Finding Poetic Footing

For a long time now my writing has been guided by a piece of advice my dissertation advisor gave me--"Read widely and deeply." And so, I read to become a better writer. Many of the ones pictured below, to be exact.

(These are a few of the shelves in my office.)

These books have been and continue to be wonderful resources, but a while back I realized that reading was simply not enough. I needed more formal education. (What else would you expect from a teacher?!)

After many months of anticipation I finally leave on Thursday for a Founders Workshop at the home of the founders of Highlights for Children®. Entitled Wordplay: Writing Poetry for Children, this workshop will be led by Rebecca Kai Dotlich (see her Poetry Makers interview), Alice Schertle, and Susan Pearson. I'm over the moon with excitement and more than a little bit nervous. It's for this workshop that I've been assigned the task of choosing three favorite poems for children. I wrote a bit about this earlier in the week. (I've selected two of the three poems, by the way. What a fabulous lesson in opportunity cost!)

I'm not sure I'll be blogging while I'm there, but will definitely tell you all about it when I return. Wish me luck!