The first poem, "Fantastic Forces," describes the earth's surface as ever-changing. After this, readers will find poems about continents, mountains, deserts, islands, volcanoes, and more. There is helpful back matter in the book that describes more about each landform. Readers will also find a glossary of terms and additional resources to explore. One of the things I love about studying landforms is how much fun so many of the words are to say: archipelago, peninsula, hoodoo. You'll find all of these in this volume.
The artwork of Tania García pairs beautifully with Joan's poems. The artist used digital techniques combined with handmade ink textures created from sponges, scourers, old brushes, wrinkled plastics, and old eyelash mascaras to create digital illustrations for the book. You can see these beautiful textures in the mountain and metamorphic rock poems.
I have so many favorites in this volume, but if I had to pick one or two, it would be the poems Stalactites and Stalagmites. I used to teach students that stalactites (with a C) form from the ceiling, while stalagmites (with a G) form from the ground. Most students only remembered the difference about half the time. This pair of poems will go a long way to helping students see and understand the difference between them.
As someone who works with teachers and kids, I see many opportunities for sharing this book in the classroom. I don't know if any of you read the LOC CIP data on the publication page, but I'm often surprised by what I find there. While it lists the audience for this book as ages 4-8 and grades preschool-3, I know these poems will be enjoyed by students through middle school.
Joan kindly answered some burning questions I had for her. Here are her thoughts about AWESOME EARTH, her poetry writing process, and more.
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How does writing concrete poetry inspire and/or challenge you?
Joan: It adds another dimension to the poem, a visual aspect which can be fun. I am a very visual person, and I like to think outside the box or “create the box” that a poem lives in. Teachers have told me my poems work well for their students who are acquiring English as they provide many clues to unlocking the words.
In writing concrete poetry, do the words or form come first? (Can you describe a bit about your process for writing a concrete poem?)
Joan: The words, what you are saying in the poem is always the most important consideration. If a shape can enhance that in any way—great; if it doesn’t, I don’t shape the poem. Actually, I once sold “audio” rights to a shape poem, and so I guess they liked what I had to say! I’ll write things down first on paper and see if the poem can find its shape. If I think it might work as a concrete poem, I’ll type it on my computer, experiment with various fonts (which can make a big difference) and spacing, and, of course, I always use my Poetic License.
In what ways do you think Awesome Earth complements Splish Splash and Flicker Flash?
Joan: The three books are about our natural world and our appreciation and understanding of it, and I think they look terrific together. The four Classical Elements are Earth, Air, Fire, and Water. I’ve written and submitted a manuscript “Amazing Air” and am hoping it could make a set of four books: Earth (AWESOME EARTH), Air (AMAZING AIR), Fire (FLICKER FLASH), and Water (SPLISH SPLASH). What do you think?
Do you have favorite poetic forms to write in? What about those forms appeals to you?
Joan: Like Ryan O’Brian in my book THE POEM THAT WILL NOT END, I am enamored with ALL forms (I really enjoyed writing “Is There a Villain in Your Villanelle?” for Paul Janeczko’s A KICK IN THE HEAD) and the challenges they present, but I do appreciate the succinctness of haiku. It seems to me, if you are writing fiction, you start with an idea which you spin out in many different directions. With poetry, you make multiple observations and try to distill everything to its very essence. Haiku appeals to me for its incredible economy and insight.
Are there any poets or works of poetry that have mainly influenced your writing style or themes? How have they inspired you?
Joan: Besides reading poets’ books, I’ve enjoyed hearing them read their own work, and I’ve had an opportunity to do that on quite a few occasions. When I lived in Virginia near Washington, D.C., I went to a reading at the Library of Congress and heard many former U.S. Poet Laureates read. In California I met Marie Bullock, the delightful founder of The Academy of American Poets, at an amazing reading at the gorgeous Huntington Library. I’ve also heard Lucille Clifton, William Stafford, Joy Harjo with her sax, Mary Oliver, Edward Hirsch (How to Read a Poem and Fall in Love with Poetry), Seamus Heaney, and Billy Collins.
How has your writing evolved over time? Can you discuss specific poems or collections that mark significant points in your development as a poet?
Joan: Taking Myra Cohn Livingston’s Master Class in Poetry at UCLA, I not only learned from her but from the other wonderful poets in the class. I’ve learned from joining SCBWI, from being in an excellent critique group, from doing School Visits and meeting my readers, and from writing poems for anthologies. Also, my husband and I attended Toastmaster meetings and completed the training, which proved to be extremely useful. It’s one thing to express yourself on the page and quite another to speak in front of hundreds of people. I found it is important to refine both your craft and your communication skills.
What are you most looking forward to in launching this new book into the world?
Joan: I hope it brings readers joy, surprise, information and inspiration. May it widen the world for those who haven’t seen it yet, deepen their understanding that we all share this beautiful world and need to appreciate it, care for it. I’ll always remember the little boy who came up to me after one presentation and said, “That was the fun-est thing I’ve ever seen. I’ve never seen a waterfall before.” There are many children in Los Angeles who have never seen the ocean, and we are so close. Some schools take field trips to see this marvel. Our ever-changing Earth has been at work for centuries. It is astonishing and deserves our awe, doesn’t it?
Would you like to share the details of any new poetry project(s) that you’re working on?
Joan: As I mentioned, I have a manuscript called AMAZING AIR. Another project, THE LANGUAGE OF LIGHT, pairs my poetry and photography. A WHISPER OF WINGS, bird poems, OUT OF THE PARK! and a few others.
Thanks, Tricia, for being a teacher of teachers and recognizing the power of poetry!
I had the pleasure of interviewing Joan in 2014 when THE POEM THAT WILL NOT END was released. I also interviewed her for a National Poetry Month series in 2009. You can read that interview at Poetry Makers - Joan Bransfield Graham.
AWESOME EARTH is a welcome addition to the world of science and children's poetry. I do hope you get a chance to enjoy it. If you haven't seen SPLISH SPLASH or FLICKER FLASH, now is a good time to check out all three titles!
Thanks so much to Joan for inviting me on this blog tour. You can check out the other stops on this blog/media tour at:
- Monday, Feb. 17-- Poetry for Children – Dr. Sylvia Vardell, Professor Emerita, Texas Woman's University, Past President of IBBY, author, and publisher.
- Tuesday, Feb. 18 – Georgia Heard, poet, educator, author, and inventor of Heart Maps ®, 2023 NCTE Excellence in Poetry for Children Award on Instagram and Facebook.
- Wednesday, Feb. 19-- Simply Seven Interviews with Jena Benton, Alaska SCBWI Illustrator Coordinator, author-illustrator, poet, teacher.
- Friday, Feb. 21-- Jama's Alphabet Soup — Jama Kim Rattigan, Virginia-based author, blogger, foodie, alphabet lover, picture book nerd.
Joan was kind enough to send a copy of AWESOME EARTH, which I'll send to one lucky winner. Please leave a comment to enter.
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