The Monsterologist - Interview with Bobbi Katz

I'm excited to welcome Bobbi Katz to the blog today. We'll be talking about her new book, The Monsterologist: A Memoir in Rhyme. Before we start, let's take a look at the book trailer.
I picked up this book in September while perusing the poetry shelves in my local bookstore. My son (who's closing in on 9) immediately took it from me and placed it in his stack of books on dinosaurs and dragons. I've had difficulty prying it from his hands, a sure sign that this book is a winner. The fact that he has added post-it notes to mark his favorite poems makes me love it even more.

Written by Bobbi Katz (ghostwritten as it says on the cover) and illustrated by Adam McCauley, this collection of poems introduces readers to some of the world's most famous monsters -- Count Dracula, Godzilla, King Kong, Medusa, Grendel, the Loch Ness Monster, the Yeti and more. What sets this book apart from others is the form the poems take, and I don't mean poetic forms. In this collection you'll find letters, notes, interviews, personal ads, e-mails and other objects amassed through a lifetime of studying monsters. The illustrations are also particularly beautiful and unique. Here's how McCauley describes the illustrations on the copyright page.

The illustrations for this book were created using: lots of paper, spaghetti, twigs, tape, Adam's great grandmother's stamp collection, paint, file folders, rubber stamps, a scanner, old sketchbooks, new sketchbooks, a printer, a ballpoint pen, a Xerox machine, scraperboard, computer programs, clip art, things found on the street, and some string. Oh yeah, and a few brains and hands.

You can learn more about Adam and see some of the artwork from The Monsterologist at his interview at Seven Imp.

Bobbi was kind enough to stop by and answer some questions about The Monsterologist. So without further ado, here's what she had to say.

How did you select the monsters for the collection?

I'd been filling a folder marked NOISY POEMS over several years that eventually became A Rumpus of Rhymes. As I read the poems aloud before sending the manuscript off, I realized that all the poems were packed with onomatopoeic words except one: “Ping Pong with King Kong.” As I removed the poem, I wondered who might really care to play ping pong with King Kong. Almost immediately, a male character took shape: an eminent scientist and lecturer, a fussy but fearless bachelor, wholly dedicated to the study…. of monsters. That was in 1996. “The Monsterologist” introduced himself in the opening poem, and it was as if I began channeling him as I wrote. Naturally, he corresponded with Count Dracula. The Monsterologist and I both loved Greek mythology, so “Medusa” and the “Cyclops” came next. Our mutual discomfort with computers-the Monsterologist has no confidence in them whatsoever-resulted in “The Compu-Monster.” In 1997, I was writing 25 Great Grammar Poems for Scholastic Professional Books. I wrote a didactic poem about verbs one morning; “The Verbivore” was born that same night. So as you see, I didn't exactly decide what monsters to write about. The collection reflects the Monsterologist's life work, his concerns, and at times, our mutual interests.

Did you write any monsters that didn't make it into the book?

Yes, indeed. My truly wonderful editor felt that four poems seemed somehow wrong. Having been an editor myself, I did not wish to be a difficult diva author. Three of the poems were based on characters James Whitcomb Riley claimed to have heard about in logging camps: “The Squidicum Squee,” “Squonks,” and “Wonks.” The fourth was “The Blobster,” which was probably part of a huge sea animal that was actually found in the early 20th century. Some newspapers created buzz about an unidentified sea monster. (Of course, the Monsterologist was consulted.) My editor suggested “Godzilla” as a companion for “King Kong,” since both were movie stars. She also wanted a reason for the Monsterologist to close his memoir. I added the “The International Zombie Survey” in an E-mail from Will Nixon, a poet who actually has written poems based on the film, “The Night of the Living Dead.”

What kind of research did you do to prepare for writing these poems?

Most of the research I did was for the four poems that were cut. I did very little beyond checking the proper dates for the three musicians in “Ghost Notes,” and reading about the Golem (after I wrote the poem) and Godzilla. (Alas, I'd never seen any of the Godzilla movies, but I learned that this monstrous character had been first created as a metaphoric embodiment of atomic destruction in Japan.) “Godzilla” was the most difficult poem to write. Since Godzilla was to be opposite King Kong, I wanted some degree of balance between the poems.

Many things became fodder for the Monsterologist. I went to a series of three readings of poet Seamus Heaney's translation of Beowulf. The violent images marinated and finally resulted in the Monsterologist's discovery of Grendel's mother's recipe for Danish Pastry! I must say that I knew the Monsterologist so well that he led me to the poems. I knew he might go hiking in Denmark or notice “Bluebeard's Personal Ad” while reading a newspaper in a London tea shop.

What inspired the memoir format and the use of letters, notes, and other objects?

From the very beginning, I saw this as a memoir: a scrapbook of memorabilia. I thought it would be interesting to reflect the work of an academic scientist. I wanted the poems to take various forms from note cards, queries, and descriptions to letters. Just as you are interviewing me, the Monsterologist interviews the Loch Ness Monster.

As for the design of the book, that is the work of the art director and Adam McCauley, who did a stunning job. I had nothing to say about its creation, except in response to early versions.

Do you have a favorite poem? If so, will you share?

Oh, dear! Your request reminds me of when one of my children asked which of them I loved the most! Here comes a letter “From the Desk of Count Dracula”:

My Dear Friend,
I'm the Count whom you can count on for hospitality.
When you come to Transylvania, be sure to stay with me.
My ancient castle's gloomy, but you'll have a lovely room,
Conveniently located…close to the family tomb.
Just buy a one-way ticket. There's no need to splurge.
I'd really love to see you. It's an overwhelming urge.
You'll find that I'm a genial host,
but at times I think I'll burst,
unless I drink a bit of blood to satisfy my thirst.
A friendly nip, a little sip is harmless you'll agree.
It's natural and organic, and my castle is smoke free.
Please hurry, hurry, hurry! No need to R.S.V.P.
I can hardly wait to see you. Please come and visit me.
Yours, truly, most cordially,
The Count

The Monsterologist has a terrific web site. You can listen to Bobbi read a number of the poems, play a matching game that uses the monster stamp images from the endpapers, read a Q&A with the Monsterologist, learn more about the author and illustrator, and find advice from some of the monsters themselves.

Finally, you should know that there is a Monsterologist Contest underway. Here are the details.

You may have seen the back of my head, but what about my face?

Starting right now, imagine me! Draw a mask with pencils, markers, crayons or paint! Mold one from papier mache. A council of witches will select the ten best entries. Each will receive a valuable prize.

Next the witches will choose the very best mask of all. I will wear it on Halloween and on Day of the Dead (el dia de los muertos) which I may celebrate in a graveyard in Mexico. Whoever creates that mask gets a signed copy of my memoir.

Be sure to send your name and address with the mask. Print neatly. Don’t miss a chance to be the witches choice.

HURRY! HURRY! HURRY!
All entries must be mailed no later than Nov. 13th 2009 to:

MONSTEROLOGIST CONTEST
PO BOX 113
PORT EWEN, NY 12466

Thanks to Bobbi for stopping by to chat about The Monsterologist. If you haven't seen it yet, what are you waiting for? I promise you'll love it.

Text copyright c Bobbi Katz
Art copyright c Adam McCauley
These images and poems have been used with permission.
All rights reserved Sterling Publishing Company, Inc

A Little Mo for MR and Other Fans

This month in the magazine Teaching PreK-8 you'll find a delightful interview with Mo Willems. It begins this way.

What would happen if the main character in Mo Willems' "pigeon" book series, the tenacious bird itself, cornered its creator for an interview? We can only imagine the interrogation to which it would subject poor Mo about being denied the opportunity to helm a bus, enjoy its very own hot dog or stay up past its birdy bedtime. And, of course, it would want to know why it doesn't star in all of Mo's books. Although Mo has given the attention-seeking bird cameo appearances in other titles, we doubt the persistent pigeon will be satisfied unless its creator is, well, 100% pigeon-holed.

Head on over and check out Don't the Let the Pigeon Interview Mo Willems!

Poetry Makers - Pat Mora

Today is the last day of National Poetry Month, but there's no reason to be sad because today is a day for celebration! It is El día de los niños/El día de los libros, Children’s Day/Book Day. Here's what Pat had to say recently about this special day.

Since literacy is essential in our democracy, Día which means “day” in Spanish, is a call to action. Día emphasizes daily commitments to:

• the importance of children,
• linking all children to books, languages and cultures,
• the importance of children’s books that reflect our national diversity,
• and to parents and families as partners with libraries and schools in the literacy process of sharing bookjoy.

Día culminates in annual celebrations of these daily commitments across the country on or near April 30th, community book fiestas. 2009 is its 13th anniversary.

Here is a poem Pat wrote in 1998 to celebrate Día.

Song for April 30th

This is the day of the children,
los niños, the children.
This is the day of the children
the children and their books.

Día de los niños: Día de los libros,
the children and their books,
ta-lán, ta-lán, tan-tán, ta-lán,
los niños and their books.

Celebrate with piñatas
and musica de colores,
add the papel picado
and baskets and baskets of books,

silly and sad, scary and glad,
baskets of delicious books.

Read to a favorite person,
read to lizards and cats,
read to the moon humming a tune
as you read from your baskets of books

on Día de los niños: Día de los libros,
the day of children and books,
ta-lán, ta-lán, tan-tán, ta-lán,
los niños and their books.

This is a song that keeps growing,
in Chinese or Navajo too,
so add your verse and sing along,
on this day of children and books.

Día de los niños: Día de los libros,
day of children and their books,
ta-lán, ta-lán, tan-tán, ta-lán,
los niños and their books.

Pat does such a wonderful job talking about her work that I want to share this video before we learn a bit more about her.

***************

How did you get started writing poetry?
Pat: Early in my life, I experienced what I now call bookjoy. I fell in love with words and reading when I was a little girl in my home city of El Paso, Texas. Poetry was delightful to read; and in school, I had excellent teachers who made us memorize many poems. I probably griped then, but I say “thank you” now. My parents gave me a box of pretty stationery and a gray, portable typewriter when I graduated from eighth grade. I remember sitting and typing rhyming poems with these gifts. I returned to writing poetry years later when I was expecting my first child, and again years later, I made a commitment to myself to write regularly.

Who/what made you want to write?
Pat: I’m a writer because I’m a reader. Words and languages lured and lure me to the page. I’m attracted to both the pleasure and power of writing.

What got you hooked on children’s poetry?
Pat: Questions and ideas from teachers and librarians have been catalysts for a few of my books. Standing in a line to have a book autographed at a conference in the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky area, I was asked by a teacher or librarian, “If you write poetry for adults, why don’t you write poems for children?” Great idea, I thought, and began poems that became Confetti: Poems for Children, also now available in Spanish. It makes me happy that April 30th, celebrated across the country as El día de los niños/El día de los libros, Children’s Day/Book Day, is the last day of National Poetry Month. We can foster lots of young poets.

Have you had any formal poetry training? If not, how did you learn to write what you do?
Pat: I majored in English for both my undergraduate and graduate degrees. That was before creative writing programs existed. I briefly audited one adult creative writing poetry course about thirty years ago. I read poetry, attend readings when possible, and occasionally teach writing poetry workshops. Mostly, I practice.

Can describe your poetry writing process?
Pat: Yes and no. I’m currently revising a book of letters to teachers and librarians about creativity practices for ourselves and for our diverse students. The book will be published in 2010 by Corwin Press, so I’m mighty busy at present.

At this point in my life, I often write poems whether for children, teens or adults, as part of a book project. For example, I recently completed a collection of poems I wrote in the voices of teens that will be published in 2010 by Knopf. In brief, I select a topic or voice or line or situation that intrigues me, and then I begin to play a bit on the page. I let the poem lead me along. Moment of confession: Revision may be my favorite part of the process.

What are the things you enjoy most about writing poetry for children/young adults?
Pat: It’s a privilege and a blessing to sit in a safe place in our unsafe and often unjust world and to have the opportunity to listen to words in both English and Spanish. I enjoy the challenge of connecting with the heart of someone I may never meet or of bringing verbal delight to a child or adult.

Do you have a favorite among all the poems/poetry books you have written?
Pat: I resist questions about favorites whether about my three children or my books. I tell students—whether little ones or grad students—that my favorite book is the next book. At present, I’m curious to discover how teens will respond to the book I wrote for them. My hope is that any teen will find at least one poem that connects with her or him.

Would you like to share the details of any new poetry project(s) that you’re working on?
Pat: I didn’t tell you that the tentative title for the new book for teens is Dizzy in Your Eyes: Love Poems. Incidentally, the idea was given to me by a Texas librarian. My previously published collection for teens, My Own True Name: New and Selected Poems for Young Adults as suggested by a California librarian.

Pop Quiz!
Your favorite dead poet?
Pat: Pablo Neruda is one of my favorites.

Your favorite place to write?
Pat: I usually write at my dining room table. That may not sound evocative, but I like having my books around—thesaurus, English and Spanish dictionaries, books of poetry forms, etc.

Favorite quote on writing/poetry?
Pat: I cherish many quotes. Among them, by Mary Oliver, one of my favorite poets, “In the act of writing the poem, I am obedient . . . . I put aside ego and vanity, and even intention. I listen.”

Your nominee for the next Children’s Poet Laureate?
Pat: I have problems enough without thinking about the complex world of awards. Wishing you all bookjoy!

***************
Pat's book Yum! ¡Mmmm! ¡Qué Rico!: America's Sproutings, was awarded the Américas Book Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature in 2008. Accompanied by the gorgeous artwork of Rafael López, Pat's text combines factual information about edible plants native to the Americas with crisp, sense-filled poems all in the form of haiku. Kids reading this book will be hungry to try out some of the foods so deliciously described. Here are a few yummy examples.

Chocolate
Fudge, cake, pie, cookies.
Brown magic melts on your tongue.
Happy, your eyes dance.


Corn
Leaves sprout silk-snug house.
Smell grits, tortillas, corn bread.
Pass the butter, please.


Pineapple
A stiff, spiky hat
on thick prickly skin, inside
hide syrupy rings.


Prickly Pear
Red desert wonder.
Cactus fruit becomes syrup
and dulces. Surprise!

Each of the descriptions of the plant/food describes where the plant originated. Last fall I used this book to teach a lesson on geography and natural resources (things we get from plants).

I first found my way to Pat's work while looking for bilingual poetry to share with students. Even though the book I found wasn't entirely bilingual, it included a lot of Spanish words and had an extensive glossary in the back. That book was Confetti: Poems for Children. Here are two of my favorite poems from this work.

Cloud Dragons

What do you see
in the clouds so high?
What do you see in the sky?

Oh, I see dragons
that curl their tails
as they go slithering by.

What do you see
in the clouds so high?
What do you see? Tell me, do.

Oh, I see caballitos
that race the wind
high in the shimmering blue.


Colors Crackle, Colors Roar

Red shouts a loud, balloon-round sound.
Black crackles like noisy grackles.
Café clickety-clicks its wooden sticks.
Yellow sparks and sizzles, tzz-tzz.
White sings, Ay, her high, light note.
Verde rustles leaf-secrets, swhish, swhish.
Gris whis-whis-whispers its kitten whiskers.
Silver ting-ting-a-ling jingles.
Azul coo-coo-coos like pajaritos do.
Purple thunders and rum-rum-rumbles.
Oro blares, a brassy, brass tuba.
Orange growls its striped, rolled roar.
Colors Crackle. Colors Roar.

Many people (including me!) will be celebrating Día this year by reading Pat's new book, Book Fiesta!: Celebrate Children's Day/Book Day; Celebremos El dia de los ninos/El dia de los libros. Illustrated by Rafael López, this book celebrates children and reading. It even includes a letter from Pat with suggestions for celebrating Día. You can hear echos of Pat's "Song for April 30th" in the text of this vibrant book. It begins this way.

Hooray! Today is our day.
¡El día de los niños!
Let's have fun today
reading our favorite books.
Toon! Toon!

¡Viva! Hoy es nuestro día.
¡El día de los niños!
Nos vamos a divertir,
con nuestros libros favoritos.
¡Tun! ¡Tun!


We read in English and Spanish
in Chinese and Navajo too.
We read by ourselves,
we read with a friend,

Leemos en inglés y en español
en chino y en navajo también.
Leemos solitos
o con un amigo,

Here's wishing you a fabulous Día and, to use Pat's word, much bookjoy today and the whole year through.

To learn more about Pat and her work, consider visiting these sites.

• Pat's web site
• Video interview with ¡Colorín Colorado!
• Biography at VG: Voices from the Gap
  
• Profile at Poets.org
• National Book Festival webcast (2005)
• National Book Festival webcast (2002)
• Original poem written for the April shindig at Gotta Book.
  

Please give a rousing cheer to Pat for launching Día 13 years ago and for participating in the Poetry Makers series.

All poems ©Pat Mora. All rights reserved.

Poetry Makers - Mary Ann Hoberman

As April nears its end, I am delighted that Mary Ann Hoberman, the current Children's Poet Laureate and 2003 winner of the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children is joining us. Let's start with an interview from the March 30th edition of Barnes & Noble Tagged. You'll find a brief conversation with Mary Ann through about minute 3:40, and then an original poem called "A Confession" beginning around minute 6:45.

Before we look at some of Mary Ann's work, let's learn a bit more about her.

***************

How did you get started writing poetry?
Mary Ann: As I say on my website, I was writing poems, and songs and stories, even before I learned to write, making them up in my head and telling and singing them to myself, to my imaginary playmate/brother, Billy, and to my real little brother, Joel. I can't remember a time when I wasn't in love with words.

Who/what made you want to write?
Mary Ann: Looking back, I think it was loving fairy tales so much that gave me the idea that I could be a writer, too. Even though fairy and folk tales are usually anonymous, in the two books of them that I possessed as a small child (and still have, by the way!), some of them were credited to specific authors. My third story book, also still on my bookshelf, was by Hans Christian Andersen, very much an author of his own tales! I loved all of these stories so much that I decided that I, too, wanted to be a writer when I grew up.

What got you hooked on children’s poetry?
Mary Ann: Getting hooked on poetry itself must be genetic. I have always loved rhyme and rhythm and music and song. Getting hooked on writing poetry for children arrived at the same time as my own children did. From the time they were tiny, I began to make up little verses and songs for them. For a long time I never wrote these bits and pieces down, just carried them around in my head and brought them out on walks and car trips and at bedtime. And then I got the idea for my first book, "All My Shoes Come in Two's," and asked my husband, Norm to draw some illustrations. I mailed the manuscript off to a publisher, it was accepted, and that's how I began writing for children.

Have you had any formal poetry training? If not, how did you learn to write what you do?
Mary Ann: I was writing poetry long before I knew anything about the terminology and forms of poetry. When I eventually discovered iambs and dactyls and stresses and poetic forms, I discovered that I had been using these devices unknowingly all along. Even now, it is only after the fact that I discover what categories the verses I have written might fall into. Of course I deliberately turn my hand and mind to a sonnet or a limerick every once in a while, but mostly I follow where the cadence leads me and only afterward do I sometimes bother to put a label to what I have written.

Can describe your poetry writing process?
Mary Ann: A rhythm pops into my head, sometimes clothed in words, sometimes not, and I take it from there. It is a delightful way to occupy one's time, turning over sounds and meanings and rhythms, tasting them in your mind's mouth, hearing them in your mind's ear. Unless I am writing on some sort of assignment, I generally wait for the poem to find me, rather than go in search of the poem. And even for an assignment, I must depend on something rising up from the depths of my mind, some cadence or combination of words, before I can proceed.

What are the things you enjoy most about writing poetry for children/young adults?
Mary Ann: There is very little I don't enjoy about this occupation! I have said many times that I consider myself very lucky to have been able to make a vocation out of something I so love to do. Word play, playing with language, getting it right, and sending it out into the world in a beautiful book, illustrated by some of the most talented artists in the field. What could be better than that?

Do you have a favorite among all the poems/poetry books you have written?
Mary Ann: My favorite poems are "Brother" and "Mayfly." My favorite book (although choosing one is like asking a mother who her favorite child is!) is probably HELLO AND GOOD-BY, my third book, illustrated with black and white line drawings by my husband, published in 1959 and long out of print. It contains many of my favorite poems, the ones written when my kids were tiny, and it is a tiny book itself, small enough to fit into a child's hands.

Would you like to share the details of any new poetry project(s) that you’re working on?
Mary Ann: This summer ALL KINDS OF FAMILIES! will come out, illustrated by Marc Boutavant, a brilliant French artist, and published by Little, Brown. In the fall, a poetry anthology edited by me and Linda Winston, THE TREE THAT TIME BUILT, will be published by Sourcebooks. This is a collection of poems and comments on science, nature, and imagination, laying particular stress on Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution in this, the bicentennial year of his birth and the 150th anniversary of THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES. I am really excited about both of these books!

Pop Quiz!
Your favorite dead poet?
Mary Ann: Edward Lear

Your favorite place to write?
Mary Ann: Wherever there's sunshine.

Favorite quote on writing/poetry?
Mary Ann: “My first thought about art, as a child, was that the artist brings something into the world that didn't exist before, and that he does it without destroying anything else. A kind of refutation of the conservation of matter. That still seems to me its central magic, its core of joy." --John Updike

Your nominee for the next Children’s Poet Laureate?
Mary Ann: You don't really expect me to tell, do you?

***************
Mary Ann published her first book, All My Shoes Come in Twos, fifty two years ago. Since then she has authored more than fifty children's poetry books and picture books in verse. One of her books, A House Is a House for Me, won the 1983 National Book Award in the category of children's picture books paperbacks (the last year such an award was given). Her first novel, Strawberry Hill, will be released this July. While a number of her older poetry collections are out of print, many of the poems from them were collected in the book The Llama Who Had No Pajama: 100 Favorite Poems. Two of Mary Ann's favorite poems can be found in this book, so I'll share them first!

Brother

I had a little brother
And I brought him to my mother
And I said I want another
Little brother for a change.

But she said don't be a bother
So I took him to my father
And I said this little bother
Of a brother's very strange.

But he said one little brother
Is exactly like another
And every little brother
Misbehaves a bit, he said.

So I took the little bother
From my mother and my father
And I put the little bother
Of a brother back to bed.


Mayfly

Think how fast a year flies by
A month flies by
A week flies by
Think how fast a day flies by
A Mayfly’s life lasts but a day
A single day
To live and die
A single day
How fast it goes
The day
The Mayfly
Both of those.
A Mayfly flies a single day
The daylight dies and darkness grows
A single day
How fast it flies
A mayfly’s life
How fast it goes.

There are many terrific poems in this collection. Here are two of my favorites. Whenever I read the first poem I utter a silent apology to the long gone family dog.

When I Need a Real Baby

When I need a real baby
And can't use my brother,
My dog is my baby
And I am his mother.
I give him a bottle,
I brush out his hair,
I put on his diaper
And booties (two pair);
I tie on his bonnet
And button his smock;
Then into his carriage
And off down the block.
I wave to our neighbors
And stop for a chat,
But leave in a rush
At the sight of a cat.
We have a fine time
As I wheel him about
And he makes a fine baby
Until he jumps out.


Changing

I know what I feel like'
I'd like to be you
And feel what you feel like
And do what you do.
I'd like to change places
For maybe a week
And look like your look-like
And speak as you speak
And think what you're thinking
And go where you go
And feel what you're feeling
And know what you know.
I wish we could do it;
What fun it would be
If I could try you out
And you could try me.

Two additional poems from this collection can be found at the Poetry Foundation web site--Fish and The Folk Who Live in Backward Town.

Mary Ann has written poems that cover every topic imaginable, from all kinds of animals (ants, whales, giraffes, penguins, etc. ) to common childhood experiences (sick days, playing dress up, learning to swim, eating vegetables, ice-skating, birthdays, etc.). In everything she writes the reader finds an open door to childhood in all its wonder. The fact that the poems are rhythmic and bouncy and beg to be read aloud just adds to their enjoyment. Here are two of my favorites from the book Fathers, Mothers, Sisters, Brothers: A Collection of Family Poems.

Sick Days

On days when I am sick in bed
My mother is so nice;
She brings me bowls of chicken soup
And ginger ale with ice.

She cuts the crusts off buttered toast
And serves it on a tray
And sits down while I eat it
And doesn't go away.

She reads my favorite books to me;
She lets me take my pick;
And everything is perfect--
Except that I am sick!


My Father

My father doesn't live with us.
It doesn't help to make a fuss;
But still I feel unhappy, plus
I miss him.

My father doesn't live with me.
He's got another family;
He moved away when I was three.
I miss him.

I'm always happy on the day
He visits and we talk and play;
But after he has gone away
I miss him.

In addition to her poetry collections, I am quite fond of the books in the You Read to Me, I'll Read to You series. Titles include You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very Short Stories to Read Together, You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very Short Fairy Tales to Read Together, You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very Short Mother Goose Tales to Read Together, and You Read to Me, I'll Read to You: Very Short Scary Tales to Read Together. Told in two voices, these rhyming stories are meant to be read loud. Each story appears in three colors--one for the first voice/reader, another for the second voice/reader, and a third for when both voices read in unison. When I wanted to encourage my son to read aloud and wanted to introduce more poetry into his book diet, we started with the Very Short Fairy Tales. Now 8, he still loves reading this together, as well as the more recent Short Scary Tales. Here's an excerpt from Very Short Fairy Tales.

The Three Bears

I'm Goldilocks.
I'm Baby Bear.
What pretty fur!
What pretty hair!
Why are you here?
You're in my bed.
I'm in your bed?
That's what I said.
Why are you here?
I lost my way.
I found your house.
And thought I'd stay.
And then you ate
My porridge up
And drank my milk
Right from my cup.

There is nothing to fear here, as these fairy tales all have happy endings.

I've just scratched the tip of the iceberg here. To learn more about Mary Ann and her work, consider visiting these sites.

• Mary Ann's web site
• Poetry Foundation article
• NCTE profile - A Poem is a House for Words
  
• The Poetry of Mary Ann Hoberman at Wild Rose Reader
  
• Interview transcript from TeachingBooks.net
• Video of Mary Ann discussing poetry with Latoyia Edwards
  
• Poetry Foundation video
• Just One More Book!! interview with Mary Ann and Deborah Freedman
  
• Original poem written for the April shindig at Gotta Book
• Mary Ann on self-censorship in writing
  

Many, many thanks to Mary Ann for participating in the Poetry Makers series.

All poems ©Mary Ann Hoberman. All rights reserved.

Poetry Makers - Douglas Florian

I've been lugging books home every weekend to work on my Poetry Makers posts. This weekend my son went through my bag and found 14 books (14!) by Douglas Florian. As he was flipping through beast feast (the winner of the 1995 Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award) he stopped on the anteater page and said, "Mom, don't you just love this stuff?" I replied, "Oh yes, I love him." OOPS! Secret poet crush revealed to 8-year old! So, while son spent the rest of the afternoon giggling, husband just shook his head and (lovingly) said, "Mom, you're such a dork."

Now that I've revealed my super secret poet/artist crush (c'mon, you've all got one, admit it!), I think we should start with a video of Douglas reading from his latest work.

Before we look at Douglas' poetry, let's learn a bit more about him.

***************
How did you get started writing poetry?
Douglas: I first started to love poetry in the fifth grade. Actually it was during my summer vacation between 5th and 6th grade when I wandered into the local library in Queens, New York. It wasn't much of a wander, the library being one block away. Anyway, I came across the witty poetry of Ogden Nash. He peeled my mind. He continues to be my favorite humorous poet.

Who/what made you want to write?
Douglas: When I was in high school I wanted to be a cartoonist. One of my favorite New Yorker cartoonists was James Thurber, who wrote hilarious short stories in addition to his hysterical cartoons. My parents owned Thurber's Alarms and Diversions, which I savored many times. So that was my goal: to be a New Yorker cartoonist and short story writer. I never did sell a short story to The New Yorker, but did eventually draw some cartoons for them. That's how I got to meet the late great Charles Addams.

My first editor, the illustrious Susan Hirshman at Greenwillow also encouraged me to write.

What got you hooked on children’s poetry?
Douglas: A funny thing happened to me. About 30 years ago I was illustrating other people's children's books for Greenwillow and I came across the poetry of Jack Prelutsky. I asked my editor, Libby Shub, if I could illustrate Prelutsky and she said, "Oh, no, there's a whole line of people waiting to do that and James Stevenson already has the job, and he's doing a splendid job." So I decided I would have to write my own poetry to illustrate. Rejection has been very good to me, and now Prelutsky sometimes puts my poems in his books.

That summer I wrote about 500 poems, only about 5 of which have ever been published. I intensely studied all the devises, mechanisms, and foibles in all the children's verse I could get may hands or feet on.

Have you had any formal poetry training? If not, how did you learn to write what you do?
Douglas: In Queens College here in New York City I majored in art, but I did take a course in poetry, which I hated.
The course that is, not poetry.
We studied Milton's epic poem Paradise Lost. I got a D in poetry.

Can describe your poetry writing process?
Douglas: I do an enormous amount of research on my subject. For DINOTHESAURUS this meant going to the American Museum of Natural History several times and reading a great deal of books by paleontologists. The poems emerged from the research, much like a rash or hives. Some poems go through many drafts and revisions. I drove my editor (Andrea Welch) and designers (Ann Bobco and Michael McCartney) crazy with last minute changes. They were very important to the creation of this book.

What are the things you enjoy most about writing poetry for children/young adults?
Douglas: The most enjoyable aspect is hearing children laughing at my poems or noticing things in my art. I also enjoy the letters I get from kids telling me how much they love poetry and painting.

Do you have a favorite among all the poems/poetry books you have written?
Douglas: Actually DINOTHESAURUS is my favorite, and it's my editor Andrea's as well, "hand's down." A recent starred review in Publishers Weekly echoed the idea.

Would you like to share the details of any new poetry project(s) that you’re working on?
Douglas: I'm doing the art now for a book of poetry about trees. It's growing very well, thank you. There's a few surprises in it, but you'll have to wait until next Spring to see how I'm branching out.

Pop Quiz!
Your favorite dead poet?
Douglas: Ogden Nash for humorous poems. Allen Ginsberg for tragic ones. And Shakespeare for LOVE Sonnets.

Your favorite place to write?
Douglas: My favorite place is anywhere. Is anywhere good for you too? All I need is a scrap of paper, a pen, and an idea, and ideas have a way of popping up anywhere they want, uninvited.

Favorite quote on writing/poetry?
Douglas: Writing is easy. All you do is stare at a blank sheet of paper until drops of blood form on your forehead. --Gene Fowler

Your nominee for the next Children’s Poet Laureate?
Douglas: Lee Bennett Hopkins, of course.

***************
My affinity for Douglas' work should come as no surprise to readers of this blog who know of my love for the connection between science and poetry. Douglas has written about seasons, space, animals (hundreds of them!), and dinosaurs in a way that marries a love for language, wordplay, art and content. Don't believe me? Here are just a few examples.

The Sea Horse (from in the swim)

You have
No hooves.
You have no hair.
You don't eat oats.
You don't breathe air.
You hatch from eggs.
You cannot race.
(You have no legs
With which to chase.)
You're not a colt
Nor mare
Nor filly.
You're called a horse.
I call that silly.


Winter Burrows (from Winter Eyes)

Beneath the pond a sleeping frog
Recalls she was a polliwog,
Once wiggling wild beside a log.

The rust fox deep in his hole
Dreams of chasing mouse and mole,
Schemes of racing red-backed vole.

The fat-cheeked chipmunk can be found
Inside her burrow underground.
She dreams without a single sound.

And me, I'm burrowed in my bed
With cozy quilt above my head
And dreams of snowmen, sleigh, and sled.


The Beaver (from mammalabilia)

Wood-chopper
Tree-dropper
Tail-flopper
Stream-stopper


Tree-Tice (from Autumnblings)

One leaf fell,
Then two,
Then three.
Such is autumn industree.
Four leaves fell,
Then five,
Then six.
A tree-tice on
Arithmetics.


The Moon (from Comets, Stars, the Moon, and Mars)

A NEW moon isn't really new,
It's merely somewhat dark to view.

A CRESCENT moon may seem to smile,
Gladly back after a while.

A HALF moon is half-dark, half light,
At sunset look due south to sight.

A FULL moon is a sight to see,
Circular in geometry.

After full, the moon will wane
Night by night, then start again.

In Poetry Rules!, a brief article Douglas wrote for Amazon about writing poetry, he said:

What's the first rule of writing poetry? There are no rules. Poetry rules! In other words, you can spell words wrong, use bad grammar, write words upside-down, or even invent new words. In fact you can do anything you want as long as it makes your poem better. That's called poetic license. Your poetic license lets you drive your poem anywhere you want.

For example, in my book, Laugh-eteria, there's a poem called "Dracula" where I rhyme Dracula with blackula, snackula, and Cadillacula (as a matter of factula). Now, you won't find those words in any dictionary. I made them up!

You can invent new words too. What do you call a hippo with the hiccups? A hiccupotamus. What is an octopus with socks on? A socktopus. And why does an elephant need a big nose? To smellephant.

Here are a few poems containing Douglas' "invented" words. In many cases, these are very playful spellings!

The Ant (from zoo's who)

I wANTed to write
A poem on an ANT.
I'm frANTic--
I cAN'T.


The Rhea (from beast feast)

The rhea rheally isn't strange--
It's just an ostrich rhearranged.


The Bear (from mammalabilia)

Come Septem-bear
I sleep, I slum-bear,
Til winter lum-bears
Into spring.
More than that's
Em-bear-rassing.


Pterosaurs (from Dinothesaurus)
TERR-oh-sawrs (winged lizards)

The pterrifying pterosaurs
Flew ptours the ptime of dinosaurs.
With widespread wings and pteeth pto ptear,
The pterrorized the pteeming air.
They were not ptame.
They were ptenacious--
From the Ptriassic
Pto the Cretaceous.

This last poem is from Douglas' latest book, Dinothesaurus. Leading up to its publication, Douglas shared quite a bit of the artwork and some of the poems on his blog.

I could go on, breaking all kinds of copyright law and expounding on what I love about Douglas' work, but I'll summarize by saying that I'm always entertained and often surprised by what I read. In some cases I feel like he's hit upon a truth that is just so obvious, I'm not sure why I didn't think of it myself.

Since the semester is coming to a close here and we're rushing headlong into summer, I'll share one final poem on what lies ahead.

What I Hate About Summer (from Summersaults)

Skinned knees
Ninety degrees
Long droughts
Blackouts
Dog days
Summer haze
Bee swarms
Thunderstorms
Humid nights
Mosquito bites
Clothes that stick--
I hate that summer goes so quick.

To learn more about Douglas and his work, consider visiting these sites.

• Florian Cafe (Douglas' blog)
• Douglas' web site (artwork galore!)
• One Poet's Process at wordswimmer
  
• Interview at Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast
• Meet Douglas Florian at Embracing the Child
• Interview for Who Wrote That? by Patricia Newman
• Original poem written for the April shindig at Gotta Book (coming tomorrow!)
  

Hats off to Douglas for participating in the Poetry Makers series.

All poems ©Douglas Florian. All rights reserved.

Poetry Makers - Helen Frost

When Diamond Willow won the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award this year, I thought Helen Frost's name sounded vaguely familiar. Much to my dismay, I learned that this wasn't because I knew Helen's poetry (oh, how much I was missing!), but rather because of a number of books on my SON'S bookshelf—Alosaurio/Allosaurus, Estegosaurio/Stegosaurus, Mamut lanudo/Woolly Mammoth, Tigre dientes de sable/Sabertooth Cat, Tiranosaurio rex/Tyrannosaurus Rex, and Triceratops/Triceratops.

Helen has written 130 titles, the majority of them nonfiction titles for Capstone Press. If you do not know her poetry, you're missing something really special.

After picking up Diamond Willow this winter, I sought out and read all ALL of Helen's poetry books to date. I was not disappointed. Before we look at Helen's poetry, let's learn a bit more about her.

***************
How did you get started writing poetry?
Helen: I like William Stafford’s answer to that: What made everyone else stop?

Who/what made you want to write?
Helen: A big pile of shiny paper on the top shelf of a closet and a pen I could scribble with. Someone gave us the paper because there were ten kids in our family and they figured we could use it, which was true. I don’t think we ever used it all—of course we must have, but it felt like an infinite supply. Scribbles evolved into words, words into poems. I still love that feeling of pen in hand moving on paper, creating word-music and images.

What got you hooked on children’s poetry?
Helen: I came to poetry as a child through community and language, the movement and vibrations of the body:

• James James Morrison Morisson Weatherby George DuPree
• By the great gray green banks of the Limpopo River
• Down by the river, down by the sea, Johnny broke a bottle and blamed it on me
• The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want
• Wearing boxes without topses and her shoes were number nine
• When in the morning light I wake, help me the path of love to take
• I jumped over it and you eight it

Have you had any formal poetry training? If not, how did you learn to write what you do?
Helen: Yes. Philip Booth, W.D. Snodgrass, and William Stafford were among my early teachers. I took as many poetry classes in college as we were allowed to take, and attended all the poetry readings. As an adult I went to poetry conferences, took part in workshops and writing groups, read lots of poetry and books about poetry, took part in poetry listservs, subscribed to poetry journals. Although I’m now more often a teacher, I continue to learn in all these ways.

Can describe your poetry writing process?
Helen: I’ll try.

look, listen, walk, swim, play
make a big mess with words
abandon it
come back from another angle and see what happens
try some kind of formal structure
abandon that
forget about the whole thing, it was a stupid idea to begin with and it will never work
remember one line that was kind of interesting
write that down
play with it
see something (often an “edge of sleep” image)
find words to bring the image to paper
keep working
take a nap
get to a point where something makes me laugh and/or cry
tease out that thread
discover an inherent, organic structure
develop further
polish
share
polish
polish
rest

(Either that or sit down and write a poem in one afternoon and think, “That was fun!”)

And I want to add that, for the past ten years, my editor, Frances Foster, and others at FSG, have been an important part of my writing process.

What are the things you enjoy most about writing poetry for children/young adults?
Helen: I love being part of the poetry community for children and adults (young and old), and having a part in letting young people see how they are included in it. I love when children tell me what they have discovered about poetry: “You can say what’s inside you.” Or some of the questions they ask: “Do you ever want to take all your poetry stuff and throw it out the window?”

Sometimes years (even decades) after I have shared poetry with a young person, I will hear how poetry was a lifeline at a time it was most needed.

Do you have a favorite among all the poems/poetry books you have written?
Helen: Not really, but I can mention one I love: the poem on page 107 in Diamond Willow where the mouse says “squeak squeak” and Roxy goes “Arf, arf” and Willow is almost in on the secret between them, but not quite as much as the reader is. The first time I was in a classroom where the students, 5th graders, had read Diamond Willow, a mouse got in the classroom the day of my visit, and all the kids thought it came in because that poem invited it to do so. I’m pretty sure they were right.

Would you like to share the details of any new poetry project(s) that you’re working on?
Helen: Crossing Stones is coming out next fall, so that’s finished. I’m now working hard on The Watching Rock, about two contemporary teenage characters who are descended from Jeannie and Sarah, in The Braid. These three novels-in-poems, and also Diamond Willow, are all related, and work together to portray the ways in which we are all connected. It’s been a five or six year project for me. When I finish The Watching Rock, I’ll probably be ready to work on something completely different.

Pop Quiz!
Your favorite dead poet?
Helen: I’ll name a few I love: Elizabeth Bishop, A.A. Milne, Denise Levertov, Randall Jarrell, Muriel Rukeyser, William Stafford, George Herbert, Gwendolyn Brooks, William Blake, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Emily Dickinson, Langston Hughes, Philip Booth—I have to think hard about who is considered not to be alive right now.

And since I work in the "inter-tidal zone" between poetry and fiction, I want to include Virginia Hamilton, whose novels, especially Sweet Whispers, Brother Rush, feel so much like poetry to me.

Your favorite place to write?
Helen: A clean quiet room.

Favorite quote on writing/poetry?
Helen:
I give you the end of a golden string
Only wind it into a ball:
It will lead you in at Heavens gate,
Built in Jerusalem’s wall.

--William Blake

Your nominee for the next Children’s Poet Laureate?
Helen: I’m glad this isn’t my decision. I can think of at least eight poets I think would be wonderful in that role. And really, I love the way we’re all working together, doing the Laureate work with or without the laurels.

***************
Diamond Willow is a verse novel told in a series of diamond-shaped poems. Within each poem there are a few bold words that, when read from top to bottom, form a poem-within-a-poem. This mini-poem hits right at the heart of larger poem it is contained within. The story follows Diamond Willow, a young girl living in the Alaska wilderness who convinces her parents to let her take the sled dogs to her grandparents' house. Along the way tragedy strikes and Willow must do whatever she can to help her dog Roxy survive. Willow's narrative is told entirely in her diamond-shaped thoughts, but as the story progresses, these are broken up by the voices of animals, animals that bear the names of her ancestors. Here is a poem from the beginning of the book. It's where we learn how Willow feels about dogs.

What
I love
about dogs:
The don't talk
behind your back.
If they're mad at you,
they bark a couple times
and get it over with. It's true
they slobber on you sometimes.
(I'm glad people don't do that.) They
jump out and scare you in the dark. (I know,
I should say me, not "you"—some people aren't
afraid of anything.) But dogs don't make
fun of you. They don't hit you in the back
of your neck with an ice-covered
snowball, and if they did, and
it made you cry, all their
friends wouldn't stand
there laughing
at you.
(Me.)

Here is one of my favorite poems from the book.

Look!
Where?
What is it?
An animal . . .
a streak of gold.
Roxy growls deep
in her throat, like she did
in the middle of the night.
We slow down and stare into
the forest—the lynx stares back
at us. When we move on and speed
up, so does it. It's sleek, graceful
moving beside us and keeping up.
I know we're strong enough
to outrun it if we want to,
but I don't think
I want
to.

I followed my reading this amazing book with Keesha's House, a 2004 Printz honor book. Keesha lives in a home where troubled teens can feel accepted. She takes on the responsibility of caring for others who find their way to this haven. The poems in the book, written in the form of sestinas and sonnets, tell the story of the residents. Here is one of the sonnets.

Not Much I Can Do
(Mrs. Goldstein - Katie's English Teacher)

Katie used to be among the best
students in my sophomore honors class.
Her work was careful, A's on every test,
good writer, conscientious. For the last
few weeks, or maybe months--when did this start?--
her grades have fallen, first to C's, now D's.
She's not doing the reading; there's no heart
behind her writing. She's in class, but she's
half asleep, and when I ask her to stay
after school, she says sorry, she can't
she has to be at work by three o'clock.
She didn't turn her paper in today.
It's half her midterm grade. I guess I'll grant
her extra time. She doesn't want to talk.

This is a tough book to read, but with the turn of a page it moves from gritty to heartfelt and back again. It is a roller coaster ride of emotion. Helen clearly has her finger on the pulse of adolescents in this book, writing about the hardships they face, the harsh realities of life, the ways in which they deal with whatever is thrown at them, and the immense wells of strength and courage they draw upon.

Other poetry books of Helen's include Spinning Through the Universe and The Braid. Spinning Through the Universe is a verse novel that introduces readers to a fifth grade teacher and her students as they talk about their lives at home and at school. This book uses an amazing 22 poetic forms to tell the stories! The Braid is the story of two sisters, separated by an ocean during the 1850s. The stories of Sarah and Jeannie are told in alternating narrative poems, which are braided at the edges. Between the narratives are praise poems. In the “Notes On Form” Helen writes, “I invented a formal structure for this book, derived in part from my admiration of Celtic knots”.

Invented indeed. This is precisely what I have fallen in love with in Helen's work. She has pushed the edges of creativity and imagination and given us much that is truly new. If you aren't familiar with Helen's poetry, or haven't taken the time to read it, I hope you will. I feel as though I've discovered a hidden gem in finding my way to her work. I know you will feel the same.

To learn more about Helen and her work, you can visit these sites.

• Helen's web site
• Macmillan books Author profile
• Interview with SLJ
  

Many thanks to Helen for participating in the Poetry Makers series.

All poems ©Helen Frost. All rights reserved.

Poetry Makers - Marilyn Nelson

Today the amazingly talented Marilyn Nelson is celebrating a birthday. This then, is the perfect day to celebrate her work. First published in 1978, Marilyn has authored 19 titles, been a 3-time National Book Award finalist, a 3-time recipient of the Coretta Scott King Author Award, a Newbery Medal honoree, a Michael L. Printz honoree, a recipient of the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award, the poet laureate of the state of Connecticut, and more! WOW!

I have long had an interest in African American scientists and inventors, so finding Marilyn's book Carver: A Life in Poems was a revelation. Finally, here was the story of a remarkable man in language as inspiring as his life! Here is an excerpt.

A Charmed Life

Here breathes a solitary pilgrim sustained by dew
and the kindness of stranger. An astonished Midas
surrounded by exponentially multiplying miracles: my
Yucca and Cactus in the Chicago World Exposition;
friends of the spirit; teachers. Ah, the bleak horizons of joy.
Light every morning dawns through the trees. Surely
this is worth more than one life.

Before we look at some of Marilyn's work, let's learn a bit more about her.
***************
How did you get started writing poetry?
Marilyn: I started as a child, because I had started reading poetry (we had the Childcraft set of books in our home: volumes 1 and 2 are poetry anthologies).

Who/what made you want to write?
Marilyn: I don’t remember. I think I wanted to write because I loved reading.

What got you hooked on children’s poetry?
Marilyn: Childcraft books got me started reading poetry: some, but not all, written for children. I started publishing poetry for the y/a audience by accident: a book I had written for adults (Carver: A Life in Poems) was taken by a publisher (Front Street Books) which published only for children and young adults.

Have you had any formal poetry training? If not, how did you learn to write what you do?
Marilyn: I have a Ph.D. in English literature, but have not studied poetry writing, per se.

Can describe your poetry writing process?
Marilyn: I usually do a lot of research before I start writing. I hand-write many drafts, on yellow legal pads. I use a rhyming dictionary. I count meter on my fingers. I often consult my notes on historical events.

What are the things you enjoy most about writing poetry for children/young adults?
Marilyn: I’ve written several books based on historical research, most of them about African-American history. I enjoy doing the research and trying to bring events and persons to life in verse.

Do you have a favorite among all the poems/poetry books you have written?
Marilyn: The favorite is always the most recent, of course. But I like best the books which forced me to grow. One of my “grown-up” books, Magnificat, is, for me, a record of struggle and growth. And I learned and grew a lot during the four or five years when I was researching and writing Carver.

Would you like to share the details of any new poetry project(s) that you’re working on?
Marilyn: I’ve just completed a book about Seneca Village, an African-American village in Manhattan, 1825–1857. About twenty years after its first settlement, the African American villagers were joined by immigrants from Germany and Ireland, and the village was peacefully integrated. It was destroyed in the construction of Central Park.

Pop Quiz!
Your favorite dead poet?
Marilyn: Rainer Maria Rilke. Robert Hayden.

Your favorite place to write?
Marilyn: My attic writing room. Before I moved to the house where I now live, I had a little tower – sort of a playhouse on stilts -- in the woods behind the house I used to live in.

Favorite quote on writing/poetry?
Marilyn: "We must labor to be beautiful." - Yeats

***************
After finding Carver, I didn't hesitate to pick up Marilyn's poetry books. Fortune’s Bones: The Manumission Requiem was commissioned by the Mattatuck Museum. Marilyn received a grant from the Connecticut Commission on the Arts to write a poem in commemoration of Fortune's life. The Manumission Requiem is the result. Here's what Marilyn has to say about it in the author's note.

A requiem, by definition, is sad; the person it honors has died. But manumission--the freeing of a slave--is a joyous event. By calling this the The Manumission Requiem, I'm setting grief side by side with joy. I'm trying to imitate a traditional New Orleans brass band jazz funeral. When the mourners follow the body to the cemetery, they are solemn and sorrowful, and so is the music. But after the burial, after they leave the cemetery, the music becomes jubilant. The mourners dance joyfully through the streets in what the call a "second-line parade." And crowds of people, passers-by, strangers, come out and join them. What was a dirge for the dead becomes a celebration of life.

There is sadness and joy in this book, but the book does celebrate Fortune, and ultimately the ending is freeing. Here is an excerpt from the poem entitled "Not My Bones."

I was not this body,
I was not these bones.
This skeleton was just my
temporary home.
Elementary molecules converged for a breath,
then danced on beyond my individual death.
And I am not my body,
I am not my body.

We are brief incarnations,
we are clouds in clothes.
We are water respirators,
we are how earth knows.
I bore light passed on from an original flame;
while it was in my hands it was called by my name.
But I am not my body,
I am not my body.
.
.
.
You are not your body,
you are not your bones.
What's essential about you
is what can't be owned.
What's essential in you is your longing to raise
your itty-bitty voice in the cosmic praise.
For you are not your body,
you are not your body.

There is a good deal of history in this book. The left page in each spread contains facts about the time, place, museum and Fortune's bones. The Afterword contains a short note from the Executive Director of the Mattatuck Museum on the commissioning of the poem and the history of the project. You can learn more about Fortune's bones in this NPR story and at the Fortune's Story web site.

One of the things I love about Marilyn's work is her emphasis on history--real people and real places. Learning about the past through poetry puts the story back in the word history, particularly when it's told so eloquently.

It was A Wreath for Emmett Till that made me see the impact that reading poetry could have on my understanding of the past. Never before has a poem or series of poems made me feel so unsettled, discouraged, and angry. Reading them is a difficult thing to do, but when I got to the end I was reminded of the difference that one person can make, and the responsibility we all have to our fellow man.

A Wreath for Emmett Till is a heroic crown of sonnets, or a sequence of 15 sonnets that are interlinked like a normal crown of sonnets, except in the heroic crown the last sonnet is made entirely from the first lines of the previous 14 sonnets. Marilyn's heroic crown is even more remarkable because the last sonnet is an acrostic that spells out “RIP Emmett L. Till.”

One of the sonnets in this crown is written from the perspective of the tree witnessing the lynching, and echoes some of the sentiments expressed in Paul Laurence Dunbar's poem The Haunted Oak.

Pierced by the screams of a shortened childhood,
my heartwood has been scarred for fifty years
by what I heard, with hundreds of green ears.
That jackal laughter. Two hundred years I stood
listening to small struggles to find food,
to the songs of creature life, which disappears
and comes again, to the music of the spheres.
Two hundred years of deaths I understood.
Then slaughter axed one quiet summer night,
shivering the deep silence of the stars.
A running boy, five men in close pursuit.
One dark, five pale faces in the moonlight.
Noise, silence, back-slaps. One match, five cigars.
Emmett Till's name still catches in the throat.

Take a few minutes to watch Marilyn read an excerpt from A Wreath for Emmett Till.
You can also listen to Marilyn read A Wreath for Emmett Till at NPR.

If you aren't familiar with Marilyn's work, or haven't taken the time to read it, I hope you will. You can learn more about Marilyn and her work by visiting these sites.

• Soul Mountain Retreat
• Interview at The Brown Bookshelf
• NPR story on A Wreath for Emmett Till
  
• Profile at Poets.org
• CCBC Meet the Experts interview
• Author study guide at the National Book Foundation
  
• Poetry Foundation podcast
• Interview transcript at TeachingBooks.net
  

A rousing chorus of Happy Birthday and several hearty cheers for Marilyn. Thank you so much for participating in the Poetry Makers series.

All poems ©Marilyn Nelson. All rights reserved.