Blogger/writer Ed DeCaria’s Madness! Poetry competition is underway! Sixty-four “authletes” (including Yours Truly) have been given random words – and just 36 hours – with which to craft children’s poems, and the poems are now awaiting your approval!
Madness! Poetry is a unique, bracketed-style writing competition; writers, students, teachers, everyone is encouraged to vote for their favorite poems as the authletes battle it out, head-to-head throughout the month, culminating with the final showdown between two worthy opponents.
If you are a teacher or know of a classroom that would like to learn more about poetry and writing and would like to participate by voting, please sign up today! Each year between 100-200 classrooms participate, and we’d like to see that number grow.
You can view all the match-ups HERE, and then vote for your favorites. (If you click the link and scroll down, you’ll find mine – but please don’t vote for my poem just because it’s mine. We all want this competition to be fair and honest, so only vote for the poems you think are the best!) Thank you!
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SCHOOL PEOPLE are here…and the DINOSAURS are on their way!
DON’T ASK A DINOSAUR hits bookshelves April 17!
New dates continue to be added to the Dinosaur Tour! Don’t Ask a Dinosaur co-author Deborah Bruss and I have quite a busy schedule planned:
- Sat., April 14, 11am: Toadstool Bookshop, Peterborough, NH, (Children’s Author Day with illustrator Ryan O’Rourke AND Local Book Launch for Don’t Ask a Dinosaur!)
- Sat., April 14, 2pm: Toadstool Bookshop, Keene, NH, (Children’s Author Day with illustrator Ryan O’Rourke AND Local Book Launch for Don’t Ask a Dinosaur!)
- Tue., April 17, 7pm: Porter Square Books, Cambridge, MA, Don’t Ask a Dinosaur Dual National Launch Party!! (with Holly Thompson, One Wave at a Time reading/signing/discussion)
- Thur., April 26, 10:30am: Pillsbury Free Library, Warner, NH, Dinosaur Storytime with Don’t Ask a Dinosaur and School People!
- Sat., April 28, 10:30am: Brookline Booksmith, Brookline, MA, Don’t Ask a Dinosaur and School People reading/signing
- Sat., April 28, 2pm: Barnes & Noble, Framingham, MA, Don’t Ask a Dinosaur reading/signing (with Sara Levine, Fossil by Fossil: Comparing Dinosaur Bones reading/signing)
- Sun., April 29, 2pm: MainStreet BookEnds, Warner, NH, Don’t Ask a Dinosaur and School People reading/signing and discussion
- Sat., May 5, 10am: Barnes & Noble, Burlington, MA, Don’t Ask a Dinosaur and School People reading/signing
- Sat., May 5, 1pm: Barnes & Noble, Nashua, NH, Don’t Ask a Dinosaur and School People reading/signing
- Sat., May 12, 11am: Gibson’s Bookstore, Concord, NH, Don’t Ask a Dinosaur and School People reading/signing
- Wed., May 16, 12pm: Concord Hospital Gift Shop, Concord, NH, Don’t Ask a Dinosaur and School People signing
- Sat., May 19, 11:30am-3pm: Barnes & Noble, Salem, NH, National Storytime at 11am, followed by Don’t Ask a Dinosaur and School People reading/signing
- To be scheduled: Books-A-Million, Concord, NH
- MORE DATES to be added!
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Thank you so much to all the librarians, bloggers, and parents who are still discovering “Flashlight Night!”
NY Public Library’s “100 Best Book for Kids 2017” AND “Staff Pick!”
- KIRKUS Starred review!
- Amazon “Best Books of the Month,” Sept. 2017!
- “Best Reads of 2017,” Unleashing Readers
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Purchasing personalized signed copies ONLINE? Yes, it’s true!
In case you haven’t heard, there’s a new way to purchase personalized signed copies of not only Flashlight Night, but ANY of my books or anthologies I’ve been part of!
I’ve teamed up with the good folks MainStreet BookEnds in Warner, NH to present an option for people who would love to have a signed copy of one of my books but don’t live anywhere near me. MainStreet BookEnds has ALL but one of my books available for ordering…and the best part is, you can get them personalized!
Just log onto my website and click the cover of whichever book you want, and they will get it to me to sign and send it off to you. Try doing that with those big online booksellers! (Plus, you’ll be helping to support local book-selling – and wouldn’t that make you feel good?)
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Matt, I am glad that I found your post today. It lured me into reading the match ups of poetry friends. I really enjoyed your poem, the serious nature of it, and the fact that the bullied child is determined to stand up for his/her rights. Great job!
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Thank you so much, Carol! I’ll be featuring that poem here tomorrow, for Poetry Friday, so others can see it. I hope it can make a difference to at least a few kids.
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Best of luck in your endeavors, Matt.
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