READ! READ! READ!-ing with Amy Ludwig VanDerwater

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit lovely Michelle at Today's Little Ditty for Roundup.

Things have been hopping in these parts... thanks to Irma, the first part of the week, and currently I am in Port St. Joe, FL for the "Blessing of the Rocker" event in memory of my father. More on this next week!

Today it is my great pleasure and honor to welcome poet/teacher/dear friend/lovely human Amy Ludwig VanDerwater to talk about her newest book of poems READ! READ! READ!, brought to us by the fine folks at WordSong/Boyds Mills Press, with illustrations by Ryan O'Rourke. Big congratulations to Amy and the whole team on the release of a beautiful new book!! To help celebrate, I've asked Amy to respond to some simple prompts.

But before we get to that, I have just a few links for you:

Last week I issued my latest Adventures in Writing newsletter, titled "What September is For." I invite you to read, and if you like, please subscribe!

My poem "Cave Cricket's Lament" appears in the newly-released Balloons Lit Journal (Issue 6). Gratitude to Peter and the crew!

Have you played Ruin a Book with One Letter? See what happened to Leaving Gee's Bend. And propose your own altered book titles!

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And now, let's talk about READ! READ! READ!-ing... take it away, Amy!

The Difficult: Aw, writing is just difficult. And beautiful. It’s both. Waiting for ideas, revising, going back and forth with titles, worrying, trying to make myself concentrate…all of it. Like a thunderstorm, writing is gorgeous and harsh all at once. I struggle always to discipline myself; writing and revising this book was no exception.

"Word Collection"
from READ! READ! READ!

The Delicious: I love poring over Ryan’s joyous and whimsical art, remembering the people and moments and stories that inspired each poem. The words Cinderella and mozzarella, in “Word Collection” for example, have long sat in my notebook, just jottings from a normal day. I smile to remember that long-ago evening when our toddler Hope (now an adult) called out at dinner, “I have a rhyme! Cinderella! Mozzarella!” I find it magical that a moment from years ago can live on between the covers of a book.

Word Collection

Knickknack

Ticktock

Pickpocket

Bric-a-brac

Alligator

Elevator

Hummingbird

Jumping Jack

Flabbergasted

Platypus

Periwinkle

Thumbtack

Mozarella

Cinderella

Centimeter

Quarterback

Butterscotch

Succotash

Wind sock

Wolf pack

Whippersnapper

Belly button

Bumblebee

Knickknack

- Amy Ludwig VanDerwater

(note from Irene: try saying that poem super-fast! :) Who else has a word collection waiting to be worked into a poem?? Care to share a favorite word? )

The Unexpected: In these early days of old friends and new friends reading READ! READ! READ!, I have been grateful to hear folks share their favorite poems from the collection. I expected there would be one overall favorite, but it is beautiful to learn that there is not one favorite. Rather, people have shared many different connections. My hope is that our poems and pictures will open secret doors and memories for readers, that children will say, “I remember when I….” perhaps writing reader poems of their own. (It would be my pleasure to share any of these at The Poem Farm, by the way…)

Amy and her books!

Anything Else: I am thankful to have been paired with talented illustrator Ryan O’Rourke and thankful for the brilliance of my editor Rebecca Davis. It is important for readers to always know that behind every new book is a great team.

Thank you, Irene, for inviting me to LIVE YOUR POEM. It feels like I’m at the house of a dear friend…because I am! xoxo, Amy

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Thank YOU, Amy! 

What a gift Amy is to the world with her warm, loving poems and that happy place called The Poem Farm... Amy also shared the book she is currently reading:

Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman

I'll put it on my list! And also, because I've just finished it, and because it's full of so much book-love and library-love and makes the perfect pairing with READ! READ! READ!, here's what I've been reading:

The Tiny Hero of Ferny Creek Library by Linda Bailey, illus. by Victoria Jamieson

It's a middle grade novel about a green-shelled book-loving bug named Eddie who saves the day with a little blueberry ink and sticky notes. :) It's also a magical romp through some beloved classics, like STUART LITTLE and THE BORROWERS and other titles featuring "littles." Super-fun -- check it out!

Wishing each and every one of you a glorious day. xo