Poetry Friday: Take Two: A Celebration of Twins

I’m happy to be sharing Take Two! A Celebration of Twins, a brand new poetry collection by two of our most beloved and prolific poets, J. Patrick Lewis and Jane Yolen. I know those two names alone will make you want to order this book right away!

The collection is divided into sections: “Twins in the Waiting Womb,” “Twinfants,” How to Be One,” and “Famous Twins.” All forty-four poems are just delightful! Topics range from twins in waiting, to learning and growing together, to seeking individuality. The illustrations by Sophie Blackall (of Ivy & Bean fame) are sure to entice even the most reluctant readers. I also love the facts about twins sprinkled throughout the book!

I asked Pat a few questions about the collection, and he was so kind  (as always) to respond quickly so I could post this today. (Thanks, Pat.) I think you’ll enjoy his responses.

1. You've written several poetry collections with other poets including: Jane Yolen, Rebecca Kai Dotlich, and Paul Janeczko. How is the process of co-authoring a poetry collection different from writing solo? What are the joys and challenges of working on a project with another poet?

Collaboration is probably the wrong word to use (though I use it all the time) because the process does not involve two people slaving back and forth over the same poem.Think of these co-authored books as just that: a collection of individual poems, half written by one poet, and the second half by the other poet.

2. Which of the poems you wrote for the collection is your favorite?

Well, I am a twin (the gods be thanked) so one of my favorites in the book would have to be "Pat and Mike," even though I've played fast and loose with my twin's and my respective facts. The longer poems about Cynthia and her sister getting baths isn't bad, I think. And I do like the villanelle about the two young twins who teach each other everything.
3. You've mentioned that your brother is your first reader. Did he offer any advice/suggestions for this collection?
Oh, I pass everything I write along to him first to see what his reaction will be. Since I value his judgement more than anyone else's, I'm eager to get his take on my work. If he says it's fine, then I'm happy. If he says it needs more work, then I get back to work on the poem.

Now, without further delay, I'll share one of the poems Pat wrote that is one of his favorites (but not "Pat and Mike," I'll  keep that one a surprise for you to discover when you get your copy of the book). 

We Learned to Sing

We learned the alphabet; we learned to sing
Because my twin had called it "double-play."
We taught each other almost everything.

I showed her how to push me in the swing.
She's smart. She learned it quickly, the same way
We learned the alphabet and learned to sing.

And entertain with puppets on a string.
Our mom and dad came for the matinee!
We taught each other almost everything.

Remember how it stung— that first bee sting?
But there she was, and it was like the day
We learned the alphabet and learned to sing.

If she was some bright bird, I was the wing.
If I was like a model, she was clay.
We taught each other almost everything.

From summer, autumn, winter into spring.
and after kindergarten we would say
The alphabet together and we'd sing.

This poem has its own familiar ring—
Two twins who stick together come what may.
We learned the alphabet and learned to sing.
We taught each other almost everything.

           -J Patrick Lewis. all rights reserved

Isn't that lovely?  I especially like the lines:
If she was some bright bird, I was the wing.
If I was like a model, she was clay.

Jane was also very kind to respond in time for me to include her favorite among the poems she wrote for the collection.  Check out the clever wordplay.  I can't wait to try this as a choral reading activity with my sixth grade group. I think I'll divde the class into two groups and have them alternate reading a line at a time. What do you think, would that work?

Twinfestation

Some time we twincubate in Mom,
   For not quite a year;
The twindow opens up for us,
   We twinstantly appear.

Not yet quite twindividuals,
   So twinsomely we smile
With winning twincandescence,
   They let us stay awhile.

And soon, from spring to twinter,
   We've lived with them so long,
This small twinfestation
   No longer seems so wrong.

-Jane Yolen, all rights reserved

Wow! Jane's poetry is always amazing, inspiring, and surprising!  Can't you just imagine kids making up their own "twin" words after reading this poem? 

 No matter if you're a twin or a singleton, I know you'll enjoy reading Take Two! A Celebration of Twins.

Poetry Friday: Love Poems

Valentine's Day is just around the corner so I thought Id share a few of my favorite collections of love poems.  Readers of all ages are sure to fall in love with these books!

Valentine Hearts selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins  is perfect for young readers because they will relate to poems about everything from heart-shaped sandwiches to  hoping for a special valentine and a love note for a special pet. I am honored to have a poem included in this very gorgeous little book.

Singing Valentine
Outside my window
on the icy ground below
a little bird sings:

   "Chick-a-dee
          
                        dee

                            dee

     Chick-a-dee

                       dee

                            dee."

A valentine melody
          just for me!

Linda Kulp, all rights reserved

Hopscotch Love:  A Family Treasury in Love Poems by Nikki Grimes is a true “valentine delight” with poems about many different types of love.  The rhymed and unrhymed poems are written in variety of  forms including: letter poem, list, and free verse.  I love the vivid imagery and deep emotions in this collection.  Here is the beginning of one of my favorite poems from the collection.

Sweethearts Dance

He pulls her close
           She strokes his face
Their thoughts fly to
           Their starting place

Read the rest of the poem here, and you'll see why I'm such a big Nikki Grimes fan.

It's getting late and this teacher needs her sleep so here is a quick list of some other wonderful titles you'll want to check out.

Young Adults

I Am Wings and buried alive both by Ralph Fletcher
A Lion’s Hunger: Poems of First Love by Ann Turner
Partly Cloudy: Poems of Love and Longing by Gary Soto

Also check out: Love Poems by Charles Ghigna. After you read these beautiful poems, you might want to pen your own poem for someone you love.  Charles provides us with inspiration and advice here.

Note- I found this collection about ten years ago while browsing the poetry section in my local Borders. I think it's very unfortunate that so many book stores have closed.  I used to have a lot of fun discovering treasures such as this one.

If you have other favorite collections of love poetry for children and young adults, please share the titles with me so I can add them to my bookshelf.
Okay, it's now way past my bedtime. I apologize for any typos.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Empty Spaces

A new year brings a sense of hope, a fresh start, and time to reflect on our lives. Lately, I've been reflecting on why I write. Last year, I took a much needed hiatus from sharing my writing. After decades of searching to find my place in the world of writing without success, I needed a new approach. I wrote a few blog posts, some poems and stories for my students, and newsletter articles for school, but I didn't submit anything to publishers.

I stopped submitting, but I didn't stop writing. I wrote just about every day, but it was for my eyes only. I wrote poems, essays, stories, and letters. I never once had writer’s block, and I didn’t worry if my words were good enough. My writing had purpose and meaning. I wrote about my childhood and how it made me who I am today. I wrote about being a frightened and lonely teenager. I wrote about falling in love, the rewards of raising my sons, caring for an aging parent, and my own fears of growing old. The more I wrote, the more I understood that writing is not just my hobby, it’s my way of life. I write when I’m happy. I write when I afraid, when I’m lonely, angry, confused… I write to remember, to release, to recover. Writing fills the empty spaces in a way nothing else can.  The way I think about myself as a writer has changed. I'll write more about that in a future post. But, most importantly, I have learned that for me, the only story I can write is my own, and maybe my story will fill the empty spaces for someone who reads it. 

"Every Craftsman" by Rumi speaks to the ways people try to fill the empty spaces. Here are the first seventeen lines. You can click on the link to read the rest of the poem.

Every Craftsman

I've said before that every craftsman
searches for what's not there
to practice his craft.

A builder looks for the rotten hole
where the roof caved in. A water-carrier
picks the empty pot. A carpenter
stops at the house with no door.

Workers rush toward some hint
of emptiness, which they then
start to fill. Their hope, though,
is for emptiness, so don't think
you must avoid it. It contains
what you need!
Dear soul, if you were not friends
with the vast nothing inside,
why would you always be casting you net
into it, and waiting so patiently?



My search for the poem led me to Writing and Healing,  a wonderful blog that inspired this post. It's worth checking out!
For more poetry check out Teaching Authors.

Happy New Year!

 One of my goals for 2012 is to take more photos of my mother. I'm also keeping a journal of our time together to pass along to my granddaughter so she'll be able to know her great-grandma.

Not Just Another "Auld Lang Syne"

                                                                   

Every New Year’s Eve, I sit down with my journal and reflect on the past year- successes and failures, joys and sorrows.  At midnight, I watch the ball drop in Times Square as the band plays, “Auld Lang Syne”  and cry. That song always makes me cry. It reminds me of friends and family I’ve lost and regrets from years past.

By New Year’s morning, I’m ready for a fresh start.  I sit down with a cup of tea and scribble the same old resolutions into a brand-new journal: lose 30 lbs., figure out what I should write, and work on gaining self-confidence.  I make a plan of action and feel sure I can do it this time. But, my first resolution is usually abandoned by the end of the day, the second within a week, and the third one never gets its start.

As each month ends in failure, I reword my resolutions breaking them down into smaller ones so they’ll be easier to achieve. I tell myself a litany of excuses: I don’t have time to exercise, I need to learn more before I can start a writing project, I don’t have any willpower, and so on. You’ve heard the saying, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” Well, that’s pretty much, what I was doing, and it took thirty long years to realize it.

2011 was a year of change. I finally realized I had to do things differently.  My health and happiness were at stake. It wasn’t easy, but I tackled one goal at a time. I set new priorities. There were setbacks and times I felt like giving up, but I didn’t.  I just kept going until I achieved what I set out to do. I had been looking for answers outside myself.  When I changed my thinking, things began to fall into place.

This year, when I sit down with my journal, I’ll write about how good it feels: to lose over forty pounds, to work on writing projects I love, and to feel a little more confident.  As the ball drops in Times Square, and the band plays “Auld Lang Syne,” I’ll still cry for loved ones love we lost, but I won’t cry tears of regret.  I do have one small problem, now I need to come up with some new resolutions. 

You can listen to a lovely Scottish version  of "Auld Lang Syne: here.

If you'd like to read more about the poem, go here.

(I've been away from blogging for several months, and Blogger has made a lot of changes. I tried to get the video on here but couldn't get it to work. I apologize for having to send you to the link.)

Poetry Friday: A GIRL NAMED MISTER

I'm a big fan of novels-in-verse. I’ve read dozens and have an entire bookshelf full of them to prove it! Novels-in-verse are gaining popularity with teens for the same reasons I love them:  they are fast reads, character-driven, offer a strong voice, often deal with tough subject matter, and pack a lot of emotion a small space. 

Now that I have a Kindle, I can read while I'm on the treadmill.  It's been great because I can do something I love while I'm doing something I'm not so crazy about. This summer I spent a lot of time on the treadmill, lost twenty-two pounds, and read a bunch of novels-in-verse!  I enjoyed all of them, but there was one so special  that as soon as I came to the last page, I just had to read it again.

That novel is A GIRL NAMED MISTER by award-winning poet and author Nikki Grimes. If you haven't read it yet, you're missing a great read. There is so much to love about this story.  If you're familiar with Nikki's work, you already her poems and stories are filled with surprises and powerful emotions. When I’m reading her writing, I always feel like narrator is sitting next to me telling his/her story.

Mary Rudine is the main character.  Her voice and personality emerge from the beginning in a  poem where she explains how she came to be known as "Mister."

Blame it on my mother.
She's the one who named me
Mary Rudine.
The name is some throwback
her old-fashioned thinking
came up with.
Nobody but Mom
has called me Mary Rudine
since forever.
First it was Mary,
then it was M.R.
Mister is all anybody
calls me now.

Mister's life revolves around the church. She sings in the choir, attends video night, and wears a purity ring. But lately she's been wondering if something is missing. Like most teens, she longs to explore where she fits in the world.

Restless

I turned the music
of the world
way up,
my feet itching to dance
to a new rhythm,
something other than
gospel.

Then she meets Trey who sweeps her off her feet, and she begins to question her beliefs.  He pressures her until she finally gives in. She becomes pregnant and her life is changed forever.

This could have been just another story about teenage pregnancy, but then that wouldn’t have been a Nikki Grimes’ story. Instead, she brilliantly weaves a story within a story as Mister searches for answers by reading a book of poems from the perspective of the Virgin Mary.

Suddenly, the reader is transported back thousands of years where Mary tells her own story.  I had never thought about the fear, shame, and confusion young Mary must have experienced being unwed and expecting a child. But that’s what great literature does, it gets you thinking in brand new ways.

Something I especially love is how through the parallel stories of Mister and Mary, the reader comes to realize the human experience hasn’t changed through time. Our stories are universal. We love, we fear, we question just as those who came before us did.  I believe every reader will connect to the emotions in this novel.

I won't give away the ending, but I'm hoping Nikki might write a sequel to this story someday.  I want to know what happens to Mister and the baby.

I try to "read like a writer."  So, I always look at techniques the author uses to bring a story to life and try to apply them to my own writing. I had some questions and Nikki was very kind to answer them for me.

1. Mary Rudine’s personality pops off the page from the very first poem where she explains how she came to be called Mister. How do you create a distinctive voice for each of your characters?


The voices come to me. It's the details I add: the family history, the back-story, the environment, etc. But the voice, that's a gift. I think it comes from a life-time of honing my writer's ear. I'm always listening to the way people speak, to their dialect, the nuances of their speech patterns, etc. I have a reservoir of voices in my mind, just waiting to be take up residence in whatever character I choose.

2. I love the parallel stories of Mister and the Virgin Mary. Why did you choose to write a story within a story? What were the challenges in doing this? Did you write each story separately, or did you alternate the way it appears in the novel?

I love working in multiple voices. I begin working on each separately, then weave the two together. As in Dark Sons, I wanted to explore the ways in which characters separated by thousands of miles, and thousands of years, are, in fact, alike. The universality of characters and story always interests me. The challenge, here, was to keep the dialogue authentic to the period for each character.

3.What are the challenges of writing a novel in verse? Do you write the entire story first, or do the revisions for each poem before moving on to the next one?

The main challenge in writing a story in verse is to strike a balance between storytelling and poetry. It would be easy for the mechanics of the story to overwhelm the text so that the poetry is lost. I've read any number of books that propose to be novels-in-verse, but which are, in fact, books of broken prose. One easy way to mark the difference is the absence, or presence, of metaphors. If you go 20, 30, 40 pages without encountering a metaphor, the book is not a novel in verse!


In the first draft, I concentrate on telling the story. With revisions, I begin to hone the poetry, pay more attention to scanning, lyricism, imagery. As I tweak the story, overall, I'm constantly looking to tweak the poetry, as well.

An advanced copy of Nikki's latest novel-in-verse, PLANET MIDDLE SCHOOL arrived in my mailbox today.  I can't wait to start reading it!  PLANET MIDDLE SCHOOL is available on Amazon for pre-order.The release date is Sept. 13.

Nikki Grimes is a New York Times bestselling author and the recipient of the 2006 NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children. Her distinguished works include ALA Notable book What is Goodbye?, Coretta Scott King Award winner Bronx Masquerade, the novels Jazmin's Notebook, Dark Sons,and The Road to Paris (Coretta Scott King Author Honor Books).Creator of the popular Meet Danitra Brown. You can read more about Nikki and her work on her website.

Teachers: If you haven’t discovered the poetry of Nikki Grimes, I hope you’ll take this opportunity to read some of her work. Her poems are very accessible and speak to the heart of a child. I highly recommend SOMETHING ON MY MIND, Dial Books, 1978. This is a collection of poems I’ve used for many years as writing prompts with both elementary and middle school students. My students relate to the emotions and situations in the poems and in response have written their own heartfelt poems and personal narratives. I’ve never had to “make” a child write in response to these poems because they want to tell their stories. Although it’s currently out of print, Amazon has some new and used copies. You could also check your local library. It’s worth the effort. If you’ve already used SOMETHING ON MY MIND with students, I’d love to hear about your experiences.

Poetry Friday: The Silence of War

Every year my students write letters to our soldiers thanking them for the job they do. The kids really put their hearts into the letters and show their support for our military men and women. I can't imagine how lonely they must be so far from home, especially during the holidays.

I was about the age of my students durng the war in Vietnam. It was a time in my life that I'm not proud of. I had the chance to ease the loneliness of one young solider, but I didn't. Something as simple as writing a letter could've made all the difference. Silence can be the worst weapon of all.

After reading the letters my students so wrote, I started working on this poem trying to figure out what I was thinking back then.


The Silence of War

We only dated once before
you enlisted in the Army.
You chose to go.
I kissed you good-bye.

Letters arrived, unexpectedly
postmarked Da Nang
long, lonely letters from Vietnam
long, lonely letters from you.

What did you mean, wait for you?
I wasn't your girl.
At seventeen, I was thinking
pale blue prom dresses

high school graduation
burgundy cap and gown—
not Army dress greens
or camouflage fatigues.

You were on the other side
of the planet— foreign to me
I couldn't promise to wait for you
Your world was not my world.

I didn't want to hurt you.
I didn't want you to think
I was waiting for you—
I didn't write back.

For fifteen months
your letters came.
I read every one.
I saved every one—

Then nothing.
No letters.
No news of you.
Silence—

Yesterday, I saw you
home on leave.
You looked my way,
I turned in shame.

I could’ve made a difference
I could’ve let you know
I really did care—
Even now, I remain silent.