Thursday, October 24, 2013

THE SOUND OF 1,000 BLOG POSTS

Hello, and welcome to Poetry Friday Roundup! I'm so glad you're here. So much to celebrate in this gorgeous, inspiring world... and today is my 1,000th blog post!



A little blog history: When I started this blog, it was called DAYTIPS FOR WRITERS and usually included a quote. I love quotes! Here's the first one I posted... advice for a life:

1. Never Quit.
2. Be Yourself.
3. Don't Put Too Much Flour in Your Brownies.

- Katharine Hepburn

Later my blog was called LIVE. LOVE. DISCOVER!

It's current incarnation LIVE YOUR POEM still feels good to me. Who knows what will happen next?

Some stats: My most viewed post of all towns, mountains and planets was posted back in December 2009, as part of my Author ABCs series: Z is for ZZZZZ (I suspect the reason for the views is actually the "z" image! Here's to the power of pictures!)

My most viewed post for 2012: TORNADO POEM
for 2013: my page, HOW TO LIVE YOUR POEM

Top three tags, in order: writing, poetry, travel

Special Blog Things:
1. Kidlitosphere Progressive Poem. (See 2012 and 2013 tabs above!) I love collaborating with all of you! This Poetry Friday community is one of the Best Things Ever.
2. Valerie Worth poem series. (See top left sidebar.) I want to do more of this... featuring classic poems/poets to inspire. Suggestions, anyone??
3. Getting a bound, printed copy of my blog from blog2print.com. It took two volumes to do it... and now I am on the "every two years" plan and will be printing another one as 2013 comes to a close. (For whatever reason, it is often easier for me to find a post by looking through my bound books rather than using the search feature on Blogger.)

Words, words words:
The word "thousand" has appeared in my poems a number of times, including the following two phrases:

"After One Thousand Miles the Road Rises"
"the weight of a thousand birds" (from a poem "If Not for Starlings")

In DON'T FEED THE BOY:


Whit had heard the story a thousand times. It was his parents’ third trip to Africa. Along with the two white rhinos they helped capture, they brought home a bad case of dysentery and a tiny bunch of cells that would eventually become Whit.
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That trunk is composed of tens of thousands of muscles. Lila here can pick up a penny with that trunk. Or pull a tree right out of the ground.”

In LEAVING GEE'S BEND:

I was on the river! For the first time in my whole life there wasn’t a bit of solid dirt under my feet. Just thousands of buckets of water.
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"Over three thousand chapters of the Red Cross all across the country, but every year ours is one of the most generous.”


And that's enough for the number 1,000! Thank you so much for sticking with me. Please leave your links below, and have the happiest of Poetry Fridays! xo

55 comments:

  1. Thanks, Irene! You and Hepburn. Two classy, classic ladies.

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  2. Awww, thank you Chuck! My brownies ARE pretty good. :)

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  3. A thousand hip-hip-hoorays to you, Irene! Congratulations on all the wonderful inspiration, fun, and fellowship you've served up over the years. Here's to a thousand more posts. And maybe a thousand brownies. xo

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    1. A thousand brownies... now we're talking! Thank you, Robyn. xo

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  4. Congratulations on 1000 posts. They seems huge. I was excited to hit 200. Thanks for spreading the Poetry Friday cheer a little early. I will be on a field trip from pre-dawn to after sunset, so I am posting early.

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    1. Yay for all the milestones, Margaret! Hope you have a great field trip. Poetry is great anytime of the day, isn't it? xo

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  5. Wow, congratulations on your 1000 post, Irene! :) You are such an awesome host for having this extra early. I've shared my post in the linky above - a touch of darkness with Edgar Allan Poe's Dream within a Dream.

    Here's to the next 1000 post for you, Irene! :)

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    1. Thank you, Myra! 1000 wouldn't mean a thing without all of you. And I do like the Roundup early... never too early for poetry, I'm thinking. xo

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  6. Congratulations, Irene. I liked hearing about your love for 1,000! Here's a quote for you! “A thousand words will not leave so deep an impression as one deed.” Henrik Ibsen Thank you for hosting. I have Mortimer hopping over from Robyn, busy bunnies!

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  7. Congratulations on your 1,000th post! What an accomplishment. I love your Valerie Worth series, too. Thanks for hosting!

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    1. Aww, thank you! Valerie Worth is such an inspiration, isn't she? Happy day!

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  8. Congrats, Irene! 1,000 posts is fantastic.

    I'm up today with an original Fib - How Much Do I Hate Math Class Right Now - that's actually from my (yay, it's out!) novel.

    Thanks for hosting!

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    1. Yay yay yay for your book's release! I have been swimming with crocodiles and knew it must have happened... so much catching up to do! CONGRATULATIONS. Excited to read!

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  9. Congratulations and thank you, Irene! Never stop :-)


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    1. That's quite a milestone, Irene--congratulations. I enjoyed hearing about your blogjourney and also about getting a blog printed--what an attractive idea! I also like your link tool. A thousand kudos to your singular blog!

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    2. Tabatha, you ALWAYS make me smile. Here's to never stopping!

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    3. Thank you. No stopping for you either, Tabatha!

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  10. Congratulations and thanks for hosting! Will be back later to read everyone's posts!

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    1. Thank you, Ruth! The great thing about Roundup is that it will wait for you. :)

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  11. Good morning, Irene. Thank you for hosting. What a great opening quote. Gotta love Katharine Hepburn.

    Today I'm sharing #4 in the "Kill Your Darlings" craft series. I'm on the fence about including the poem "Pajama Day" in my MG novel. Seeking feedback!

    http://authoramok.blogspot.com/2013/10/poetry-pajama-friday-kill-your-darlings.html

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    1. Just had to kill a darling of my own, Laura... after 27 people told me it wasn't working. Sigh. So hard sometimes!

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  12. Irene! Congratulations and 1,000 thank yous for your blog and your attention to poetry. Your trend of one-thousand reminds me of of 1,000 Acres by Jane Smiley. And I also love the Hepburn quote.

    This week I'm celebrating the cover for my new rhyming picture book, THIS OLD BAND. http://www.tamerawillwissinger.com/the-writers-whimsy/2013/10/22/clang-clang-boodle-bang-this-old-band-has-a-cover.html

    Thanks for hosting Poetry Friday,

    Tamera

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  13. 1000 Congratulations, Irene! What a milestone. Loved reading all your "thousands." :)

    Today I'm all about PUMPKINS at Alphabet Soup. Have a lovely weekend and thanks for hosting, and thank you for this blog! :)

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  14. How fun to be here and witness Post #1000! I love your reflection on both your blogging and on the number 1000 in your writing! Congratulations!!!

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  15. PS -- Love the visual Linky! And thanks for hosting the roundup!!

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    1. Thank you, Mary Lee! I'm loving the visual linky too! Free at inlinkz.com. Try it! xo

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  16. Thanks for hosting today! Congratulations on the blog,. Irene! (as well as the books, of course) What a milestone - I can't imagine.

    Today, I have an adult-themed original poem: http://mattforrest.wordpress.com/2013/10/25/poetry-friday-last-autumn/

    By the way, one of my favourite Valerie Worth poems is "Sparrow."

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    1. Thank you, Matt! Looking forward to your poem. And I will have to look up "Sparrow." I don't recall it off-hand. Happy day to you!

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  17. Thanks for hosting today, Irene. Your blog is well worth 1,000 posts and I look forward to the next 1,000! I love how you shared the various highlights over the years. That's something I love to do with my blog-- look at the statistics and just watch how things change over time.

    On Today's Little Ditty, I am beginning a special Halloween Countdown series: watch my poem "Insomnia" unfold over the next week:
    http://michellehbarnes.blogspot.com/2013/10/halloween-countdown-day-7.html

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    1. Hi Michelle - at first it was hard for me to allow my blog to evolve... but shouldn't it? I me WE are constantly evolving... looking forward to the continuation of your poem!

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  18. Wow, 1,000 posts! AWESOME! Thanks for the link to blog2print. I need to check it out.

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    1. Diane, it's super-easy. And if you go to their FB page, they put out discount coupons.... let me know how it goes! Thank you for visiting. xo

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  19. Congrats on your 1,000th post! What an accomplishment. I love the links with photos -- super cool method of sharing everyone's stuff. Thanks for hosting today, Irene.

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    1. Dear Keri, thank you for popping by. Hope all is well with you and the bees! xo

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  20. How wonderful, Irene, and congratulations on that milestone. And that Katharine Hepburn quote is the BEST. XXOO

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    1. Dear Wendy, I think we should have a Hepburn brownie party. What do you think? Thank you for stopping by!. xxoo

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  21. Wow! Congratulations! I enjoyed reading about how the number fits into your work. My Teaching Authors post today is about writing a poem inspired by music.

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    1. Thank you, JoAnn! I will be by to see your post. I, too, find music VERY inspiring!

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  22. Happy one thousandth post! Thanks for posting today. I adore Katharine Hepburn.

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    1. Thank you so much for stopping by! Katharine Hepburn was something, wasn't she? Happy day to you!

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  23. It only took me 1000 posts, but I'm so glad I discovered your blog!

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    1. So kind of you, Marileta! Welcome, and wonderful to know you.

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  24. Early good morning from Japan. Congrats on 1,000 posts! On HATBOOKS I'm sharing a poetry project: Wrong Way Right: A Dyslexic Lament http://bit.ly/1g0hfeb

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    1. Holly, I look forward to reading! Two of my most favorite people have dyslexia. Thanks for stopping by.

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  25. Congrats on 1000 posts, Irene! That's no easy feat. I look forward to reading these poems.

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    1. Thank you, Catherine. So much goodness in Roundup today! Appreciate you being a part of it.

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  26. What a joyful party for 1,000! I loved reading your history and am so glad to have met you somewhere in this first 1,000. One thousand hugs and congratulations to you... I am thinking about visual linkies, printed blogs, and celebrating together with good friends. Thank you for hosting today! xo

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    1. So glad to know you, Amy, you Poetry Farmer, you! Thanks for stopping by. xo

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  27. Oh 1,000 Blog Posts! Congratulations, Irene. I have been amazed since I found "my people" in the Kidlitosphere and have learned so much from so many. But your kindness in letting me guest blog for the PP13 and your wonderful ideas and words are bright spots for me! I hope our paths cross again soon. And maybe we can actually do the Skype thing this year. I think my old school is getting things in place for that! A milestone and a bright piece of sky salute to you, Irene!
    Fondly,
    Janet F.

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  28. Congratulations on this milestone, Irene - and so glad that I'm a part of things here on Poetry Friday. I'll have to look into blog2print - I think it may be time for me to have a printed version, too.

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  29. 1000 congratulations to you! How great is that? Great idea to have your posts bound. Paper still has its place. I can locate things better on paper than on my blog, too! Thanks for hosting today!

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  30. Thanks Irene! This week saw the release of my first book. Bounce- A Book of poems and paintings is now available through Amazon - http://amzn.com/0615902154

    Have a great weekend!
    -Alvaro

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  31. I'm on the road right now, so while I posted early, I'm just getting to linking up now. Today I'm sharing a poem by Eve Merriam.

    Love this post celebrating your 1000th. Congratulations!
    Best,
    Tricia

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  32. Irene,
    Thank you for including the Blogstoprint.com link. I've been thinking about doing this for a couple of years. I didn't know this service existed.
    And thank you for hosting the Poetry Friday Roundup. I'm always blown away when I see how many of us love children's poetry and share our thoughts of Friday. Amazing!

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    1. Congratulations on your 1,000th post too. That is an amazing feat.
      And what a celebration. Thanks for the good time.

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