Goodness, what a week!
Charles Waters and I traveled to Africatown to share our book as part of The Spirits of Our Ancestors festival. It was A-MAZ-ING!
I was a visitor on Reading With Your Kids podcast about SNAIL'S ARK in such a lovely, rich discussion... Link coming soon!
I joined Charles, our editor Stacey Barney, and other verse novelists Ellen Hagen and Colby Cedar Smith in a beautiful evening of poetry and history and books. View the recording here.
I launched my first-ever digital course for writers by presenting 2 FREE Masterclasses... THANK YOU for joining me!!
In case you missed it, enrollment is now open for Wild & Precious Writer: How to Optimize Your Creativity for More Joy, Confidence, and Your Best Writing Yet! (enrollment will close next Thursday, Feb. 24)
And... I'm not done yet! (Though I am feeling a bit under the weather...) The final free Masterclass will be next Wednesday, Feb. 23, 4 pm cst. Register here.
Meanwhile, here's the latest poem in ArtSpeak: Animals. Poets, please note: this poem shifted to first person (all the others in this series are third person)... I mean, "pride!" It HAS to be in first person, yes? Thank you for reading!
Pride Has 12 Points
I hold my head high,
I look the world
in the eye.
Whatever winds blow,
I look the world
in the eye.
Whatever winds blow,
whatever the day's
weight
I climb.
This mountaintop?
mine
weight
I climb.
This mountaintop?
mine
- Irene Latham
Yes! I agree that Pride must be in first person. Your words match the picture beautifully. And congratulations and much success on all your endeavors, Irene! I'm enjoying your Tuesday Tips.
ReplyDeleteSorry you're feeling under the weather! Your Wild and Precious Writer logo looks great. Love your "Pride"! (And I hadn't heard of feeding birds bacon either...I just looked it up and I guess it's okay as long as it isn't too salty.)
ReplyDeleteI just got your new book in the mail and look forward to reading it. Also looking forward to the course. Love the last two lines of your poem: The mountaintop? Mine. You are inspiring!
ReplyDeleteSuch a majestic creature! And how do you do everything you do? Congrats again on African Town!!
ReplyDeleteThere is little that's more beautiful an experience than seeing elk in the wild, also sometimes a little scary. You're right, "The mountaintop? Mine." I'm sorry you're feeling a little off, hope it disappears very soon. And I love all that's going on in your life and I get to share some of it. Best wishes with every bit, Irene.
ReplyDeleteHa! Yes, but of course, first person. That's quite a stag. The pride just rolls off those points. Sorry you're under the weather. Hopefully, you'll bounce back quick. We need you writing more ;)
ReplyDeleteSo exciting to see your writing journey going from strength to strength, Irene. Thrilled for you.
ReplyDeleteLoving your poem title, which at first makes you wonder... but then is so perfect.
Your poem and your all around awesomeness are stag-gering, Irene! :)
ReplyDeleteWow...what a LOT of wonderfulness you have going on, Irene! I love the voice in this poem, which feels completely staggy and not at all Irene-y, if you know what I mean. FIrst-person, absolutely!
ReplyDeleteYou have lots to be proud of!
ReplyDeleteI just got Snail's Ark from the library and I'm excited to send a copy to my niece and nephew. One of their Christmas presents was the wooden pull-toy Noah's Ark that was mine (and my brother's) when we were kids. Somehow all the tiny pairs of animals made it through the decades. My brother reports that out of all the gifts I sent, the ark won Christmas! And now they'll know how the snails made it on!
<3 I LOVE that ending.
ReplyDeleteYour poem perfectly captures the feeling of pride that exudes from your inspirational picture. Thank you for sharing that with us today!
ReplyDeleteThe painting IS full of pride, more than the constant weight of those 12 points, and your poem is simple, perfect.
ReplyDeleteSo powerful! From the image to the title to the theme! And I love how you never used the word "pride" in the body of the poem.
ReplyDelete