It seems like the school year just started, and now here we are, wrapping things up for summer.
What happened??
One minute my kids are just starting to learn what the school bus is all about, and now one is heading to high school and the other is heading to middle school!
And with summer arriving, reading lists are popping up and wanted to share a few that include some of my own books:
We Are Teachers (Flashlight Night)
Kansas NEA Reading Circle – Recommended Title (Flashlight Night)
Literacious: Treehouse Storytime (Flashlight Night)
Fairfax County (VA) Public Library "Picture Walks" (Flashlight Night)
Contented Reader (I Am Today)
Advent Lutheran Church (NYC) (Once Upon Another Time)
Severna Park United Methodist Church "Caring for Creation (Addressing Climate Change)" (Once Upon Another Time)
Compassionate Christianity (Once Upon Another Time)
Book Nerd Mommy "Not-to-be-missed Picture Books" (Night Wishes)
Book Nerd Mommy "Fantastic Poetry Picture Books" (Night Wishes)
Many thanks to all these folks for including my books in their suggested reading!
In other news...
Before we get to today's poem, I need to take a moment and thank my friends Georgia Heard and Rebecca Kai Dotlich for inviting Charles Waters and me to join them at The Poet's Studio for a discussion about poetry anthologies. Charles and I shared our poetry writing journeys and how we approach the tasks of writing for anthologies - as well as how we came to create our OWN anthologies!
Everyone who attended seemed to enjoy it - I know I did! - and am greateful for the opportunity to share a little of what I've learned along the way.
For today's poem, I thought I'd share something from Edgar Albert Guest, a British-born poet whose family emigraed to the US when he was a child. Although the poem is not about graduation, per se, its moral is an important one for graduates - and anyone who questions themselves:
It Couldn't Be Done
Somebody said that it couldn't be done
But he with a chuckle replied
That "maybe it couldn't," but he would be one
Who wouldn't say so till he'd tried.
So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin
On his face. If he worried he hid it.
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn't be done, and he did it!
Somebody scoffed: "Oh, you'll never do that;
At least no one ever has done it;"
But he took off his coat and he took off his hat
And the first thing we knew he'd begun it.
With a lift of his chin and a bit of a grin,
Without any doubting or quiddit,
He started to sing as he tackled the thing
That couldn't be done, and he did it.
There are thousands to tell you it cannot be done,
There are thousands to prophesy failure,
There are thousands to point out to you one by one,
The dangers that wait to assail you.
But just buckle in with a bit of a grin,
Just take off your coat and go to it;
Just start in to sing as you tackle the thing
That "cannot be done," and you'll do it.
- Edgar Albert Guest, 1881-1959
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Now, go out there and do what it is you've been wanting to do! And if that involves looking for more poetry?, today's Poetry Friday roundup is at Dare to Care, where Denise is exploring a new poetry form called the Sacred Seven!
~~ I am booking author visits
for the 2024-2025 school year! ~~
Not having raised my rates EVER, I regret to say I will need to increase my rates slightly this coming school year; if you think you might be interested in having me visit your school, please contact me by the end of August and I will lock in my current rate for you! (You don't need to book me or sign a contract; simply let me know you're interested, and I'll lock in the current rate for you!)
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
- The Journey of a Children's Author
Learn more at MattForrest.com!
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Arriving Oct. 8, 2024!
Pre-orders are available - just click the cover!
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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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