in one of my favorite poems in Shannon's newest collection, Nightmare Jones, illus. by Cindy Derby, House of Anansi/Groundswood Press, 2025. The poem is called "Dollhouse Spiders."

poem by Shannon Bramer; illus. by Cindy Derby

Dollhouse Spiders

Aunt Irene is finer than fine;

she keeps them as pets.

A brown recluse; a few clowns —

a tirade of tiny bird spiders, a trickle

of starlight spiders going up

and down the stairs; Auntie Irene

listens to them, she hears their legs click

on the tiny windows, the woosh

of unraveling silk when they work

on their webs. At night there is

tinkling on the keys of the dollhouse

piano, the ghosts of gone spiders

in spindly shadows on the moonlit

walls. I shrink myself down to the size

of a spider at sleepovers

with Auntie I. We listen.

We love the splendid spider music.

- Shannon Bramer

Y'all: I am an "Auntie I" so of course I loved seeing my name featured in such a brilliant poem! 

(Aside: have you read The Winter of the Dollhouse by Laura Amy Schlitz? Wonderful!!)

And now, please welcome Shannon Bramer! Find below her responses to four simple prompts inspired by my book Fresh Delicious: Poems from the Farmer's Market (coming in paperback April 7, 2026!), about her new book Nightmare Jones. Enjoy!

FRESH

Shannon Bramer

SB: I've been writing poems since I was eleven years old, and I remember vividly the wonder and anxiety of getting a fresh notebook, how natural and urgent it was for me to write, but also what came with it--a pang of stress, thinking about how my words might also somehow sully the perfect, empty pages of the new book. It is still that way for me today; writing poems can sometimes feel like treading on freshly fallen snow. I have a fear of the mess I might make on the undisturbed landscape, that what I might write might expose some mistake in my thinking, the flaws in my heart. At the same time, I have always felt comforted by the infinite patience of the empty page; knowing it would always be there for me, waiting, without judgment. Nightmare Jones is a book of poems that makes room for all the tension inside me as a writer and human being. I felt nervous and uncertain writing many of the poems in the book, facing some of my feelings and exploring childhood images, worries, and thoughts that have followed me into adulthood. But that was the point of it: it's all allowed--the joy, the play, the discomfort as well. It all belongs in poetry. When I wrote Nightmare Jones, I felt like a bus driver, pulling over at every stop and letting every strange character and complicated feeling I met in for the ride.

DIFFICULT

SB: I miss being in the world of Nightmare Jones. Badlonely, Auntie Irene, the wonderous mermaid-like creature Cindy Derby illuminated so perfectly for "If She Was a Monster"--all the characters in the book are so deeply lovable to me that I'm finding it challenging to move on to another project.

Cindy Derby is a puppeteer and has an extensive background in theatre; in Nightmare Jones, Cindy's illustrations are as mysterious and suggestive as a theatrical set. I have a little dream to bring Nightmare Jones to life on stage somehow; in my mind, I see enormous puppets, glittering monsters high up on stilts, and a child that is the boss of it all. The child pulls all the strings.

DELICIOUS

SB: Words are my favourite food...but when I'm not writing, I love cooking for my family. I love discovering a new recipe or digging up an old one, figuring out a change or adaptation I might make if I don't have all the ingredients on hand. I also enjoy dining out very much, especially lunch, because lunch reminds me of my grandmother, who took me out often on weekends when I visited her. One of my favourite things about visiting a restaurant is investigating the menu. A menu is such a gorgeous and revealing artifact. I delight in all the menus--the busy, sticky menus--the austere, elegant menus--because a menu is the table of contents of a restaurant, there is history in a menu, stories, and sometimes even lies (sorry, we used to offer that but we don't anymore!). When the idea for a restaurant in the underworld popped up in my mind for Nightmare Jones--I ran with it. The poem is simply entitled "Welcome to Persephone's" and it's where to go if you'd like some Hurt Thoughts Soda with Frozen Rosehips or some Deep-Fried Questions with Red Ripper Sauce. Someday I'd like to write an entire book of menu poems for imaginary restaurants. My eleven-year-old son is convinced my next book will be a "funny but poetic" cookbook (about pickles!?).

ANYTHING ELSE

SB: 

yellow crab spider

Eight Legs: The Story of Dollhouse Spiders

1.

I'm scared of spiders because I can feel them thinking.

2.

I met a thumb-sized wolf spider one morning while making my bed in a small sleeping cabin in Northern Ontario, Canada. It's likely, or at least very possible, that the spider had been in bed with me all night.

3.

I was writing and re-writing a poem called "Dollhouse Spiders" for a new book I had already titled Nightmare Jones. While I was writing I was thinking about my friend, Irene. I wanted someone to be with me inside that poem, so I chose her.

4.

I shook the sheets to urge the wolf out of my bed, but I did not try to kill it. I let it go. (It might come back.)

kiddos with Irene Luxbacher

5.

The name Irene is derived from the Greek word for peace. Auntie I is the brave teacher in each of our own hearts, the one who chooses curiosity and wonder over fear. Deep Underwater, by Irene Luxbacher, is about finding peace deep inside yourself. It's also how I found Auntie I.

6.

You can be scared of something beautiful. You can be terrified. Sometimes you need someone beside you.

7.

The elegant black spider, in that moment of emerging and being spotted by me, froze, as I did, and we saw each other.

Small Shannon

8.

In the universe of Dollhouse Spiders the child is little Shanny (me!) and I choose my family. I choose a sleepover with Auntie I, who always makes me feel safe. We listen. We love the splendid spider music.

THANK YOU, SHANNON! Splendid spider music, indeed! 

Y'all, don't miss Shannon's books. They are special!

Now for today's ArtSpeak: WOMEN. The next artist on the Harper's Bazaar list is Harlem Renaissance sculptor Augusta Savage. Her work is amazing! It would have been fun to write a poem today about a spider or a dollhouse, but when I looked at the online offerings of Augusta's work, I was drawn to her sculpture of a new baby. I'm lucky that my good friend Pat often shares pics of her two great-grandbabies (and two more on the way!), so I have the sweetness of infants often in my life! 

Process notes: I started this poem as a tricube. I've written a lot of tricubes, and last week Amy LV at the Poem Farm urged us to Try Try Try a Tricube. But I needed more lines, so I let the poem break free from the tricube form (I was finding the baby in the stone, just like Augusta!). The tricube work did leave me with mostly 3-syllable lines and some enjambment that I really like: "you, my heart," so YAY! Thanks so much for reading.

To a Newborn

You've crash-
landed in a blue
universe

your cheeks—round
ears—perfect
seashells

your bright eyes
blink-blinking

when I hold
you, my heart
finds its orbit

o small Star,
welcome!
You are home!

-Irene Latham

Can Poems Fall in Love?

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Molly at Nix the Comfort Zone for Roundup.

Exciting news: next week Shannon Bramer will be here to talk about her book Nightmare Jones (illus. by Cindy Derby)!

For today I've got a new Tuesday 2-Minute Writing Tip for you...and it was inspired by a Mary Lee Hahn poem she shared on a Poetry Friday post last year. Thanks, Mary Lee!

It's February, which means hearts are everywhere! Perhaps that's why today's ArtSpeak: WOMEN poem is a love poem of sorts. It's also a color poem because I was stuck, so I pulled out my Sherwin-Williams color chip case. (Every poet should have one, yes?)

I "matched" colors with the colors on this gorgeous Georgia O'Keeffe piece, and voila! Thanks so much for reading.

On the Day This Poem Fell in Love

the world was briny,
cloudless

sky streaked with gaiety
and knockout orange

earth pulsing green vibes
tipped with the taste

of juneberry—
that free spirit of the forest—

and every canyon yawned
freshwater and rapture blue

- Irene Latham

Someday You Will Become a Swan poem

 Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Amy at The Poem Farm for Roundup.

This has been a big week! After weeks of reading and discussing and poem-shuffling, Charles and I made our final selections for our forthcoming anthology The Periodic Table of Poetry! It's a bittersweet thing, because while the YES emails are so happy and celebratory, it's hard to say NO to so many wonderful poems written by wonderful poets! Whatever email you got from us, we hope you know how much we appreciate you sharing your poetry with us. 💗

Congratulations to all the ALAYMA winners! I always love watching the live-stream, and this year was no exception. I keep my library request window open during the broadcast so I can order the books I missed right away.

If you write or read historical fiction, please check out the Tuesday 2-Minute Writing Tip 24: The Art of Informed Imagination. I talk about gaps in research, and how to fill them in!

This week's ArtSpeak: WOMEN features a piece by the third artist on the Harper's Bazaar list: Swedish artist and mystic Hilma af Klint. I love this piece. And I've been reading A LOT of Barbara Crooker poems lately, so no wonder this one has veered into the adult space. Thanks so much for reading!

Someday You Will Become a Swan

Didn’t I tell you?
No, because no one can
fathom the pond: peaceful,
yes. But all that endless
circling!

And feathers? You can't keep
them clean. It takes at least five
lifetimes to learn how to be
                 content
and another to understand
you're not beautiful
because everyone looks at you—

You only become beautiful
when you look at yourself
in waters muddy or sparkling,
rippled or still
and decide you love all of it:

the beauty and the mess,
the light and the dark,
               the now
and everything
that brought you here.

- Irene Latham

A Good Morning for Giddo by Dahlia Constantine and Irene Latham

 Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Tabatha at The Opposite of Indifference for Roundup.

I invite you to check out your Tuesday 2-Minute Writing Tip 23 "3 More Mindset Shifts for Writers." You can find it and all the episodes in the series at my YouTube channel. More episodes coming!

Also: have you heard this call for funny poems? If you haven't yet met Eric Peterson, let me assure you that he's a good guy with a big heart and a love of children's poetry! Here's the flyer for his Open Call, and you can find out more at his website sillysociety.org.

Now for some book news! In addition to For the Win: Poems Celebrating Phenomenal Athletes, the third curated-by-Latham/Waters poetry anthology, I have another picture book collaboration coming this spring: A Good Morning for Giddo, written by Dahlia Hamza Constantine and Irene Latham, illustrations by Basma Hosam, coming from Nancy Paulsen Books/ Penguin Random House on April 7, 2026.

("Giddo" is how many Egyptian families refer to a grandfather.) The first review has dropped, from Kirkus, and it's a lovely one:

"Constantine and Latham weave a tale that teaches the values of compassion and the importance of slowing down to enjoy the simple pleasures, while simultaneously offering an exploration of the ancient Egyptian arts of calligraphy, abalone inlay, and tentmaking. A special highlight is the theme of language as a cultural touchstone, where even a greeting like “Good morning with roses and jasmine” is a small act of kindness and care. Hosam’s bold and colorful illustrations capture the hustle and bustle of Old Cairo market’s narrow, winding streets. A joyous celebration of Egyptian art and culture and special family bonds."

Dahlia Constantine & Irene Latham

Dahlia and I met when we both served on the NCTE Charlotte Huck Award for Outstanding Fiction for Children committee. We bonded over books and so many other things...and then we wrote a book together. Pre-order links are live! More on this adventure very soon.

Today's ArtSpeak: WOMEN features (again!) Mary Cassatt! I wrote after her last week, and I found a second piece that wouldn't let me go. And it's fitting, as Somaya, the little girl in A Good Morning for Giddo, loves to stitch! BUT not every girl loves stitching as much as Somaya...so I wrote another version for the anti-sewing kid... :) Thanks so much for reading. 

The Crochet Lesson

Mama says
stitching
helps
when you
are wanting,
wishing

but all
I am wanting,
wishing
right now
is an end
to this
ridiculous
finger-twist
stitching.

- Irene Latham

The Crochet Lesson

Mama says
stitching
helps
when you
are wanting,
wishing

but what
could I possibly
be wanting,
wishing
when Mama
is sitting
with me—just 

me!
simply listening
and stitching?

- Irene Latham

The Dream Builder's Blueprint by Alice Faye Duncan

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Jan at bookseedstudio for Roundup.

I'm excited to welcome picture book author and poet Alice Faye Duncan to the blog today to talk about her new book The Dream Builder's Blueprint: Dr. King's Message to Young People, illus. by E.B. Lewis (Penguin Random House), which is perfect for Martin Luther King Day (and anytime!).

Before we get to that, quick reminder: You're invited to check out your Tuesday 2-Minute Writing Tip 22 "3 Mindset Shifts for Writers." You can find it (and the first 21 episodes) at my YouTube channel. More episodes coming!

Alice Faye Duncan

Okay. As is the tradition here at Live Your Poem, I've invited Alice Faye to respond to 4 simple prompts as they relate to her new book The Dream Builder's Blueprint, which is basically blackout/erasure poetry after one of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s speeches, presented in picture book format. Cool, yes?

I, of course, have much love for found poetry. In addition to my collection This Poem is a Nest, which features 161 "nestlings" found within one long poem, I have several other "found" poetry projects I look forward to sharing about in the near future! So I was thrilled and delighted to hear about this new book. Yay for publishers supporting this kind of wordplay, and for poets like Alice Faye being willing to play.

Without further ado, here's Alice Faye!

FRESH

wee Alice Faye

AFD:  Thank you for this invitation to speak about poetry. I have loved the power of words ever since 1st grade, the year I learned to read in Mrs. Bettye Johnson's classroom. Thirty years ago, I used that love to write my first picture book, WILLIE JEROME (Macmillan). From then until now, my goal has been to wield words differently from each  previous book. With THE DREAM BUILDER'S BLUEPRINT, I wanted to explore Dr. King's visit to Philadelphia during 1967. At that time, it was a season of social unrest like now. Dr. King spoke with 900 students at Barratt Junior High. He encouraged them with a blueprint for progress. He said, "KEEP MOVING." How could I share King's timely message in a captivating way? BINGO! I made a  new creation. I transformed Dr. King's 1,700 words into an erasure poem composed of 270 words. My poem is now an inspiring affirmation for children in 2026. It is a lyrical "commencement" chorus and speech for graduates who are 5 years old to 100. My literary agent said to me, "This is a fresh idea."

DIFFICULT 

AFD: Finding my voice and rhythm within Dr. King's thunderous message was a challenge.  I made more than 50 photocopies of the speech. This allowed me to erase text, reconnect words, and erase again, until at last, I "unearthed" an impactful poem to inspire children today. First, I used white typing tape to erase my text, but it proved finicky and inconsistent. I also tried using a white acrylic pen. It splattered like paint and was not effective. After many trials, I discovered that typing fluid with a sponge brush were perfect for erasing text. I exhausted seven bottles in the process. To avoid damaging floors, desks, and chairs, protect these areas with newsprint or drop cloth before you draft your erasure poem. The whole process can be chaotic and messy. This brings me  to the primary message in THE DREAM BUILDER'S BLUEPRINT.  In everything that we pursue, Dr. King said, "PLAN." He also said to practice excellence, celebrate yourself, and when times turn tough, don't stop. KEEP GOING.

DELICIOUS 

AFD: There came a time in the writing process when I needed to bring clarity to my text. I had photocopied Dr. King's speech on poster-sized paper.  It was late in the evening. All the words blurred my vision as I had poured over the speech for several hours that day. I needed one poetic line that was dynamic, definitive, and determined. I needed one poetic line that could unite all children under the banner of their differences, and lead them to sing the same song for democracy and freedom for all. I searched for what my college professor called a "penultimate line."  Then somewhere between midnight and twilight, I found it. Dr. King said, "Let nobody stop us." BINGO! These four words gave my erasure poem a resounding ring for freedom. It was not the "next to last verse" in my new creation. But, this line made the poem complete, giving it a shining note, reflective of the resistance required to preserve gratitude, compassion, and liberation in all places.  

ANYTHING ELSE  

AFD: Children will be what they see. Children imitate what adults do. Our opinions turn into the blueprints for their lives. So, make it a point to be Light. In your speech, writing, and daily life, be a symbol of goodwill. Show me a mean-spirited child and I will show you their mean-spirited parent. Some homes house hurtful and uncaring big people. To negate this harm, children need literary models of kindness, dignity, and self-respect. Sometimes, it takes just one good book to soothe the pain that a child has survived. Be mindful of this as you live in the world with others. Be mindful of this as you write. Lastly, my
second new book for 2026 is BLUES BOY -- THE B.B. KING STORY. Born in Mississippi and made famous across America and around the world, B.B. King used his guitar like a poet. His blues music was a balm of grace and good times for every listener. During these troubling times, children need Dr. King's blueprint for progress, and they need B.B. King's music for inspiration and joy. For these purposes, please share these books with young learners in your care. Thank you! More information is available at www.alicefayeduncan.com. 

---

So many thanks to Alice Faye for stopping by! Don't miss the book. You're going to love it.

Today's ArtSpeak: WOMEN features a favorite artist of mine: Mary Cassatt! One of the few women Impressionists, Mary was known for her mother and child scenes, and her frequent model was her sister Lydia.

Aside: there's a new book on my TBR list, called The Cassatt Sisters by Lisa Groen. Can't wait! Meanwhile, I have written after Mary Cassatt's work many times. Here's a quick (incomplete) sampling:

Yellow Dress

The Letter

Call Me Zinnia

Beach Time

On the Water

For Lydia

Today's poem features Lydia reading the newspaper, and it's written in my fall-back form, the triolet. Correction: a variation of a triolet. I just can't bring myself to keep those lines exactly the same...my aesthetic demands a poem move! Fittingly, this poem is also a call to action. Thanks so much for reading.

Woman Reading the Morning News

When I scan the news each morning
I think: what can I do?
So many stories leave me reeling, mourning—
still, I scan the news each morning,
eyes smarting, heart storming.
I give the world my attention. I say: I see you.
When I scan the news each morning
I stop thinking. Time to rise. To feel. To do.

- Irene Latham

To the Little Girl Who Lives in the Mirror poem

 Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure and visit Ruth at There is no such thing as a godforsaken town for Roundup.

So many thanks to everyone for sharing their favorite women artists for this year's ArtSpeak: WOMEN. I look forward to meeting them and diving into their work!

Tuesday 2-Minute Writing Tips are BACK! I started this video series in 2023, and now I'm adding to it. You can view episode 21, "4 Traits of Successful Writers," on my YouTube channel. I welcome you to subscribe...I've got 15 or so tips in the queue and will be sharing them in the coming weeks. 

Today's poem was inspired by French portrait artist Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun (1780-1819). I've written after her before, back in 2017 when my focus was Portraits: "Happiness"

The piece I selected today is one of several portraits she made of her daughter Julie, titled "Julie Le Brun Looking in the Mirror." It lives at the Met. Thanks so much for reading.

To the Little Girl Who Lives in the Mirror

You have secrets.
I do too.

You only come out
when I look in.

Where do you
disappear to?

I only look in 

when I feel like
I'm disappearing.

When I see you
I remember. . .

I can be my own
best friend!

- Irene Latham

STILL & WOMEN for 2026!

 Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure and visit Catherine at Reading to the Core for Roundup.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! I've got so many things cooking this year...which means I need my Poetry Friday community more than ever! This weekly gathering and poetry practice are among the core tenets of my creative life...I'm so grateful to each and every one of you. Isn't it a wonder that we're able to share our lives in this way?! I look forward to reading all your posts and appreciate your support so much.

And now, my 2026 One Little Word: STILL. As in being still (not in motion) and also still, as in, something that remains, "I'm still here."

Aside: I still need to see the film: I'M STILL HERE

I love all the complexities embedded in this one little word! Here's more from The Center for Action and Contemplation website:

"Pausing and being still enough to notice love within and around is a deeply powerful and countercultural act…. In the case of most of contemporary society, stillness is a prophetic act, defying that which demands that we move quickly and move upward. It challenges the notion that it is better to be busy and occupied. It refuses the call to be constantly distracted and perpetually plugged in."

And...hello ArtSpeak: WOMEN! As in, women artists, who historically have been overlooked in the art world. Not this year! 

I'll be using this Harper's Bazaar article that names 36 of the best female artists to begin selecting artists and art. And I will be looking to the universe to guide me....If YOU have a favorite female artist, would you please share her name and work with me?

I'm starting with #1 on the Harper's Bazaar list, Artemisia Gentileschi. Perhaps you've read the stunning YA verse novel Blood Water Paint by Joy McCullough? If not, you totally should! Artemisia was a woman creating art in a man's world—a victim of violence, yes, but also a survivor. She used her art to proclaim herself—and to get her revenge. Read more about Artemisia here.

Allan Wolf, Charles R. Smith, Jr.,
Irene Latham

The title of the poem was inspired by Allan Wolf. During our NCTE presentation with Charles R. Smith, Jr., Allan said he "wrote himself into existence." That has really stuck with me! It's the same for me, and the same, I imagine, for Artemisia (except painting). Engaging in a creative art has that kind of power. Thanks, Allan! And thanks, all, for reading.

I Paint Myself into Existence

You left me
splintered
     shredded
but I will not
go quietly.

Many times
I have slit
your throat
     spilt your blood
across a canvas.

You cannot
conquer me.
I will always
     rise again,
paintbrush
in my hand.

- Irene Latham

Poem for the Day After Christmas

 Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Tricia at The Miss Rumphius Effect for Roundup.

Christmas tree shaped
charcuterie board :)

Hope everyone is enjoying some rest and relaxation during these beautiful holidays! We had a wondrous Christmas celebration, and I'm feeling super grateful for time, laughter, and conversation with my loved ones. Joy!

Last week several readers had questions about my new gig as a DAR Correspondent Docent in Training. Thank you! 

my maternal grandmother,
Ruth Lavinia Ralston Hedden Oslund

Yes, I am a member of DAR. DAR is a non-political women's service organization focused on preservation, education, and patriotism—any woman who can trace her lineage back to the Revolutionary War can join. My grandmother was a member, so all I had to do was turn in the paperwork. If you don't have this information, DAR has Genealogy experts who are happy to help you dig!

My ancestor, Andrew Ralston, served in the Thirteenth Pennsylvania as a Sergeant. He participated in the battles at Germantown, Monmouth, and Brandywine, where he suffered a head wound. He was taken prisoner at the Battle of Long Island. Fortunately, he survived, and at the end of the war, he returned to York, Pennsylvania, where he married and started a family.

Funny thing: I didn't know any of this when we named our middle son Andrew! But now that I do know, it feels really sweet and special, like carrying on this name provides a vital connection to the past. Andrew thinks it's pretty cool, too.

If you've ever watched Gilmore Girls, you know Emily Gilmore was famously a DAR member. (Paul and I recently watched the entire series on Netflix. Love!) The show presents a stereotypical view of DAR as a hoity-toity social club for wealthy women. This may be true in some areas of the country. But my Warrior Rivers chapter here in Blount County, Alabama, is made up of wise, mostly elderly, down-to-earth women who are passionate about history, enjoy learning, and are eager to serve the community. 

The DAR Museum is located in Washington, D.C., near the White House. It's dedicated to the preservation of life inside the home—anything to do with everyday life, from decorative arts to what we wear, to kitchen gadgets, furniture, toys, and so much more! There are 31 period rooms (sponsored by different states) and 3 rotating galleries. 

I've never been to the DAR Museum, but I've received training about the museum so that I can be part of their Outreach team. Correspondent Docents deliver programs created by the museum's experts in their own home communities. Earlier this month, I gave a program on Holiday Traditions and how they've changed through the years. Next month, I will provide one titled "Sewn in America," which is about needlecraft, quilting, and dressmaking, based on an exhibit the museum held in 2024. Once I've given ten programs, I'll be a full-fledged Correspondent Docent and can drop the "In Training" part of the title.

Y'all, I love this! I get to learn! And share what I'm learning! I get to surround myself with other curious, history-loving folks! And who knows what stories and poems will arise because of it??

New life goal: visit the DAR Museum in person. For anyone reading this who'll be in D.C., it's free and open to the public Monday-Saturday.

Another DAR thing I'm doing during 2026 is facilitating an America 250 Book Club in our community. All the titles are related to the Revolutionary War. I'll paste in the list below. I'm excited!

The Founding Foodies: American Meals That Wouldn’t Exist Today If Not for Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin by Dave DeWitt

Angelica: For Love and Country in the Time of Revolution by Molly Beer

Founding Gardeners: The Revolutionary Generation, Nature, and the Shaping of an American Nation by Andrea Wulf

Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation by Cokie Roberts

1776 by David McCullough

Today's ArtSpeak: PICASSO is #52 and the last in the series! I've selected my ArtSpeak! theme for 2026, and I'll be introducing that—along with my 2026 One Little Word—next week.

One of my favorite things about Picasso is how incredibly prolific he was—he created nearly 150,000 pieces! He was constantly trying new things, and his style evolved over the years. This encourages me to be prolific and keep trying new things. So it made sense to choose for this last poem a piece of his art that was somehow related to him at work. There's also a nod to a famous Rilke quote (see below). Thanks so much for reading!

Picasso in His Studio the Day After Christmas

The air, once sharp
with anticipation
has softened. The world

rearranges with or without
our help. Do we dare
rest? We cannot

know what beauty
and terror wait for us
behind the yellow

door. The new year steals
into every room with
the feet of a thief.

- Irene Latham

p.s. I think maybe the poem isn't quite finished... I'll revisit another day!

Today I'm Feeling Winter by Irene Latham

 Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Michelle at More Art 4 All for Roundup. 

I've enjoyed lots of jolly Christmas fun this week...and more to come! 

This year we put up a "Keys" Christmas tree. As in the Florida Keys. So all the ornaments—pulled from our 35-years-together collection—have a coastal theme. Beaches and shells and blue! We added blue garland, and the treetopper is two dried starfish glued together. Fun! 

Texas bedroom at DAR Museum

Interesting historical tidbit I learned about in my new gig as Correspondent Docent in Training for the DAR Museum: when Christmas trees first became popular in the U.S. (as early as 1820s), they were smaller (tabletop-sized) and a small fence was placed around the tree. Inside the fence, one might build a village, or add toy animals, and the like. I'm especially fascinated by the fences!

Today's ArtSpeak: PICASSO poem is kind of an anti-Christmas poem...because some days are just like that! Also, earlier I wrote "Today I'm Feeling Autumn," and I guess I'd like to complete the series. :) Thanks so much for reading!

Today I'm Feeling Winter

stuck inside
myself

weary
of the world's
advice

where
is the sun?

- Irene Latham

2025 One Little Word: SISU Review

 

Christmas fun with family
(Levi, Lynn, Mama, MicaJon, Irene)
 at Opryland Hotel.

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Linda at A Word Edgewise for Roundup.

What a fun week...In addition to several joyful holiday celebrations, Charles and I are having a blast reading the flood of poems we received through our Open Call. 

Friends, poetry is alive and well! SO. MANY. GREAT. Poems. Y'all are making our work really difficult. Thank you!!

This just in: Ryan van Cleave, poet, author, and editor at Bushel & Peck Books runs a fantastic blog called Only Picture Books, where he interviews picture book authors, and they share loads of wisdom. Recently he interviewed me! He asked great questions, like, what did I learn from my first poetry picture book?; what is Charles Waters' superpower?; how does "every word matters" show up in your writing life? It was a fun interview, and I invite you to check it out!

As 2025 is fast coming to a close, I wanted to take just a moment to reflect on Sisu, my 2025 One Little Word.

First, a confession: a few times this year, I couldn't remember what my One Little Word was. :) It's an odd little word! So I had to go back to the blog and remember. But each time I did, I realized the word had been working under the surface of my life. I've definitely been cultivating sisu, even on those days when I couldn't remember the word. And isn't that the power of a One Little Word practice? 

Some ways I've brought sisu into my life this year (the most transformative practices in bold):

second-hand shopping

upcycling

taking small steps toward goals

limiting time with people who suck the sisu out of me/letting go of old commitments to make room for more positive growth and opportunities

taking a pause before responding: "Thank you, I'll think it over and get back to you as soon as possible."

Blue Mind - keeping water in my life (#lakelife, trip to coast, etc)

developing an allergy to self-pity - I just don't entertain it, at least not for long!

showing my appreciation of others - the grocery clerk, the lady who brings out the tortilla chips at the Mexican restaurant, my husband, etc.

So I'm feeling a bit sisu-fied, in spite of myself. Yay! And now I'm looking forward to what my 2026 One Little Word might be... do you have any OLW contenders yet?

In ArtSpeak! PICASSO news, just 2 more Picassos to go!! Today's features his Woman at the Window, 1936. It's basically me riffing off a Picasso quote I discovered sometime earlier this year: 

“The world today doesn't make sense, so why should I paint pictures that do?” - Pablo Picasso

I have been thinking about how I can apply this to my writing, and lo, this week, a poem emerged! There's also a nod to one of my all-time favorite poems "A Secret Life" by Stephen Dunn. Oh, and the form is a viator. Thanks so much for reading.

Making Sense of the World

The world today doesn't make sense

so I dive into the wondergush of words—
not to understand; to be baptized.

Let me be the one to promise chaos:
The world today doesn't make sense!
Baptists and other accountants may now rest.

One doesn't need words to witness a sunrise,
just as one can drown without water. Who says
the world today doesn't make any sense?

- Irene Latham