[New post] Poetry Friday: The ROUNDUP is here – and we’re celebrating one whole year of Friends & Anemones!
Matt Forrest Esenwine posted: " One year ago, in the middle of a pandemic, a very unique and fun book arrived on the scene...and today we're celebrating its 1-year birthday! Friends & Anemones: Ocean Poems for Children, created by members of The Writer's Loft in Sherborn, Ma"
With poems and illustrations by more than 60 New England authors and illustrators like Jane Yolen, Heidi E.Y. Stemple, Peter H. Reynolds, Jodie Apeseche, Josh Funk, Bob Thibeault, Lynda Mullaly-Hunt, and many others (including Yours Truly), the book clocks in at a solid 70 pages!
The book is especially dear to my heart, because I didn't just contribute 3 poems; editors Kristen Wixted and Heather Kelly asked author Kip Wilson and I to judge all the submissions, to determine which were the best and which needed some revision. It was quite the time-intensive task (a little consonance there, for you poetry fans), but we had a lot of fun doing it - and were glad we were able to help others in polishing their poems for publication (a little aliteration, as well, just to keep you on your toes).
You can read my interview with Wixted & Kelly HERE and learn about how they came up with the idea, how they navigated the process, and how they managed to pull it all off during a nationwide shutdown!
One of the most impressive spreads in the book features a beautiful illustration by Leanne Leutkemeyer with a poem by Amanda Smith:
And since I've shared my "Goblin Shark" pantoum and "Unmoored" cherita in past blog posts, I thought I'd share my third poem, a haiku:
I love variety (I'm the kind of guy who orders the appetizer sampler at a restaurant because I don't want to miss out on anything!), so I wanted to make sure each poem I submitted was very different in style and form. I figured pantoum/cherita/haiku was a pretty good mix.
If you are new to Friends & Anemones: Ocean Poems for Children, I hope you'll consider picking up a copy - at 70 pages, it's hefty, so you're defintely getting your money's worth. Of course you can order it from Amazon and B&N, but if you purchase it from my hometown indie bookstore, I'd be happy to sign it!
Since it is Poetry Friday, I'm very proud to be hosting the festivities - so you need go no further for today's offical round up! Just leave your links in the comments below and I'll round them up throughout the day, old school-style!
Create an account to add books to wishlists and be notified of special deals and dates…create custom collections…and discover and follow your favorite authors & illustrators!
I continue adding to my "Wit & Wordplay" videos ! These videos were created for parents and educators (along with their kids) to learn how to write poetry, appreciate it, and have fun with it. From alliteration and iambs to free verse and spine poetry, I'm pretty sure there's something in these videos you'll find surprising! You can view them all on my YouTube channel, and if you have young kids looking for something to keep busy with, I also have several downloadable activity sheets at my website.
Ordering personalized signed copies online? Oh, yes, you can!
You can purchase personally-signed copies of Flashlight Night, (Astra Young Readers, 2017), Don't Ask a Dinosaur (Pow! Kids Books, 2018), and nearly EVERY book or anthology I've been part of!
Click any of the covers below to order!
rriving Nov. 30, 2021! Pre-order now!
Just click the cover of whichever book you want and send a comment to the good folks at MainStreet BookEnds in Warner, NH requesting my signature and to whom I should make it out. (alternatively, you can log onto my website and do the same thing) They'll contact me, I'll stop by and sign it, and then they'll ship it! (Plus, you'll be supporting your local bookseller – and won't that make you feel good?)
Did you like this post? Find something interesting elsewhere in this blog? I really won't mind at all if you feel compelled to share it with your friends and followers!
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