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Poetry Friday People,
A tremendous benefit of attending a Highlights Foundation Workshop is meeting with rich learning and teaching of a cohort of poets and faculty.
I'm fortunate to have had time to spend with Tracy Kiff-Judson, Marcie Flinchum Atkins and many poets I didn't know before. The cross-pollination of ideas between us was tremendous and fun and inspirational. Getting one-on-one writing conversations with faculty Irene Latham and Charles Waters? Invaluable!
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| Just me hanging out with Charles Waters at Highlights '24 |
While at Highlights, I saw an early version of The Mistakes That Made Us: Confessions from Twenty Poets. Poems were selected by Irene Latham and Charles Waters (Carolrhoda Books. October 1, 2024).
Poets, this anthology is more than simply beautiful. Rock-star contributors: Latham, Waters, Shihab-Nye, Engle, Wolf, Florian, Park, Yolen as well as Poetry Friday friends: Tabatha Yeatts, April Wayland, Matt Forest Essenwine made this collection a unique work of art. Illustrations by Merce Lopez brought all the mistake moments together in a bright and whimsical color palette. Her artwork makes the mistakes human and approachable for readers.
I was specifically challenged at Highlights to consider not just the poems I've been writing for years but the structure of how poems might fit into a collection. This is an art form in itself. The Mistakes that Made Us provides a beautiful example of structure for readers (age 7 to 97). Take a look at this from the table of contents--
I love the real-talk structure of this anthology's sections.
As I read the book with my middle school librarian's hat, I am delighted. These poems are perfect to support kid-understanding that they are not alone. There other humans who understand how they must be feeling. This is vital to our work as educators.
Doug Florian's poem, My Favorite Mistake, is already a strong contender for Poetry Pandemonium '25 that I provide annually for my students.
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| The Mistakes that Made Us. Carolrhoda Books 2024, |
This Mistakes that Made Us debuts on October 1st and is available for pre-order right now. I can't wait for more members of our community get their hands on this book. It's great inspiration for future writing. I look forward to whatever anthology Irene and Charles build. I've got an order for the book in to my public library with instructions to check it out to me first!
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| a note tucked into my 2024 WORLD journal from 'Poetry & Poetry Anthologies' Highlights June '24 |
This looks like a must-read anthology! Thanks for introducing it (and I am a Douglas Florian fan from way back--his Insectlopedia was a book I read and reread when first starting to write poems for kids.)
ReplyDeleteI have pre-ordered it, Linda, and both love the idea and that you had the awesome time at Highlights with Irene and Charles and everyone else. This poem shows that feeling of making things better, on his own! The book will be a treasure for classrooms and the students, everywhere! And I love that you wrote "This is vital to our work as educators." It's so true!
ReplyDeleteLinda, I enjoyed reminiscing while reading your post about our time at Highlights. So wonderful to meet you in person. The time I spent with you at Highlights feels like it adds richness and depth to my appreciation of your posts. I can’t wait to sit down with a copy of The Mistakes That Made Us. Thank you for the reminder to look for it!
ReplyDeleteLinda, you did a wonderful job with your book review. Your thoughts on the Highlights Workshop with Irene and Charles sounds wonderful and fruitful. Their new anthology sounds like it should indeed be a must-read.
ReplyDeleteLinda, thank you for this post! I just fell in love with Douglas's poem all over again. :) And YOU. You brought so much heart to Highlights...and I think I recognize that "the world needs good poetry" quote. :) :) It does, and you help bring it! Thank you. xo
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for featuring this new anthology!! It does sound like a must read. Enjoyed Florian's poem (am also a fan from way back). Happy to read about your fun and productive time at the Highlights workshop too.
ReplyDeleteI've got the book on pre-order! Your time at the Highlights workshop sounds fabulous and you inspired me to register for one of their online workshops. (My daughter and I have picture book ideas, but it's an intimidating world! I feel completely part of it as a picture book lover, but completely on the outside as a creator.) :) It's so lovely to see your face! I adore that picture of you and Charles!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing the poem by Douglas Florian. It reminds me of Peter Reynolds' book "Sky Color." I love this idea of a mistake making something more beautiful. This happened to me in elementary school and the painting won a prize in an art show, all because of a mistake. I look forward to seeing this anthology.
ReplyDeleteI adore this selfie of you and Charles! And I can't wait to read MISTAKES THAT MADE US. :) Hoping the post-Highlights bliss is carrying you through a busy fall.
ReplyDeleteSuch fun to be at highlights with that group, Linda! I can't wait for my copy of MISTAKES THAT MADE US. Irene and Charles are DYNAMOS!
ReplyDeleteLove that photo of you and Charles! This sounds like a fabulous book--can't wait to read it!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this wonderful anthology. I love the idea of celebrating mistakes.
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