Welcome to Poetry Friday Roundup!

Hello! I'm so glad you're here!

Wow, so much goodness going on this National Poetry Month, isn't there? I am loving all the crazy poem-making going on will everyone! If you haven't already, be sure to visit Jama's Alphabet Soup for a complete listing. I do love April... though with travel this week, and crazy weather, and other spring madness, I am also feeling a bit overwhelmed. I hope to take things a bit slower this weekend. How are all of you holding up?

Before we get to the Roundup: how 'bout our Progressive Poem?! Today is my day!!!

Big thanks to all our contributing poets so far. I am loving all the energetic words and sounds. I also love the medieval theme that has emerged -- I have long been a fan of King Arthur stories. Is there any better musical than CAMELOT? And what about DON QUIXOTE? And THE MISTS OF AVALON by Marion Zimmer Bradley (one of my most favorite books when I was a teen!)? So I knew I wanted to keep that going. And I also thought it was time to bring the poem back to our speaker, to set his/her feet in motion. And so, without further adieu........

I’m fidget, friction, ragged edges—
I sprout stories that frazzle-dazzle,
stories of castles, of fires that crackle,
with dragonwords that smoke and sizzle.

But edges sometimes need sandpaper,
like swords need stone and clouds need vapour.

So I shimmy out of my spurs and armour

-----
Readers, I opted to keep going with the non-US spelling for "armour" to match Kat's "vapour." It seems to fit, given the medieval imagery we've got so far! Also, I did a little armor research here as I wrote my line. Take it away, Mary Lee!

Okay, so here it is, day 7 of ARTSPEAK!: Portraits, my National Poetry Month poem-a-day project, during which I am looking, listening with my spirit ear, and asking these subject to share with me their secrets.

Here are the ARTSPEAK! Portraits poems so far:

6. "Paint-by-Number" after Portrait of a Woman by Alexei von Jawlensky
5. "Warning" after the bull by Lee Jung Seob
4. "I am" after The White Cloud, Head Chief of the Iowas by George Catlin

3. "What If?" after Portrait of Camille Roulin by Vincent van Gogh

2. "The Lady Confesses" after Portrait of a Lady with Mask and Cherries by Benjamin Wilson

1. "Mona Lisa in Love" after Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci

That's 3 women, 1 man, 1 child, and 1 animal. So today I've selected another child. Here's what she would like you to know:

Virginia, Sitting for a Portrait

- after “Portrait of Virginia (Little Girl)” by Frida Kahlo

Mama says I must siéntate tranquilo –

sit still, be quiet.

But I want to know everything:

how the brush knows where to go,

how much paint to leave on the bristles,

what kind of strokes can smooth my tangled hair.

I want a dress of lace and polkadots,

not the boring white one I'm actually wearing,

though I'd like to keep the safety pin,

which Mama says

is God's one eye always watching –

guarding my corazón from harm.

- Irene Latham

----------
Readers, I have long been a fan of Frida Kahlo. This painting came early in her career -- you can learn more about it here.  It seems a lot to ask of a child, to sit for a portrait! Which is why, I guess, many portrait artists these days work from photographs. I enjoyed imagining Virginia's thoughts, and I knew I wanted to include some Spanish. I used Google to help me with the translation. I hope it's correct! Also, you may notice that oh-so-familiar mother-daughter theme! What a rich, complicated, beautiful relationship. I don't think I will ever grow tired of exploring it in my writing.

And now, the reason you're here: ROUNDUP! Please leave your link below!

An InLinkz Link-up

ARTSPEAK! Portraits poem "Paint-by-Number" + Spiritual Journey Thursday

Hello and Happy National Poetry Month! This will be a month of double-dipping, as not only will I be sharing with you day 6 of ARTSPEAK!: Portraits, my National Poetry Month poem-a-day project, during which I am looking, listening with my spirit ear, and asking these subject to share with me their secrets -- but it's also Spiritual Journey Thurday! For this month's installment, we are all writing about spring or new life or Easter. Be sure to visit Violet at Violet Nesdoly blog for Roundup! You'll find my comments below!

But first: be sure to check out the Kat's line of our 2017 Progressive Poem over at Kat's Whiskers. I'll be posting my line tomorrow when I host Poetry Friday Roundup! Hee-haw!!

Here are the ARTSPEAK! Portraits poems so far:

5. "Warning" after the bull by Lee Jung Seob

4. "I am" after The White Cloud, Head Chief of the Iowas by George Catlin

3. "What If?" after Portrait of Camille Roulin by Vincent van Gogh

2. "The Lady Confesses" after Portrait of a Lady with Mask and Cherries by Benjamin Wilson

1. "Mona Lisa in Love" after Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci

Today I have another woman for you. I was really drawn to this face. I actually worked on this poem with students at Oakwood University during a session titled "Poetry Meets Picasso." I love teaching about how to write art poems -- and these students were amazing and inspiring! Here is a pic of the students selecting postcards to write about:

What a beautiful day! Thank you, Oakwood!

And here is what my own (colorful!) woman had to say:

Paint-by-Number

- after "Portrait of a Woman" by Alexei von Jawlensky

My checks grow

strawberry fields,

my ears sprout

a pine forest.

You can hike

along

the chocolate ridge

of my nose,

then rest

on a bed of violets.

Before you go,

paddle out

in my red rowboat

mouth.

Drop a hook

into my clear,

deep

mountain pools.

Never lose sight

of your dreams. 

- Irene Latham

------

Readers, I tried several approaches to this poem. I was thinking about a poem I read at Oakwood University: "What the Mirror Said" by Lucille Clifton, about the geography of a body, extending that to the geography of a face. And then i found "paint-by-number," and somewhere, likely lurking, was a line from a favorite Jackson Browne song "The Pretender" -- "my paint-by-number dreams." AND I was also thinking about Rilke's "Archaic Torso of Apollo," which ends with that unexpected command, "You must change your life." I knew I wanted to end with a command! So that's how THAT happened. :)

And now, switching gears: rebirth for Spiritual Journey Thursday! It's April. Easter is coming. We are all writing poems, watching words push up through the soil to become whatever they will become. That takes courage. And it's mysterious. And an act of faith.

If you don't have a copy of this
book, and would like one,
email me!
 irene (at) irenelatham (dot) com
I am giving away copies for NPM!

It reminds me of a poem that appears in my book THE SKY BETWEEN US:

We Begin Again

Redwoods rise

on all sides
as if born whole

and placed by a god
whose one decree
was silence.

The seed cannot
know its own greatness,
as we can’t foresee

love’s evolution,
only marvel
when it comes—

the seed transformed
to a giant
with foot-thick skin,

arms reaching
toward an ocean
it will never taste.

- Irene Latham

I wrote this poem after Paul and I visited Muir Woods, which I consider one of the most holy places I've ever visited. The conversations those trees were having! What a blessing just to walk and listen and BE -- all the while becoming something MORE than we were the moment before. May we all keep growing and reaching toward that ocean. xo

-->

ARTSPEAK! Portraits poem "Warning"

Hello and Happy National Poetry Month! Here it is, day 5 of ARTSPEAK!: Portraits, my National Poetry Month poem-a-day project, during which I am looking, listening with my spirit ear, and asking these subject to share with me their secrets.

But first: be sure to check out the Diane's line of our 2017 Progressive Poem over at
Here are the ARTSPEAK! Portraits poems so far:

4. "I am" after The White Cloud, Head Chief of the Iowas by George Catlin

3. "What If?" after Portrait of Camille Roulin by Vincent van Gogh

2. "The Lady Confesses" after Portrait of a Lady with Mask and Cherries by Benjamin Wilson

1. "Mona Lisa in Love" after Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci

Today I have an animal for you -- a bull by Korean artist Lee Jung Seob.

It's not my first animal portrait to write about... back in 2015 I wrote about Renoir's Head of a Dog. Including an animal from time to time is one way to keep this project interesting -- for me.  As those of you who write daily know, we can lose our enthusiasm from time to time! 

Here's what this bull would like you to know:

Warning

My bellow

does not mean hello,

I am not at all

pleased to meet you.

I'd rather you stay

         out

of my barbed wire

kingdom.

Remember, for me,

the sky is always red.

The sun blinks

danger danger danger –

so don't touch my cows

or my calves.

Please, just leave me

in peace

so I can breathe

the clover-sweet air.

- Irene Latham

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

Readers, I don't have a lot of experience with cows, but I do have the internet... and my mother's stories! She raised both dairy and beef cattle, and was very involved in showing them for 4-H. I've heard many tales of her adventures! The biggest message I got was, don't mess with a bull. They are unpredictable and dangerous. 

When I was writing this poem I was also thinking about something I heard recently about people with Asperger's. This young adult said that being an Aspie was like that feeling of being mugged - the anxiety and terror - 24 hours a day. I was thinking perhaps this bull feels that way, too. Everything is a threat. "The world is too much with us...."

ARTSPEAK! Portraits poem "I Am"

Hello and Happy National Poetry Month! Here it is, day 4 of ARTSPEAK!: Portraits, my National Poetry Month poem-a- day project, during which I am looking, listening with my spirit ear, and asking these subject to share with me their secrets.

But first: be sure to check out the Michelle's line of our 2017 Progressive Poem over at Today's Little Ditty. While you're there, be sure to check out the March padlet of amazing inspiring ode poems! What a gift!

Here are the ARTSPEAK! Portraits poems so far:

3. "What If?" after Portrait of Camille Roulin by Vincent van Gogh

2. "The Lady Confesses" after Portrait of a Lady with Mask and Cherries by Benjamin Wilson

1. "Mona Lisa in Love" after Mona Lisa by Leonardo da Vinci

Today I've decided to have a conversation with "The White Cloud, Head Chief of the Iowas" by George Catlin. In order to give White Cloud an authentic voice, I needed to do some research. Here is a great essay about White Cloud. You'll see I was able to incorporate some of the information found there into my poem.
As always, when writing across cultures, I am aware that I may miss the mark in my efforts at empathy. But I do believe it's important we try. And it's important to remember First Nations people and teach about their near-genocide as a result of U.S. government policy.

Here's what White Cloud told me:

I Am

-after "The White Cloud, Head Chief of the Iowas" by George Catlin

I am White Cloud, Chief of the Iowas.

I smear my face with vermillion

so you will know the strength

and power of my hands.

I clothe myself in gifts from my animal

brothers: eagle feathers, wolf skin, otter fur.

Of all my enemies, the white man

is the one I cannot honor,

the one I will never defeat.

Even a bear will give you the mark of its claws.

But the white man takes

and takes and takes, until all that's left

is a curl of smoke vanishing into air.

Look at me: I am here. I will always be here.

- Irene Latham

----------------
A friend and I were talking the other day about persona poems, and how they often give us insight into the poet. This is true! Even as I am asking these subjects to tell me their secrets, I am also telling you about ME. For instance, in this poem, I hope you can detect in my poem my long-time appreciation for First Nations spirituality and the way their culture celebrates the earth and our connectedness to the natural world and all life, before and after our own.

ARTSPEAK! Portraits poem "What If?"

Hello and Happy National Poetry Month! Here it is, day 3 of ARTSPEAK!: Portraits, my National Poetry Month poem-a- day project, during which I am looking, listening with my spirit ear, and asking these subject to share with me their secrets.

But first: be sure to check out the Doraine's line of our 2017 Progressive Poem over at Dori Reads!

Also: I posted today over at Smack Dab in the Middle about 4 writing craft books that changed my life. Check it out!

And here are the poems so far:

"The Lady Confesses"

"Mona Lisa in Love"

Today I've got a little boy for you -- "Portrait of Camille Roulin" by Vincent van Gogh. I was instantly drawn to the color in this one, and how Camille's gaze is lowered. He doesn't look quite comfortable, does he? When I asked him why, this is what he said:

What If?

- after "Portrait of Camille Roulin" by Vincent van Gogh

What if

the sky

really was

    yellow?

What if

I pressed

the red button

and it opened

a secret

    green

door?

What if

my hat

held a stormy

    blue

ocean?

What if

I wasn't shy

and could

instead

meet your

   rainbow

eyes?

-->

- Irene Latham

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

Sometimes I think we misinterpret shy children as rude or unintelligent.

As a shy person, I can tell you that there is great comfort to be found in one's imagination, and this is often a trick we use to get through an uncomfortable situation -- just go someplace else inside our minds!
And it's not that we don't like you, it's just we often want to be invisible, and one way to shut out the world is to not make eye contact. It's not about you at all. Give us time to get comfortable, and we'll be more likely to engage.

ArtSpeak! Portraits poem "The Lady Confesses"

Hello and Happy National Poetry Month! Here it is, day 2 of ARTSPEAK!: Portraits, my National Poetry Month poem-a- day project, during which I am looking, listening with my spirit ear, and asking these subject to share with me their secrets.

But first: be sure to check out the Tabatha's line of our 2017 Progressive Poem over at The Opposite of Indifference!

And here are the poems so far:

"Mona Lisa in Love"

Today I've got another woman for you -- "Portrait of a Lady with Mask and Cherries" by Benjamin Wilson. She's not famous like yesterday's Mona Lisa. And instead of the Mona Lisa's mystery, she's got an air of defiance, or challenge about her. Here is what she told me about herself:

The Lady Confesses

-after "Portrait of a Lady with Mask and Cherries" by Benjamin Wilson

You want to know

who I really am,

without the mask?

I thought you'd

never ask.

Sometimes

my mouth is tart

as these cherries.

I've got pits

hard enough to crack

your teeth.

See how I color

your fingertips

and lips?

Even sweetness

can leave a stain.

- Irene Latham

--------

Don't let those Boy Scout uniforms
fool you...

Readers, I know exactly where this poem comes from! The other day a friend said how I seemed so sweet, but I have a wee mean streak. I confessed to her that once upon a time, my brothers might have called me "Mean Irene." In my defense, I was always provoked! Those brothers taught me to be scrappy, to be strong, to stand up for myself. Looking back, I am not entirely sure how I survived them. But I did! And now I'm so grateful for all they've given me.

ARTSPEAK!: Portraits poem "Mona Lisa in Love"

Hello and Happy National Poetry Month! Here it is, day 1 of ARTSPEAK!: Portraits, my National Poetry Month poem-a- day project, during which I am looking, listening with my spirit ear, and asking these subject to share with me their secrets.

But first: be sure to check out the Heidi's first line of our 2017 Progressive Poem over at my juicy little universe!

Today I decided to go ahead and have a chat with arguably the most famous portrait of all -- the "Mona Lisa" by Leonardo da Vinci! Here's what she told me:

Mona Lisa in Love

You say my eyes

hold oceans of mystery,

that questions nest in my hair.

You want me to show you

what's hiding behind my sly smile.

What if I told you

I'm sleepy, dreamy –

swept away on a tide of memory?

It's simply you

I'm remembering,

the two of us sailing together

-->

across a boundless canvas of blue.

- Irene Latham

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

Friends and readers who frequent this blog know I am a sucker for love poems! Often when faced with a blank page and no particular destination, a love poem is where I end up. It's kind of a lovely place to be, isn't it, remembering time spent with a loved one?

Also, you may notice there are differences in the formatting between the graphic version and the printed version below. That's simply due to space issues on the graphic. However It thought it might be useful to others to share both versions, as I often play with stanza and line breaks during revision. Sometimes it takes me a while to find the right formatting.

Thanks so much for reading!

Let's Celebrate National Poetry Month 2017 with poetry, art, podcasts, postcards & more!

Hello, and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit amazing Amy at The Poem Farm for Roundup! Amy is also celebrating her 7th blogiversary with a giveaway of a set of 10 EVERY DAY BIRDS, so be sure to stop by!

Wow, can we really be on the eve of National Poetry Month?! I'm excited! There are so so many ways to celebrate... you can find out how others are celebrating by reading Jama's roundup post at Jama's Alphabet Soup!

2015

Here at Live Your Poem, for the third year in a row, I will be posting a poem a day inspired by art.

In 2015, I didn't have a theme per se - beyond all pieces of art coming from the digital collection at the National Gallery of Art.

Last year, 2016, in honor of the release of FRESH DELICIOUS, I focused on

2016

Plant, Grow Eat!

You can find links to all of those poems on the ARTSPEAK! tab above!

This year's ARTSPEAK! will focus on.... portraits! To add some diversity to the images, I am not limiting my selections to the National Gallery of Art collection. I actually found a number of my subjects on the Google Arts & Culture app, which I love.

I will be listening with my "spirit ear" as I look at these paintings. I am very excited to find out what secrets these people (and a few animals) want to share with me!

2017

I look forward to reading everyone's National Poetry Month offerings! And here are a few other ways I'll be celebrating:

Our Progressive Poem! Yay! Tomorrow Heidi will share the first line at my juicy little universe. See the full schedule in the sidebar!

My gracious poet-friend Sarah has an amazing collection of broadsides, and she will be posting one a day at her blog To Give to the Light during National Poetry Month!

There is a Twitter chat focusing on how poetry can bring us together Thursday, April 6, 7 pm EST with hashtag  #FirstBookChat. Poets I know who will be attending include Janet Wong, Sylvia Vardell, Charles Water, Nancy Bo Flood, Alma Flor Ada, Isabel Campoy, Joseph Bruchac, and me! Hope you will join us.

Daily poetry podcasts! I'm pleased to be one of many in our community who contributed to Bookology's Poetry Mosaic Podcasts. You can keep up on Twitter @newsbookology or Facebook.

I will be sending out my annual "Live Your Poem" postcards! If you're not already on my list, there is still time to sign up:

I also have a number of speaking/teaching engagements, which I hope to share more about as they come to pass!

Finally, a random art poem in celebration of this last night before National Poetry Month:

-->

Night

-->

 - after “Woods at Night with Travelers” by Joris van der Haagen

While you sleep

I steep

the trees

in silver light,

I open my jar

of stars

to guide travelers

from afar

and lean

into your window

to kiss your

eyelids.

-->

- Irene Latham

LEAVING GEE'S BEND paperback cover!

LEAVING GEE'S BEND was released from Putnam/Penguin in January 2010. It was my first book for children, and what got me out of my pajamas: that first year I gave over 100 presentations about the book and Gee's Bend! It changed my life in so many wonderful ways, so of course it holds a dear place in my heart.

And now it's coming out in paperback! I'm so grateful to NewSouth Books who acquired it after Putnam/Penguin let it go out of print. It releases in April, and my hope is that Ludelphia goes out and makes many more new friends!

Here's the paperback cover:

And here is an invitation to the event we've got planned for the release:

WE LOVE GEE'S BEND DAY!
Sunday, April 23, 2017
2 pm
Emmet O'Neal Library
50 Oak St., Mountain Brook, AL 35213

Community members will share Gee's bend stories, quilts, favorite scenes, and more! Gee's Bend quilters Mary Ann Pettway and China Pettway will be there! Other featured guests include Mary Allison Haynie (AL Folklife Association), Lillis Taylor (Bib & Tucker), Claudia Pettway (That's Sew Gee's Bend), students, teachers, friends, and others! Y'all come!

Language with Neither Noun nor Verb

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Catherine at Reading to the Core for Roundup. Can you believe it's just one week until National Poetry Month?! If you signed up for the Progressive Poem, I will be sending you some information mid-week next week.

Don't forget to sign up to receive a postcard from Jone's students. It's one of my favorite NPM traditions.

I also have a National Poetry Month postcard tradition, now in its 6th year! It features art, and it's free! Sign up by clicking the image below.

And now for a poem by Susan J. Erickson, as found in a book called EARTH BLESSINGS: Prayers, Poems and Meditations selected by June Cotner.

Spirit Ear
- After a line by Rumi

Let your spirit ear listen
to the green dome's passionate murmur.
Ferns burst from the earth,
their coiled heads muted cymbals
in spring's orchestra.
From the topmost branch of a cedar
a Bewick's wren sways and trills
about something that translates as happiness
in a language with neither noun nor verb.
Water and wind, chords of clouds,
a crescendo of light.
-------------------------

I want to do much more listening with my spirit ear! This poem jumped out at me today for a couple of reasons. First, it's spring.

Second, I've been reading a book called YOU MUST CHANGE YOUR LIFE: The Story of Rainer Maria Rilke and Auguste Rodin by Rachel Corbett. So when I first read "Rumi" I was thinking "Rilke" - a mistake I have made more times than I'd like to admit!

Anyway, the book is fascinating. I didn't know these two were friends! I'm actually far more interested in Rodin than in Rilke. I really had no idea the influence Rodin (and other artists) had on Rilke's life. I've long enjoyed Rilke's poetry, but I feel a kinship with him now that I didn't before, as art and artists are such an important source of beauty and inspiration in my own life. And Rodin! What a force!

Third, this poem reminds me of another book I listened to recently: ANNA AND THE SWALLOW MAN by Gavriel Savit. Set in 1939 Krakow, 7 year old Anna knows many many languages, but she tells the Swallow Man that she doesn't know the language of birds. It's a beautiful book-- I'm currently listening to it for a second time. (When it won the Odyssey Award, one of my favorite librarians gifted it to me! SO GRATEFUL, Wendy Stephens!)

Books and poetry and spring... talk about abundance! Life is good. Thanks so much for reading!

A Honey of a Memory Pillow

Honey-n-me

I have had many special pets in my life, but there is one that remains the most special of them all: a palomino Shetland pony named Honeysuckle Rose -- Honey, for short.

She was just six months old and no bigger than a German Shepherd when we packed her into the back seat of our car to bring her home. Oh, how I loved that pony! I was 11, and I spent so many hours out in the backyard grooming her and talking to her and loving her.

At the time we were living on Willie Rd. in Folsom, Louisiana, which is not known for its cold weather. But all the thoroughbred horses that lived on the farms in the area always sported blankets whenever the temps dropped below freezing, so I thought Honey should have a blanket, too. But where to find a blanket for such a small pony?!

a picture of me with my Christmas
loot (including Honey's blanket),
circa 1982

Enter my seamstress mother who is a genius at solving problems with fabric. When she was a teen active in 4-H, she had once made a blanket for her cow -- a blanket the cow couldn't shake. So she made one similar for Honey and gave it to me for Christmas.

I put it on Honey right away! And have this oh so distinct memory of a photograph of the two of us that day, on the back patio, Honey sporting her new blanket, and me patting her head. But. Maybe that photo doesn't actually exist, because I haven't been able to find it anywhere!

Fast-forward 35 years... I found the blanket in a box of keepsakes. My mom was shocked to learn I'd kept it all these years! On our scrapbook weekend, I brought it to my mom with a pillow form and a request: make this into a pillow. And  this is what she did:

Isn't it gorgeous! She used the red plaid lining as piping, and kept one of the straps operational! (I told you, she's a genius.) And here's what she monogrammed on the backside:

What a treasure! Thank you, Mama. Here a couple of other Honey-n-me pics, just for fun:

What I Learned About Books, Writing and Writers at UGA's Children's Book Festival

Wow, what a great festival! I loved meeting Georgia book-lovers, and the facilities at UGA were perfect! Here are some of the highlights:

1. Listening again to Natalie Lloyd talk about the magic of books. I heard Natalie speak last year at TLA, so I knew to expect bubbly inspiration -- and pics of her dog Biscuit -- and Natalie did not disappoint. I love what she shared about the impact of books on her own childhood, particularly THE LION, THE WITCH, AND THE WARDROBE and THE BABYSITTER CLUB. You can definitely see these elements in Natalie's books! When she read the opening to A SNICKER OF MAGIC, I realized she did on page one what I've just been reading about in WIRED FOR STORY by Lisa Cron, which is to show the reader right away that something is amiss. This creates intrigue and the desire for the reader to read on! (Seriously, writers, you want this book. It's a life-changing book for me!)

2. Being reminded by international-spotlight author Kathryn White that it's important to create books that deal with tough issues, like in her book WHEN THEY FIGHT. It was inspired by her childhood experiences of her parents fighting, and in the book, it's BADGERS who are fighting -- which gives the reader some distance while still allowing them to relate... and to know they are not alone.

3. Talking about resilience and resistance with author Lois Ruby. Lois provided an amazing bibliography of historical titles that incorporate these two qualities. I LOVE these kind of books, and I was thrilled to hear about so many that I haven't yet read. So many good books to look forward to!

Duncan from the side, just like he draws
all his characters!

4. Getting a peak into Duncan Tonatuih's process. Duncan enjoys creating books about social justice issues, and he demonstrated how he uses photoshop to make his books. His style is distinctive in that he only ever shows one side of a character's face, and he draws stylized ears and feet and hands. He also uses a lot of texture that he scans from real life (hair, blue jeans, etc.) and "paints" digitally onto his sketch. Fascinating!

5. Listening to local-author spotlight Kelly Bingham and making a connection about how writing verse novels (and any poem) is like animation art: one quick moment to show emotion/story. I also was reminded of my days working at Disney (I worked at the travel agency for a semester in college... while Kelly was an animation artist/story director!) and also of Sesame Street when Kelly mentioned THERE'S A MONSTER AT THE END OF THIS BOOK being the inspiration for her book Z IS FOR MOOSE.

Book people are so very fascinating, aren't they? And that was just the speakers.... I loved meeting so many teachers and librarians! The best thing I came home with was hope for this novel I have rewritten 548 times... (sorry to say that is only a slight exaggeration). But, YAY!

This Poem is Green

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit that sweet-singing Robyn at Life on the Deckle Edge for Roundup.

I am away from my desk today, attending the Georgia Children's Book Festival, but I did want to pop in for St. Patrick's Day to share a green poem. :)

Also, if you haven't signed up for our 2017 Progressive Poem, there are just two slots left! Sign up here.

About St. Patrick's Day: I have never felt a particular affinity for the holiday, even though during the years we lived near New Orleans, participating in the St. Patrick's Day parade was a pretty big deal. All the guys would dress up in green-trimmed tuxedos and march through the streets kissing girls. We watched safely from a balcony -- yes, there was alcoholic beverages involved, and this is the Big Easy we're talking about... not the best place for a tween girl!

Anyhow, fast forward to last year, when I visited Bismarck, North Dakota for some sessions on One Little Word, but mostly to see my father. Not only did I find out we actually DO have Irish blood (something about a fiery red-headed great-grandmother?!), but someone also snapped what would turn out to be the last photo of me and my father together.

Isn't he adorable in his leprechaun hat? So now St. Patrick's Day fills me and empties me. I'm glad to be busy today.

And here is a poem, freshly written, green spots and all:

POEM REMOVED BY AUTHOR

Children's Book Festival in Athens, GA!

veggie painting at COMO (Athens, GA) Oct. 2016

I am excited to be traveling today to the Children's Book Festival in Athens, Georgia. I am a Georgia peach, after all!

This is my first time to attend the festival, and I am delighted to be presenting once again my FRESH DELICIOUS program "Reading is Delicious: Fun, Fresh Programming for Kids." Among other things, we will be using jeweler's loupes to create analogies AND painting with asparagus. :)

I also have a new veggie book to share with the librarians: FRESH-PICKED POEMS: A Day at the Farmers' Market by Michelle Schaub. It was my good fortune to meet Michelle at Poetry Camp last summer, and she is a peach for sure! When I asked her about sharing a poem, she sent me "Pile Up," and added these comments: "I probably had the most fun writing this poem.  I got a little carried away playing up the alliteration and assonance when choosing words, but I thoroughly enjoyed myself in the process.  I also liked coming up with the twist, or maybe I should say "tumble" at the end."

Here is the poem:

Pile Up

Farmer Rick's meticulous
when setting up his stand.
He places all his items
into stacks precisely planned.
His cauliflower towers
take him eons to align.
His pyramids of peppers
show impeccable design.
No one sloppy heap of beets,
no single misplaced pea.
Each veggie castle he constructs
has perfect symmetry.
But when Miss Mallory arrives
Rick sports a wary smile -
she always picks her produce from
the bottom of the pile!

- Michelle Schaub

Isn't that fun?! Congratulations, Michelle!

Speaking of fun, the festivities in Athens also include an SCBWI sponsored "authors in your backyard" session, as well as a reception. I am excited to meet more Georgia educators, librarians and book-lovers -- and of course to see SCBWI friends!