A Rainy Morning at Birmingham Botanical Gardens (and a Poem)

 First some pictures I took on a recent (rainy) early-morning visit to Birmingham Botanical Gardens... and then a poem inspired by the pictures!

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My Art Story

Mary Lee Bendolph

In celebration of their 50 year anniversary, the NEA has invited the community to share their art stories -- how art has impacted their lives.

Click here to read MY art story! And then.... share your story!

Also, I'm thrilled today to be sharing LEAVING GEE'S BEND with the Birmingham Quilters Guild. Check out this collage I made from some of the pics I took at QuiltFest earlier this year. Amazing work!

What Are You Waiting For?

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Laura (who has a brand-new look!) at Writing the World for Kids for Roundup.

I've been waiting. And thinking about waiting. And writing about waiting. If you haven't picked up WAITING by Kevin Henkes, please do!  It seems everything is waiting for something -- and what beauty there is to see! I'd like to give this book to some wee folks in my life along with a set of cat nesting dolls.

One of the things I've been waiting on is this announcement, from Publisher's Weekly:

Carol Hinz at Millbrook Press has bought world rights to It's Not Black and White, by Irene Latham and Charles Waters, illustrated by Sean Qualls and Selina Alko. In this collection of poems, a white woman and a black man have a conversation, writing about everyday elements from their childhoods – including family dinners, sports, church, and toys. It's scheduled for fall 2017; Rosemary Stimola of Stimola Literary Studio represented the co-authors, and Rebecca Sherman of Writers House represented the co-illustrators.

Yay!! I loved collaborating with Charles, and we are excited to see what this amazing illustration duo does with our words. So happy to share this with all of you!

And now a poem by Mary Oliver that speaks to the beauty of waiting:

Such Silence

As deep as I ever went into the forest
I came upon an old stone bench, very, very old,
and around it a clearing, and beyond that
trees taller and older than I had ever seen.

Such silence!
It really wasn’t so far from a town, but it seemed
all the clocks in the world had stopped counting.
So it was hard to suppose the usual rules applied.

Sometimes there’s only a hint, a possibility.
What’s magical, sometimes, has deeper roots
than reason.
I hope everyone knows that.

I sat on the bench, waiting for something.
An angel, perhaps.
Or dancers with the legs of goats.

No, I didn’t see either. But only, I think, because
I didn’t stay long enough.

- Mary Oliver, BLUE HORSES: Poems (Penguin, 2014)

Other "waiting" poems:

"I Am Waiting" by Lawrence Ferlinghetti

"Waiting" by Raymond Carver

"Everything is Waiting for You" by David Whyte

"The Waiting Place" by Dr. Seuss

On Books & Faith

William-Adolphe Bouguereau [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Movie Monday: THE MARTIAN

So I was pretty excited to get to the theater to see THE MARTIAN.

Last year when I read the book by Any Weir, I was dipping my toes in a series of Mars poems -- I've since abandoned that project, but I remain fascinated with Mars One and space exploration -- and of course survival stories! Whatever the setting, I pretty much love survival/adventure stories.

And this movie is gorgeous. Taut and tense and emotional and no doubt the best one we've seen this year. In some ways the movie is better than the book, and it feels like a real accomplishment for a story about one single person who spends much of his time alone on Mars THINKING through his problems and coming up with possible solutions and trying the and failing.... really, that's one of the best things about the movie: what is says about the power of the mind, how we can use our knowledge and our resources to creatively solve our problems. Our hero fails again and again, but he keeps after it. It's about taking risks and making the impossible thing POSSIBLE. So, so good. Go see it!

Jump Back & Sing! 3 Poems by Paul Laurence Dunbar

Hello, and Happy first Poetry Friday of October! WOW! October is one of the very best months, isn't it?? Be sure to visit Heidi at My Juicy Little Universe for Roundup.

I'm excited to share with you today 3 poems by Paul Laurence Dunbar. Last week at MY FAVORITE POEM, one of the readers shared Dunbar's "Sympathy" from which Maya Angelou took the phrase "I know why the caged bird sings," and that set me on a Dunbar reading binge! I read oh about 450 Dunbar poems this week, and I'm delighted to share with you my favorites. Also, I'm excited about a new picture book biography JUMP BACK, PAUL: The Life and Poems of Paul Laurence Dunbar by Sally Derby, illus. by Sean Qualls. I haven't gotten my hands on the book yet, so I will be curious to see if any of the poems I've selected here are included in the book!

The first one is quite timely! Hurray for all that makes October beautiful! I particularly love the last lines.

October

by Paul Laurence Dunbar

October is the treasurer of the year,
And all the months pay bounty to her store;
The fields and orchards still their tribute bear,
And fill her brimming coffers more and more.
But she, with youthful lavishness,
Spends all her wealth in gaudy dress,
And decks herself in garments bold
Of scarlet, purple, red, and gold.

She heedeth not how swift the hours fly,
But smiles and sings her happy life along;
She only sees above a shining sky;
She only hears the breezes' voice in song.
Her garments trail the woodlands through,
And gather pearls of early dew
That sparkle, till the roguish Sun
Creeps up and steals them every one.

But what cares she that jewels should be lost,
When all of Nature's bounteous wealth is hers?
Though princely fortunes may have been their cost,
Not one regret her calm demeanor stirs.
Whole-hearted, happy, careless, free,
She lives her life out joyously,
Nor cares when Frost stalks o'er her way
And turns her auburn locks to gray.

This next one is perfect for introducing young readers to Dunbar's work:

The Seedling

by Paul Laurence Dunbar

AS a quiet little seedling
Lay within its darksome bed,
To itself it fell a-talking,
And this is what it said:

'I am not so very robust,
But I'll do the best I can;'
And the seedling from that moment
Its work of life began.

So it pushed a little leaflet
Up into the light of day,
To examine the surroundings
And show the rest the way.

The leaflet liked the prospect,
So it called its brother, Stem;
Then two other leaflets heard it,
And quickly followed them.

To be sure, the haste and hurry

Made the seedling sweat and pant;

But almost before it knew it

It found itself a plant.

The sunshine poured upon it,

And the clouds they gave a shower;

And the little plant kept growing

Till it found itself a flower.

Little folks, be like the seedling,

Always do the best you can;

Every child must share life's labor

Just as well as every man.

And the sun and showers will help you

Through the lonesome, struggling hours,

Till you raise to light and beauty

Virtue's fair, unfading flowers. 

And finally, my favorite Dunbar poem! It's joyful, yet acknowledges our struggles. Love the refrain "I sing my song, and all is well." Yes!

The Poet and His Song

by Paul Laurence Dunbar

A song is but a little thing,
And yet what joy it is to sing!
In hours of toil it gives me zest,
And when at eve I long for rest;
When cows come home along the bars,
And in the fold I hear the bell,
As Night, the shepherd, herds his stars,
I sing my song, and all is well.

There are no ears to hear my lays,
No lips to lift a word of praise;
But still, with faith unfaltering,
I live and laugh and love and sing.
What matters yon unheeding throng?
They cannot feel my spirit's spell,
Since life is sweet and love is long,
I sing my song, and all is well.

My days are never days of ease;
I till my ground and prune my trees.
When ripened gold is all the plain, 

I put my sickle to the grain.
I labor hard, and toil and sweat,
While others dream within the dell;
But even while my brow is wet,
I sing my song, and all is well.

Sometimes the sun, unkindly hot,
My garden makes a desert spot;
Sometimes a blight upon the tree
Takes all my fruit away from me;
And then with throes of bitter pain
Rebellious passions rise and swell;
But -- life is more than fruit or grain,
And so I sing, and all is well.

Gee's Bend Quilters Named NEA National Heritage Fellows

Congratulations to Mary Lee Bendolph, Lucy Mingo and Loretta Pettway who are in Washington, D.C. today for the NEA National Heritage awards ceremony! See the women interviewed live and demonstrating their craft tomorrow, Oct. 2 at www.arts.gov.

Behold, a few quilts that helped earned them this honor:

by Mary Lee Bendolph

by Lucy Mingo, available at Souls Grown Deep

by Loretta Pettway

I remain forever grateful to these women and all the quilters of Gee's Bend for their art and their stories. Thank you!

#EveryBrilliantThing SEPTEMBER Roundup

This year I am keeping a virtual gratitude list, inspired by the play Every Brilliant Thing. Here's my post about it. 

And here is my list for the where-did-you-go month of SEPTEMBER.

Sunflowers.

Wrapping paper.

Upside down yellow maple leaf on the walking trail.

Birds on a wire.

Caterpillars turning into monarch butterflies.

Walking.

Papa writing stories.

Internet shopping.

Kissing.

The audio version of ECHO by Pam Munoz Ryan.

Sitting in Sandra Bullock's chair at historic, delicious Bright Star Restaurant.

Me, Paul, Daniel & Amalee sitting around the kitchen table.

E-books.

Black cat in my lap.

New sculpture at BJCC.

How empty the streets during an Alabama game.

The Lebanese food festival.

Kantha quilts.

Armadillonecklace.

Fog.

Fire hydrants.

The wet world.

10thAnnual My Favorite Poem.

Clocks.

Made-up words.

Drive-in theaters.

Jumper cables.

Little red wagons.

Claw-foot furniture.

Dice.

Autumn: the Season of Ruin

Hello, and happy Poetry Friday! Please visit the indomitable Janet at Poetry for Children for Roundup.

I've been traveling, and I'm tuckered out, so I've just got something small to share with all you you.

Yesterday I found this wonderful quote in a little book I picked up at a thrift store: FLOWER THOUGHTS: A SELECTION, edited by Louise Bachelder with illustrations by Eric Carle.

See, I've been thinking I want to become a Master Gardener. So, suddenly, flower/tree/garden things are finding me EVERYWHERE. I mean, why not? I've got this amazing backyard that's just begging for some loving... plus it's just FUN to learn stuff about nature and hang out with passionate folks and spend time outdoors.

Any Poetry Friday Master Gardeners out there?? I'd love to hear from you!

And now the quote:

"Romance and poetry, ivy, lichens, and wallflowers, need ruin to make them grow." - Nathaniel Hawthorne

I love this idea of ruin as necessary... isn't it? (Yes, I'm working on a "ruin" poem!) What a wonderful way to reframe some life experiences. And how perfect for autumn, when the leaves are changing and crumbling, everything shedding and going quiet and still... such a beautiful time of year, because somehow the ruin holds deep inside the promise of SPRING. xo

Happy Elephant Appreciation Day!

This poem appears in Spanish and English along with

lots of other celebratory poems in 

The Poetry Friday Anthology for CELEBRATIONS, 

compiled by Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong!

Prejudice, Faith, Fathers & Daughters and GO SET A WATCHMAN by Harper Lee

Newspaper clipping my father sent me
just after the book was released.

I had no plans to read GO SET A WATCHMAN -- partly because I can be really ornery when it comes to "what everyone else is doing," and partly because I am not enamored of TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD as many folks are. (Somehow typing that makes me feel downright un-Alabamian, and maybe even un-American. Alas.)

But all that was before I got this middle of the night email from my father, which he so generously gave me permission to share here:

September 5, 2015

Dearest Irene--
I just finished Harper Lee's new/old book and I'm so excited and thrilled by it that even though it's the wee hours of the morning I had to tell you.

I loved To Kill A Mockingbird. I love Go Set A Watchman. I may be in a minority but Watchman is fantastic! And the two of them together provide a wonderful complete story.

It's true that Atticus takes a slight fall from lofty heights but he becomes more human in the process and, in my view, remains a hero though less than a God. He does right as he sees it and becomes a greater man and father in the process.

And I have to tell you that touched me in a very special way.  Atticus raised Scout to be a fully functional, rational, thinking person

Sent from my iPhone

~Sorry, I got so carried away, I hit the wrong button~

...Capable of making her own way in the world based on values she was taught. The part that was incomplete was the examination of those values in the context of a very harsh often unfair world not of absolutes but of grays, not of blacks and whites (to make a bad pun) but of shades of gray. She could only come complete when she had to begin to see this world through her own eyes and begin to deal with it in a more engaged and realistic way.

I think I'm raving about this book for several reasons: (1) It completes the story in what I feel a very satisfying way; (2) it is insightful about segregation, not to justify it but pointing to the underlying cultural situation that caused the south to pull away from the union and how the south's defeat and experience with reconstruction encouraged segregation...and it concluded--rightly in my mind--both that some changes must be made because they're not only right but seriously overdue and that complex situations ought to be approached in multiple ways to permit and abet positive results; a and most important to me on a personal level, (3) it reminds me of what I was in my own bumbling way trying to do in raising you and Lynn.  I felt it essential that you be independent  persons equipped to make your own way in the world. I wanted you to have the values and abilities not only to be good people but to make world a better place and to be strong enough to be able to choose your own path and to be secure and successful whatever path you chose. I'm so very proud of you--a man of any character at all was to see his child grow to be strong and wise and successful. I was given the great gift of freedom to find my own way while always being loved--I felt that this should be passed along to you and that was the greatest legacy I could you. I did it the best way I knew how and I am so very proud of you--you are such a blessing to me!

So that's my take on the book. I hope they'll make a play out of it and produce it in Monroeville! If they do, getting you there see it is in my Bucket List!!!

I love you!

Papa

................................

So it is through that lens that I reserved at the library GO SET A WATCHMAN. (Some context on how "big" this book is here in Alabama: at the time of my online reserve, our library system had 109 copies, and I was 23 on the wait-list. It only took a few days for the email to arrive saying the book was ready for me to pick up.) 

And you know what? I liked Jean Louise. I liked her spunk, her impatience, her fearlessness about her convictions. It's hard to grow up, and that's really what she does in this book -- little Scout becomes full-fledged Jean Louise. There are some disappointments along the way -- necessary ones, as my father points out. And ultimately the book speaks to me about the father-daughter relationship I've known, which, can certainly be rocky, but is also steadfast. At least that has been my experience! I'm so grateful to have had a father who taught me to question things, even though there were time when he made me so mad by "picking" at me. I know now it was part of my training -- he wanted me to be able to argue, to defend my position, to think, to empathize with others, to GROW as a human, become myself, whomever that may be. What a gift! And Atticus gives that to Scout in this book.

TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD it is not. There's hardly a plot, way too much conversation, not a lot happens at all. And the racism! Hard to read, acknowledge, accept. Yet there's some magic there, a bit of the south as I've known it (nearly all in the flashbacks to Scout's younger MOCKINGBIRD years), and some truths about life that I find powerful, as my father did.

My favorite quote is this one: 

"Prejudice, a dirty word, and faith,

 a clean one, have something in common: 

they both begin where reason ends."

Who but Harper Lee would put prejudice and faith in the same sentence?

My father and I actually came thisclose to meeting Harper Lee when we traveled together to Monroeville a few years back for Alabama Writers Symposium, where I was speaking about LEAVING GEE'S BEND, and Fannie Flagg was being honored with the Harper Lee Award, and lo and behold, Harper Lee attended the luncheon! While we were there we also saw the play "To Kill a Mockingbird," the first half of which is held outside on the courthouse lawn, and the second half of which attendees pile into the courtroom to hear the proceedings. It's wonderful, and that's what my father is speaking of in that last bit of his note.

The lesson for me here -- and isn't it appropriate that it should be my father (who reads a book a day) teaching it? -- is to be openminded about books, to give them a chance, allow them into my heart, however imperfect (or popular!) they may be. Reading is about emotion, and the best books (to me) are the ones that show me something about me and my life that I recognize, but hadn't been able to say myself. 

This book does that, and for that I am grateful. Thanks, Papa, for everything. I love you!

Poetry Potpourri for Poetry Friday

Hello, and Happy Poetry Friday! Please share the ditty love and visit Michelle at Today's Little Ditty for Roundup.

I have not been at my best this week -- O change-of-season cold! Plus my father has been in the hospital -- he's doing much better at the moment, but it's been a stressful few days.. and might explain the this-n-that nature of this post!

Good news: I'm thrilled to be serving for the third time as a CYBILS judge for Poetry! Congratulations to all the other judges -- I look forward to talking poetry with all of you. We certainly have our work cut out for us this year, what with verse novels being thrown in with the other poetry books. I'm excited to read!

Earlier this week (before I lost my voice), I recorded a poem I loved called "A Little Girl's Poem" by Gwendolyn Brooks.

It begins "Life is for me and is shining!" Read the full poem here -- and here's the audio.   

As for my reading life, I'm nearly done with GO SET A WATCHMAN. I wasn't going to read it, but then my father wrote me a middle-of-the-night email about his reaction to it, and I simply HAD to read it. I rather like 26 year old Scout, I gotta say. More on this soon!

During my drive-time, I've been listening to ECHO by Pam Munoz Ryan. I'm into the second story (set in Depression-era Pennsylvania), and I am really REALLY curious as to how all these threads are going to be woven together... loving the music! Thanks again, Ramona, for sending me to the audio version of this book.

Finally, I've been thinking about this article I read in Mental Floss magazine about Einstein's "genius tricks for clearing your mind" -- and, it should follow, enhancing your creativity:

1. Bust out the violin
2. Set sail  (not that he was the best sailor in the world... and he couldn't swim!)
3. Dress down (did you know Einstein hated socks?)
4. Keep up correspondence

And you know, those are really great tricks! My comps are as follows:

1. Bust out the cello
2. Take a walk
3. Wear pajamas all day (and flipflops when necessary)
4. Keep up correspondence (hey, email and texts count!)

What about you?? How do you clear the mind/enhance your creativity? Wishing you a wonderful last-weekend-of-summer!

My Artist's Prayer, A Movie You Need to See, & Two Poems

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Please visit red Robyn at Life on the Deckle Edge for Roundup.

I'm in a bit of an introspective mood today -- okay, let's face it: I'm pretty must always in an introspective mood! Specifically I've been thinking about how nourished I have felt this year in my writing life. A big part of that, I think, has to do with how I started the year off by participating in an Artist's Way group. For 12 weeks we journeyed through THE ARTIST'S WAY by Julia Cameron, and it was a transformative experience for me.

And now I am going through one of her other books, WALKING IN THIS WORLD. Walking has always been a wonderful practice for me, and now I am using that time to meditate on my creative life. I'm two weeks in, and it's been exactly what I needed and then some! (Speaking of walking in this world, if you haven't streamed the movie  TRACKS on Netflix, please do! True story of one woman's 1100 mile walk across the Australian Outback with 4 camels and a dog. Did you know wild camels roam the Outback? I didn't!)


So, today, I'd like to share with you the artist's prayer I came up with when, during the group sessions, we were asked to come up with one. As I read it now, I realize it's an affirmation for any human, whatever path.  And then I've got some links to some current favorite poems I've recorded recently on Soundcloud. Enjoy!

Eight 2015 Middle Grade Novels I've Read Lately

LOST IN THE SUN by Lisa Graff

Narrator Trent, who first appeared in UMBRELLA SUMMER, is kind of unlikeable at first, but he finds a friend in mysterious Fallon Little. This book got starred reviews all over the place, and like all of Lisa's books, it's worth reading. For some reason it's hard for me to talk about. I'm still thinking about it.

A HANDFUL OF STARS by Cynthia Lord

Another friendship novel! Set in Maine, it chronicles the friendship between Lily and Salma, who is the daughter of migrant blueberry pickers. Also, there's a dog who needs an operation, and a Blueberry Queen pageant. As someone who has written a whole novel about a migrant Florida citrus girl, this one was fascinating and enjoyable.

THE GREAT GOOD SUMMER by Liz Garton Scanlon

I was charmed by Ivy Green's quest to find her mother after she (her mother) ran off with Hallelujah Dave (love that name!) to the Great Good Bible Church. And guess what: it's also a friendship novel. :)

GOODBYE STRANGER by Rebecca Stead

Another one with a zillion starred reviews... and it's a friendship story! This one is told in multiple voices, one of them mysterious who uses 2nd person, which was a strange experience for me. Everything else I loved -- especially Bridge's cat ears. :)

OLD WOLF by Avi, illustrations by Brian Floca

Two stories in this one: old wolf Nashoba's story, and young Casey, who loves video games and thinks he'll enjoy real-life hunting as well. The wolf-raven parts moved me. Beautiful.

CIRCUS MIRANDUS by Cassie Beasley

Micah Tuttle believes in magic because it's what his grandfather has been telling him since forever... and now that his grandfather is sick, and his awful great-aunt has invaded their lives, Micah NEEDS magic. HE also needs a friend. This one reads like a classic, and yes, it's also a friendship novel!

THE WAR THAT SAVED MY LIFE by Kimberley Brubaker Bradley

This book. THIS BOOK. This is exactly the kind of book I love and love and keep on loving. (The other book so far this year that made me feel that way? RED BUTTERFLY by A.L. Sonnischen.) Girl with a club foot has been shut in her ENTIRE life until she follows her brother Jamie when he is evacuated out of London to Kent during WWII. The way the relationship develops between Ada and caregiver Susan... how Ada finds her power... beautiful! (I will now read every other book the author has written.)

GEORGE by Alex Gino

Finally a book for kids about a transgender kid! It's kind of a coming-out story -- a coming-out that is made so much easier thanks to a good friend. The world needs more Kellys!

(Like this one? Read for-adults GOLDEN BOY by Abigail Tarttelin about an intersex kid named Max.)

What I'm Listening To This Labor Day

...son Eric's latest super-fun single BEACH TRIP 

that he just released TODAY:

Is he a poet, or is he a poet?!

SO PROUD.

Thanks for listening!

A Visit with Janet Wong & A SUITCASE OF SEAWEED

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit lovely Linda at TeacherDance for Roundup.

I'm delighted today to welcome poet and publisher Janet Wong to share some poems from her book A SUITCASE OF SEAWEED: And Other Poems (McElderry Books, 1996). Buy the paperback edition here.

I happened upon this book at a book store on St. Simon Island (GA) earlier this year, and was enchanted by the poems that reflect Janet's Korean, Chinese, and American heritage. You'll find Janet's comments below in blue.  I particularly love Janet's last comment about identity - who we are vs. who we want to be. See below! Thank you, Janet, for sharing with us today!

JW: My mother was paralyzed from polio as a child. Her cure: acupuncture, hundreds of needles daily for a year. This was in rural Korea in the late 1940s. If you were to visit an acupuncturist in the U.S. today, you’d probably receive only a dozen needles in a session. But the way she described it to me as a child, poking her finger all over me, I imagined them turning her into a porcupine.

Acupuncture

by Janet Wong

"Chook! Chook! Chook!"

Mother says each time

she digs her finger

into my skin

to show me where

the doctor stuck

hundred of needles

in her swollen, still,

fever-filled body,

when she was twelve.

I have a picture 

in my mind

of how she looked -- Chook!

My mother, once

a porcupine.

JW: I got my first acupuncture treatment after a severe ankle sprain, when I was a teen. Acupuncture, as it’s practiced here, is not supposed to hurt, but my mother believes that it’s only working if it hurts. My mother kept telling the acupuncturist, “More needles! More deeper!” I ended up with double the amount he originally had inserted. The pain was quite intense when he twisted the needles halfway through the session. I did my best for the next few days to hide my hobbling from my mom so that I wouldn’t need to return. 

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

Sisters

by Janet Wong

She calls me tofu

because I am so soft,

easily falling apart.

I wish I were tough

and full of fire, like ginger--

like her.

JW: This is just one example of why I am “tofu” and my mother is “ginger." Tofu is not just soft; it weeps. (Put a piece on a plate in the refrigerator and the next day you’ll see what I mean.) I wrote a poem about this difference between my mother and me, but chose to call it “Sisters” since I don’t have a sister and could then tell my mother that it was totally made up. 

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

JW: About identity: Race matters, of course, but I worry when we overemphasize race and ignore other things that make up who we are; I’ve written many poems about the complex issue of identity. Now, at the beginning of the school year, the question for many kids (especially teens) isn’t “Who am I?” but rather “Who do I want to be?"

Which?

by Janet Wong

Two dresses hang

side by side

on the sale rack,

the tag of one so worn

it seems the price

was not believed,

but looked at, at least twice,

by many who might buy.

It is real: this

black velvet gown

overgrown with

lush, bright flowers

is cheap, dirt cheap,

even cheaper than

the simple chambray dress

some careless hand

has pressed up against its back,

the white plastic hanger

crushing one velvet flower.

Which one is you?

Wear this plain blue frock

twice a week and feel safe,

no one will talk;

but wear the other,

with its strange power

that makes you think

that boys will swoon,

and a second time

a season 

is too soon.