Awesome Earth - Talking with Joan Bransfield Graham

I have been a science nerd and teacher of science for a very long time. Earth science was one of my favorite classes to teach. In middle school, I often wrote poems (bad ones, generally) for my students as an introduction to scientific ideas. There was a lot of nature poetry then, but not much about Earth's form and structures. I can count on one hand the number of titles since then that have made it to my bookshelf. I'm happy to report that this sad situation has been remedied with the release of Joan Bransfield Graham's new book AWESOME EARTH. A terrific addition to her collection of concrete poetry titles, SPLISH SPLASH and FLICKER FLASH, AWESOME EARTH celebrates landforms and the processes that shape the earth's surface. In fact, the subtitle for the book is "Concrete poems celebrate caves, canyons, and other fascinating landforms." 

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!

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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. 

You Can Fly with the Weatherfords

When I was young and learned my father served in the Naval Air Corps during WWII, I became a voracious reader of anything and everything about the war, including the Holocaust, Pearl Harbor, Jackie Robinson, Rosie the Riveter, the WACs, and more. What I didn't find were stories about the Tuskegee Airmen. My young self would have been as thrilled as I am today with the release of an amazing poetry collection entitled You Can Fly: The Tuskegee Airmen, written by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Jeffery Boston Weatherford.

You Can Fly: The Tuskegee Airmen is a collaboration between award-winning children’s book author Carole Boston Weatherford and her son, debut illustrator Jeffery Boston Weatherford. They have woven poems and scratchboard illustrations into a history in verse inspired as much by World War II newsreels as by modern day graphic novels. The project was nearly ten years in the making. With starred reviews in Kirkus and Publisher’s Weekly, the book for middle grades is off to a flying start.

Here the mother-son/author-illustrator team interview each other.

Carole: When did you first hear about the Tuskegee Airmen?

Jeffery: I first heard about them when I was a young boy. We took family trips to the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum in Washington and to Tuskegee Institute, Alabama where we toured exhibits about the Tuskegee University’s founder Booker T. Washington, botanist George Washington Carver and the Tuskegee Airmen. I always had dreams of flight.

Jeffery: Why did you want to write this book?
Carole: I first learned of the Tuskegee Airmen in a magazine article in the 1980s. I was so moved by their story that I saved the magazine. My literary mission is to mine the past for family stories, fading traditions and forgotten struggles. The Airmen’s saga is historically and politically significant. As a children’s literature professor, I knew of at least one historical fiction picture book and of several informational books about the Tuskegee Airmen. I felt that the story would lend itself well to a poetic treatment.

Carole: Tell us about your family’s military ties?

Jeffery: My great great great grandfather Isaac Copper fought in the U.S. Colored Troops during the Civil War. He was one of 17 veterans who founded the town of Unionville on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. My mother’s father Joseph Boston Jr. served in World War II. He was a technical sergeant in the Army Corps of Engineers in New Guinea and the Philippines. My grandmother still has his uniform and medals.

Jeffery: Which poem was most challenging to write?

Carole: “Operation Prove Them Wrong” was by far the toughest to write. It was like plotting scenes for a war movie. I had to boil down Operation Corkscrew and Operation Diadem to a few lines that captured the battles. It might have been easier if I were gamer like you or at least a World War II buff.

Carole: You were a serious gamer growing up. Did your background as a gamer influence how you illustrated the battle scenes?  

Jeffery: Yes, absolutely. I had lots of residual visual references from battles across galaxies.

Jeffery: What is your favorite illustration from the book?
Carole: I like the one opposite the poem “Routines.” It shows a dogfight in which one plane gets bombed and explodes. The explosion is quite animated, like something out of a comic book. I almost want to add an action bubble: Boom!

Carole: Describe your creative process.
Jeffery: For inspiration, I viewed documentary photographs from the Library of Congress and National Archives collections. While researching picture references, I had some dreams of meeting Tuskegee Airmen. I also watched the movie Red Tails. For each illustration, I drew a graphite study to layout the composition. Once that was completed and approved by the publisher, I refined the image and transferred it to scratchboard. I used various nibs for different effects.

Jeffery with Airman portrait

Jeffery: What do you want readers to take away from the book?

Carole: I want them to be inspired by the courage and determination of the Tuskegee Airmen. I want them to understand that the sky is no limit if they are willing to prepare themselves, practice and persevere. The book aims to lift the ceiling off of young people’s dreams. 

P-51 Mustangs flying in formation over Ramitelli, Italy.

From the LOC archives: http://cdn.loc.gov/service/pnp/ppmsca/13200/13268r.jpg

Did you know? The Tuskegee Airmen got the name Red Tails when their ground crew painted the tail of the P-47 red.

WWII by the numbers: Before the Tuskegee Experiment began, there were only 130 licensed African American pilots in the U.S.

Here's one of my favorite poems from the book.

Train Ride to the Clouds

All aboard for Tuskegee Institute,

where Booker T. Washington uplifted ex-slaves

and George Washington Carver 

is working wonders with sweet potatoes!

If Carver can make paint

from clay and plastics from soy,

then the school Booker T. founded

can surely make you a pilot.

If you did not believe that were true

you would not have packed your bag 

and boarded the train for Alabama

with a Bible and a box lunch from your mama.

If your faith were not vast as the sky,

you would never have taken this leap.

Poem © Carole Boston Weatherford, 2016. All rights reserved.

The poems in this volume are moving, vivid, and packed with information.  The poem in the Epilogue describes the race barrier breaking moments that came after the Tuskegee Airmen paved the way for integration of the U.S. military. The backmatter includes an author's note, timeline, and extensive list of additional resources and primary sources. 

You can find helpful teacher resources for this work at: https://cbweatherford.com/books/youcanfly/teacher-resources/

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My thanks to Carole and Jeffery for sharing their conversation and their work. You Can Fly: The Tuskegee Airmen was released on May 3rd and is available now. Don't miss it!

The Poem That Will Not End - Talking With Joan Bransfield Graham

What happens when poetry takes over your life? Ryan O'Brian finds out when he spouts poetry and writes poems all day long!

While at recess he says:

I beg you, won’t you help me?
Please help me, be a friend.
Rescue me, I’m captured—
this poem will not end!

Then later in the evening while taking a bath he proclaimed:

My brain went into overdrive,

I started writing faster,
careening wild at breakneck speed—
a poetry disaster.

Early the next morning he laments:

I spent a restless night and thought,
Whatever can I do?
When I woke up, I found my pillows
covered with . . . haiku!

THE POEM THAT WILL NOT END: FUN WITH POETIC FORMS AND VOICES, written by Joan Bransfield Graham and illustrated by Krysten Brooker, is a fun-filled romp through the day in the life of a young boy who gets caught up in poetry.

While the rhyming text of the story keeps readers moving forward, it's the poems written in the illustrations that make you stop to soak in all the poetry goodness. You’ll find a villanelle, sonnet, acrostic, haiku, limerick, and many more forms. This triolet describes just how caught up Ryan is in writing poetry.

CAPTURED

|’m captured, won’t you help me find a way, 

to free me from this urgent need to write? 

|t follows me and hounds me night and day. 

|’m captured, won’t you help me find a way,

 to toss aside this curse—| want to play! 

You must admit . . . this is a scary sight. 

|’m captured, won’t you help me find a way, 

to free me from this urgent need to write?

All poems ©Joan Bransfield Graham. All rights reserved.

While reading this book I found myself thinking back to MATH CURSE, written by Jon Scieszka and illustrated by Lane Smith. In it, readers follow a nameless student who lives a day filled with math problems. This book is different in that Graham has given readers a boy with a name, a family, and an ordinary life filled with poetry. Kids will love the story, while teachers will love the fun poems and poetic forms that are introduced.

Reading this had me wanting to ask folks around me, "how do you use poetry in your own life?" I think that’s a great question to put to the very talented author of this book. Here are her thoughts about that and some more on her poetry writing process.

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How have you used poetry in your own life?
Joan:  I make my own cards with my original photos and poems.  Isn't poetry what we reach for in life's most important, emotional moments? But I think poetry is how you see the world. It expands our vision, helps us see higher, wider, deeper . . . longer.  It captures a moment in time. Sometimes life can take over your poetry. I found if I didn't make poetry an important part of my life, I wasn't the person I was meant to be. It can be a continuing challenge to fit everything in . . . a juggling act. While POEM is written in a humorous vein to let children see that poetry is FUN, I hope it also makes some small statement that we must embrace our creativity, our uniqueness, and weave it into our lives; we are all richer for it. Ryan O'Brian, in the end, does "make it work." I love how poetry connects us to ourselves, to each other, to the world. We have such a vibrant poetry community! Here's to celebrating each other's imagination, sharing a healthy, joyful creative "Fever," and staying connected. 

When was the main text/poem of the book composed? How did it start? 
Joan: Many years ago, and "It started with a rhythm,/ a rhythm and a rhyme." and I couldn't stop--I kept adding more ideas. The line "My mom called up, "Are you in bed?" is directly from my life. I was a "night owl" even as a child and was probably reading a book or writing poetry as late as I could. I never wrote on the mirror with toothpaste though.

Did you share your drafts of the poems before you finished the book? Is there an individual or a group of individuals with whom you regularly share work? 
Joan: Yes, I did. When I first moved to California, I met some wonderful poets (They were writing for adults.), and they are still dear friends. I'm in a terrific, helpful critique group of fellow SCBWI writers (I'm the only poet.), and we meet at my home once a month.  I'm also a founding member of the Children's Authors Network (CAN!)--a marvelous group of authors and illustrators, which includes poetry dynamos Janet Wong and April Halprin Wayland (also with Teaching Authors). If you click here, and then again on "Classroom Resources," http://canetwork.weebly.com/joan-bransfield-graham.html, you'll find my Teacher Ideas, across the curriculum, for POEM and other useful guides. As Co-coordinator of Ventura County for our SCBWI Central-Coastal California region, I help to plan a variety of events throughout the year for writers and artists in our area.  

How long do you let your poems “sit” before you let them go? Do you finish poems or abandon them?
Joan: As long as they need. Rather than "abandon" poems, I think of them as being in various stages of incubation. It does help to let a poem "cool" for a few days and then look at it anew with "fresh eyes." 

Do you have a favorite poem from the book? Or a poem that you loved that didn’t make it into the final manuscript? 
Joan: I'm fond of "Bike," the poem from yesterday's prompt. Couldn't "Bike" be a metaphor for poetry? When you "step on," you are in for a ride that can "take you anywhere." I hope "the road ahead" is filled with poetry for all your readers. Tricia, you are doing an incredible job of seeing to that for both the fans of your blog and your students! 

Would you like to share the details of any new poetry project(s) that you’re working on?
Joan: So many things! Lee Bennett Hopkins has a new book, MANGER, scheduled for Sept., 2014, and I am fortunate to have a "Rooster" poem included--in fact, I see my rooster is on the cover! I have many other poems in forthcoming anthologies. When a friend whose son teaches high school English mentioned his students wondered why they needed to study poetry, I started writing an article--FIVE REASONS TO GIVE CHILDREN THE GIFT OF POETRY. I'm not sure where I'll send that piece when it's finished, but I need to write it. I guess I'm Ryan O'Brian.

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I had the pleasure of interviewing Joan nearly 5 years ago for a National Poetry Month series. You can read more about her and her poetry at Poetry Makers - Joan Bransfield Graham.

THE POEM THAT WILL NOT END is a welcome addition to the world of children's poetry. I do hope you get a chance to enjoy it.

Thanks so much to Joan for inviting me on this blog tour. You can check out the other stops on this electronic journey at:
Monday, Jan. 27 - Poetry for Children
Tuesday, Jan. 28 - Tales from the Rushmore Kid
Wednesday, Jan. 29 - Double Olympic Poetry Challenge and Teaching Authors
Friday, Jan. 31 - Jama's Alphabet Soup

So now for the fun! If you'd like to win a copy of THE POEM THAT WILL NOT END, please enter below. A winner will be chosen on February 5th.