Irene Latham's Blog, page 129

The Sound of Poetry Friday

my father reading to my oldest brother (first child)Hello and Happy Poetry Friday from the Land of Spring Break! Be sure to visit the ever-inspiring (early bird!) Mary Lee at A Year of Reading for  Roundup.

Ever since I was wee, I have loved listening to poetry -- I was so lucky to have a father who read poetry to me. He still reads poetry to me. So it should come as no surprise that I am really loving SoundCloud. 

In the past couple of weeks I have recorded something every day -- about half of my own poems and half poems written by others. My goal is to record the poems from all of my published collections as well, as other favorites not by me.

Poetry Friday regular Amy Ludwig VanDerwater already has an impressive library on SoundCloud, and Laura Purdie Salas is steadily building hers.... so we decided to create a Poetry Friday SoundCloud page! We invite you to join us by listening and adding your own sound contributions. There is something so special about hearing the voices of Poetry Friday friends... I really hope you will check it out.

To get us started, I recorded our Progressive Poems from 2012 and 2013. I'm very excited to get our 2014 version started on Tuesday! Meanwhile, hope you enjoy these recordings:

New Kitten!

Our oldest has been wanting a kitten of his own... and now he has one! Isn't she cute?!

Name to be decided!

Check out the paperback cover of DON'T FEED THE BOY!

I am completely fascinated by the work of illustrators and book designers. And anyone whose read this blog knows I am crazy about illustrator Stephanie Graegin's work. I'm so glad Square Fish didn't go all photographic and used her work again for the paperback version of DON'T FEED THE BOY: 


Readers, you may recognize the scene from one of the black & white illustrations inside the book, as seen here:


... and here's the full jacket spread. Notice it's all birds on the back. Flamingo, pigeon, Ferdinand the peacock... the Bird Girl would be pleased!

Look for it three months from today: June 24, just in time for those summer visits to the zoo!

Adventures in Haiku, and HI, KOO! by Jon J Muth

Hello, and Happy Poetry Friday! Please visit Amazingly Talented Traveler-Poet Julie at The Drift Record for Roundup.

I have long been interested in haiku, and have long admired those of you who write it regularly (Robyn! Jone! Diane!), but have never written any myself. So when wonderful librarian Haruyo Miyagawa announced haiku events in conjunction with the Sakura (cherry blossom) Festival at Birmingham Botanical Gardens (tomorrow!), I decided to make attending those events a priority.

One of the things I did was attend a haiku workshop with Terri L. French. Here's some of the things I learned:

Haiku is more objective than the poetry I generally write -- no feelings or analogies allowed! No titles or end punctuation. It relies heavily on a juxtaposition. Uusally less than 17 syllables. Has a season word. A dash or ellipses act as the Kireji (cutting word). No personification.

Here's my very first effort at haiku:

Pine thicket laced
with dogwood blossoms--
painter's poison

-Irene Latham

While I was at the workshop, I checked out 6 books of haiku, including HI, KOO! A Year of Seasons, Presented by Koo and Jon J Muth. The illustrations are delightful, and kids will love Koo, the little panda bear, as he (she?) romps through the seasons. To give you a sense of the book, I offer you a poem from each of the seasons:

FALL

these leaves
fall forever
my Broom awaits


WINTER

Icicles
reach down with dripping fingers
will they touch the ground?


SPRING

flashlights
sparkle in Puddles
shadows climbing trees


SUMMER

Violet petal
caressing a cheek
butterfly kisses

You may have noticed capitalization of certain words... this book doubles as an ABC book, in that the capitalized words are in alphabetical order. :) For haiku lovers-- and for those like me who are new to haiku-- it's a must-read!

Answering the Hard Questions at School Visits

Last week it was my good fortune to visit with 4th graders and the Reading Club at John S. Jones Elementary School in Gadsden, Alabama. We had a great time, and I was warmly welcomed by librarian Lisa Richards and the entire faculty and staff at the school. Carol York, librarian at Gadsden Public Library brought pizza for the group (and whose lovely father helped fund the visit - thank you, Mr. Roark and grandson Alex), and I enjoyed chatting with the kids, who were wonderful and curious and asked great questions. Thanks to everyone who made it a great time!

Now for those hard questions:

AGE
One thing the students often want to know is how old I am. This is not a new question. In my experience students are very curious about basic facts like age and where you live and how many kids you have. It helps them see you as a real person, and I suspect, helps them realize that they, too, can achieve their dreams, if given enough time.

Some folks I know have handled the age question with responses like this:
"It isn't polite to ask a woman her age."
"29 is always a good guess."

Here's what I tell all students: "I was born the same year Walt Disney World opened in Orlando. Look it up."

When someone figures it out, I give them a signed bookmark. :)

APPROPRIATENESS
Other more serious questions often come from librarians or teachers. One librarian wanted to know if DON'T FEED THE BOY was an appropriate read-aloud. She said she got worried when she got to the part where we meet Phil, who pops pain pills and keeps a gun under his chair. She said the last thing she needed was to be challenged by a parent over this book!

It's a great question, and I understand the librarian's concern. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to give a terribly succinct or reassuring answer. That's because I am not the one to ask.

Please, teachers and librarians and parents, take the time to read a book first yourself, so you can make your own decision. What I deem appropriate, you may not. What's right for one reader, may not be right for another. It's really impossible for me as the author to give a useful answer. And while I could argue that realistic fiction should be realistic -- which means including things that exist in our world like pain and addiction and bad things happening to good people -- I understand that the urge is strong to protect our children from these realities as long as possible. I'm a mother, too.

MONEY
Another question I often get asked is about the financial part of being an author. I use two volunteers positioned on opposite ends of the room to illustrate the answer: One is a poet, who gets a copy of the magazine as payment. The other is Suzanne Collins, who writes a series that becomes a blockbuster movie franchise. I place myself somewhere in the middle and explain that there are authors anywhere and everywhere in between. It's a tough business, and not everyone can be Suzanne Collins! So, without ever offering a dollar amount, I am able to give kids some valuable information.

And that's all for today. Connecting with students is one of my favorite parts of being an author. Thanks to all those who help facilitate those experiences!

Movie Monday: ENOUGH SAID

This weekend we watched ENOUGH SAID, which could have been titled, LOVE IN THE TIME OF MIDDLE-AGE.

I have a friend who, after her divorce, said that going on a date was like going on a very strange job interview. This movie confirmed it. :) People who are middle-aged and dating often have ex-es and children and all sorts of peculiarities and baggage that (maybe) hadn't had so much time to accumulate the first go-around. The need for and enjoyment of companionship/love is as strong as ever, and middle-age presents its own array of challenges. It can (I think) very easily feel not worth the effort. And this movie shows that!

Funny and sweet and realistic, I really can't say enough good about it. Relationships are hard, whatever the age. And often we are our own worst enemies, especially when we allow other people's opinions to stand in the way of what makes us happy. Also, I think this was James Gandolfini's last movie, which makes me feel more tender toward his character and sweet performance here.

Experiment with Science and Poetry with Fifth Grade PFA FOR SCIENCE!

Each day this week I will be sharing about the new PFA FOR SCIENCE, brought to you by Sylvia Vardell & Janet Wong, with a host of fine poets contributing! And what a fun week it's been... thanks to all for your comments and warm enthusiasm.

Here's the schedule:
Monday: KINDERGARTEN
Tuesday: FIRST GRADE
Wednesday: SECOND GRADE
Thursday: THIRD GRADE
Friday: FOURTH GRADE
Saturday: FIFTH GRADE

Each day I will be giving away a copy of the Student Edition for that grade level... and at the end of the week, I will choose one winner from all the commenters via blog/Facebook/Twitter for the K-5 TEACHER edition!

So, FIFTH GRADE. Again, the line drawings that accompany the poems in the Student Edition are wonderful and engaging! There's also a Glossary and Index, both of which I find particularly helpful. And I especially appreciate the inclusion of English and Spanish translations of some of the poems. Nice!
The poem I'd like to share today reminds me of why I love poetry. It magnifies something small and often taken for granted: 
THINK OF AN ATOMby Buffy Silverman
Think of an atomso tiny, so small--a speck of the world             a speck of us all,a speck of the oceana speck of a flya speck of a mountain,             a book or the sky.
Imagine that speckgrowing wide, growing tall              an atom as large asyour school or the mall.
The atom looks empty--           almost nothing at all,but there in the centera tiny tight ballof neutrons and protonswith mass and with weight.How many for each?           for oxygen: eight!)
Its charges are balanced: a proton adds one,           -(each electron's a minus)the neutrons add none.
Outside of the nucleus--             that tight little ball--the electrons are swirlingthey're smaller than smalllike pieces of dustwhizzing through spacea cloud of electrons              in a zip-zapping race.
An atom is tiny--astoundingly small--Trillions like hereon this dot that I scrawl.
-------Yay for atoms! This poem makes something we can't even see wondrous and fun. To which I say: yay for poetry! :)
In the TEACHER'S EDITION for this poem (p.237), Sylvia Vardell has created TAKE FIVE! activities that include: 
Listening for science wordsinviting students to join in on the final stanzachallenging students to illustrate a part of the poem using sketch or collagediscussion about matter and properties and a look at a model of an atoma reference to other poems about matter
Good stuff! 
GIVEAWAY: Comment here or on Twitter @irene_latham or on my Facebook page! Winners announced daily.

Have Fun with Science & Poetry with Fourth Grade PFA FOR SCIENCE!

Each day this week I will be sharing about the new PFA FOR SCIENCE, brought to you by Sylvia Vardell & Janet Wong, with a host of fine poets contributing!

Here's the schedule:
Monday: KINDERGARTEN
Tuesday: FIRST GRADE
Wednesday: SECOND GRADE
Thursday: THIRD GRADE
Friday: FOURTH GRADE
Saturday: FIFTH GRADE

Each day I will be giving away a copy of the Student Edition for that grade level... and at the end of the week, I will choose one winner from all the commenters via blog/Facebook/Twitter for the K-5 TEACHER edition!

So, FOURTH GRADE. Again, the line drawings that accompany the poems in the Student Edition are wonderful and engaging! There's also a Glossary and Index, both of which I find particularly helpful. And I especially appreciate the inclusion of English and Spanish translations of some of the poems. Nice!
Today I've chosen one of those poems that appears in both English and Spanish, though, due to me not knowing how to use the keyboard to create special characters, I'm only sharing the English version here. Read the Spanish translation for yourself in the book!
OH WATER, MY FRIENDby Guadalupe Garcia McCall
Are you scared?Is that why you runto rivers, to streams, to lakes?Do you feel safer pooled in ponds?Does it hurt to boil?Does your anger roll and roil?Is that why you recoil from the heat and sun?Do you feel trapped, contained, restrained?Is that why you weep and seepthrough window panes?Does it feel weird to leave the earth,to rise above the rest?Do you get dizzy hovering in the heaves?Are you afraid to fail - to fall?Aren't we all.Aren't we all.-----Aren't we all, indeed! I love poems that use personification. To imagine how water FEELS... love it! (Interestingly I attended a workshop this past weekend on haiku, and as it turns out, personification and feelings are not allowed in haiku! Who knew?)
In the TEACHER'S EDITION for this poem (p.), Sylvia Vardell has created TAKE FIVE! activities that include: 
Including audio or video of water while reading the poemInviting Spanish speaking students to share the poemAn art activity addressing the questions in the poemDiscussion about the water cycleA reference to other poems about water

Good stuff. And yes, I have a poem in this one called "Science Fair," after a real-life science fair experience of my own.
GIVEAWAY: Comment here or on Twitter @irene_latham or on my Facebook page! Winners announced daily.
Also: Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Kara at Rogue Anthropologist for Roundup. AND Big BIG thank you to all those poets who signed up for for 2014 Kidlitosphere Progressive Poem.... I'm sorry I was not able to accommodate everyone. I've always thought we needed more than one month for National Poetry Month. Sigh. Love to all! xo

Discover Science & Poetry with THIRD GRADE PFA FOR SCIENCE!

Each day this week I will be sharing about the new PFA FOR SCIENCE, brought to you by Sylvia Vardell & Janet Wong, with a host of fine poets contributing!

Here's the schedule:
Monday: KINDERGARTEN
Tuesday: FIRST GRADE
Wednesday: SECOND GRADE
Thursday: THIRD GRADE
Friday: FOURTH GRADE
Saturday: FIFTH GRADE

Each day I will be giving away a copy of the Student Edition for that grade level... and at the end of the week, I will choose one winner from all the commenters via blog/Facebook/Twitter for the K-5 TEACHER edition!

So, THIRD GRADE. Again, the line drawings that accompany the poems in the Student Edition are wonderful and engaging! There's also a Glossary and Index, both of which I find particularly helpful. And I especially appreciate the inclusion of English and Spanish translations of some of the poems. Nice!
Today I've chosen a poem on a subject that's difficult for many of us to talk about:
CANCERby Mary Lee Hahn
Cancer's whatis cells growing wild.
Cancer's whois man, woman, or child.
Cancer's whyis scientists aren't sure.
Cancer's hopeis someday a cure.
Cancer's enemiesare surgery and drugs.
Cancer's helpersare flowers and hugs.
-----I don't know anyone whose life has not been touched somehow by cancer. My father is a five-year cancer survivor and also the administrator at Bismarck Cancer Center in Bismarck, North Dakota. "Hope" is a word that comes up often, and it pleases me to find it in this poem!
In the TEACHER'S EDITION for this poem (p.), Sylvia Vardell has created TAKE FIVE! activities that include: 
Introducing the idea that some poems are seriousInviting students to chime in on those italicized wordsDiscussion about cancer preventionTalk about the role of scientists in finding a cureA reference to other poems about illness/cancer

Good stuff. And yes, I have a Bonus (riddle) Poem in this one... "Disaster Riddle Under Pressure"

GIVEAWAY: Comment here or on Twitter @irene_latham or on my Facebook page! Winners announced daily.

Experience Science & Poetry with SECOND GRADE PFA FOR SCIENCE!

Each day this week I will be sharing about the new PFA FOR SCIENCE, brought to you by Sylvia Vardell & Janet Wong, with a host of fine poets contributing!

Here's the schedule:
Monday: KINDERGARTEN
Tuesday: FIRST GRADE
Wednesday: SECOND GRADE
Thursday: THIRD GRADE
Friday: FOURTH GRADE
Saturday: FIFTH GRADE

Each day I will be giving away a copy of the Student Edition for that grade level... and at the end of the week, I will choose one winner from all the commenters via blog/Facebook/Twitter for the K-5 TEACHER edition!

So, SECOND GRADE. First of all, the line drawings that accompany the poems in the Student Edition are wonderful and engaging! There's also a Glossary and Index, both of which I find particularly helpful.
Here's one of my favorite poems:
LATE NIGHT SCIENCE QUESTIONSby Greg Pincus
Do sneakers make me fast?How long does winter last?Is goop the same as goo?What can't a robot do?What makes a motor go?Can we drink H3O?Why is the ocean deep?Why do I have to sleep?

-----Aren't those fabulous questions? They remind me of conversations with our youngest son (a scientist-musician!), who, still, at age 14, asks questions that make me giggle... and send me to Google. :) 
In the TEACHER'S EDITION for this poem (p.111), Sylvia Vardell has created TAKE FIVE! activities that include: 
actually asking this question on cell phone softwareasking kids to chime in as you read the poemresearch and share the answer to one of the questions posedtalk about the role of question in the inquiry processa companion poem and book suggestion
So much fun! And yes, I have a Bonus Poem in this one... "Disaster Riddle in a Hurry"
GIVEAWAY: Comment here or on Twitter @irene_latham or on my Facebook page! Winners announced daily.