Posts
Hello Poets,
Recently, I attended a workshop, Make Your Own Poetry Comics, with Grant Snider, hosted by Georgia Heard.
Learning about Grant Snider as a person with a serious day job and comic writer was as fascinating as Georgia's facilitation was professional and friendly. And, I got to see some Poetry Friday friends in attendance which made my heart sing. Attending the workshop was a true artist's date.
As in any art form, we first learn by imitation. Grant led us through an exercise in which we created our own poetry comic alongside him using a famous haiku by Basho. That was super fun. I mainly focused on my drawing and coloring as the words were a given.
 |
| Poetry comic practice. Linda Mitchell |
When I was alone at my writing table making a new poetry comic I was amused to find myself in the learning seat. Zapping an existing poem into a comic isn't without some effort. Here are some things I noticed:
- I had to think about point of view...did I want the speaker to narrate or tell?
- Some words weren't necessary ... illustrations do the work of connecting words
- Inferencing is more important to the reader -- good comics lean into that
Below is a comic I made on my own with the help of available online clip art. This creative process is so fun! It definitely pulls on my desire to be clever--which, for me, often translates into a sort of wryness or humor. I now want to take a class to learn more about illustrating with digital tools. Anyone have any recommendations for me? I should check out my local SCBWI for this, I think.
Many thanks to Georgia Heard for organizing this class with Grant Snider. I read several of his books before taking the workshop. I think it was good for me as a poet and creative to view the notion of creativity through the lens of comics. I can tell you that young learners today respond to visuals less effort than us old folks...combining words and pictures are very much going to be part of literacy of our future.
Thanks to Sarah Grace Tuttle for their hospitality in hosting our Poetry Friday round up this weekend.
Sounds like a fun workshop! Grant is a great guy, we met last year at NCTE and I love his work.
ReplyDeleteLinda, this seems perfect for your artsy-poet self!! I LOVE what you did with the leaf poetry comic. I don't have a resource for you, but I know you will find where to learn, and I can't wait to see what you create next! xo
ReplyDeleteI love his work, have the latest "Poetry Comics", & love that you attended the workshop, Linda. Your own creation feels both funny & makes me think, just as Snyder's works do. Keep going!
ReplyDeleteOH, how fun!! What a nice opportunity to learn from the poetry comics master himself!! (he's the one who's also an orthodontist, right?).
ReplyDeleteI have his Poetry Comics--brilliant. I love your leaf poem!
ReplyDeleteOh, I am sorry I missed out on this. Creative milkshake! Thanks for telling us about it...
ReplyDeleteOh yes - the graphic novels fly off the shelf at the library these days, as kids are drawn to text and visuals, and in the best books, both artistic elements are so skillfully interwoven that you can't imagine one without the other.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a wonderful workshop! I agree that writing poetry that will be illustrated is such a different process... it really alters how and what you write! So glad you had such fun, and thank you for letting us all take a peek into your learning process.
ReplyDeleteI was sorry to miss this. I love your willingness to play and experiment with this genre. I love how your little leaf is scared and then falls with glee. That is so often the way with kids. First comes fear and then they are full of joy when they do the thing that scared them. Thanks for sharing.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad that you were able to participate and love seeing what you created! I am always inspired by how willing you are to take on new challenges. This one feels like such a good fit for you! I can't wait to see where you go with it.
ReplyDeleteWow! Linda how fun to find a new creative outlet/prompt for poetry. I hope you'll continue to share them with us.
ReplyDeleteBy sharing your learning experience with Grant Snider and Georgia Heard you have added an exciting new possibility for yourself and your fellow poets, Linda. Well done you!
ReplyDeleteI was SO sad to have to miss this workshop. I'm a huge Grant Snider fan and I would have loved learning from him. Glad I can have a virtual virtual experience through your art! (I've started following his brother on IG as well -- he's a watercolor artist!)
ReplyDeleteLinda, this looks like so much fun and I love what you created! My daughter has been dipping into digital art and she uses Procreate on an iPad. We recently went to a workshop with picture book author/illustrator Jared Chapman and when my daughter asked him about digital art, he said, “Get an iPad and try Procreate!” So she’s apparently on the right track. :)
ReplyDeleteI thoroughly enjoyed the class and plan on taking the next. It does make a difference on the POV and I find myself being more intentional.
ReplyDeleteLinda, it sounds like your workshop was full of enjoyment. Your creative comic is delightful. I love the POV you chose. Have fun playing with comics. Please let me know when a new workshop pops up.
ReplyDeleteI was disappointed to miss this class while we were celebrating Fiona's birthday. We have had so much fun--and I've had so many surprises--in my POETRY COMIX afterschool workshops. Go here to see some of what the kids have created. I have to find a way to share with Grant! https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/10MXrZTlVk4Wq9YS5A7xuM1gHWHWgqyDQMzEs9LXrjDw/edit?usp=sharing
ReplyDelete