Poetry & Our Library of Congress

Playing with maps @ Library of Congress 

This past week I had the privilege of attending a Library of Congress Summer Teaching Institute.

This free Summer Teacher Institute is offered annually. Applications are open to all teachers. I attended session #5 with an educator from Canada, teachers and  librarians from public schools, private schools and a large public library system. 

To say that I spent a week fangirling would be a hyperbole of understatement. I have colleague Kristy Beall to thank for putting the bug in my ear to consider applying for this summer's institute.

Twenty-seven participants in session five were led by the current LOC Teacher in Residence Tom Broder and the Education Outreach Department. They put themselves, their expertise as well as all the resources of the Library of Congress at their disposal.

I was struck by many ideas this past week….but the first day I came across Found Poetry from Primary Sources. SO COOL! 

Letter written by Susan B. Anthony & me 7/26/16

Even though the project I am working on is not poetry (I'll share more about that later), I kept coming back and back to these web pages….getting more and more ideas for my own writing.

I did my best to keep up with Teachers Write during this busy week. It was tough but not impossible.

Tuesday's quick-write prompt from kidlit author Madelyn Rosenberg was to capture a setting in ten words or short phrases. 

Main Reading Room -- bucket-list-wish fulfilled!

My Day at the Library of Congress
an Imperfect Reverso

My

Fragment of history

Lost map

Covered knowledge

Reverent learning

Teachers

Learning reverently

Knowledge revealed

Maps charted

Past of stories

Each piece

Ours.

(c) all rights reserved Linda Mitchell

 Many thanks to Margaret Simon, Educator and Poet extraordinaire for hosting this week's Friday Poetry Round-Up at Reflections on the Teche. You won't be sorry for stopping by and fueling your soul with some poetry. 

Meso-American Chocolate Vessel 650 BCE