Thursday, December 3, 2020

Birthday Poem

 Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit the birthday girl Mary Lee at A Year of Reading

back cover D-39
advertisement!
(final will be in color)

I'm super-honored Mary Lee is hosting the cover reveal for D-39: A Robodog's Journey, my dystopian verse novel coming May 18, 2021. I hope you like it!

Cover art is by illustrator Jamie Green (learn a little about Jamie in Mary Lee's post as well!), the publisher is Charlesbridge, and it's a book I started out calling my boy-dog-war story... and then it morphed into the girl-robodog-war story you see depicted on the cover.  And it's so much more than that... about tinkering and heroes and made-up words and surprises and acceptance and love and friendship and finding one's way... I hope you'll give it a read! 

And if you'd like to review it on your blog, the publisher is offering digital galleys! You can email me irene (at) irenelatham (dot) com or leave a comment below.

Meanwhile: Thank you, Mary Lee!! My ArtSpeak: RED poetry offering today continues the birthday (and dog) theme. It's a revision of an e.e. cummings-inspired birthday poem I wrote a while back. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MARY LEE!


Dog's Birthday Song

to you happy birthday
on this most yippity day
stick a candle in every hour
lickety-sniffety every plate

to you happy birthday
in my teeth a thousand thank yous
for party-hats cake the universe you
on this most yippety day
for you i wish

- Irene Latham

p.s. in other happy news: THIS POEM IS A NEST was included on Kirkus' Best Middle Grade Books of the Year. Yay for poetry for middle grade! xo

12 comments:

  1. So much to celebrate, Irene! Congratulations to you and your cover artist, Jamie. Your poem hits just the right note. (pun intended) My Smidgey lives the her best "yippity day" everyday. :)

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  2. Love your birthday poem, and congrats on D-39. I am in awe of your versatility as an author and poet!

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  3. You do have a lot to celebrate. I'd be happy to review it on my blog. That would be fun.

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  4. Love the dog with a party hat, "lickety-sniffety" tells much about a dog & those birthday sweets! Congrats again for your new book which sound like a fun adventure!

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  5. Ha! Yes, it's an auspicious day...celebrating our dearest Mary Lee on a special birthday as well as a new book from you. I will read it! I'm so enjoying your growing pile of published books. I love seeing a creative person find success. Hooray! And, the words in your birthday poem are perfect for my middle schoolers.

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  6. Your Birthday poem fits so well to celebrate Mary Lee and your forthcoming new book, many congrats Irene–And such a lovely line this is,"stick a candle in every hour, thanks!

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  7. I am so excited for your success, Irene. Your new book sounds wonderful. I think I will borrow your Happy Birthday poem because my littlest granddaughter is one on Jan. 9th. Please ask your publisher to send me a copy of your new book for a review on my blog. If there is a Blog Tour let me know about that also.

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  8. Thank you SO much for this special birthday poem, and for the gift of doing your cover reveal! I'm so honored.

    The poem is extra perfect because I did indeed stick candles at regular time intervals all day long yesterday, celebrating with friends and family from Australia to Germany and all across the USA! So. Much. Fun.

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  9. It's a party in a post! Congratulations on all the exciting news, Irene, and thanks for the doggo birthday celebration :>)

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  10. Congratulations on your new book, Irene! It looks amazing, and I look forward to reading it. And Happy Birthday, Mary Lee!!

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  11. Congratulations on your new book AND on THIS POEM IS A NEST (a well-deserved honor). Love the lickety-sniffety!

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  12. So much to love in this post! I can't wait to read your new book, and the doggy birthday poem is yippety!

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