Oh, you have no idea how much excitement I’ve been trying to contain.
You see, my next picture book, The Thing to Remember about Stargazing (Tilbury House, 2023) is scheduled to be published this October, and TOMORROW, Sat., May 27, is the day of the official COVER REVEAL!
I hope you’ll check it out at The Backstory, a feature of author Andrew Hackett’s blog. Italian artist/illustrator Sonia Possentini provides some amazingly beautifu artwork, and I can’t wait to share the book with the world when it arrives Oct. 3. So be sure to head over to The Backstory tomorrow – because this book actually has not one, but TWO backstories!
Considering the subject of the book, I’ve naturally had stargazing on my mind lately, and a few nights ago our local middle school hosted an astronomy night. Several telescopes were set up so that students and parents could get close-up views of the moon, Venus, and stars like Arcturus and others.
Early in the evening, around 8-8:30pm, my son decided to try to get a photo so he held my iPhone up to the eyepiece of a large telescope focused on the moon. Just at the right moment, he snapped – and captured this. So of course, I had to write a haiku to go with it!
(Click to enlarge)
. sea-blue face poses for her close up; dusk’s crooked grin
While I’m celebrating the cover reveal of my next book, Patricia Franz is celebrating her 40th wedding anniversary with a cento she created using a Doobie Brothers setlist! You can find that along with today’s complete Poetry Friday roundup at her blog, Reverie.
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I’m still booking author visits for the 2023 Spring Semester (and Fall 2023, too)!
I love chatting with elementary and middle school classes about writing: why poetry is fun to read and write, the importance of revision, and how one’s imagination and creativity can lead to a fantastic career! My presentations are tailored to fit the needs of the classes and students’ ages. One day I might be sharing details of how a picture book like Flashlight Night (Astra Young Readers, 2017) was created; the next, I’ll be discussing dinosaur breath or origami sea turtles!
If you or someone you know might be interested in having me visit your school, library,or other organization, please email me at matt(at)mattforrest(dot)com!
Create an account to add books to wishlists and be notified of special deals and dates…create custom collections…and discover and follow your favorite authors & illustrators!
Ordering personalized signed copies online? Oh, yes, you can!
You can purchase personally-signed copies of Flashlight Night, (Astra Young Readers, 2017), Don’t Ask a Dinosaur (Pow! Kids Books, 2018), and nearly EVERY book or anthology I’ve been part of!
Just click the cover of whichever book you want and send a comment to the good folks at MainStreet BookEnds in Warner, NH requesting my signature and to whom I should make it out. (alternatively, you can log onto my website and do the same thing) They’ll contact me, I’ll stop by and sign it, and then they’ll ship it! (Plus, you’ll be supporting your local bookseller – and won’t that make you feel good?)
Did you like this post? Find something interesting elsewhere in this blog? I really won’t mind at all if you feel compelled to share it with your friends and followers!
To keep abreast of all my posts, please consider subscribing via the links up there on the right! (I usually only post once or twice a week – usually Tues. and Fri. – so you won’t be inundated with emails every day) . Also feel free to visit my voiceover website HERE, and you can also follow me via Twitter , Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and SoundCloud!
Wow, halfway through National Poetry Month already, are we?
Well, today I have another children’s poet in the spotlight – Robert Schechter, whose debut poetry collection The Red Ear Blows Its Nose (Word Galaxy Press, 2023) has been garnering all sorts of wonderful praise since its release – including three starred reviews!
Bob, thank you so much for joining me here at the ol’ Triple-R. I can’t tell you how absolutely thrilled I am for you, finally having your own poetry collection published! I know you’ve been striving for this for years – having individual poems published in various magazines and anthologies like Highlights for Children, the Cricket family of magazines, and even The Washington Post – but a collection of your own has been a long time coming. You must feel a huge sense of satisfaction, especially with the praise The Red Ear Blows Its Nose has received so far! To what do you attribute this accomplishment?
Thanks, Matt. Yes, I’m thrilled to have a collection at last, but you might be surprised to learn that I had not been shopping the manuscript to other publishers. In fact, the manuscript didn’t even exist when Alex Pepple of Word Galaxy asked me one day if I had anything I would care to submit, and it was in response to that solicitation that I put together the manuscript that eventually became The Red Ear Blows Its Nose.
I’ve always felt you had an excellent sense of style, wit, and command of the language, so I’m not at all surprised this book is receiving such a positive response from Kirkus, Booklist, and SLJ, among others!
Thank you for the compliments, Matt. While you may not be surprised that my book has received starred reviews from Kirkus, Booklist, and SLJ, for me it was a huge surprise. I truly had no idea how the poems would be received.
Critics don’t review individual poems in magazines, so having a book was the first time I faced their judgment. I was greatly relieved at the positive reviews, and especially that the reviews were “starred,” which editors reserve for a small number of books they consider exceptional.
Your poems consist of a wide array of poetic forms, rhyme schemes, and subject matter. I know that when it comes to poetry collections, editors love the first two – but they’re not always keen on the “multiple subjects” concept because marketing loves having a “hook,” like ‘poems about the ocean,” or ‘poems about family,’ or ‘poems about transcendental meditation.’ But in this book, you cover a wide range of subjects, from a first snowfall to a champion bee, from Moon Cheese to livestock salesmen! Was the multi-subject format an issue when you were submitting the manuscript? Any feedback?
No other publisher had a chance to offer feedback, since I only submitted the book to Word Galaxy, but I suspect you are correct that most large publishers appear committed to the poetry/picture book model, with a relatively small number of poems (maybe 12-15) on lavishly illustrated spreads with a consistent theme.
I hope my book will help remind publishers that the good old-fashioned miscellaneous poetry collection still has appeal. Frankly, I have no idea why they need reminding, since we all know that the best selling children’s poetry books over the last 50 years have not fit the poetry/picture book model, but have been miscellaneous collections such as Where the Sidewalk Ends. Indeed, between Shel Silverstein and Jack Prelutsky, more than 50% of what you find in the children’s poetry section of most bookstores consists of miscellaneous collections.
Given that literally every single children’s poetry blockbuster in history has been an unthemed collection, I am mystified why so many publishers seem to seem to regard such collections as a non-starter.
Well, I’d say it’s primarily due to marketing departments feeling the need for a “hook,” so to speak – although you are correct that quality poems in and of themselve should be the hook!Speaking of varities of forms and rhyme schemes, one of the poems I wanted to spotlight is “It’s All Me,” which to a normal reader may seem simple and cute, but to a fellow writer of poetry, it’s anything but simple! Ten, two-line stanzas, and each of the two lines rhymes with the others – so you basically have only two rhymes (using multiple words) in the entire poem. How difficult was it to write, and how did you nail down the rhyme scheme in the first place?
I didn’t set out to write a poem with that many repeat rhymes. It just happened. For me the typical process of writing a poem is first getting some words down on paper (for me, “paper” is usually a screen) and then trying to sustain whatever sort of energy those words may trigger. In the case of “It’s All Me”, I believe that I just started with a couple of rhymes and somehow got the impulse to keep going and see what happened.
As I recall, I kept going and cranked out maybe a dozen or more stanzas that fit the rhyme scheme, then fiddled with the order of the stanza to try to give a sense that the thought was developing. I also cut a few of the stanzas that seemed to interfere with the flow. The biggest challenge was to find a way to end the poem that didn’t just feel like I ran out of steam, but somehow gave a feel of closure.
“It’s All Me” was “highly commended” by Naomi Shihab Nye when she judged the Caterpillar Children’s Poetry Contest.
You follow a slightly similar rhyme scheme with the ingenious wordplay in the following poem, “Winning,” as well as the poem “A Chorus of Doris,” so you obviously enjoy these extremely tight rhyme schemes. Do you find poems like these easy to write, or are you just a sucker for punishment?
It’s a mixed bag. On the one hand, such poems are hard to write because they narrow your choices moving forward, and you may find that none of the choices are satisfying. But the narrowing of your choices also makes your task easier, since you don’t have as many options for what to write next. You’re forced to write something that makes use of the words that your formal choices require you to use. Often that means saying something that you never intended to say when you started writing, but that’s perfecly fine with me since I’m generally not trying to say any one thing in particular, but to write a poem that people will enjoy even if it means saying something I never intended to say.
As AE Stallings put it in her Presto Manifesto, “Rhyme frees the poet from what he wants to say.”
Of course, this approach doesn’t always yield fruit. Sometimes you might commit to a rhyme scheme and find that you can’t sustain it. But that’s true of any technique you might use to write a poem. Only now and then, if you’re lucky, does it work out.
Ok, get ready because I’m now going to ask you one of the questions I hate answering the most. (You’re welcome!) And that is, where you get your ideas from. I mean, I get my ideas from everywhere – and half the time, I don’t even know where that is! It’s such a hard question to answer. So I’ll word it a little differently: what is your process for coming up with ideas that aren’t a result of sheer serendipitous inspiration?
No, it’s a great question. For me, poems usually don’t start with idea but with a line or two that I write down without any particular follow-up in mind, and then as I continue writing the poem I try to sustain whatever energy I might have baked into those opening lines and to just let the thought develop as best I can while adhering to any formal requirements I may have set for myself. While sometimes I know in advance roughly how the poem will end, my best poems tend to be the ones where the idea developed simultaneously with the writing, and perhaps arose thanks to the happenstance of a given rhyme being available or not.
Two-part question for you: What is your favorite poem in the book, and can you share a poem you wish you could have included, but didn’t?
Bob Schechter
I honestly don’t have a favorite poem in the book. Remember, the book contains my best poems written over a twenty year period, which makes it hard to narrow down to just one. However, off the top of my head, I will single out “Thank You, Nose,” a poem that originally appeared in Highlights for Children. What pleases me about the poem is that despite its amusing tone and comical monorhyme, the poem is funny without being jokey or saying anything silly or untrue. The poem is based on the “stop and smell the roses” cliches, but somehow (I hope) it manages to strip the triteness from the cliché by merging its sentiments with a humorous execution. In short, I’m pleased with how the poem in just eight lines manages to be funny about noses while also giving them their proper credit and due regard.
Having been writing so much poetry for so much of your life, is there any particular poem or award of which you’re particularly proud?
When it comes to children’s poetry, I’m proud that I have had poems “highly commended” in separate contests judged by Roger McGough, Naomi Shihab Nye, Brian Moses, and Carole Bromley. In adult poetry, I have won the XJ Kennedy Parody Award as well as the Willis Barnstone Translation Prize.
I’m also proud to have been a “featured poet” in Light. And I was once “Rookie of the Year” and “Loser of the Year” (that’s a good thing, believe it or not) at the Washington Post Style Invitational, the wonderful weekly humor competition that was recently, to the sorrow or its many fans, discontinued after decades of being a regular feature.
By the way, you’re not Robert Schechter, the sculptor from New York City, and you’re also not Robert Schechter, attorney with the New Jersey law firm of Porzio, Bromberg & Newman. Did you ever realize how many of you there are, and is there a poem in there somewhere?
There’s also Robert Schechter the veteranarian who just released a memoir, and a few other namesakes pop up from time to time in my Google Alerts. At least I have the consolation of knowing that “The Red Ear Blows Its Nose” is a phrase you’ll find online exclusively in the context of my book. My name may not be unique, but my title is.
Well, thank you again for joining me, Bob – I truly am happy for you!
Thank you!
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Learn more about Bob and find purchase links at his website HERE. For more poetry, visit Jone Rush MacCulluch for the Poetry Friday roundup AND a Classic Found Poetry Palooza! (Sounds fun!)
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I’m still booking author visits for the 2023 Spring Semester (and Fall 2023, too)!
I love chatting with elementary and middle school classes about writing: why poetry is fun to read and write, the importance of revision, and how one’s imagination and creativity can lead to a fantastic career! My presentations are tailored to fit the needs of the classes and students’ ages. One day I might be sharing details of how a picture book like Flashlight Night (Astra Young Readers, 2017) was created; the next, I’ll be discussing dinosaur breath or origami sea turtles!
If you or someone you know might be interested in having me visit your school, library,or other organization, please email me at matt(at)mattforrest(dot)com!
Create an account to add books to wishlists and be notified of special deals and dates…create custom collections…and discover and follow your favorite authors & illustrators!
Ordering personalized signed copies online? Oh, yes, you can!
You can purchase personally-signed copies of Flashlight Night, (Astra Young Readers, 2017), Don’t Ask a Dinosaur (Pow! Kids Books, 2018), and nearly EVERY book or anthology I’ve been part of!
Just click the cover of whichever book you want and send a comment to the good folks at MainStreet BookEnds in Warner, NH requesting my signature and to whom I should make it out. (alternatively, you can log onto my website and do the same thing) They’ll contact me, I’ll stop by and sign it, and then they’ll ship it! (Plus, you’ll be supporting your local bookseller – and won’t that make you feel good?)
Did you like this post? Find something interesting elsewhere in this blog? I really won’t mind at all if you feel compelled to share it with your friends and followers!
To keep abreast of all my posts, please consider subscribing via the links up there on the right! (I usually only post once or twice a week – usually Tues. and Fri. – so you won’t be inundated with emails every day) . Also feel free to visit my voiceover website HERE, and you can also follow me via Twitter , Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and SoundCloud!
I hadn’t really planned on sharing anything like this, but when you get an idea, you have to either seize upon it or write it down somewhere so you can seize upon it another day.
I chose the former.
I was simply sitting at my desk, looking at some of the many books I have in front of me, and a couple of book titles caught my eye. I immediately began scouring for any other titles I might be able to combine – and voila!
When thunder comes before morning in the middle of the night voices the gods, themselves, in the woods
If you’re unfamiliar with spine poetry but like to learn more, please check out this video I made a few years ago, during the pandemic, from inside my pillow fort! And for all of today’s poetry fun – and a celebration of spring – head over to Rose Cappelli’s home on the web, Imagine the Possibilities, for today’s Poetry Friday roundup!
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I’m booking author visits for the 2023 winter/spring semester!
I love chatting with elementary and middle school classes about writing: why poetry is fun to read and write, the importance of revision, and how one’s imagination and creativity can lead to a fantastic career! My presentations are tailored to fit the needs of the classes and students’ ages. One day I might be sharing details of how a picture book like Flashlight Night (Astra Young Readers, 2017) was created; the next, I’ll be discussing dinosaur breath or origami sea turtles!
If you or someone you know might be interested in having me visit your school, library,or other organization, please email me at matt(at)mattforrest(dot)com!
Create an account to add books to wishlists and be notified of special deals and dates…create custom collections…and discover and follow your favorite authors & illustrators!
Ordering personalized signed copies online? Oh, yes, you can!
You can purchase personally-signed copies of Flashlight Night, (Astra Young Readers, 2017), Don’t Ask a Dinosaur (Pow! Kids Books, 2018), and nearly EVERY book or anthology I’ve been part of!
Just click the cover of whichever book you want and send a comment to the good folks at MainStreet BookEnds in Warner, NH requesting my signature and to whom I should make it out. (alternatively, you can log onto my website and do the same thing) They’ll contact me, I’ll stop by and sign it, and then they’ll ship it! (Plus, you’ll be supporting your local bookseller – and won’t that make you feel good?)
Did you like this post? Find something interesting elsewhere in this blog? I really won’t mind at all if you feel compelled to share it with your friends and followers!
To keep abreast of all my posts, please consider subscribing via the links up there on the right! (I usually only post once or twice a week – usually Tues. and Fri. – so you won’t be inundated with emails every day) . Also feel free to visit my voiceover website HERE, and you can also follow me via Twitter , Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and SoundCloud!
It’s been quite a busy couple of weeks for Yours Truly.
About a week and a half ago, I visited Bartlett Elementary School in Pinardville, NH for a day-long school visit. I shared my books Don’t Ask a Dinosaur (POW! Kids Books, 2018) and Flashlight Night (Astra Young Readers, 2017) as well as the stories behind the books, and also shared some of my poetry as part of a 4th grade poetry workshop. I talked to the students about different forms & styles and then led them in an exercise to ask questions about their subject and write a poem based on what they learned.
The kids had fun, I had fun, and the teachers all seemed to enjoy it, too – but the really, really cool thing for me was that this was my very first school I ever attended!
Way back in the ’70s, I had first grade with Miss Doherty (don’t know if I spelled that correctly), and now here we are in 2023 and I returned to share what I’ve learned about writing all these years in-between. It’s cliche to say, but it really felt like a ‘coming home’ sort of thing, especially when I saw my name on the sign.
I was thrilled that parents were so supportive, too! A number of them ordered copies of my books for their children, and yesterday, after having personally-signed all of them, I delivered all the books to the school:
Offering personally-signed copies is a great way to remind students of the experience of an author visit, and I try to work with local independent bookstores whenever possible. In this case, it was our hometown bookstore, MainStreet BookEnds.
In other news, I had a great time sharing my books and the craft of writing with students all over the country yesterday as part of World Read Aloud Day! Many thanks to all the teachers and librarians who helped make this happen – including Amy Hickman and her class at Anna C. Scott School in New Jersey:
I had so much fun with World Read Aloud Day, I’m going to be offering free, 20-minute virtual visits all day AGAIN next month, for Read Across America Day! If you’d like me to join your class or library, just scroll a wee bit down and you’ll see the details.
With all this talk about kids and reading and writing and such – and the nostalgia of returning to my orginial elementary school – I thought I’d share one of my first children’s poems ever, and one that spurred me to begin considering getting into the field of children’s literature.
I wote it about my two older daughters and although I’ve shared it before (you can see the original post HERE), it’s been about five years since anyone has seen it so I thought today might be the perfect time to dust it off and share it again: .
Taylor Park, St. Albans, VT
Downtown at Taylor Park
Lovely Lauren, little daughter, fishing in the fountain water, looking for a leafy fin – leaned too far and tumbled in.
Katie-B was fishing, too, doing what her sister do. Closed her eyes and made a wish… don’t know how, but caught a fish!
For today’s Poetry Friay roundup, please visit my friend Laura Shovan’s blog where she shares a review of our mutual friend Laura Purdie Salas’ upcoming new picture book, Finding Family (Lerner, 2023).
~ Read Across America Day ~
It’s that time of year again, and I will once again be reading to schools and libraries all across the coutry one month from now!
Read Across America Day, sponsored by the NEA, spotlights the importance of reading to kids and I will once again be spending most of the day Thur., March 2, reading to students virtually! My day is usually jam-packed with a couple of visits every hour, all day long, and spots will be filling up.
If you would be interested in having me join your class for a 20-minute visit via Zoom, GoogleMeets, or MS Teams, send me an email! I will read one of my picture books, share some poetry, and talk a little bit about the writing process and how they all came to be! Just email me at matt(at)mattforrest(dot)com and I’ll reply as quickly as I can.
I’m booking author visits for the 2023 winter/spring semester:
Click the graphic for more details!
I love chatting with elementary and middle school classes about writing: why poetry is fun to read and write, the importance of revision, and how one’s imagination and creativity can lead to a fantastic career! My presentations are tailored to fit the needs of the classes and students’ ages. One day I might be sharing details of how a picture book like Flashlight Night (Astra Young Readers, 2017) was created; the next, I’ll be discussing dinosaurs, tree ferns, or origami sea turtles!
Student presentations include:
The Making of a Picture Book
How a Child Saved a Book
“Once Upon Another Time”
The Most Imporant Thing about Writing Poetry
“I Am Today”
Adult presentations include:
The Making of a Picture Book
Poetry: An Introductionto the Most Important Genre
The Most Important Thing about Writing Poetry
Free Yourself with Free Verse
Tight Language, Loose Narratives: Crafting a Non-Traditional Picture Book
If you or someone you know might be interested in having me visit your school, library,or other organization, please email me at matt(at)mattforrest(dot)com!
Create an account to add books to wishlists and be notified of special deals and dates…create custom collections…and discover and follow your favorite authors & illustrators!
I continue adding to my “Wit & Wordplay” videos ! These videos were created for parents and educators (along with their kids) to learn how to write poetry, appreciate it, and have fun with it. From alliteration and iambs to free verse and spine poetry, I’m pretty sure there’s something in these videos you’ll find surprising! You can view them all on my YouTube channel, and if you have young kids looking for something to keep busy with, I also have several downloadable activity sheets at my website.
Ordering personalized signed copies online? Oh, yes, you can!
You can purchase personally-signed copies of Flashlight Night, (Astra Young Readers, 2017), Don’t Ask a Dinosaur (Pow! Kids Books, 2018), and nearly EVERY book or anthology I’ve been part of!
Just click the cover of whichever book you want and send a comment to the good folks at MainStreet BookEnds in Warner, NH requesting my signature and to whom I should make it out. (alternatively, you can log onto my website and do the same thing) They’ll contact me, I’ll stop by and sign it, and then they’ll ship it! (Plus, you’ll be supporting your local bookseller – and won’t that make you feel good?)
Did you like this post? Find something interesting elsewhere in this blog? I really won’t mind at all if you feel compelled to share it with your friends and followers!
To keep abreast of all my posts, please consider subscribing via the links up there on the right! (I usually only post once or twice a week – usually Tues. and Fri. – so you won’t be inundated with emails every day) . Also feel free to visit my voiceover website HERE, and you can also follow me via Twitter , Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and SoundCloud!
As you probably know, the publication of my new picture book, A Beginner’s Guide to Being Human (Beaming Books, 2022), has been taking up all my time and attention the past few weeks – and now that it is officially available everywhere and my next book doesn’t come out for two more months (YES!! See below!), I thought I’d catch my breath and share a poem I originally posted way back when it was first written, in Oct. 2013.
True, I’ve written many poems while attending the Highlights Foundation workshops; you can read a poem about a stone wall HERE, some light verse HERE, or even a love poem HERE.
Such beauty and youth…
In this particular case, I was enjoying my very first Highlights Foundation workshop hosted by David L. Harrison and was relishing the opportunity to live, eat, breathe, and sleep poetry!
I was inspired to write many things during that week; one of them was this poem, written about an old tree I saw, situated alone in a field on the Highlights’ grounds in Boyds Mills, PA.
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“The Apple Tree”
One autumn day while walking alone in an unfamilar area I spied – crouched like an old man with a strong crutch and weak heart – an apple tree standing in solitude amidst the sawgrass, goldenrod, and a few errant wildflowers, so full of precious fruit I surmised it must be in wont of a visitor with whom to share its treasures.
Desirous of the beauty I beheld, I journeyed through green-amber weeds high to my waist, urgent soft steps growing quicker, quicker and more deliberate. How could ancient limbs such as these carry the reward that awaited me?
The tree beckoned, each coy leaf lifted to expose sweet bounty beneath. Soon, I saw boughs heavy as the Milky Way, bearing stars upon stars that outnumbered and outshone the very leaves that held them in the sky.
Faster and faster I trod, consumed by a fervent lust for sustenance; such succulence I’d never seen! Closer, closer, I came, heart and eyes wide and longing until breaths away…
I stopped.
Under shade of canopy, only now could I see clearly blessed fruit blushed with blight.
Mold-speckled faces frowned through borers’ brown holes while wind-wrinkled skin hung criss-crossed with blemishes of age and neglect. I stared for only a moment then sat close to its trunk, where low-hanging corpses mocked my desire.
Yet I would not leave this spot, for I knew my hunger was insatiable, and my thirst unquenched. Here my craving had begun, here it remained; here I would remain yearning, never satisfied, but content with what could have been.
My friend Heidi Mordhorst is hosting Poetry Friday this week at My Juicy Little Universe, where she is celebrating Folktale Week with a video of the prologue to the musical Into the Woods – which is poetic and musical and just plain fun!
= = = = = = = = = =
(And OH, YES, dear readers, I have another picture book coming out the first week of January – and will be hosting the official COVER REVEAL here next week! I can’t wait for you to see it and learn more about it! If you love animals, numbers, and multicultural food, BE HERE NEXT FRIDAY!)
= = = = = = = = = =
Thrilled to be a First Round panelist for the Poetry Category!
I’m also booking author visits for the 2022-23 school year!
Click the graphic for more details!
I love chatting with elementary and middle school classes about writing: why poetry is fun to read and write, the importance of revision, and how one’s imagination and creativity can lead to a fantastic career!
I tailor my presentations to fit the needs of the classroom. One day I might be sharing details of how a picture book like Flashlight Night (Astra Young Readers, 2017) was created; the next, I’ll be discussing dinosaurs, tree ferns, or origami sea turtles!
Student presentations include:
The Making of a Picture Book
How a Child Saved a Book
“Once Upon Another Time”
The Most Imporant Thing about Writing Poetry
“I Am Today”
Adult presentations include:
The Making of a Picture Book
Poetry: An Introductionto the Most Important Genre
The Most Important Thing about Writing Poetry
Free Yourself with Free Verse
Tight Language, Loose Narratives: Crafting a Non-Traditional Picture Book
If you or someone you know might be interested in having me visit your school, library,or other organization, please email me at matt(at)mattforrest(dot)com!
Create an account to add books to wishlists and be notified of special deals and dates…create custom collections…and discover and follow your favorite authors & illustrators!
I continue adding to my “Wit & Wordplay” videos ! These videos were created for parents and educators (along with their kids) to learn how to write poetry, appreciate it, and have fun with it. From alliteration and iambs to free verse and spine poetry, I’m pretty sure there’s something in these videos you’ll find surprising! You can view them all on my YouTube channel, and if you have young kids looking for something to keep busy with, I also have several downloadable activity sheets at my website.
Ordering personalized signed copies online? Oh, yes, you can!
You can purchase personally-signed copies of Flashlight Night, (Astra Young Readers, 2017), Don’t Ask a Dinosaur (Pow! Kids Books, 2018), and nearly EVERY book or anthology I’ve been part of!
Just click the cover of whichever book you want and send a comment to the good folks at MainStreet BookEnds in Warner, NH requesting my signature and to whom I should make it out. (alternatively, you can log onto my website and do the same thing) They’ll contact me, I’ll stop by and sign it, and then they’ll ship it! (Plus, you’ll be supporting your local bookseller – and won’t that make you feel good?)
Did you like this post? Find something interesting elsewhere in this blog? I really won’t mind at all if you feel compelled to share it with your friends and followers!
To keep abreast of all my posts, please consider subscribing via the links up there on the right! (I usually only post once or twice a week – usually Tues. and Fri. – so you won’t be inundated with emails every day) . Also feel free to visit my voiceover website HERE, and you can also follow me via Twitter , Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and SoundCloud!
Beginner’s Guide is a very special book, too. Although it is my sixth book, it’s my very first creative nonfiction book and the first book I’ve ever written specifically for an editor who asked me to write it! (Even then, it wasn’t guaranteed that she’d accept it, so I breathed a sigh of relief when she said she’d take it – whew!)
“A delicate touch of humor weaves through the text…”
If you’d like to learn more about my approach to writing, the inspiration behind the book, and the process of creating this book (including the story of a manuscript the editor rejected, before asking me to write this one!), please check out the interview I had with Maria Marshall at The Picture Book Buzz!
Maria Marshall
We discuss the revision process, illustrator André Ceolin’s perfect illustrations, and a couple of new projects on the way. Maria calls it “a wonderful book for new ‘elder’ siblings, classrooms, parents, teachers, and caregivers working through emotions or just a really fun read.” I appreciate Maria’s kind words and support!
Huge thanks also to my friend/educator/poet Carol Varsalona for her wonderfully supportive review published yesterday at her blog Beyond Literacy Link.
Here’s a snippet:
“Friendly conversation, smiling faces, and a sense of community are felt. From the cover alone, a pre-book discussion could evolve on topics, such as inclusivity, diversity, and humanity. I believe that many children, parents, teachers, and librarians will be interested in reading this book with its hopeful message.”
Fellow author/blogger Deb Kalb published an interview we had recently at her little home on the web, Q&As with Deborah Kalb. We talk inspiration, how the book was created, and why you should NEVER give up on a manuscript (hint: the editor who bought Beginner’s Guide passed on the original manuscript I’d sent, but I held onto that one and ended up selling it elsewhere!).
By the way, this isn’t the first time I’ve had the pleasure of chatting with Deb; a few years ago, Deborah Bruss and I got to share our thoughts with Deb on our newly-published picture book, Don’t Ask a Dinosaur – you can read that interview HERE.
I’d also like to thank the following folks who have already posted reviews over the past couple of weeks:
One more thing: my friend Michele at Mrs. Knott’s Book Nook will be sharing her professional opinion about Beginner’s Guide tomorrow (Wed., 10/19) at her blog, so we’ll all get to read her review together!
I hope you’ll consider picking up a copy of Beginner’s Guide – and remember, you can order personally-signed copies of this or nearly any of my books from my local bookstore. (and if you don’t see the book your looking for at the link, do a quick search and it’ll probably pop up)
I’m also booking author visits for the 2022-23 school year!
Click the graphic for more details!
I love chatting with elementary and middle school classes about writing: why poetry is fun to read and write, the importance of revision, and how one’s imagination and creativity can lead to a fantastic career! I tailor my presentations to fit the needs of the classroom; one day I might be sharing details of how a picture book like Flashlight Night (Astra Young Readers, 2017) was created and the next, I’ll be discussing dinosaurs, tree ferns, or origami sea turtles!
If you or someone you know might be interested in having me visit your school, library, or other organization, please email me at matt(at)mattforrest(dot)com!
One final thought: THANK YOU so much for sharing this journey with me! I first began considering getting into the field of children’s lit about 12 years ago, joined my first critique group in 2010, had my first children’s poem published in 2012, my first paid published poem in 2015, and now I have 6 books out – with 5 more on the way – and more than 30 poems published in various anthologies like those listed below.
It’s not easy, but with patience, perseverance, and a willingness to do the work of learning the craft, you, too, could see your name on a nationally-recognized book! I certainly never thought my career would be moving along at the pace it is, but I couldn’t have done it without your support all these years. THANKS AGAIN!
~ ~ Giveaway! ~ ~
Would you like a free copy of A Beginner’s Guide to Being Human? Just let me know in the comments – or share this post on Twitter and tag me – and I’ll select one winner at random! The winner will be announced on Friday, Oct. 28. Good luck!
Click the link for more info!
I’m very proud to be a First Round Panelist for the Poetry Category this year!
Create an account to add books to wishlists and be notified of special deals and dates…create custom collections…and discover and follow your favorite authors & illustrators!
I continue adding to my “Wit & Wordplay” videos ! These videos were created for parents and educators (along with their kids) to learn how to write poetry, appreciate it, and have fun with it. From alliteration and iambs to free verse and spine poetry, I’m pretty sure there’s something in these videos you’ll find surprising! You can view them all on my YouTube channel, and if you have young kids looking for something to keep busy with, I also have several downloadable activity sheets at my website.
Ordering personalized signed copies online? Oh, yes, you can!
You can purchase personally-signed copies of Flashlight Night, (Astra Young Readers, 2017), Don’t Ask a Dinosaur (Pow! Kids Books, 2018), and nearly EVERY book or anthology I’ve been part of!
Just click the cover of whichever book you want and send a comment to the good folks at MainStreet BookEnds in Warner, NH requesting my signature and to whom I should make it out. (alternatively, you can log onto my website and do the same thing) They’ll contact me, I’ll stop by and sign it, and then they’ll ship it! (Plus, you’ll be supporting your local bookseller – and won’t that make you feel good?)
Did you like this post? Find something interesting elsewhere in this blog? I really won’t mind at all if you feel compelled to share it with your friends and followers!
To keep abreast of all my posts, please consider subscribing via the links up there on the right! (I usually only post once or twice a week – usually Tues. and Fri. – so you won’t be inundated with emails every day) . Also feel free to visit my voiceover website HERE, and you can also follow me via Twitter , Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and SoundCloud!
Y’know…I should write my post titles in rhyme more often. (ha!)
You see, I’m very excited to share with you all the fun things that have been happening around here lately, and when I get excited, I speak in rhyme – not now and then, but all the time! What to share first? A photo? Reviews? #FirstDraftFriday? It’s hard to choose!
Ok, I’d better stop before this gets out of hand.
I’m sure, as a reader, you understand.
>Ahem<…
As I was saying, there’s a whole lot of news to share today, so let’s get to it!
#FirstDraftFriday
First off, I’d like to thank Hollie Wolverton for inviting me to chat with her for #FirstDraftFriday, a regular feature at her blog. For #FirstDraftFriday, Hollie likes to talk to authors about their books – but specifically how their manuscript’s first draft came about and their process for completing it, polishing it, and publishing it.
I’m so honored that Hollie asked me about the story behind A Beginner’s Guide to Being Human (Beaming Books, 2022)! She asked me about how the book came to be, how I went about working on revisions, and tips on getting through the first draft – which, honestly, is the hardest part sometimes. But as the saying goes, you can’t edit an empty page, so finish up that first draft and then get revising!
(And if you visit her #FirstDraftFriday blog post today, you could win a manuscript critique from little, loveable me!)
“Beginner’s Guide” at the library
My first creative nonfiction book (from the publishers of Once Upon Another Time) introduces concepts like kindness, empathy, and self-control and will officially be in bookstores everywhere Oct. 18.
But as I mentioned last week, some stores are getting their copies early and putting them out on the shelves immediately – which is wonderful! Any opportunity for readers to see the book and flip through it is an opportunity I’m happy to offer.
Another place that just received their copy of Beginner’s Guide is our local library, and it was so nice to see it standing proudly among all the other new books on display. Apparently, the librarian had just put it up a few moments before I walked in the door, so that’s what I call perfect timing.
“Flashlight Night” in Encyclopedia Brittanica??
Well, Brittanica’s website, at least! Before I get to today’s poem, I have to tell you how flabbergasted I was to discover that my debut picture book, Flashlight Night (Astra Young Readers, 2017) was included on Encyclopedia Brittanica’s list of “11 Children’s Books that Inspire Imagination.”
Wow! And what a list, too, with famous, award-winning titles from folks like Dan Santat, Julie Fogliano, and Andrea Beaty. It’s quite an honor, and I’m still flying high.
A ‘forgiveness’ nonet
I was recently reading Irene Latham’s poetry collection Nine: A Book of Nonet Poems (Charlesbridge, 2020) so the nonet form was fresh in my mind when I began thinking about what to write for today’s post. (Learn more about the form at Irene’s link)
As I looked through the pages of A Beginner’s Guide to Being Human for inspiration, one spread jumped out at me; of a father apologizing to his son. When I wrote the book, I felt it was important to show an adult asking for forgiveness rather than a child, and my editors agreed…
Children are always the ones having to say “sorry,” and I thought it was about time to show that we parents mess up sometimes, too. We’re not as infallible as we like to think, and we need to fess up.
So with that in mind, I wrote this nonet:
.
Forgiveness
One mistake may not seem like a big deal, but to the other – the child whose eyes rain tears – it could mean everything. Set aside your parental pride and ask for the forgiveness you need.
. I hope you like it! And I hope you’ll check out A Beginner’s Guide to Being Human, too. Sarah Grace Tuttle is hosting today’s Poetry Friday roundup at her blog, where she is sharing her process for writing metrical verse. For those unfamilair with meter, iambs, and syllable counts, it’s a great primer!
Next week, the roundup arrives HERE – and I’ll be celebrating with more Beginner’s Guide news, our first reviews, and a whole bunch of poetry. Be sure to stop by Oct. 12!
Click the link to nominate your favorite book(s)!
I’m very proud to be a First Round Panelist for the Poetry Category this year!
Create an account to add books to wishlists and be notified of special deals and dates…create custom collections…and discover and follow your favorite authors & illustrators!
I continue adding to my “Wit & Wordplay” videos ! These videos were created for parents and educators (along with their kids) to learn how to write poetry, appreciate it, and have fun with it. From alliteration and iambs to free verse and spine poetry, I’m pretty sure there’s something in these videos you’ll find surprising! You can view them all on my YouTube channel, and if you have young kids looking for something to keep busy with, I also have several downloadable activity sheets at my website.
Ordering personalized signed copies online? Oh, yes, you can!
You can purchase personally-signed copies of Flashlight Night, (Astra Young Readers, 2017), Don’t Ask a Dinosaur (Pow! Kids Books, 2018), and nearly EVERY book or anthology I’ve been part of!
Just click the cover of whichever book you want and send a comment to the good folks at MainStreet BookEnds in Warner, NH requesting my signature and to whom I should make it out. (alternatively, you can log onto my website and do the same thing) They’ll contact me, I’ll stop by and sign it, and then they’ll ship it! (Plus, you’ll be supporting your local bookseller – and won’t that make you feel good?)
Did you like this post? Find something interesting elsewhere in this blog? I really won’t mind at all if you feel compelled to share it with your friends and followers!
To keep abreast of all my posts, please consider subscribing via the links up there on the right! (I usually only post once or twice a week – usually Tues. and Fri. – so you won’t be inundated with emails every day) . Also feel free to visit my voiceover website HERE, and you can also follow me via Twitter , Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and SoundCloud!
I feel bad I neglected to post for Poetry Friday last week; however, I had been spending the first half of the week preparing for my live announcing gig at our local state fair, which began Thur., Sept. 1, at which point I began my 55-hour weekend.
I’ll share my thoughts and insights on the fair, as I do every year, next week – but for now, I’m sharing a golden shovel poem based on the famous words of Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu, who is credited (likely improperly) with writing the Tao Te Ching, a series of texts upon which the philosophy and religion of Taosim is based.
In a nutshell, Taoism is the belief that aligning oneself with the Tao – also known as The Way, the universal rhythmic force that binds everything and everyone – is the key to happiness. Rather than fighting in opposition to the flow of the Tao, a Taoist allows the flow to guide them, using a principle of wu wei, roughly translated as “action through inaction.” This is not to mean one should be lazy or exert no effort at all, but to work with the flow of life and not against it.
With this in mind, I took a walk along the brook that borders our property and was inspired to write a short golden shovel using a portion of Lao Tzu’s famous quote, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step”:
My friend (and wonderful supporter) Carol Varsalona is hosting the Poetry Friday roundup today at her blog Beyond LiteracyLink with a couple of poems celebrating the season we are leaving behind, one of which is a cento – a poem created from lines of other poems. I see we are both openly inspired by others’ words today!
COMING SOON…
Arriving everywhere books are sold on Oct. 18 from Beaming Books!
Create an account to add books to wishlists and be notified of special deals and dates…create custom collections…and discover and follow your favorite authors & illustrators!
I continue adding to my “Wit & Wordplay” videos ! These videos were created for parents and educators (along with their kids) to learn how to write poetry, appreciate it, and have fun with it. From alliteration and iambs to free verse and spine poetry, I’m pretty sure there’s something in these videos you’ll find surprising! You can view them all on my YouTube channel, and if you have young kids looking for something to keep busy with, I also have several downloadable activity sheets at my website.
Ordering personalized signed copies online? Oh, yes, you can!
You can purchase personally-signed copies of Flashlight Night, (Astra Young Readers, 2017), Don’t Ask a Dinosaur (Pow! Kids Books, 2018), and nearly EVERY book or anthology I’ve been part of!
Just click the cover of whichever book you want and send a comment to the good folks at MainStreet BookEnds in Warner, NH requesting my signature and to whom I should make it out. (alternatively, you can log onto my website and do the same thing) They’ll contact me, I’ll stop by and sign it, and then they’ll ship it! (Plus, you’ll be supporting your local bookseller – and won’t that make you feel good?)
Did you like this post? Find something interesting elsewhere in this blog? I really won’t mind at all if you feel compelled to share it with your friends and followers!
To keep abreast of all my posts, please consider subscribing via the links up there on the right! (I usually only post once or twice a week – usually Tues. and Fri. – so you won’t be inundated with emails every day) . Also feel free to visit my voiceover website HERE, and you can also follow me via Twitter , Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and SoundCloud!
You see, when Pat asked me to write a poem about these trees, I had to do a lot of research – having never heard of them before, I needed to learn about what they looked like, why they looked like they did, and where on Earth one would even find them. This took me a solid day, at least. I then set about trying to come up with a poem worthy of a National Geographic book, and eventually wrote two of them.
The poem I shared last week, the one that made it into the book, was actually the second poem I wrote; the first one never saw the light of day. I sent Pat both poems so he could decide which he preferred, but I was glad to see he chose the second poem, as that was my favorite of the two, as well.
But that first poem was nice, nonetheless, and I always regretted that no one would ever read it. So why not publish it here?? .
Rainbow Eucalyptus
Near a clearing in the forest, jungle pixies paint with glee the canvas of a eucalyptus; Nature’s artist-tree.
You can probably see why both Pat and I preferred the second poem; this is nice, but very simple and not exceptionally engaging. The second poem is much more vivid and contains fun, inventive wordplay.
Analyzing it now, this feels more like the “rough draft” of the second poem – although I didn’t realize it when I wrote it. Just goes to show you how important it is to keep working at your project, even when you think you’re done, ha!
For today’s complete Poetry Friday roundup, head on over to Tanita Davis’ blog fiction, instead of lies, where she shares a poetic exercise that was a lot more taxing than she ever imagined!
ALSO:
My next picture book, A Beginner’s Guide to Being Human (Beaming Books, 2022) is only two months away from publication, and we could use your help!
My first-ever creative nonfiction book comes out October 18 and you’d like to help share the news with the world, I’d love for you to be part of our official Launch Team! Just send me an email at Matt (at) MattForrest (dot) com and let me know. We’ll send you a link so you can read the digital ARC (Advance Review Copy) and will coordinate news and announcements with you to share.
It’s not a lot of work – sharing social media posts, leaving reviews, etc. – but it’s a significant way you can lend a hand in showing support for a book you like. And if you’re a blogger or influencer and would like to be part of our official blog tour/virtual launch, I can make sure you’ll receive a free copy of Beginner’s Guide to give away to one of your followers!
Create an account to add books to wishlists and be notified of special deals and dates…create custom collections…and discover and follow your favorite authors & illustrators!
I continue adding to my “Wit & Wordplay” videos ! These videos were created for parents and educators (along with their kids) to learn how to write poetry, appreciate it, and have fun with it. From alliteration and iambs to free verse and spine poetry, I’m pretty sure there’s something in these videos you’ll find surprising! You can view them all on my YouTube channel, and if you have young kids looking for something to keep busy with, I also have several downloadable activity sheets at my website.
Ordering personalized signed copies online? Oh, yes, you can!
You can purchase personally-signed copies of Flashlight Night, (Astra Young Readers, 2017), Don’t Ask a Dinosaur (Pow! Kids Books, 2018), and nearly EVERY book or anthology I’ve been part of!
Just click the cover of whichever book you want and send a comment to the good folks at MainStreet BookEnds in Warner, NH requesting my signature and to whom I should make it out. (alternatively, you can log onto my website and do the same thing) They’ll contact me, I’ll stop by and sign it, and then they’ll ship it! (Plus, you’ll be supporting your local bookseller – and won’t that make you feel good?)
Did you like this post? Find something interesting elsewhere in this blog? I really won’t mind at all if you feel compelled to share it with your friends and followers!
To keep abreast of all my posts, please consider subscribing via the links up there on the right! (I usually only post once or twice a week – usually Tues. and Fri. – so you won’t be inundated with emails every day) . Also feel free to visit my voiceover website HERE, and you can also follow me via Twitter , Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and SoundCloud!
A few weeks ago I was wondering what to share here to kick off the month of June, and what should I discover but a budding poet friend of mine who had written a golden shovel, of all things!
(Golden shovels are poems that take a line from another poem or book and use each of the words in that line as the end words to each line of the new poem.)
Anyway, my friend had written their poem as a form of empowerment, as a way of feeling positive in the face of adversity. I asked them if they’d mind if I posted it here, and they agreed, as long as I kept their name secret. I didn’t question, I simply happily obliged.
.
I Shout, I Sing (golden shovelfrom Whitman’s ‘I Sing the Body Electric’)
Some show, some flow, some hide their pride; not I, no, not I – I shout! I raise my voice and sing! Declare it to the world – the hometowns, downtowns, the little spaces in-between – this is my dream, my body, my life – a right to be part of the race of humanity, no vanity, this is my song, strong and electric!
– Anon. 6-2-22
. It’s interesting to note that Whitman’s poem, which was originally never titled and originally never even had the line “I sing the body electric” in it – electricity really wasn’t a very common thing at the time, you see – is about loving one’s body and loving the human form itself, in all its various iterations. I told my friend I thought it was a perfect poem to use for a golden shovel! (You can read Whitman’s poem HERE)
LIBRARIANS! Click the graphic to learn more about how you can receive TONS of free ocean-themed activities from me and my PB22Peekaboo partners – for use this summer, or beyond!
While we’re on the subject of famous classic poets, be sure to head on over to Karen Edmisten’s blog, where she is hosting today’s complete Poetry Friday roundup with Yeats’ ever-popular “The Lake Isle of Innisfree.” Have a wonderful weekend!
.
Be sure to check out all the cool new picture books arriving this year from my PB22Peekaboo partners!
Create an account to add books to wishlists and be notified of special deals and dates…create custom collections…and discover and follow your favorite authors & illustrators!
I continue adding to my “Wit & Wordplay” videos ! These videos were created for parents and educators (along with their kids) to learn how to write poetry, appreciate it, and have fun with it. From alliteration and iambs to free verse and spine poetry, I’m pretty sure there’s something in these videos you’ll find surprising! You can view them all on my YouTube channel, and if you have young kids looking for something to keep busy with, I also have several downloadable activity sheets at my website.
Ordering personalized signed copies online? Oh, yes, you can!
You can purchase personally-signed copies of Flashlight Night, (Astra Young Readers, 2017), Don’t Ask a Dinosaur (Pow! Kids Books, 2018), and nearly EVERY book or anthology I’ve been part of!
Click any of the covers below to order!
Available now!
Just click the cover of whichever book you want and send a comment to the good folks at MainStreet BookEnds in Warner, NH requesting my signature and to whom I should make it out. (alternatively, you can log onto my website and do the same thing) They’ll contact me, I’ll stop by and sign it, and then they’ll ship it! (Plus, you’ll be supporting your local bookseller – and won’t that make you feel good?)
Did you like this post? Find something interesting elsewhere in this blog? I really won’t mind at all if you feel compelled to share it with your friends and followers!
To keep abreast of all my posts, please consider subscribing via the links up there on the right! (I usually only post once or twice a week – usually Tues. and Fri. – so you won’t be inundated with emails every day) . Also feel free to visit my voiceover website HERE, and you can also follow me via Twitter , Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and SoundCloud!
