Thursday, September 26, 2024

Just a Girl Who Makes MISTAKES

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday. Roundup is here at Live Your Poem! YAY!

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Of course I want to share just a little about The Mistakes That Made Us: Confessions from Twenty Poets, selected by Irene Latham and Charles Waters, illus. by Mercè López (Carolrhoda/Lerner Publishing), as it releases next Tuesday, October 1! So many thanks to those who have shared about it already. :)

This poetry anthology is the first to hit the market, but it's actually the second one Charles and I have curated. It just got its second  ★ STARRED REVIEW... this time from Booklist. Thank you, Booklist!

Charming and insightful...A gentle reminder of the stepping stones making up the path to growth, discovery, and creativity."

We're super-excited about sharing it with all of you! I mean, what brave poets...I could go on and on about all of the poets and poems and how special I think this book is. Today I shall contain myself and share just two things:

1. Mercè López is pretty amazing. You may remember her gorgeous work on Lion of the Sky by Laura Purdie Salas. 

For this book, since the poems are autobiographical, she asked for reference photos of the poets as children. And then she included ALL of us on the cover! 

See below for a labeled (by first name) version of the cover. I've listed the full names of all the contributors below the photo so that you can match them up!

Contributors (clockwise, starting with wee me - just right of center, blondie with a chickadee on her shoulder) : Irene Latham, Linda Sue Park, Allan Wolf, David Elliott, Vikram Madan, Tabatha Yeatts, Naomi Shihab Nye, Lacresha Berry, Jaime Adoff, Jorge Argueta, Matt Esenwine (upside down!), Darren Sardelli, George Ella Lyon, Jane Yolen, Douglas Florian, Margarita Engle, Kim Rogers, JaNay Brown-Wood, Charles Waters, April Halprin Wayland (with whom I am enjoying a lovely conversation -- friends, this is true in real life, and Mercè had no way of knowing it...kismet)! 

 2. The only poem cut from the collection was mine.

Charles and I divided the book into four categories of mistakes:

OOPSIE-DAISY! - those embarrassing public mistakes 
STUFF HAPPENS - mistakes that hurt ourselves
BLESSINGS IN DISGUISE - mistakes with silver linings
WHAT HAVE I DONE - mistakes that hurt other people
 
I could have written multiple poems for every section! But what I felt most called to write about was a mistake that hurt someone else. The poem that appears in the book is called “Shattered” and I hope you will read it! But today I'd like to share the poem I wrote for our proposal, but it ended up being cut from the book.
 
Cuts are always hard…and this topic of what to leave in/what to cull from a poetry collection deserves its own post! 

Building an anthology is kind of like building a banana split. You want a mix of flavors. You need savory AND sweet. Smooth creamy ribbons of flavor…and also some crunch. Don't forget the whipped cream and perky little cherry on top!

In this case, a poem came in from Margarita Engle that was quite similar to my own, in that it involved scissors and the cutting of hair…we didn't want to cut (ha!) Margarita's beautiful poem, so I got to write a new poem (with a new flavor)! 
 
Here's the poem that was cut. 
 

STOLEN
reference photo of me with
my siblings (l-r): Ken, Stan,
Lynn, Irene, MicaJon

by Irene Latham
 
My brother Ken
wore his hair long
in back—a rat tail
perfect for tugging.
I didn't dare do that.
He was bigger
than me, and meaner.
Yet somehow
every girl I ever
brought home
fell in love with him.
I hated him
for stealing my friends.
So one night
Mercè's art on "Shattered"
by Irene Latham page

I snuck into his room,
heart full
of fireworks,
scissors scalding
my hand.
Snip! Snip!
Rat tail gone.
I slipped that long
silky hair into my pocket
where I stroked it
all night long—
first gleeful,
then frightened—
finally sorry.
 
 
This event happened when I was 11 or 12 (and Ken was 12 or 13). My brother was heartbroken (and livid!) when he woke to discover his missing rat tail—and I was filled with shame and regret. I apologized, and was grounded by our parents. Eventually Ken forgave me. It took even longer for me to forgive myself.
 
Interestingly, the poem that replaced this one, titled “Shattered,” also involves my brother Ken…and ALL my siblings, actually. I'm super-grateful for having had siblings and am super-aware of how much I've learned from them about life and relationships.

And now I'm excited to share my latest ArtSpeak: FOLK ART poem. It's a tricube inspired by a piece by Georgia artist Cornbread. I've left a few process notes below the poem. Thanks so much for reading.



Poem Found in a Ditch at Dusk

Little fawn

made of twigs

and moonspots


you haven't 

yet learned to

twitch or flee—


nearby, masked

by trees, your 

mother waits.


-Irene Latham

Some process notes: I was short on time writing this poem, so I chose my stress-response form: tricube! I mean three stanzas of three lines with three syllables per line...how hard can it be? HA! 

I was cruising along through the first two stanzas, but then I really struggled with the final stanza. 

Because the second stanza brings up the issue of innocence and safety -- and we all know a fawn alone isn't safe at all! -- but how could I leave children with that potentially ominous conclusion? I couldn't. 

So I tried all sorts of moves in the final stanza. I played with wonder, awe, and play. I brought the poem back to me, the human. But none of it worked. 

At which point my son Eric who's visiting walked into the room. I read him the first two stanzas, and he said, "well, the fawn is not really alone, is it?"

 Indeed! With those words I was off and running, feeling tremendous relief for this little fawn, and I knew I needed to give child-readers the fawn's moment of freedom/innocence/curiosity but with a watchful mother, too. xo



20 comments:

  1. Congratulations to you and Charles, Irene - and thank you so much for including one of my poems! (I mentioned to Charles that I couldn't believe I share a spread with my neighbor, David!)
    Thanks for hosting, and for contributing to my anthology, as well!

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  2. Love the tender ending in your fawn poem Irene. And Many Many Congrats to you, Charles, and Mercé on your forthcoming book "The Mistakes That Made Us," it looks and sounds fantastic, I'm looking forward to reading it! Thanks for hosting the Roundup!

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  3. Congrats on the new anthology!! Interesting hearing some backstory about it. "Stolen" made me gasp. You were brave to cut Ken's hair (but I could certainly identify with the emotion that prompted the action). Girls used to befriend me to get closer to my brother. Unlike Ken, he didn't like long hair so I had no chance to cut it ). :D

    Enjoyed your fawn tricube. So sweet!

    Thanks for hosting this week.

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  4. Congratulations, Irene, Charles, and Mercè! I've already received my pre-ordered copy and it's gorgeous. I love knowing the story behind the cover art, as well as all the other delicious behind-the-scenes details. :) "Stolen" ... oh, Irene! We can all relate to such jealousy, as well as such regret. Your ArtSpeak poem is lovely. That fawn...sigh.

    Thanks for hosting PF this week!

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    1. Karen, just in case you pop back here, I'm not able to comment on your beautiful, beautiful post. I'll keep trying. What a lovely and heartfelt contemplation of motherhood.

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  5. Irene, what a jam-packed post! Stolen is such an interesting story and a dig-deep confession. My stomach churned along with yours! Then there is your ArtSpeak, “made of twigs and moonspots.” : ) Love it! And lastly, congratulations to Charles and you on The Mistakes That Made Us! Woot-woot! You inspired a Who’s Who of today’s poets! I can’t wait to get a copy and read it cover to cover!

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  6. Irene, congratulations on the release of the sweet mistakes anthology. Looking forward to it on Tuesday, and reading "Shattered." I loved reading the process of both choosing the poems for your anthology and finding the third stanza of your tricube. Eric's question added a lot.

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  7. Thank you for including me in your Mistakes anthology, Irene :) It's a gorgeous book. "heart full of fireworks" is so evocative. It's cool that Eric was able to point you in the right direction with your poem! I love when someone is able to jostle me when I'm stuck. xo

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  8. Congratulations to you, Charles, and Mercè, Irene. I've ordered the anthology, and it sounds wonderful, for everyone, but in many kinds of classrooms, too! I enjoyed your 'rejected' poem, and "Stolen" it was, and I imagine more than a rattail. I had a student long ago who came in with much of her hair gone - awful! She, then later her mother, told me she and her sister were playing "beauty shop". They won't forget that, as you haven't forgotten either. And the Artspeak, lovingly helped by your son, is lovely, especially the 'twigs and moonspots"! Thanks for hosting!

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  9. CONGRATS to you and Charles and all involved on the fabulous new book - which will resonate with just about everyone, I imagine. And, Eric's insight was perfect for your poem! I'm also in the adoring-"twigs and moonspots"-club. (Thanks for hosting; have had my hands full with Helene and then some, so I didn't get a full post up, but did point this direction.)

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  10. Irene, your new book sounds fabulous. The line-up of authors is top-notch. I love the cover that entices readrs to look into the book with the heart of a child. Congratulations! Your ArtSpeak poem reminds me of the day when I was confronted with several deer on the walking trail. I did not look long enough to see if the fawn had moonspots (love that visual). Thanks for hosting.

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  11. Only now am I learning how challenging it is to build an anthology. The writing part was what I once thought was the toughest...isn't! The diplomacy of lining up poems and poets now seems a task I would find very difficult. It all looks great once the book comes out! I so appreciate the peek into process of any kind. I love that it took your son's words and thinking to finish a fawn with moonspots poem. That really works!

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  12. Ah, Irene! This new book of yours and Charles is an important one for writers of all ages. Recognizing our mistakes is hard...but it helps us grow. Thank you for the reminder. That cover art is adorable and has me thinking about all of you little ones. And those "twigs and moonspots"...enchanting...along with Cornbread's fabulous art.

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  13. Gleeful, frightened, then sorry...isn't that the way of it when you seek revenge as a kid? (Well, maybe at any age.) I love the whole poem, but especially that it's long and skinny, like a rat tail. I can't wait to look at the new book!

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  14. Oh, Irene, what a delicate, beautiful poem -- my goodness! Thank you for this, and for hosting!

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  15. Oh my -- a fawn of twigs and moonspots! I'm in love! And I can't wait to get my copy of the new anthology!

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  16. I was so excited when I saw that Merce Lopez was illustrating this anthology! Congratulations, anthologist! Thank you for rounding us up and for sharing your personal stories--and for that delicious fawn poem. When I saw ditch in the title, I expected the worst.

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  17. I can't wait to read your new anthology! I love seeing all the childhood versions of the poets. I love watching deer, especially fawns. You poem is beautiful!

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  18. BRAVA! Hot Lava!
    [Actually Lava= hot fudge] over a banana split to you & Charles & all the contributors. I luv seeing names & treasure & ones new.
    Such a potent action you too against your brother in your child years. So brave of you to write it. And to cut it. TY for sharing all this goodness. Including the moon-dot folk art fawn & poem

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  19. I'm so late in checking last week's Poetry Friday (under two deadlines from Thursday-Monday kept me from doing Poetry Friday).

    Congratulations on the anthology! I just got my copy and can't wait to read every poem.

    Oh the rat tails! And how he stole all your friends. So relatable.

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