POETRY FRIDAY

Welcome! 

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Poetry Friday is here! 

I'm not a shopper and will stay as far away from shopping centers and malls as I possibly can tomorrow. When I do shop though, books, and especially poetry books, will definitely be at the top of my shopping list.  Some poetry books I will be giving as gifts this year…

I love Caroline Kennedy's POEMS TO LEARN BY HEART. A perfect collection for a family or for a young teacher or a teacher who doesn't have much poetry or a teacher who loves poetry. 

This collection by students in the Denver Public Schools would be perfect for any of my young poetry writing friends. Or for the teachers of those friends…

 

STRIPES OF ALL TYPES, perfect for preschool and primary grade animal lovers. 

In PUG AND OTHER ANIMAL POEMS, one of my favorite poets, Valerie Worth, combines with one of my favorite illustrators, Steve Jenkins.

A couple of new favorites by J. Patrick Lewis, one serious and one less so…

 

 

And I definitely couldn't leave out Marilyn Singer's latest…

Also love Joyce Sidman's newest…

And then two for my dog-loving friends... 

  

Leave your links in the comments section and I will publish them throughout the day.

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A really quiet poetry Friday, I'm thinking people were probably spending time with family, or recovering from Thursday's festivities, or maybe shopping…


Those hardy, poetry loving souls that did participate celebrated the extraordinary we so often miss in the ordinary.

·      April and her fellow bloggers at Teaching Writers, have been writing Thank-u’s, a really clever haiku that I wish I had started on November 1^st (note to self for 2014). Read April’s, then click the link to read the rest. 

·      Anastasia celebrates Emily Dickinson, queen of __________. (I’m not giving away her surprise, you need to go read her original haiku). Very clever!

·      At Author’s Amok, Laura Shovan invites us to celebrate the ordinary with a quiet walk along a stream with “Travelling” by William Wordsworth.

·      At Bildungsroman, Little Willow has posted Carl Sandburg’s “Sketch,” another poem that celebrates quiet moments.

·      Margaret Simon celebrates an ordinary Thanksgiving, “This turkey roasting, the warmth of the fire, this place where I am always loved,” with an original poem.

·      Tabatha Yeatts celebrates fortitude with Edgar Guest’s “Equipment.” Be sure to give yourself two or three minutes to watch the poem being performed.

·      Linda Baie, posting for the 600^th time today (CONGRATULATIONS LINDA!), celebrates a poetic week at NCTE, where it sounds like she connected with lots of bloggers and poets.

·      And then, as it so often seems to do, poetry inspired poetry. Betsy read Linda’s post, then wrote an original poem, “Poetry is Eternal.”

·      Tara, Linda’s roommate at NCTE, recaps the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children, which was given to Joyce Sidman. Tara summarizes that session, then reviews Joyce’s latest book: WHAT THE HEART KNOWS: CHANTS, CHARMS AND BLESSINGS. Tara’s favorite poem seems perfect for Black Friday. 

·      At NCTE, Catherine attended “Keeping Poetry at Our Core” by Georgia Heard, Linda Rief, and Tom Romano. In today’s post, she summarizes some really big thinking by Georgia. I an’t wait to share Georgia’s questions with the teachers at my school.

·      Diane Mayr drove down to NCTE (heaven to have the conference an hour away from your house!), then celebrated meeting up with poetry partner, Laura Purdie Salas, by sharing her monthly favorites from a year of 15-word-poems (Laura publishes that challenge ever week).

·      Over at Year of Reading, Mary Lee, probably exhausted from a week in Boston, celebrates with Meredith Holmes’ “Ode to My Bed.”

·      And then of course, on Thanksgiving weekend, have to mention food! Michelle H. Barnes is celebrating my favorite part of Thanksgiving- leftovers! Be ready to write a five word ditty while you are over there.

·      At “There is No Such Thing as a God-Forsaken Town,” Ruth, who writes odes with eighth graders every November, shares Pablo Neruda’s “Ode to an Onion.” I guarantee that you will never look at an onion in the same way!

A few folks welcomed visiting poets…

·      Robyn Hood Black brings us haiku from Dave Russo, a poet from the great state of North Carolina.

·      The November/December theme at Gathering Books is “Goddesses, Fairies, Spirit Stars and Celestial Beings.” Today’s visitor (not sure which on of the aforementioned categories she falls into) is Neyrisa del Carmen Guevara, a poet and professor from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines.

And finally, our Canadian friend, Violet Nesdoly, has an original poem, “Black Friday Blues,” that confirms my original feelings about why I do not celebrate that “holiday.”

Julie Larios offered a Saturday morning Entry that is just to good to omit. Head over to The Drift Record and read "The World is in Pencil" by Todd Boss. Wow! Love this image of a creator!

P.S. Whenever I host Poetry Friday, I worry that I will forget someone, or leave someone out. If I did, it's total unintentional-- shoot me an email (carwilc@aol.com) and I will rectify the situation immediately.