Well, I thought I was putting a great big red bow on National Poetry Month last week when we celebrated two new children's poetry anthologies, Bless the Earth (Convergent/Penguin, 2024) and Bless our Pets: Poems of Gratitude for our Animal Friends (Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2024).
But following a recent school visit to West Fairlee, Vermont for a day of poetry workshops, I figured I should probably extend the poetry month festivities and share some of the poems the students and I crowd-sourced this week!
I had been invited to visit Westshire Elementary School, just over the New Hampshire border, to chat with students about writing, poetry, and my journey as an author. So I shared some of my poems along with the many reasons I love poetry, and then we took 10-15 minutes and crafted our little poems, right there on the spot.
As I've mentioned in past posts like this one and this one, I often use what I call the MBOE (Most Boring Object Ever) as a way to start thinking creatively. If something as mundane as a hair tie or a chewed-up eraserless pencil can inspire poetry, then pretty much anything can!
So this time, the 4th & 5th-graders chose a piece of dirt as the MBOE. We brainstormed ideas about what it could be - both literally and figuratively - and then started looking for connections and commonalities. I then did the same thing with the preK, K, and 1st-graders, followed by the 2nd and 3rd-graders - both of whom used a piece of driftwood I had brought with me.
Here's what we came up with:
Piece of Dirt (4th & 5th)
Ants, worms,
.....dandelions, too -
call it home.
Protecting,
.....feeding,
holding us together
here on Earth.
.....
Driftwood (preK-1st)
Dead branch,
fence post,
an island tree,
fishing rod,
weapon -
what might you be?
.....
Driftwood (2nd & 3rd)
A century ago,
I was a home -
chair, shelf,
.....gate
my family -
until the storm.
.....
Didn't they do a great job? These are based on list poems or "re-name it" poems, whereby the students try to come up with as many different things an object could be - or ways of describing the object - and then using some of those ideas as the basis for their poem.
I need this in my office.
Not bad for 10-15 minutes of crowd-sourcing, I'd say.
And as many times as I've done this with different grades in different classes in different schools - I have yet to ever get stumped and not be able to come up with a half-decent poem. (If you'd be interested in having me visit YOUR school, scroll down for the details!)
Well done, kids!
The REALLY cool thing was that my local indie bookstore, MainStreet BookEnds of Warner, NH, donated 75 copies of I Am Today (POW! Kids Books, 2022) so that EACH STUDENT could take one home with them. Talk about an incredible act of kindness!
If you'd like to see more photos of the event, check out the school's Facebook post about it. And for today's complete Poetry Friday roundup, head on over to Buffy Silverman's blog where she has all the poetry links and fun - including a story about a hognose snake in three acts!
~~ 2024 SCHOOL VISIT dates still available! ~~
I still have a few dates still available for author visits for the 2024 spring semester! If you think your school might be interested in having me visit, check out all the presentations I offer, then email me at Matt (at) MattForrest (dot) com!
I love chatting with elementary and middle school classes about writing: why poetry is fun to read and write, the importance of revision, and how imagination and creativity can lead to fantastic careers! My presentations are tailored to fit the needs of the classes and students' ages. One day I might be sharing details of how a picture book like Flashlight Night (Astra Young Readers, 2017) was created; the next, I'll be discussing dinosaur breath or crafting origami sea turtles!
Student presentations include:
- The Making of a Picture Book
- How a Child Saved a Book
- "Once Upon Another Time"
- The Most Important Thing about Writing Poetry
- "I Am Today"
- "A Beginner's Guide to Being Human"
- "Everybody Counts: Counting to 10 in Twelve Languages"
Adult presentations include:
- The Making of a Picture Book
- The Most Important Thing about Writing Poetry
- Free Yourself with Free Verse
- Tight Language, Loose Narratives: Crafting a Non-Traditional Picture Book
Learn more at MattForrest.com!
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I'm now on BOOKSHOP!
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I'm also very happy to be part of the BOOKROO family!
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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 here to view all my books and to order!
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?)
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Thank you to everyone for your support!
FLASHLIGHT NIGHT:
DON'T ASK A DINOSAUR:
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