Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Carol at The Apples in my Orchard for Roundup.
Exciting news: The Periodic Table of Poetry, a middle-grade poetry collection with poems selected by Irene Latham and Charles Waters, will be published by Lerner in 2028...and we want your poems! See the graphic for details...and I've also typewritten everything below. (You may also receive an email with the same information!) We are so looking forward to reading your work!!
OPEN CALL - PREPARE YOUR POETRY ENTRIES NOW FOR THE SUBMISSION WINDOW COMING UP FROM DECEMBER 6th - DECEMBER 9th.
Hello, Poets! Send us your 3 BEST/FAVORITE original, unpublished poems for possible inclusion in a new anthology curated by Irene Latham & Charles Waters!
Irene Latham and Charles Waters, also known as I & C Construction Company, are an established writing & anthology team with multiple aims and commitments – including projects showcasing exceptional poetry for children created by diverse contemporary poets. We have been creating books together since 2015.
In addition to jointly written titles such as Can I Touch Your Hair? Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship and Dictionary for a Better World: Poems, Quotes, and Anecdotes from A to Z, our published anthologies include: The Mistakes That Made Us: Confessions from 20 Poets (Lerner, 2024), If I Could Choose a Best Day: Poems of Possibility (Candlewick, 2025) and For The Win: Poems Celebrating Phenomenal Athletes (Lerner, 2026). So far, our combined books have made twenty-six state lists.
We’ve got an exciting new project, and we’d love for you to participate.
THE PERIODIC TABLE OF POETRY
Published by Lerner, Spring 2028
Illustrated MG poetry anthology for ages 10 and up
Blurb: Discover the art and craft of writing poetry in a brand new way: through an exploration of 25 elements selected by Irene Latham and Charles Waters. From basics like line & stanza to more complex elements for wordplay, impact, and sound; this fun, unique guide features poems that exemplify each element to illuminate the joys of reading and writing poetry.
About the Book: The premise of this book—the elements of poetry presented as a periodic table—was originally conceived by one of our poetic heroes, Paul B. Janeczko (1945 - 2019), but he was unable to complete the project before his death. We miss him tremendously and are committed to carrying forth his work as children’s poetry anthologists. We couldn’t be more deeply honored that Nadine, his widow, and Emma, his daughter, have allowed us to step into Paul’s idea, expand on it, and make it our own. Our aim is to provide a comprehensive look at what makes poetry poetry—and perhaps inspire people of all ages to experience the joys of reading and writing poems. Here’s to you, PBJ!
What we’re looking for:
Your BEST/FAVORITE poems!
Original & Unpublished (no AI).
Any topic or type.
1-3 poems, no more than 60 lines TOTAL.
Payment $50 per poem accepted for publication in the anthology.
(We expect the collection to have 55 - 60 poems.)
First time rights only.
We’ll be searching for poems to serve as examples for the 25 poetic elements we’re featuring….basic elements like BREVITY (send us your shortest poems) and WHITE SPACE (send us something that uses white space in a compelling way)...impact elements like IMAGERY, EMOTION, SURPRISE. (Send us your poems that pack a punch!)...wordplay elements like ALLITERATION, METAPHOR, HYPERBOLE, and more. (Send us your playful poems that feature excellent use of these elements!)...and sound elements like RHYTHM, RHYME, and METER. (Send us your form poems, your funny poems, your re-readable poems!)
No need to “match” your poems to particular elements in your submission. Just send us your best/favorite 1-3 poems, and we will decide where it might fit into our collection. However, if you feel one of your selected poems is a great example of a poetic element, feel free to mention that in your submission!
Note: The submission window will only be open for 72 hours, from Saturday December 6, 2025 at Midnight (Eastern Time) to Tuesday December 9, 2025 at Midnight (Eastern Time).
**PLEASE DO NOT SEND YOUR POEMS BEFORE THE DATES AND TIMES OR AFTER THE DATES AND TIMES LISTED AND ONLY TO THE EMAIL ADDRESS PROVIDED BELOW, OR WE WILL DISREGARD YOUR ENTRIES**
At that time, please send us 1-3 poems, no more than 60 lines TOTAL.
A 50-60 word short bio.
Your contact information.
Submission link: lathamandwaterssubmissions@
Subject Line: From YOUR NAME - Submission
Note: Poem(s), bio, and contact information in the body of the email. No attachments.
Also: this time next week I'll hopefully be at NCTE! Here's my schedule:
This week's ArtSpeak: PICASSO features a mother and child. I was struck by the art, I think because I recently read The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk, M.D.
This book has really impacted me. Children who don't experience faithful love and care from the parental figures they are born to or land with suffer throughout their lives in a multitude of ways. The book suggests that if we want to "fix" our society, we need to teach parents how to give children this kind of open, abiding love...and this would eventually result in less foster care, addiction, mental illness, incarceration, etc. The book is a powerful read, and I highly recommend it!
As for the poem itself, I thought about "Mother to Son" by Langston Hughes—and almost titled it "Son to Mother." But I didn't want to bring gender into the poem... and that title might have been interpreted as a response poem, and it's not...though now I want to—and will!—write a response poem. Ha!
Instead, I decided to lean into the way our bodies often speak without words...especially children, yes? Youngsters who, before they learn the words, try their darnedest to communicate with us using their bodies and behavior.
The end finds me again playing with the repetition of a single word. Here, my hope is that with the second "yawning," the meaning of the word shifts from "gap" to "sleepy." Thanks so much for reading!
Words Hidden in a Child's Hug
Tell me you love me
Tell me you'll always be
here
Fold me, hold me
kiss my brow
For my body may be small
but my heart
is a deep cavern
yawning
yawning
- Irene Latham
Beautiful, nurturing poem, Irene - and so true for little ones. The new anthology sounds so exciting! (Rubs hands together, sharpens pencils, rubs lucky penny....) I love that it also continues the legacy of the amazing Paul B. Janeczko. Finally, Happy 10th Birthday to the I&C Construction Company! :0) xo
ReplyDeleteAs a kid, my son adored the periodic table of elements. I can't wait to read the anthology. I agree with Robyn about your beautiful poem. Funny that when I think of the periodic table, I think of love!
ReplyDeleteIrene, What a fantastic idea...a periodic table of poetry!!!! Also, your "Words Hidden in a Child's Hug" just wrapped me in memories.
ReplyDelete"For my body may be small
but my heart
is a deep cavern
yawning" resonated so deeply. Thank you!
“My heart is a deep cavern” I have opened to the greatest love of all, grandchildren. I am so in love with each new child my daughters bring into the world. I can’t get enough of them. My newest Sam (or Sammy Lammy Ding Dong, for short) spits up a lot and I even love the scent of it on my neck, my arm, everywhere. I don’t remember being so in love with my own children. Your poem tugs at my deep heart cavern.
ReplyDeleteIrene, Thanks for sharing the information about your upcoming poetry anthology using the Periodic Table. It sounds fun and a labor of love when you continue another' poet's work. Children fascinate me and the ways they communicate are vast. I think your poem is both tender and evocative. When I went to a subsitute teaching training, they told us to never hug our students. I did not comply - if a student needed a hug or hugs, they could get one from me! I was the same way as a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner in the 1990s.
ReplyDeleteThe above comment is from me: Carol at The Apples in My Orchard. https://theapplesinmyorchard.com/2025/11/14/poetry-friday-the-round-up-is-here-2/
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ReplyDeleteHaha, I was trying to be unnecessarily specific about a child's age. Why does everyone do that? Anyway, I have a two-year-old staying with me this week and your poem is profoundly true. Thanks, I'm saving it xo
DeleteThe title of your poem is perfect, Irene, and speaks to just what you said - how children use their bodies and behavior to communicate. Our pets do that, too, I think. And what a wonderful tribute to Paul Janeczko with your new anthology! Looking forward to picking a few poems to submit.
ReplyDeleteIrene, your poem written from a child's POV is gentle, loving, and wishing for a hug. It is a wonderful little nugget of poem to share with children who may want to pen a poem for their mothers. I am excited that you and Charles are working on a new anthology. Your new anthology has a wonderful title bringing me back to my high schools and the interesting PERIODIC TABLE. If I have time I would love to try to write something worthwhile. Have a great weekend.
ReplyDeleteI am excited that my foot specialist said that I can present at the convention but I have to wear my boot (so heavy) and use a walker that has a seat. I am happy to be with the Poety Peeps group on Friday.
'Words Hidden In A Child's Hug' encapsulates precisely what every child innately needs- to be loved and to feel safe. A brief yet apt poem, Irene. Congratulations on your chosen assignment to continue Paul Janeczko's quest. Sounds like a most worthy project. Your provocation to fellow poets is most worthy of support.
ReplyDeleteWhat a gorgeous Picasso piece and I love what you created to accompany it. Especially love these lines: "...my heart/is a deep cavern." Yes.
ReplyDeleteYour poem is deeply beautiful and so powerful, and the repetition of yawning works so well! My class is filled with young children who speak with their bodies. There is a whole language here, isn't there? (That thought is twirling around in my mind with Mary Oliver's phrase: "soft animal of your body.") I've seen the book you referenced, but haven't read it yet. Now I will add it to my towering TBR pile. Also, thanks so much for the opportunity to submit to your new venture! Whether I submit or not, I'm so excited to see what you do with it and to share the resulting product with students.
ReplyDeleteExciting news and powerful poem. I think the repetition of yawning did exactly what you hoped/planned for! Can't wait to see you at NCTE!
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