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. 

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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