Wednesday, February 24, 2016

Poetry, promptly!


Poetry, promptly!
by J.G. Annino

Poetry prompts are a way to turn people who don’t
think of themselves as poem makers, into
people who, voila! do write poems.



All it takes is the privacy of your own world
& imagination.
You don’t have to share what you come up with.
But, some day, you may.  Even if you don’t share
it, you will have become a poem maker.

In the meantime, if you are not poem making,
you can enjoy the delicious world of poem reading.

Sylvia Vardell
The queen of organized poetry news online is
poetry editor and anthologist Sylvia
Vardell. She writes & curates an important
blog, Poetry for Children.


In the first months of each year,
Poetry for Children supplies readers
of picture books & writers of them

One is a list of forthcoming children’s poetry
books for the year.

At that link, Sylvia Vardell
asks if anyone is compiling online
a list of new rhyming picture books for this year.
Have at it!

Lee Bennett Hopkins

If you have read a U.S. children’s picture book poetry
anthology or a poetry picture book
about words, language, or libraries, or babies
or a billion other sweet topics in recent years,
it may have had the magic touch of
Lee Bennett Hopkins.



LBH + Renee LaTulippe

If you enjoy reading about the famed poets of
our day and in times past, the conversations
about icons in children’s poetry that LBH &
Renee La Tulippe hold are deep &
uplifting at No Water River.

My first time at No Water River’s interviews
about children’s poets, I felt as if I had attended
an Ivy League seminar, conducted at a Georgia
mountain retreat. Erudite + friendly.

This site is beauty full.
Spend some time hunting about.

Today's Little Ditty

You are in good company with the creative
Michelle Barnes. I know because SCBWI
brought us together at a poetry workshop
last year. And I was already a fan of her
blog of interviews with children's poets.
She hosts a monthly party poetry prompt. 
Join in to read & you will likely stay
to write & submit your lines.


David L. Harrison

David L. Harrison is a prolific picture book author
with many fun poetry picture books to his credit. He is a
Who is going in August, from this group of
 Grogger readers & writers?

And closer to home – actually – in YOUR
home - this light-hearted poet also
conducts two monthly Word of the Month
poetry prompts. One is for your students.



Irene Latham

A wealth of details on poem making is
yours for the reading at
Live Your Poem, created by poet & author
for adults and children, Irene Latham.
Her two poetry picture books that are brand
new in 2016 are WHEN THE SUN SHINES ON



A big chunk of my writing & thinking time
since last summer’s poetry SCBWI
poetry workshop has flowed around
creating a first picture book
poetry collection. On a theme.
It is near done. (No songs & sangria, yet
 - it will soon be looking for a home…)
This manuscript wouldn’t be nearly ready
to submit today if not for many boosts from
around the poetry & publishing map.

Laura Shovan
To find a bibbety-bobbity-boo poem making
moment, one best place to nest is with
editor, poet & debut MG author Laura Shovan’s

And you may want to look for her
2016 novel in verse,
The Last Sixth Grade of

There are an abundance of other
children’s poetry sites to visit.
This is but a quick, incomplete, skim.

Poem readers and writers who are involved
with students of all ages check in online
at a weekly a round-robin of articles
posted at their blogs, collected


A poem is like a warm cloak.

A poem is a bubble of delight.

A poem is a shorter way of expressing deep truths.

I know you can write poems that fit each of the above ideas.

Try it. And keep trying some more…


And then, reward yourself with reading some more.

4 comments:

  1. Another great spot for poetry prompts is the blog, Miss Rumphius Effect, by Dr. Patricia Stour-Hunt. Even the masterful Jane Yolen pops in to use her prompts!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Patty, thanks for adding that.
      I didn't want to use her name, but the fantabulous JY also is part of
      David L. Harrison's Word of Month poetry prompt party. And others.
      Also, I left off a paragraph about the
      nourishing poetry prompt site called Today's Little Ditty & will add that now.

      Delete
  2. Great collection of poets! I'll keep this in mind when I put together my poetry unit for school.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Tina.
      Hmmmm. Maybe you'll find a blog article to post here about putting together a school poetry unit....

      Delete