Letter to 2017

Dear 2017,

Soon you'll be here. The news is full of you today, and I can't drive anywhere without passing a fireworks stand flashing your name in neon lights. I do hope your final hours of travel are smooth and free of blizzards or other storms.

Please accept my regrets about the party this evening. It will certainly be full of good cheer and smiling faces! I look forward to welcoming you in the morning. We can share a cup of tea, then walk the trail together. Enjoy the quiet.

I need you to know right up front that I want nothing from you. I've made no resolutions. I have no grand plans, just the everyday ones: to love this world in the best ways that I can. I simply want to share the moments, to exist together. To laugh and know beauty and be grateful. Who knows what magic will happen? Your predecessors have taught me that miracles are everywhere, that the unexpected things are often the best things. All I need to do is to be open to them.

I look forward to our journey together. I know it will include new adventures and new words nesting on white paper. Anything can happen – and will! I'm ready.

Love,

Irene

Selected Poems from ONE MINUTE TILL BEDTIME

Hello and Happy last Poetry Friday of 2016! Be sure to visit Donna, my Winter Poem Swap partner!, at Mainely Write for Roundup.

ETA: Why/how has this posted a day early... and says "Friday" on the header when it is but Thursday?! O Mystery!

I'm in with a few poems from the delightful ONE MINUTE TILL BEDTIME, edited by Kenn Nesbitt, illus. by Christoph Niemann, brought to us by Little, Brown & Co.

I love this book. So often these big anthologies are wildly uneven -- a shining poem here, a meh poem there. And sometimes, when there are so many poems, they just kind of all run together ?? (This could be just me.)

What's great about ONE MINUTE TILL BEDTIME is that pretty much wherever you crack open the book you will find something surprising, something delightful. And many of the poems are short, which is good. And the illustrations really add to the fun of the book -- some poems are presented sideways, or upside-down. On one spread a lion turns into a bed! This is good book-making. Thank you to all involved! It reminds me of those Shel Silverstein volumes I so treasured as a child. This book, I think, will be enjoyed for many years to come.

And now for a few poems from the book that are calling to me this morning (so hard to choose! so hard to choose!):

A Hard Rain
by Greg Pincus

Tonight the rain is falling hard.
It's washed the colors from the yard.
It's scrubbed the paint right off our house.
It's rinsed the fur right off a mouse.
The rain's turned fields to huge mud pies.
It's cleaned the stars up in the skies.
Rivers run and try to hide.
Tonight I think I'll stay inside.
--------------
I love this page in the book! The poem is presented sideways, and the page is mostly black. Delightful! Side note: my son Eric LOVES rain! He always goes OUTSIDE when it's raining to write songs and take pictures and ponder life. Fun.

Btw: Greg's newest middle grade novel THE HOMEWORK STRIKE (coming in January) is a JLG selection! Congrats, Greg!

Bedtime on 7th Avenue
by Ron Koertge

Big old dog sighs and lies down.
Spider closes her many eyes.

In the vacant lot, weeds lean against
each other.

Even graffiti opens its loud neon mouth
and yawns.
-----------------------
Can't you just see those (unexpected!) weeds leaning against each other? And the "loud neon mouth" -- wonderful! (Want to know Ron's secret to a long life? Click Ron's name above.)
-----------------------

Rolling down the Hill
by April Halprin Wayland

Sky,

     grass,

             sky,
 
                    grass,

                               Grandma,

                                            grass,

                                                        grass.

---------------
This poem is so April! It's zany and fun and makes me smile every time I read it! (I suspect April wrote this poem after actually having the experience in the poem!)
---------------


Wild Flowers
by Bob Raczka

Our dandelions
are tame, but their color is
a loud yellow roar.

------------------
Perfect example of a short, vivid poem... and the illustration is adorable! ROAR! Also check out Bob's latest WET CEMENT, which has earned a whole constellation of starred reviews!
------------------

Sky Story
by Rebecca Kai Dotlich

Who has the keys
to the moon,
to the moon...
who has the keys
to the moon?
Not me,
said the owl,
said the owl;
no keys.
Not me,
said the mouse
as he nibbled his cheese.
Not me,
said the bee,
Nor I, said the fly.
Only I, said the sky.
Only I.
------------------
This poem is magical! I love all the animals in it, the repetition, the rhyme... and the "unexpected inevitable" at the end: of course the sky is the only one with the keys to the moon. Of course! If you haven't checked it out yet, be sure to read Rebecca's THE KNOWING BOOK, which I adore! (Look up!)
------------------

Shelter

by Joyce Sidman

Such a slim space you're tucked into,

Butterfly:

feet

stuck to

the underside

of this dripping leaf,

wings shut tight like a 

flat gray purse holding

ribbons of color.

----------------------

Can you see the cocoon?? Beautiful example of how language need not be compromised in a shape poem. (Shape is just one tool -- don't forget language!) The cocoon does look like a gray purse, doesn't it? And speaking of stars... weren't we? Joyce's new BEFORE MORNING has also received a lot of shiny!

----------------------

November Volcano

by Heidi Mordhorst

November volcano

exploding 

a lava of leaves

--------------------

Another short, powerful poem! I am completely enamored of "lava" in this poem. And the illustration! Joy! For more poetic goodness, check out #haikuforhealing on Twitter, which features many wonderful poems, including a slew of them by Heidi!

--------------------

and finally.....

Good-Night Poem

by Ralph Fletcher

Now the long day

feels complete.

Tuck your feet

between clean sheets.

Tuck your body

into bed.

Tuck sweet dreams

into your head.

Tuck your covers

snug and tight.

Tuck the good

into the night.

-----------------------

I love how the poem and illustration work together on this page... the poem is tucked into the curve of the moon! And how delightful is that last stanza?!

Thanks so much for reading... support poetry and poets and have fun doing it: get this book!

Winter Poem Swap "DELIGHT" by Donna Smith

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Buffy's Blog for Roundup.

Wow, can it really be Christmas Eve tomorrow? I feel like I have been Christmas-ing for a good month, maybe more. My mailbox has indeed been a happy place! I was thrilled to receive a penguin-y package from Donna Smith. Among other things, it included a handmade quilted penguin ornament! Donna is a true Renaissance woman. She does everything! And of course there was a poem -- titled after my 2016 One Little Word.

Can you see the penguins
hiding in this graphic?? Love!

DELIGHT
by Donna Smith

Delight greeting daybreak,
Delight meeting noon;
Delight in the evening
With barred owl's croon.

Delight in the heavens,
Delight in each star,
Delight in the twinkling
Winks from afar.

Delight in the quiet,
Delight in the noise;
Delight may be found in
The humblest of joys.

Round pebbles to ponder,
Sweet laughter, warm breeze,
Tall mouuntains to wander
Each day that you seize.

Delight in each moment
Dissolving in air,
But hold some as memories
When moments are rare.

Though we may not see as
Delight moves along;
It whispers to others
Who hear your heart's song.

Delight taken in is
A gift to bestow.
Precious seeds of delight
Delightedly sow!

If ever you feel that
There's no more Delight,
Remember that morning
Still dawns with new light.

Delights's the beginning,
Don't look for its end,
For all who delight have
Embraced the soul's friend.

May delight in your heart
Flow freely and sweet
So others will see it
And bless all you meet.
--------------------
Thank you, Donna! And thank you Tabatha, who facilitates such wonder and joy in our lives. I'm so grateful!

And now, a few links for you:

On Twitter -- #haikuforhealing and #commonplacemarvels - Wow! Some amazing poems from some amazing poets. JOY.

an original poem for the Winter Solstice

Reflections on my 2016 One Little Word "Delight" + a sign up for Spiritual Journey FIRST Thursday (just two slots left!)

A post about why bookmarks are important.

My Secret Santa mystery: solved!

My son Eric has a magical, new instrumental song called "Four Years," about his four years of school at Alabama School of Fine Arts. Give yourself a gift and listen!

Poem for the Winter Solstice

Tonight's the night! Birmingham friends, I hope you'll join me for SHINE BRIGHT, a poetry reading and open mic in celebration of the winter solstice.

Here is the poem I will be reading:

Winter Solstice

No more hurry
hurry.

Time now for firelight
and dreaming,

for church bells
mingling

with the cold,
quiet sunlight.

And somewhere
deep

inside of you

a kernel of courage
unfurling --

each day, more light.

- Irene Latham
-------------------

I can't wait to hear what others will be sharing! What poem would YOU share on the topic of "winter" or "light" ?

And, here, just for fun, is the Little Bear "Winter Solstice" episode.  Lanterns and snow angels... and a song! (The night is cold, the snow is cold, Grandmother loves winter, and I do, too!) We loved watching this when the kids were small. :)

For the Love of Bookmarks

Over the weekend, in between wrapping gifts and other assorted holiday fun, I decided to do a little tidying up in my closet. One of the things I found was a small box of things from my childhood, including a jewelry box, my birth announcement and some trinkets my father brought home to me from his travels (when I was a child).

But the most interesting thing was the stash of bookmarks!

Now, what kid, besides an avid reader, would keep her childhood bookmarks?! Here they are:

I found so many of my favorite things: handmade bookmarks! bookmarks with quotes! Animal bookmarks! Bookmarks from places I've traveled (Cherokee, NC)! And some of them had writing on the back:

I discovered one was a gift from my mother. Another contained the name of one of my best friends at William Pitcher Jr. High in Covington, LA. One I gifted to my parents and instructed them to "USE IT FOR A VERY SPECIAL BOOK." (I don't know how I wound up with the bookmark after I'd given it to them... I can only surmise that I needed it more than they did!)

So I added these bookmarks to my nightstand drawer o' bookmarks. Using them makes me feel connected with a younger me. And it's validating, you know? I have always always been a reader. So many of the things that are important to me now were important to me then. I'm still me!

Other weekend highlights: Birmingham Cello Project Christmas concert!

Spiritual Journey Thursday: Reflections on 2016 One Little Word

Hello, and welcome! I'm delighted to host a roundup today for Spiritual Journey Thursday.

What is Spiritual Journey Thursday? Well, it was a tradition started by Holly Mueller at Reading, Teaching, Learning, as a weekly space to explore aspects of our spiritual lives. Whatever your religion, or lack of religion, you are welcome! We honor all voices and beliefs here.

The first few months of 2016 we discussed each person's One Little Word. These posts included reflections on why the word was selected, and what that word means in our lives. I found these posts so nourishing and enriching! And then things kind of fell apart when Holly let us all know that she was being called in other directions and needed to step away for a while. Several of us discussed ways to revive the practice, and now, after talking with Holly (who graciously passed the torch to me) and tweeting with others, I think we have a plan for 2017!

Instead of weekly posts, we will be scaling back to once a month:
Spiritual Journey FIRST Thursday!

We'll run the roundups the way we do Poetry Friday, with people signing up to host the roundup. Hosts will choose their own topic -- and we will all write on it. This can be your One Little Word, or something else. The only catch is this: I will need to know topic within the next couple of weeks (so I can create a schedule proper and share before the first Spiritual Journey First Thursday of 2017)!

So, here are the dates. Please let me know in comments which date you would like to host, and what topic you want us all to write about!

January 5 - Carol at Beyond LiteracyLink (One Word to Guide our Journey 2017)
February 2 - Leigh Anne at Turn  (Rise)
March 2 - Doraine at Dori Reads (Connection)
April 6 - Violet at Violet Nesdoly (New Life/Spring/Easter)
May 4 - Donna at Mainely Write
June 1 - Margaret at Reflections on the Teche (Finding Joy)
July 6 -  Pat at Writer on a Horse (Getting Out of Comfort Zone)
August 3 - Julianne (Beginnings)
September 7 - Ramona at Pleasures from the Page (her OLW - tba!)
October 5 - Maya at Move Over ADHD - Small Steps Lead to Big Change
November 2 - Karen Eastlund (Gratitude guest post at Live Your Poem)
December 7 - Irene at Live Your Poem (One Little Word end-of-year reflections)

And now for a few words about DELIGHT, my 2016 One Little Word. This word has brought much joy and meaning to my life this year. I've found myself using the word in every day life: "I am delighted." It's a version of happy that feels more in the moment, more connected with presence and wonder. I've discovered the things that delight me are often the unexpected things, the lighter things, the everyday joys. Simply naming these things "delight" has had a huge impact on my life. It's hard to feel bad about anything for too long when you are focused on delight!

I'm also seeing more delight in my writing life. More playfulness and experimentation. More "just because I want to see what happens" kind of writing. And now, because it was this year's word, and this is the year my father died, "delight" is a word I associate with him. He was like my very own Santa, complete with a twinkle in his eye... the embodiment of delight. He still is that for me.

Finally, the one delight I return to every day is the sky. It's so easy to feel delighted. Just look up!

Thanks so much for reading! And now it is time to select a word for 2017... I'm pretty sure I know what mine is. :)

Movie Monday: FOR THE LOVE OF SPOCK

We've seen a number of movies lately in theaters that I liked okay but not enough to write a blog post about them:
ARRIVAL
MANCHESTER BY THE SEA
ALLIED
FANTASTIC BEASTS AND WHERE TO FIND THEM
DOCTOR STRANGE
HACKSAW RIDGE
(I was especially disappointed in FANTASTIC BEASTS... probably because I had expectations attached.)

Thank goodness for Netflix! The other night we watched a biography of Leonard Nimoy FOR THE LOVE OF SPOCK.

I am not a Trekkie (in fact, I'm glad I checked Google for the spelling of the term, because I was using a "y") - never watched the TV show. I have, however, enjoyed the latest movie franchise very much. And this documentary is fascinating on a number of levels. (Trekkies will know why I said that!)

First, the whole rise-of-a-pop-culture phenomenon. The movie is made by Leonard Nimoy's son Adam, and he recalls, among other things, how in the beginning, fan mail came to their own home, and they answered the letters as a family activity. (Adam was 9 or 10 at the time.) And then we get a look at all the fan festivals and merchandise and the Spock's influence on later TV shows, art, etc.

Here's Nimoy. (Try as he might,
my husband cannot do this salute!
 Clearly, he is not Vulcan. :)

Second, the appeal of Spock himself. I was very interested in what a hand Leonard Nimoy had in the creation of Spock. For instance, the "fascinating" dialogue was his idea and really set forth Spock's controlled, don't-show-emotion character. Also, it was Nimoy who thought of the famous Vulcan salute. And the fans included in the film said they related to Spock because he was an outsider, and they, too felt like outsiders. Also, viewers could relate to Spock's inner struggle to feel things, but not express them. This made him a mysterious, yet very relatable character. How many times to we feel something and not show it? Great fodder for we who love storytelling.

Third, I loved learning about Leonard Nimoy's relationship with his son Adam. It wasn't all rosy, that's for sure. Both struggled with addiction. There were periods of turmoil and estrangement. Ultimately they were able to enjoy one another, and in the later years of Leonard's life, they really came together as father and son, and as friends. Oh boy, can I relate to THAT! What a gift and a miracle.

Finally, who knew Leonard Nimoy was a poet? And a musician. I'll leave you with the poem that opens the film, because I love it:

I may not be

- Leonard Nimoy

I may not be

I may not be the fastest
I may not be the tallest
     Or the strongest

I may not be the best
Or the brightest

    But one thing I can do better
     Than anyone else...

      That is

        To be me

More poems here.

Great film, whether you're a Trekkie or not!

Poetry & Fiction About the Refugee Experience

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Jone (whom I am so happy to have met in person!) at Check it Out for Roundup.

I've been reading a lot lately about Syria and the refugees, and it's heartbreaking to think about these families, right now, today, so desperate for safety and food that they must leave their homes for the great unknown. It's a terrible situation. It leaves me feeling a little lost because I want to help, and what can I do from my snug little studio? Donate to the cat sanctuary in Aleppo.

I've also just read three novels about refugees:

1. SALT TO THE SEA by Ruta Sepetys. Set during WWII, it follows 4 teens fleeing the Russians for the coast where they will board a ship for freedom. Powerful writing, rich characters. And based on a true story! Books like this one are why I love historical fiction.


2. THE ONLY ROAD by Alexandra Diaz. A contemporary novel that follows 2 teens from Guatemala who travel across Mexico, surviving hunger, gangs, and the dangerous trains to get to their uncle in the United States. At one time I was working on a similar (middle grade) book, and I am really in awe of the details included in this book! I have learned so much -- mostly what courage and faith it takes to embark upon such a journey.

3. BONE SPARROW by Zana Fraillon. This one is not about the journey, but about being detained in a refugee center in Australia -- and the conditions there are pretty horrific. The book is like a cross between ROOM by Emma Donoghue (young narrator who was born at the center and has never known life outside) and THE BOY IN THE STRIPED PAJAMAS by John Boyne (unlikely friendship between one on the inside and one on the outside).

And I've also been reading SOMOS COMO LAS NUBES/ WE ARE LIKE THE CLOUDS by Jorge Argueta, illus. by Alfonso Ruano. Like Alexandra's book, it's about children leaving their homes in Central America. The two poems that follow are appear on the same spread and are presented in both Spanish and English, as are all the poems.


Caballo de carrera

En la espalda de m i papa
me pongo a cabalgar.
No me puedo quejar.
No hay en todo el
   desierto
caballa tan hermoso
no tan veloz
como Felipe, mi papa.

Racehorse

I get up on my father's back
for a ride.
I can't complain.
Here is the desert
there is no horse as
beautiful
or as fast
as my father, Felipe.

Cantamos

Desde que salimos de casa
no dejamos de cantar.
Dice mi papai
que si cantamos,
espantamos el cansancio
y el miedo
y nos volvemos cancion.

We Sing 

Since we left home
we haven't stopped singing.
My father says
if we keep singing,
we'll scare away all the tiredness
and the fear
and become a song.
----------------
I love the idea of becoming a song. And who needs a racehorse with a father like that? xo

"People Equal" by James Berry

Today I'd like to share with you a poem by James Berry. It appears in the book A NEST FULL OF STARS (Greenwillow Books, 2002).

People Equal

Some people shoot up tall.
Some hardly leave the ground at all.
     Yet--people equal. Equal.

One voice is a sweet mango.
Another is a nonsugar tomato.
     Yet--people equal. Equal.

Some people rush to the front.
Others hang back, feeling they can't.
     Yet--people equal. Equal.

Hammer some people, you meet a wall.
Blow hard on others, they fall.
     Yet--people equal. Equal.

One person will aim at a star.
For another, a hilltop is too far.
     Yet--people equal. Equal.

Some people get on with their show.
Others never get on the go.
     Yet--people equal. Equal.

- James Berry
-------------
I love this poem! Love the rhythm and repetition, and how James Berry's Caribbean heritage shines through every line.

And, I have been all of these people at one time or another. It's important when we talk about people and equality to remember how people change from moment to moment, year to year. We aren't static. We make mistakes. There's no one right way to be. We can be mango sweet AND nonsugar tomato. Hard AND soft. Go-get-em AND sit-tight.

In fact, one of the things that makes humans so interesting is how we can hold all of these different qualities at the same time.

Today I am mango-y and happy to rest at the bottom of the hill. How 'bout you?

Because Doing the Right Thing Hurts Sometimes #NCTE16

Jason's latest GHOST, which won
 NCTE's Charlotte Huck award
 for fiction!

So I am still processing some of the things I heard at NCTE. One of them was a fish story, as told by Jason Reynolds. It goes something like this: One day Jason's eccentric high school teacher brought in an expensive exotic fish for the classroom aquarium. He told the kids, "you can feed the fish, but whatever happens, do not TOUCH the fish. Ever." The teacher went on to say that the principal knew about the fish rules and would back him up should anyone feel inclined to test the rule. Then one day, much later in the year, this teacher scooped the fish out of the tank and dumped it on the floor. All the kids stood around in horror as the fish thrashed about, obviously dying. But they had been told "do not touch the fish." Finally a couple of girls DID touch the fish and returned it to its aquarium. The teacher said, "go to the office. You touched the fish." And this was his way of teaching them that doing the right thing hurts sometimes. There are consequences for our actions, even if they are right. But that doesn't mean you don't do the right thing.

Pretty powerful, right? We need more teachers like that. Thank you, Jason, for sharing the story! (Jason told the story much better than I have... any mistakes my own.)

Celebrating THE BEST OF TODAY'S LITTLE DITTY compiled by Michelle Heidenrich Barnes

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Please visit beautiful Bridget at wee words for wee ones for Roundup.

I got myself an early Christmas present: THE BEST OF TODAY'S LITTLE DITTY compiled by Michelle Heidenrich Barnes.

Michelle is such a gift to this world, isn't she? And this book is, too. I loved reading these 75 poems from so many poets (55!) I've come to love in our Poetry Friday community, and just yesterday one of the challenges (David Elliott's letter poems) gave me some direction for a poem-in-progress. What a fun, beautiful and useful ditty of a book! So I asked Michelle to stop by and respond to a few prompts. Here's Michelle:

The Difficult: Leaving out some really excellent poems. While I had a terrific ditty committee to help narrow down the choices, sometimes it came down to which poems more closely reflected the challenge, conformed to a particular format, or even fit best on the page. I also felt strongly that I wanted to reflect the breadth of the DMC community, so no one, including myself, had their work appear in more than three challenges.


The Delicious: Oh my, it all feels pretty delicious right now! But I'd have to say the most delicious is that I never felt alone in this undertaking. (I'm quite sure it wouldn't have happened otherwise!) I discovered that the same community that generously contributes all these wonderful poems month after month, is also generous with their time, knowledge, and, in some cases, hand-holding. All I needed to do was ask. I'm especially grateful to Renée LaTulippe for being my sounding board and proofreader throughout the process and to Michelle Kogan for the gorgeous cover.


The Unexpected: A few squiggles can wreak havoc at crunch time! Because I'd never self-published before, I knew the learning curve would be steep. I did my reading, asked for help when needed, and allowed enough time for each step in the process. It all went smoothly until I submitted the book at the beginning of November and was informed that nearly all the decorative borders I had chosen were not high enough resolution. Really??? I spent an inordinate amount of time choosing those squiggles, and higher resolution versions were not to be found. I had put far too much work into this book to have it be marred by fuzzy lines, so that's when the panic set in. You can thank Carrie Clickard for those nice crisp lines, but don't ask me how she pulled it off!

-----------

And now for four of my favorite poems included in the book. Just like Michelle, it's difficult to select. There's always some other poem calling... but these are the ones that are whispering sweet somethings to me today. Enjoy!

Today's Piggies

This little piggy had an iPad

This little piggy Skyped home.

This little piggy watched YouTube.

This little piggy ran Chrome.

This little piggy went...

tweet, tweet, tweet,

all the way home!

- Buffy Silverman, based on the traditional nursery rhyme

(I know I am not the only one giggling... what a timely and entertaining poem!)

----------------

Dr. Plover, DDS

Crocodile,

open wide:

it's checkup time!

I'll come inside

to see if you have

tooth decay --

bits of flesh

I'll eat away.

It seems you haven't 

flossed of late.

that's good news --

you're doing great!

Okay, my friend,

they're good to crunch.

See you next time --

thanks for lunch!

- Michelle Heidenrich Barnes

(Don't you love how imaginative and fun this one is?! I want to see it paired with an illustration... and it reminds me of my own "Oxpecker Cleaning Service" -- another cleaner-upper bird!)

------------------

Lemon

Lemon is a sunny yellow word.

It speaks of summer,

days sliced thin and swirled

with sugar nights.

I halve one,

squeeze

a stinging spray,

raise the rind to my lips

for a sour-pucker kiss,

my hands perfumed with happiness.

- Renee M. LaTulippe

(I want to kiss this summer-sugar sour-pucker happy-making poem! Love the way it tastes in my mouth.)

-----------------

Scissors

Scissors is a sharp word,

a thin word, a steel word,

an I-can-hear-it-click word,

a catching-the-light word,

a see-it-flash word, a fast word,

cutting here, clipping there,

a round-metal-eyes word,

a long-pointed nose word.

It sews as it goes,

and it sings its own name:

Scisssssssssors--snip!

Scisssssssssors--snap!

- Julie Larios

(I love all those dashed-together words, and yes! It sings its own name, doesn't it?)

Thanks and congratulations to everyone who's a part of this lovely collection!

SHINE BRIGHT: A Poetry Reading in Celebration of the Winter Solstice

Free Poetry! Free Poetry! Free Poetry! 

 Featured poets will read on the topics of "light" and "winter." 

Adam Vines, Seth Tanner, Jim Reed, Barry Marks, Kwoya Maples, Irene Latham, Matt Layne, Ashley Jones, Bob Collins, Alicia Clavell, Tina Braziel, Tabitha Bozeman, Robert Boliek, Jerri Beck

 Light refreshments will be served. (hot cider and cookies!)

Open Mic to follow. 

 Alabama Friends: Y'all Come!!! 

 Wednesday, December 21, 2016, 7 pm

  Desert Island Supply Co.

Writing from a Place of Anger

One of the amazing sessions I attended at NCTE included Laurie Halse Anderson on a panel with Jason Reynolds and Patricia Hruby Powell.

I don't remember what the question posed to the authors was, but I can't forget Laurie's answer. She said, "The angrier I am, the better the book."

Anger inspires her. And that got me thinking about what inspires me, and about my relationship with anger.  Because anger is not generally a source of inspiration for me. I'm kind of scared of anger... yet aren't we supposed to write what scares us? What would happen to my writing if I allowed anger to fuel it? Where would my stories and words take me?

I want to be a brave writer. I also want to write what brings me pleasure - to write from a place of love and celebration. Where is that place where bravery and love meet?

All of a sudden I am thinking of Katniss Everdeen when she shoots the arrow at the gamemakers. They're ignoring her, and she's mad, she turns the arrow on them.



That's the kind of anger that has the power to change a life. Thank you, Laurie, for making me think!

My Secret Santa

Last week I received in the mail a package from one of my favorite catalogs to browse: Uncommon Goods.

Inside was a beautiful glass "Wishing Ball & Gratitude Globe."
Along with the glass piece, it included small slips of paper for writing your wishes or gratitudes to insert into the globe.

I love it! For me it's most certainly a Gratitude Globe. And the design is for the month of April, which was also noted in the packaging. Not my birthday, but National Poetry Month. Hmmm...

What wasn't noted in the packaging was who sent it to me!

Maybe this was a mistake. Or maybe this giver wishes to remain anonymous. Either way I want to share here today that the first slip I put inside the globe said, "whoever gave me this gift." Thank you!! I'm keeping the globe in my studio, right beside my desk. It's gorgeous, and I am delighted every time I think of it!

And, note to self: give more gifts anonymously. How beautiful!

***ETA: Turns out, my secret Santa is.... my sister!!! I totally should have guessed that. :)***

Movie Monday: THE EDGE OF SEVENTEEN

O frabjous day! Holiday movie season is upon us.... seems like all the most anticipated movies arrive within the last six weeks of the calendar year.

After viewing the trailer a number of times, we were pretty excited to see THE EDGE OF SEVENTEEN. And it did not disappoint! (I do wish maybe they hadn't shown so much in the trailer, much as I loved it... what fun those surprises would have been!) Really great casting and well-rounded characters. Plus I could relate to main character Nadine who is still struggling 4 years after her father's sudden death with normal teen angst and her relationship with her mom and with the fact that her best friend is now dating her brother... yep. Been there! Several of my best friends ended up dating my brother Ken... one of them even married him! I hated that. And just like Nadine, I blamed my brother for stealing my best friend.

Nadine is really trying to figure some things out, and in the process she makes some crazy decisions. As we all do! One of the best things in her life is a caring, funny (and thank goodness not an inappropriate) teacher. He does what the best teachers do: he listens. And he helps Nadine get through a critical moment.

This movie had some powerful moments that were well-earned. Plus it was funny! And it felt real to me, not just from my own memories of that time, but in light of all the amazing teens I am privileged to know and love.

And to Ken, if you happen to be reading this: I love you!

If you like smart family relationship movies, then you'll like this one. And if you are writing YA, you MUST see it!

Poetry is truth. (more from #NCTE16)

How 'bout this day-before-Thanksgiving sky?

Hello and happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Carol at Carol's Corner for Roundup.

So I am full of turkey at the moment and thinking back over some of the poetic highlights from NCTE16. There were so many! I'll just mention a few of them here.

* Pomelo Books supper at BoccaLupo.http://boccalupoatl.com/ Those who know Janet Wong know she is kind of famous for selecting really great restaurants. She chose this one because it was on several lists -- one of them a "last meal" list written by chefs! A couple at our table enjoyed a Tasting Meal, which was small portions all several of their specials. It was pretty amazing, and inventive... and if memory serves, it included things like a parmesan crusted meatball... calamari over shrimp pate...a fancy piece of steak... carrot cake.... All excellent! And the company was, too!

* Session on Risking Writing with Poetry-Friday-ers Mary Lee Hahn and Heidi Mordhorst. It was about writing WITH your students, and the panel modeled this for us. It takes a lot of bravery to share our early drafts with anyone, and how powerful for students to see that the work takes... work. Here's the work and photo we started with... and then you'll find mine as it stands now... I was in an imaginative mood!

At the Harvest Ball

Deer look on as dancers twirl
in their starlight gowns --
Listen: maraca-song!
They dance until they collapse
into their cardboard-castle beds
to dream of leave and rain,
and sometimes,
a white eggplant moon.

- Irene Latham

* Books. I picked up F&G's of forthcoming books by THUNDER UNDERGROUND by Jane Yolen and KEEP A POCKET IN YOUR POEM by J. Patrick Lewis. And I got to admire Laura Purdie Salas's forthcoming IF YOU WERE THE MOON. Beautiful!

* Our panel on Writing for a Better World. At the end, the radiant Katherine Bomer summed up everything with one line from each of us, and it IS a poem! Here it is:

The panel - all except Margarita,
who had to dash to her next session!

To the Poets on the Panel, Your Words Coming Back

- Irene, Amy, Laura, Margarita, Tara, Margaret, (& Katherine)

Err on the side of love,

Amplify the light,

Hold the space for children to enter in,

Words are bridges,

Develop our empathy muscle as the reflex response,

When we provide poems in our classroom, we get to the heart of our children,


Poetry is truth.
------

And here is a Visual of our session created by Paula Bourque. Love it!

I have several more odds-n-ends to share with you about NCTE -- I came away so very inspired! I will be posting about these things in the weeks to come. Thank you for reading!

Poetry Brain

Well hello there!

You've heard of "squirrel brain," right? Well, since NCTE, I've got Poetry Brain. If you popped open my skull, I think it would probably look kind of like those small leafy tornadoes that spin in the yard during fall... my mind has been swirling with wise words I heard, like "Poetry is about bearing witness." and pieces of books I've been reading, like SOMOS COMO LAS NUBES/WE ARE LIKE THE CLOUDS by Jorge Argueta and fragments of poems I want to write. It's kind of crazy in there right now, but beautiful, you know?

And today I am cooking. I tend to tackle Thanksgiving dinner in stages, preparing a couple of dishes a day beginning the Monday before the BIG day. Yesterday I made cranberry festival (gelatin) salad, and this morning I made the sweet potato casserole and the pumpkin bread. It smells like love and family and all that is good in the world.

I will be back for Poetry Friday to share with you some goodies from NCTE, including a poem I wrote in a brave, excellent session led by Mary Lee Hahn and Heidi Mordhorst.

OH. Did you hear Marilyn Nelson won the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry? Congratulations, Marilyn!! And to the committee: well done, all!

Poem for a Better World

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Brenda at Friendly Fairy Tales for Roundup.

I'm in Atlanta for NCTE, which happens to be one of my most favorite conferences of the year. I love being around so many people who are passionate about books and education and children. I always come away so very inspired -- more about this next week!

So today, I have a new original poem to share with you. It's inspired in part by world events and the Writing for a Better World panel I'll be on tomorrow, and also by my seamstress-mother, who can create beauty out of even the most tattered piece of fabric.

Alterations

And this is how
we shall remake
the world:
like a seamstress
with pins in her mouth,
steady fingers
coaxing thread,
a hum forever
in her throat
as stitch by stitch
the fabric is fitted,
             gathered –
until what was once

tattered, now dances 

across the floor.

- Irene Latham

Letters to the Dead

A couple of weeks ago I issued the last 2016 edition of my occasional author email newsletter. If you missed it, you can view it here and subscribe here.

In the letter I offered a giveaway for my new chapbook DEAR SLAVE, which contains poems that are letters to former slaves. I wrote the letters after I read their words in slave narratives collected by Ruby Pickens Tartt.

To enter the giveaway, I asked people to reply with the name of a deceased loved one they'd like to write a letter to, and (optional) what they would say in the letter.

Response continues to be overwhelming! I've gotten so many messages from folks sharing their loved ones  -- parents and sisters and children and friends -- and I'm so very honored to read the things they would like to say to them.

A couple of things stand out to me about the experience. First, we NEED to say the names of the ones we love who are no longer with us. Saying their names, sharing them with others, is important. Second, we are all the same. Grief unites us. All the feelings and regrets and love -- no matter how different we are, or what the relationship, or what the circumstances of the death -- we share those emotions.

Below please find images of a few of the former slaves to whom I addressed poems in DEAR SLAVE. I wish I could have talked with them in real life. May we never forget their names.

Ank Bishop

Emma Crockett

Amy Chapman

All photos courtesy of the Library of Congress.

"Rhapsody" for November

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Jama's Alphabet Soup for Roundup, where she is offering up HOPE, which is pretty essential, isn't it? Thank you,  Jama. What an emotional week this has been... and I've had the stomach flu. Feeling MUCH better now, thank you very much! Nothing like a few sick days to make one extra grateful for those good-health days. Wow.

So I have a lovely little poem for you, and some sheep. Yep. Read on!

Rhapsody

I am glad daylong for the gift of song,
For time and change and sorrow;
For the sunset wings and the world-end things
Which hang on the edge of tomorrow.
I am glad for my heart whose gates apart
Are the entrance-place of wonders,
Where dreams come in from the rush and din
Like sheep from the rains and thunders.

-William Stanley Braithwaite

Speaking of sheep, have you read THE SHEPHERD'S LIFE: Modern Dispatches from an Ancient Landscape by James Rebanks? I loved learning about these sheep families and the whole world of Beatrix Potter. (And now I totally want to watch again MISS POTTER.) It's a hard life, methinks, with so much out of one's control. But it's also obviously rewarding. I particularly enjoyed the lessons of such a life:

"We don't give up, even when things go bad.

We pay our debts.

We work hard.

We act decently.

We help our neighbors if they need it.

We do what we say we will do.

We don't want much attention.

We look after our own.

We are proud of what we do.

We try to be quietly smart.

We take chances sometimes to get on.

We will fail sometimes.We will be affected by the wider world...

But we hold on to who we are."

Here's to holding on to who we are in the midst of wider world events! 

And finally, here again is my NCTE schedule -- even though there's glaring typo AND we've added Laura Purdie Salas to the Nonfiction Roundtable! Even better, right?? I know I will be seeing a number of you... very excited!

Don't Miss Atlanta's Center for Civil and Human Rights While at #NCTE16

Last year I was able to visit The Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta, and it was powerful and unforgettable. I was there with dear poet-friends, and as we entered the building we asked one of the employees which part was his favorite, of all the displays, which did he most recommend. Right away, he said, "the lunch counter."

I nodded, thinking literally "lunch." I am always down for a sandwich or a nice salad. But that's not what he was talking about. He was talking about the interactive lunch counter exhibit where visitors sit at a model lunch counter, put on headphones, and "be" the people who were brave enough to do the sit-ins. To be taunted and shouted at and hit.

An exercise in empathy. And it left me in shambles. I was shaking when I came away from that counter. Shaking and crying and feeling so grateful for all the folks who have risked their lives for equality.

Seriously. Make time to go to this museum. Take a seat at the lunch counter. Let it change your life.

And, ponder this: What is your ethical footprint?

from an exhibit and The Center for Civil
and Human Rights in Atlanta, GA

Inside a Literary Agency

I've just finished reading MY SALINGER YEAR by Joanna Rakoff, as part of Bas Bleu's Book Club. It's about the author's stint typing letters and such during the late '90s working for the literary agency that represented J.D. (Jerry) Salinger.

As an author who's repped by a stellar literary agency, I found a couple of passages that really resonated:



Reading manuscripts was the exact opposite of reading for grad school: it was pure instinct, with some emotion and intelligence thrown in. Does this novel work? Or can it be made to work? Does it move me? Does it grip me?

-----------------

“First rejection,” he explained with a huge grin. “And it's a really great one.” I had worked at the Agency long enough to understand that there were rejections and there were rejections. There was not for me and I just didn't find these characters sympathetic and the story struck me as improbable at best, and also simply I'm afraid this is too similar to a novel we're publishing next fall or too similar to a writer already on our list. And then there was I truly loved the writing but I just didn't feel the story hung together and I'm so torn about this novel and I'd love to see this writer's next novel, which was essentially the gist of the note James held in his hand.

-----------

That last one is a heartbreaker. It can make a writer wonder if they know anything at all about storytelling. I've gotten it a few times... one way to get through it is to do exactly what's suggested: WRITE THE NEXT NOVEL.

There's also a little bit about a (rejected) manuscript by Judy Blume in the book! Interesting....

 So, if you're in this book industry, give it a go! I think you'll like it. 

Up next in the Book Club: The Journal of Helene Berr!

Poem for Election Day

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Laura at Writing the World for Kids for Roundup.

I don't enjoy politics, but I do appreciate the fact that I live in a country where my voice counts for something. 

Freedom matters to me. A lot.

Here's a poem I wrote about it that was published in Scholastic's Storyworks magazine back in 2012.  Happy voting!

Election Day

Sift through promises,

replay interviews;

step inside the booth.

Forget scripted speeches

and candy-wrapped slogans.

Weigh again each pro

and con. Remember

the teeming world,

its people who dream

of freedom --

so many denied

the right to decide.

Read the names,

imagine a future;

make the best choice.

In the space between breaths

your voice is heard

without a word.

- Irene Latham

-----------
...and for something entirely different, I posted yesterday at Smack Dab in the Middle about using a personal mission statement to navigate when to say Yes and when to say NO. I fear the only personal mission statement our current presidential candidates ascribe to is "win the election." Sigh.

But. It will be okay, no matter what. This I believe. xo

Hot, FRESH & Tasty at Louisiana Book Festival

The wall of book covers at the State Library!

This was my second time to participate in Louisiana Book Festival -- the first time was in 2012 just after DON'T FEED THE BOY was released. It was a busier festival this time, with more folks roaming about, more tents, more books, more authors... and this time it was HOT. Being under those tents was a little like being microwaved. At the signing, Tessa Gratton and I peeled back the velcro on the tent to let a little air in, and boy did that help!

The book signing line.

Before my book talk, I picnic-ed with writer-friends Pat Weaver, Sheila Renfro and Margaret Simon, who totally needs to write a book about how she fosters a passion for writing in her students!

 We sat under a giant magnolia tree, and the ground was so damp we had to sit on our books or bags -- and we still ended up a little muddy! But it was okay, because what is better than lunching with writer-friends?! The food was decent, too: catfish and red beans and rice. Gotta love Louisiana!

I presented FRESH DELICIOUS to a small but enthusiastic crowd, and the best part was afterward, when Margaret spied her student Madison, who, earlier that day, had received an award for a poem she wrote called "Reef for All" after my poem "Tree for All" in DEAR WANDERING WILDEBEEST. Isn't that cool? Here I am with Madison.

Two authors I was glad to see again were Rita Williams-Garcia and William Joyce. I should have taken pictures, but my arms were full! Later that evening we celebrated Sheila's birthday at a lovely French restaurant back in New Orleans called Cafe Degas... and then we came back to our rental house to read more books! 

The Birthday Girl!

Books! Books! Books!