The 2019 Kidlitosphere Progressive Poem begins!

National Poetry Month has officially arrived – and with it, Irene Latham‘s annual Progressive Poem, an opportunity for 30 bloggers and children’s writers to come together and create a poem over the course of the month. With so many people taking part, it’s always interesting to see how the poem grows and develops – and of course, ends!

This year, I’m excited to once again be a part of it…and honored to have the opportunity to begin the poem! Traditionally, we find the poem tends to lead a main character off on an adventure or spend time pondering life’s little joys and mysteries – so I wanted to do something different. (If there’s one thing you know about me, it’s that I always try to take the literary road not taken!)

After much thought and consideration, and days of deliberation, I’ve come up with something I hope is worthy of our poem:

Ready? Here goes…
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Endless summer; I can see for miles
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Now, a little backstory as to how this came to be: I wanted to set our character (or subject) up in a position where the reader is immediately wondering about the character’s location, situation, or surroundings. So I tossed ideas around and “I can see for miles” popped into my head, for no apparent reason. But I couldn’t use that – it’s the title of a song by The Who! That wouldn’t work!

Or would it?

So I thought some more and wondered if I could add to it. Perhaps something to ground the reader just a bit in understanding the setting…and suddenly the song “Private Universe” by Crowded House popped into my head, also for no apparent reason. (You’re getting an idea as to how weird the writing life is) Anyway, I thought about it and scanned the lyrics to see if there was something I could glean…and what do you know. The phrase “endless summer” – which is also, of course, a classic Beach Boys album!

I knew what I had to do.

I combined the two “found” lines into one line – which I think offers just enough exposition to get our poem/story rolling. I therefore challenge my fellow writers to do the same:  continue this method and use only FOUND lines! They don’t have to be strictly song titles or lyrics like my line…but I think this will be a fun challenge to add to the development of our poem. I hope you agree! But of course, your line is YOUR line – so if you feel a bit intimidated by the prospect, feel free to do your own thing and add whatever you’d like. (This is supposed to fun, after all!)

Take it away, Kat!

2019 Progressive Poem schedule:

April

1 Matt @Radio, Rhythm and Rhyme
2 Kat @Kathryn Apel
3 Kimberly @KimberlyHutmacherWrites
4 Jone @DeoWriter
5 Linda @TeacherDance
6 Tara @Going to Walden
7 Ruth @thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown
8 Mary Lee @A Year of Reading
9 Rebecca @Rebecca Herzog
10 Janet F. @Live Your Poem
11 Dani @Doing the Work that Matters
12 Margaret @Reflections on the Teche
13 Doraine @Dori Reads
14 Christie @Wondering and Wandering
15 Robyn @Life on the Deckle Edge
16 Carol @Beyond LiteracyLink
17 Amy @The Poem Farm
18 Linda @A Word Edgewise
19 Heidi @my juicy little universe
20 Buffy @Buffy’s Blog
21 Michelle @Michelle Kogan
22 Catherine @Reading to the Core
23 Penny @a penny and her jots
24 Tabatha @The Opposite of Indifference
25 Jan @Bookseestudio
26 Linda @Write Time
27 Sheila @Sheila Renfro
28 Liz @Elizabeth Steinglass
29 Irene @Live Your Poem
30 Donna @Mainely Write

Madness!Poetry is wrapping up! Voting in the Championship Final Round begins tomorrow morning, Tue., April 2!

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Ordering personalized signed copies online?
Oh, yes, you can!

  Coming July 2, 2019!

You can purchase personalized signed copies of Flashlight Night, (Boyds Mills Press, 2017), Don’t Ask a Dinosaur (Pow! Kids Books, 2018), and nearly ALL of the books or anthologies I’ve been part of!

Just click the cover of whichever book you want and send the good folks at MainStreet BookEnds in Warner, NH a note requesting the signature and to whom I should make it out to. (alternatively, you can log onto my website and do the same thing) They’ll contact me, I’ll stop by and sign it for you, and then they’ll ship it. 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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Thank you to everyone for your support!

• NY Public Library’s “100 Best Book for Kids 2017” AND “Staff Pick!”
• KIRKUS Starred review!
• Kansas NEA Reading Circle Recommended Books!
• “Best Reads of 2017,” Unleashing Readers
• Amazon “Best Books of the Month,” Sept. 2017
• Positive reviews from Horn Book, School Library Connection, Booklist, Publisher’s Weekly, and Shelf-Awareness
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  • “Rollicking rhyme!” – Booklist
  • “A wild romp!” – Parenting NH Magazine
  • “Cute…intriguing…4 out of 5 stars”     – Tulsa Book Review
  • “Rhythmic…funny and informative”     – Unleashing Readers

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