dragon cloud haiku

 Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Jan at bookseedstudio for Roundup.

In just a few days, I'll be traveling to Chicago to teach with Charles Waters at the Poetry Summit hosted by the Poetry Foundation. I'm excited to meet passionate-for-poetry educators from across the country! Charles and I will be talking about "poem as truth teller" and also leading a workshop on "poetry for a better world." Fun!!

For ArtSpeak: WOMEN I've got another piece by Gabriele Münter.

I've been reading Iron Flame by Rebecca Yarros, so perhaps that explains the appearance of dragons! And there are more dragons in my future, as I scored a complete and in very good condition boxed set of The Last Dragon Chronicles by Chris D'Lacey.

Once, many Julys ago, I wrote an early middle grade book called St. Cecelia's School for Dragons. I was so excited about it! And then How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell came out.  And it became a whole franchise! So my little dragon book went into a cave.

But you know what? Those dragons have been popping out lately, asking to play...so who knows? Maybe I'll publish a dragon book yet! Meanwhile, here's a poem. Thanks so much for reading!

Who invited clouds

to storm our July picnic?

They look like dragons.

-Irene Latham

Trinet after an Argument

 

Irene Latham & Darnell Whited 

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Michelle at Moreart4all for Roundup.

Have you been enjoying all the America 250 events in your neck of the woods? I have! After months of planning...and a generous grant from the Alabama 250 commission, yesterday I helped host a community "Party Like It's 1776!" 

My DAR Warrior Rivers chapter, in conjunction with the Blount County Memorial Museum, offered entry into two of our town's most historic buildings and filled them with historic exhibits, recognition of veterans, activities (including a scavenger hunt!), food, and visits from historical figures like George and Martha Washington! So much fun, y'all. And I wanted to share a list of the books we found most valuable for helping us celebrate America's birthday, particularly in their portrayal of the American Revolution:

Cloaked in Courage: Uncovering Deborah Sampson, Patriot Soldier by Beth Anderson, illus. by Anne Lambelet

DK Eyewitness American Revolution

Farmer George Plants a Nation by Peggy Thomas, illus. by Layne Johnson

George vs. George: The American Revolution as seen from Both Sides by Rosalyn Schanzer

George Washington and the General's Dog by Frank Murphy, illus. by Richard Walz

George Washington's Spectacular Spectacles: The Glasses That Saved America by Selene Castrovilla, illus. by Jenn Harney

Heroes of 1776: The Story of the Declaration of Independence by Neil Gorsuch and Janie Nitze, illus. by Chris Ellison

History Smashers: The American Revolution by Kate Messner

If You Were a Kid During the American Revolution by Wil Mara, illus. by Kelly Kennedy

Nathan Hale: Patriot Spy by Shannon Zemlicka, illus. by Craig Orback

Spies in the American Revolution for Kids: A History Book by Carla Killough McClafferty

The American Revolution from A to Z by Laura Crawford, illus. by Judith Hierstein

When Paul Revere Rode: Voices from the First Night of the American Revolution by Sarah L. Thomson, illus. by Nik Henderson

This week's ArtSpeak: WOMEN again features work by Gabriele Münter. (My record player needle is stuck, and I kind of love it!)

Some notes for those who are interested:

While this piece depicts Gabriele's artist-friends Alexej von Jawlensky and Marianne von Werefkin, I instantly saw these two as a couple. And because of their body positions, I imagined them in an argument. 

Peace-loving, conflict-averse me hates being in an argument with a loved one! So I thought that might be fertile ground for poetry.

Last week I tried (and failed) at a trinet, so I wanted to try again this week. And voila! Success! Thanks so much for reading.

*Funny: when I went to the ArtSpeak: WOMEN folder to snag the image, I found a "Trinet after Drought" I wrote earlier this year! I think perhaps the trinet is my new triolet (form I go to when I don't know what to write!).

Trinet after an Argument

Together but
not together—
hearts caught in a summer riptide,
all heat, bees, and prickly grass—
who will
be first
to reach?

- Irene Latham