National Poetry Month is coming up soon. Many of the Poetry Friday bloggers are planning special treats and projects. Here at Author Amok, we're getting dressed up for the occasion. During the month of April, I'll be featuring poetry about clothes. Why clothes? Read more here.
Thanks to all of you who offered to guest post for this series.
Wednesday
4/1: Guest Post by J. C. Elkin
Friday 4/3:
Guest Post by Tabatha Yeatts Lonske and poem round up
Monday 4/6:
Guest Post by Margaret Simon
Wednesday
4/8: Guest Post by Robyn Hood Black
Friday 4/10:
Guest Post TBA and poem round up
Monday 4/13:
Guest Post Heidi Mordhorst
Wednesday
4/15: Guest Post by Linda Baie
Friday 4/17:
Guest Post by Catherine Johnson and poem round up
Monday 4/20: Guest Post by Robyn Campbell
Wednesday 4/22; Guest Post by Donna Smith
Friday 4/24: Guest Post by Jan Godown Annino and poem round up
Monday 4/27: Guest Post by Linda Kulp
Wednesday 4/29: Project wrap up
Wednesday 4/22; Guest Post by Donna Smith
Friday 4/24: Guest Post by Jan Godown Annino and poem round up
Monday 4/27: Guest Post by Linda Kulp
Wednesday 4/29: Project wrap up
Clothes can be a powerful symbol for how we navigate culture and society. Here is a wonderful poem by my teacher, Maria Mazziotti Gillan
SHAME IS THE DRESS I WEAR
On the first day of school, my mother slips a dark blue
dress over my head, ties the starched sash. Zia Louisa and
Zio Guillermo have come down the back steps to our
apartment to see me setting off. They don’t have children
dress over my head, ties the starched sash. Zia Louisa and
Zio Guillermo have come down the back steps to our
apartment to see me setting off. They don’t have children
of their own and Zio Guillermo is my godfather, so they are
a big part of our lives. My mother has starched this cotton
dress handed down from Zia Christiana’s late in life
daughter, Zia Christiana who has enough money to buy
a big part of our lives. My mother has starched this cotton
dress handed down from Zia Christiana’s late in life
daughter, Zia Christiana who has enough money to buy
lots of pretty dresses for her red-headed daughter and also
throw chickens into the garbage that year when my father
was sick and couldn’t work so we lived on farina and
spaghetti. When my mother was dying, she talked about
throw chickens into the garbage that year when my father
was sick and couldn’t work so we lived on farina and
spaghetti. When my mother was dying, she talked about
seeing those discarded chickens and about being too
ashamed to ask for them. Anyway, I’m standing on that
wooden kitchen chair, my mother tugging at the dress,
my hair formed into sausage curls that my mother curled
ashamed to ask for them. Anyway, I’m standing on that
wooden kitchen chair, my mother tugging at the dress,
my hair formed into sausage curls that my mother curled
by wrapping my thick dark hair in white rags, my eyes
enormous in my long, thin face. Zia Louisa stands back,
shakes her head and says, Why didn’t you get her a better
color? This dress that both my mother and I were proud of
enormous in my long, thin face. Zia Louisa stands back,
shakes her head and says, Why didn’t you get her a better
color? This dress that both my mother and I were proud of
until my aunt’s comment pointed out what should have
been obvious, that this dark blue color, perfect for a redhead
made my olive skin look jaundiced. I could almost
feel the starched skirt deflate. Sometimes I think that little
been obvious, that this dark blue color, perfect for a redhead
made my olive skin look jaundiced. I could almost
feel the starched skirt deflate. Sometimes I think that little
girl in her navy dress has followed me my whole life
 |
| From Old Navy |
Blogging in our jammies:
At Kurious Kitty, Diane Mayr reminds us that tomorrow is Pi Day (3/14/15), the only time this century that the date extends to four decimal points of this mathematical constant. She has a meditative math poemby Ira Sadoff for the occasion. At Random Noodling, Diane has some fun videos to accompany her responses to Heidi Mordhorst's CH words challenge.
Carmela Martino is in with a post from Teaching Authors. She says, "I want to share a link from my co-blogger April Halprin Wayland. Her post will be about how she uses the library--why she loves her library for writing in a quiet space and for audiobooks. She's included an original poem called IT'S NOT QUIET IN THE LIBRARY. (It's about listening...if you listen, there are many sounds in the library!)"
Linda Kulp at Write Time is sharing Lullaby & Kisses Sweet with her granddaughter, Evie, who was inspired to write her own poem. What a great post about how a young reader becomes immersed in a book.
Steven Withrow has a powerful original poem, "Refugee Camp," at Crackles of Speech.
The Friday Feast at Jama Rattigan's Alphabet Soup, is Kathi Appelt's new rhyming picture book, Counting Crows. This week's recipe, Raspberry Cheesecake Brownies.
Have you been following Penny Klosterman's collaborative series, "A Great Nephew and a Great Aunt"? Episode 11 posts today with a clever teatime poem from Penny and Landon's accompanying illustration.
Speaking of T, Michelle Heidenrich Barnes of Today's Little Ditty says, "Today I have a bit of a hodge podge post – Tanka, TOASTS, and Total Madness. But it does include a giveaway!"
Many of our Poetry Friday regulars are participating in Ed DeCaria's March Madness, which got underway this week. Buffy Silverman is featuring her first round poem today. Buffy's word was "megolomaniacal." Ack!
Gathering Books has a beautiful poem about grief by Iphigene. Stop by and send her a virtual hug.
There's lots of news to report at Charles Waters' Poetry Time. Charles also shares two recent poems, one from the Author Amok sound poetry project (cackling lava) and another from Heidi Mordhorst's CH word daily poem challenge (strrreeetch).
Getting dressed for the day...
At Teacher Dance, Linda Baie has an original poem in memory of her grandfather. It's a little ode to Friday the 13th and other superstitions.
Catherine at Reading to the Core has a lovely found poem from Louise Erdrich's novel The Birchbark House.
Donna Smith of Mainely Write is playing along with Heidi Mordhorst's CH word challenge. She has a clever concrete poem for the word ARCH.
Did you know it was National Cereal Day this week? Matt Forrest Esenwine blogs about that (can we have a CRUNCH day, Heidi?) and the new Poetry Friday Anthology for Celebrations. Visit Radio, Rhythm, and Rhyme.
Julie Larios tells us, "It's Neil Sedaka's birthday today, so over at the Drift Record I've got the lyrics to one of stranger hits from the 1960's, and an embedded video of him singing "Calendar Girl" that is possibly one of the worst music videos ever made. Or maybe just one of the weirdest?" The fireworks headdress is a must-see. Yikes.
If you live in Arizona, Joy reports that the Tucson Book Festival is tomorrow and Sunday. "I'm excited to be going. Lots of great workshops, panels and presentations to attend." Joy has a Friday the 13th poem at Poetry for Kids Joy.
Tabatha's post this week features excerpts by Howard Nemerov (a beautiful ekphrastic poem) and Ralph Salisbury. You'll find that at The Opposite of Indifference.
Mary Lee at A Reading Year says "Shame Is the Dress I Wear" is "a perfect fit for my Poetry Month project -- PO-EMotions -- which I am announcing today! I'm going to be writing poems about emotions." Stop by Mary Lee's blog to check out the announcement and her original poem, using the word ARCH for Heidi's MarCH CHallenge.
And Miss Juicy Universe herself, Heidi Mordhorst, is of course hosting the poem-a-day project so many of us are participating in, the Forward MarCH CHallenge. Today's word is "arCH" and Heidi already has some fine contributions!
It's that dreaded time of year: standardized testing season. Carol of Carol's Corner is in with a poem, now that her school has finished PARCC testing -- a good reminder that life (and school) is about our connections with other people, not test scores.
I've heard of Dueling Banjos, but not dueling odes! Margaret Simon of Reflections on the Teche is in a battle of the verse with her student. Who will be the winner? The ode to the sun or the ode to the moon?
At A Teaching Life, Tara Smith is featuring Poetry Friday's own Laura Purdie Salas, with a poem about coming to the end of a great book.
Thift stores are great places for finding things. Irene Latham is sharing a poem found at a thrift store: "I Love Old Things" by Wilson MacDonald.
Let's all welcome Poetry Friday newbies Darla Salay and Jen Brittin! You'll find their very first PF post, with two original poems about writing, at Two Writers.
I love it when poets try and experiment with traditional forms. Tricia has a new sestina at the Miss Rumphius Effect. The six words she selected for the poem are: sense/cents, turn, up, wind, break/brake, rays/raise/raze.
Putting on our slippers (or dancing shoes ... it IS Friday night):
Ready for spring? Becky Shillington welcomes the season with an original haiku.
Alex Baugh at Randomly Reading is getting in on the spring thing with a Wordsworth poem, "Written in March." Wordsworth compares snow to a retreating army!
At Pleasures from the Page, Ramona has a poem about the joy of discovering a new book. In this case, Paul B. Janeczko's latest: The Death of the Hat: A Brief History of Poetry in 50 Objects. "The Death of the Hat" sounds like a clothing poem to me.
There's a Carl Sandburg quote at Bildungsroman today.
I hope Catherine Johnson is not welcoming more snow with her limerick about a snowman! Happy St. Patrick's Day, Catherine!
Lori Ann Grover has a beautiful evening haiku "Crimson Blush" at her blog, On Point. Interested in learning more about The Death of the Hat? Lori also has a post about Janeczko's new book at Readertotz.
Amy Ludwig VanDerwater says, "Over at The Poem Farm (finally!) I have a little poem about how to become friends with a dog." How-to poems are another great form to try. Sam the Schnauzer sends you a woof of appreciation, Amy.
But enough about dogs, at All About the Books with Janet Squires, Janet is sharing the book "If Not For The Cat: Haiku" by Jack Prelutsky with paintings by Ted Rand.
Get a pre-National Poetry Month sneak peek of student poems at Jone MacCulloch's Check It Out. Jone also invites us all to sign up for an NPM poetry postcard from her talented students.
HUGE CONGRATS to PF blogger Kelly Fineman, whose book of poetry for adults launches today!! Kelly is sharing a poem from THE UNIVERSE COMES KNOCKING, entitled "Scientifically Speaking." Woo hoo, Kelly!
At Flukeprints you'll find a link to the post "How to Host an Author at your School." Mrs. Doele's third grade class was lucky enough to have a visit with our own Amy Ludwig VanDerWater's last month.
Good morning!
For early risers and dawn-catchers, Cathy at Merely Day by Day has an original poem to greet the day: A Million Sunrises.
Loria Carter is sharing a video clip of Maya Angelou's "Life Doesn't Frighten Me At All" -- her hope for all the children of the world.
Carol Varsalona at Beyond LiteracyLink tells us about Digital Learning Day 2015, which was March 13th. Carol also has an original, architectural poem for Heidi's word of the day "ARCH."
Friendly Fairy Tales has "Sound of Spring," an original poem by Brenda. Let's all recite Brenda's lines about the thawing snow to help bring on the warm weather.
Time to put on our jammies and dream of poetry, bloggers. Thank you for coming to the party and sharing your love of words and language with everyone.
