Well, now, THERE'S a headline, huh?
I'm finally back from my summer break, which ran a tad longer than I'd anticipated. Not only was summer busy with library visits and family trips, but once the kids started school I was even busier:
Click to check out the trailer!
I worked at the local state fair all Labor Day Weekend (my 14th year!), I'm heading up a candle fundraiser for our local youth sports association, both kids have started new schools this year, I just completed the final draft of a new picture book manuscript, I've sent out a whole new round of submissions for other projects, I've just begun a massive new collaborative poetry project, AND...my new board book, Tractor Dance (Susan Schadt Press, 2024), which arrives everywhere Oct. 8, 2024, is already starting to appear in bookstores! Oh, and my son is one of the MCs in the high school musical and my daughter is on the soccer team. WHEW!
Like I said...I've been a little bit busy.
Another reason I've been busy is because several farm and garden stores here in New Hampshire have decided to carry Tractor Dance, and I've visited each one of them to thank them: Osborne's Farm & Garden Centers in Hooksett, Concord, and Belmont; Achille Agway in Hillsboro;, Henniker Farm & Country Store; and Beech Hill Farm in Hopkinton! (I'll be signing books at Beech Hill Farm this Sunday from 1-4pm, as a matter of fact!)
Illustrated by award-winning illustrator Jen Taylor, Tractor Dance is available for pre-orders now - but it's not the ONLY book I'm excited about. I've got LOTS of books bursting to life in 2024!
You see, it has been quite a year for me with poetry anthologies. In April there was Bless the Earth (Convergent/Penguin, 2024) from Nancy Tupper Ling & June Cotner, and in December we'll have Schoolapalooza: A Silly Symphony of Schooltime Rhymes (Moonshower, 2024), edited by my friend Ryan G. Van Cleave in December.
But I'm also excited about a very unique poetry anthology due out in Dec., geared for the educational market:
This special book arrives Dec. 12 from Routledge. My good friend David L. Harrison and Tim Rasinski have put together a unique collection of poems and Word Ladders to help elementary school teachers integrate poetry into their classes throughout the academic year. 40 Poems for 40 Weeks also includes background info on the poets themselves, so that teachers and students alike can get to know us better - and after they read my poem, they will all know how much I despise peas, ha!
If you think this could be helpful in your school, please take note of it and be ready to pre-order starting Nov. 21. The books will ship shortly after the publication date.
Last but not least, I just received my author copy of Charles Waters' and Irene Latham's children's poetry anthology The Mistakes That Made Us: Confessions from Twenty Poets (Carolrhoda Books, 2024), which will be published Oct. 1!
I'm very proud to be part of this collection which includes poems by some amazingly talented, highly-esteemed folks! And the really cool coincidence? I share a spread with my friend and neighbor David Elliott! Who could've guessed that two guys from a tiny little NH town of 2800 people would end up back-to-back in a children's poetry anthology like this?
So today I'm sharing just a glimpse of my poem, "Eating Concrete":
It was only a curb,
not that high, not that big, certainly
not intimidating. I could jump it, easy.
Been biking since I was knee-high
to nothing
and I had to get to the sidewalk fast –
I'll jump it, that's what I'll do.
Probably didn't even get an inch in the air...
(you'll have to read the rest once it's out!)
You'll notice that all 20 of us are featured on the cover, and if you can find the kid with the bike helmet, you'll have found moi. If you do pick up a copy, I hope you'll enjoy the rest of the poem! I do think you'll get a kick out of David's preposterous mistake, too - which is almost like two mistakes in one.
Pre-orders for The Mistakes That Made Us: Confessions from Twenty Poets are available now, so be sure to check out all the cool things we've screwed up. (Umm, I'm not sure that's what I meant...)
Linda Baie at Teacher Dance has today's complete Poetry Friday roundup, as she says goodbye to summer and welcomes autumn!
~~ I am booking author visits
for the 2024-2025 school year! ~~
I love chatting with students about creativity, poetry, the writing process, dinsoaurs, and lots of other things! So if you think you might be interested in having me visit your school, please 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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To keep abreast of all my posts, please consider subscribing via the links up there on the right! (I usually only post once or twice a week – usually Tues. and Fri. – so you won't be inundated with emails every day) . Also feel free to visit my voiceover website HERE, and you can also follow me via Twitter , Facebook, Instagram, and SoundCloud!
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