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!
I hadn’t planned on sharing a five-year-old poem, but sometimes the poem asks to be shared – and I have no choice but to oblige.
Case in point: I had been searching for springtime poems a week or so ago and came upon the one I’m sharing today. I had written it back in August 2018, but when I searched my blog I could find no sign I’d ever shared it here. Likely, because I’d originally written it as a prompt on a friend’s blog.
That friend is Irene Latham, and in August 2018 she had published a post encouraging her readers to pick five words from a poster filled with verbs, and write a poem using all five. Knowing that just because a word might be a verb doesn’t necessarily mean that word is always a verb (does “march” mean to step in time, or is it a group of people stepping together? Or is it a month??)
So I took on her challenge and was quite happy with the result; granted, it’s four short lines, but I packed as much internal rhyme as I could into those four lines!
. March sweeps in to slowly wring the melt of winter; welcome, Spring.
The other thing I’m proud of is that considering the poem only uses 12 words, that means that nearly half the poem consists of words I needed to include for the challenge! I hope you like it. Since it’s Mother’s Day weekend, Robyn Hood Black is hosting a special Poetry Friday roundup today at Life on the Deckle Ege with a haiku she wrote for her grandchild, Sawyer.
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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 hope you’ve enjoyed my recent National Poetry Month reviews and interviews with Laura Shovan and Bob Schechter – and I’ve got ONE MORE on the way, too, next week, with my friend Ryan G. Van Cleave: author, poet, editor, and root beer connoisseur!
Today, though, I wanted to share a poem I wrote for Carol Varsalona’s “Springsations Gallery of Artistic Expressions,” an upcoming feature she will publish on her blog, Beyond Literacy Link.
Carol has asked me a couple of weeks ago if I had any spring-related poems I might be willing to share, and as I looked through some of my April/May photos I happened upon the one that inspired me to write the poem I ultimately sent her. You can view the poem along with a few others at her blog. I hope you like it! (Thank you, Carol!)
For today’s complete Poetry Friday roundup, head on over to Karen Edmisten’s blog where she is celebrating National Poetry Month with the Ted Kooser poem, “A Spiral Notebook.”
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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!
This post was originally published four years ago on March 22, 2019. Wow, everything pre-Covid seems like ancient history, doesn’t it? But since New Hampshire is finally melting away the winter snow and ice and we’re actually starting to see real ground (I saw the first butterfly of the season two days ago!), I thought it was apropos to share this again. Hope you like it! And for all of today’s poetry and links, head over to (A)nother Year of Reading, where Mary Lee is hosting the Poetry Friday roundup with a Poetic Quadfecta!
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(click to enlarge)
REMINDER: You have less than one week to enter my drawing for a FREE copy of Laura Purdie Salas’ new book, In the Middle of the Night: Poems from a Wide-Awake House (Wordsong, 2019)! This children’s poetry collection imagines what the inanimate objects inside a home are doing after the lights go out…and between neckties and hair combs and cap-less markers, the house is a much busier place than one might expect. So check out my blog post featuring Laura (well, actually, it’s an interview with Laura’s inanimate objects!), and leave a comment to be entered in the drawing.
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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!
.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”
“A Beginner’s Guide to Being Human”
“Everybody Counts: Counting to 10 in Twelve Languages”
If you or someone you know might be interested in having me visit your school, library,or other organization, please email meat matt(at)mattforrest(dot)com!
I’m very happy to be part of the BOOKROOfamily!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!Find out more about BOOKROO here!
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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?)
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Thank you to everyone for your support!FLASHLIGHT NIGHT:
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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’m very excited that author Lydia Lukidis is joining us here today! Lydia’s newest picture book is a creative nonfiction title, DEEP, DEEP DOWN: The Secret Underwater Poetry of the Mariana Trench (Capstone, 2022), and I wanted to share news about it before the end of the year rolled. (We’ll also be giving away a manuscript critique at the end!) It’s not a poetry collection, but it is a very lyrical exploration of the deepest part of the Earth and I think readers will enjoy it.
Welcome, Lydia, and congratulations on the new book! It’s beautiful all the way through, from your lyrical text to Juan Calle’s gorgeous illustrations. As a child (heck, even as an adult), I was fascinated by the possibility of life in outer space – and I feel like we can get a glimpse of what might be out there simply by investigating the bizarre life forms in the deepest parts of our oceans. (As Ian Malcolm said, “Life finds a way!”)
I know you mention at the back of the book how you became so fascinated by the Mariana Trench, but what made you decide to write a book about it?
Hi Matt! In 2019, I read an article about how scientists found a plastic bag floating in the Mariana Trench. They also discovered plastic in the belly of various marine animals. My heart sank and I wondered how we human beings managed to start damaging one of the most remote places on the planet.
At that point, I had heard of the Mariana Trench but knew very little about it. The article made me curious and I began my research. I discovered that the conditions in the trench are extremely hostile; there’s no sunlight, food is scarce, and the pressure is crushing. I wondered; what creatures could survive such an environment?
My goal in writing this book was twofold: firstly, to educate children on the deepest ocean of our world and debunk the myth that “scary” creatures live within its depths, and secondly, to talk about ocean conservation and the importance of this fascinating ecosystem.
To follow up, the question I always ask everyone – the question I ask myself before beginning a manuscript – is, why did this particular book need to be written?
Lydia Lukidis
That’s a critical question to ask yourself!
As I sank deep, deep down into my research, one of the first things I did was look up other kidlit books about the Mariana Trench. And it turned out there were hardly any! There were many books about the deep sea, of course, but none specifically about the Mariana Trench. This was a green flag for me since there was a small hole in the market.
But that alone could not be enough to warrant writing a book and investing years in a project. The second question I ask myself is; how much passion do I feel for this topic? I have an excitable personality and find almost everything interesting. (Literally!) I have a document filled with ideas, but most don’t make it to the development stage. I do feel a special affinity for anything space or ocean related, so that sustained me through the very long process of rewriting the book over 55 times.
DEEP, DEEP DOWN is very different from your other books, like the MYTHOLOGY MATCHUPS you’ve also written for Capstone or your American Industries series of nonfiction books. What made you decide to use this very poetic, lyrical style of writing?
As I emerge as a writer and my body of work grows, I’m starting to realize that my style is varied. The goal is to create a specific signature and author style of course, but I never want to stop myself from pursuing a project I feel deep passion for. Cut to today, I write not only nonfiction but also fiction, not only STEM but also funny or poetic narratives. And why not put STEM and poetry together? That’s just who I am.
In fact, writing in a lyrical style for DEEP, DEEP DOWN was like reclaiming my roots in many ways. I studied English Literature and poetry in university and I’ve been writing poetry since the age of six. Poetry has always been my first love and it’s been a fun experience to reclaim that part of myself.
(Click to enlarge)
As I mentioned earlier, I love deep-sea marine biology, so the sidebars are especially cool because they provide context as well as fascinating information about your primary text. How did you decide which creatures to include and which to leave out?
Great question. I interviewed my experts and researched every single creature that lived in the trench (that has been discovered so far). I picked the most interesting, amazing, or weirdest ones that most children likely haven’t heard of and that would pique their interest.
Were there any you wish you could have included?
When I first started writing the book, I really wanted to include the anglerfish. What a fascinating creature! I also found an article claiming vampire squid lived in the trench. But when I interviewed my roster of experts, I discovered that neither of these (and many others I had found on the internet) lived in the trench. That experience led me to my hook, which is asking children to imagine what lives down there and surprising them with the truth.
I’m sure you were thrilled when you found out a former marine biologist, Juan Calle, would be illustrating your book – if anyone knows marine life, it’d be a guy like Juan! I know authors and illustrators don’t usually work together, but did you two have any sort of conversations during the revision process?
I was ecstatic that someone like Juan took on this project as I knew this would be a great match. Usually, picture book authors provide very little direction for illustrations, but it’s different for nonfiction. I was hyper aware of the importance of depicting the trench and its creatures in a realistic light and there aren’t many resource photos on the internet. Thanks to the many experts I consulted with, I compiled photos, video reels, and information and put together a resource guide for Juan. It took months to make but it was well worth it.
But I never spoke to or emailed Juan directly, everything went through my editor and I respected their process. I showed the first drafts to my experts and we did have many small revisions. I’m grateful Juan hang on as we went back and forth multiple times. I think it took about 8 tries to get the exact color of the sea cucumber. I imagine he was probably losing his mind at that point! But he kept going until it was just right and I’m grateful. My editor, Alison Deering, was equally fantastic as we went over each line and each fact in detail.
What did you find most surprising about writing this book?
Everything!! As I mentioned, the first drafts I wrote were based on research I did on the internet which turned out to be largely false. Learning what the trench is truly like and what creatures actually roam its depths felt like an adventure. I learned so many things in the process.
Well, it’s really a wonderful book, and I wish you all the best with it! Any plans to write more books with this lyrical sort of style?
Yes! Now that DEEP, DEEP DOWN is out there, my love affair with poetry is reignited. I’ve already written a few books which are a mix of verse and prose and I have a new nonfiction narrative book coming out shortly that also has a lyrical feel to it. It will be announced “soon,” hopefully!
Thanks again, Lydia, for dropping by, and have a great holiday season! With each of us celebrating book birthdays on Jan. 1, it’s going to be an awesome, exciting day!
Thanks for having me and happy book birthday to you, as well!
BIO:
Lydia Lukidis is the author of 50+ trade and educational books for children, as well as 31 e-Books. Her titles include DEEP, DEEP, DOWN: The Secret Underwater Poetry of the Mariana Trench (Capstone, 2023) and THE BROKEN BEES’ NEST (Kane Press, 2019) which was nominated for a Cybils Award. A science enthusiast from a young age, she now incorporates her studies in science and her everlasting curiosity into her books. Lydia is an active member of SCBWI, CANSCAIP, 12 x 12, and The Authors Guild. She’s very involved in the kidlit community and also volunteers as a judge on Rate your Story. Another passion of hers is fostering love for children’s literacy through the writing workshops she regularly offers in elementary schools. Lydia is represented by literary agent Miranda Paul from the Erin Murphy Literary Agency.
And now, dear readers, it’s time for that GIVEAWAY I told you about!
Lydia has graciously offered to provide a manuscript critique for a fiction or nonfiction picture book! (non-rhyming, <1000 words) Just let us know you’d like to be entered in the random drawing by leaving a comment below OR by sharing this post on Twitter – just be sure to tag Yours Truly so I’ll see it.
I’ll announce the winner NEXT FRIDAY!
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“EVERYBODY COUNTS!”
My newest picture book, Everybody Counts! (The Little Fig, 2023), originally scheduled for publication Jan. 1, 2023, appears to be ahead of schedule as bookstores are already receiving their copies – so the publisher has told them to feel free to sell it!
Everybody Counts! features 12 animals of varying ethnicities teaching the reader how to count to ten in each of their languages, along with an ethnic name and food item.
It was one of the more popular titles on sale this past Wed. at our state capital’s only independent bookstore, Gibson’s Bookstore of Concord. I had visited the store for a storytime/book signing with families and teachers from the Concord Family Center, and it was a lot of fun sharing my books, teaching origami, and making crazy faces! (I’m currently booking school/library author visits for winter/spring 2023, so scroll down just a wee bit for more details on that!)
Today’s complete Poetry Friday roundup can be found at Michelle Kogan’s blog, More Art 4 All. Ukraine has been on her mind lately and she shares some news and thoughts about the country and the war, as well as a new poem and artwork about the gift of a morning song.
Thrilled to be a First Round panelist for the Poetry Category!
I’m 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! 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!
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(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!)
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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!
In case you haven’t heard, my newest book, A Beginner’s Guide to Being Human (Beaming Books, 2022), is officially in bookstores everywhere, and a few days ago I celebrated with a special blog post and GIVEAWAYthat you can still enter! (Just leave a comment on that post and I’ll pick a name at random next week!)
I would also like to take a moment and thank the many folks who have posted reviews over the past couple of weeks:
As happy and thrilled as I am to have a new book out in the world, I thought readers might enjoy a break from the excitement with a trip back in time…to ten years ago…to my first published poem for a non-adult!
I say “non-adult” because it wasn’t really a children’s poem – it was definitely more YA. But considering it was published in 2012 – the same year I had left fulltime employment to work from home and be a stay-at-home dad – it definitely helped me feel like I was moving in the right direction with regards to young people’s literature.
The poem was titled “Apple-Stealing” and was about one night in college when a couple of friends and I snuck into the apple orchard right next to the college to steal apples late at night. Full disclosure: I would never advocate stealing anything and was extremely hesitant to go, but once I learned that the college actually paid the orchard several hundred dollars each year due to students stealing apples – well, I figured I had already paid for them and I was going to get my money’s worth.
Not sure that logic is completely sound, but it was good enough for me at the time)
So here’s my poem, which was published by the now-defunct Young Adult Review Network (YARN):
.
Apple Stealing
Moonglow; steadfast, unwitting cohort, lights autumn evening orchard shadows while three devious figures skulk quietly between Macs and Cortlands.
Grey watercolor brushstrokes soften the edges; forms flow one into the next; our eyes unreliable, texture, …..distance, …..…..perspective give way to guesswork and guile.
Crickets, night birds knowingly talk amongst themselves, voyeurs in anticipation watching us from their posts; fighting our fears, we dismiss guilt, ready our bags, …..plan our attack, and move in, deftly selecting our prizes.
Suddenly, a rustling – massive darkness looms before us, behind, in front, beside the trees; bags dropped, we stop cold, eyes straining, hearts racing faster, faster than stone-heavy legs. Our criminality laid bare, devil creature raises its head in frightful judgment… and bites
This poem is special to me not just because it was my first young person’s poem published, but because poet/author Kip Wilson, who was one of the folks operating YARN at the time, nominated the poem for a prestigious Pushcart Prize! So this week I get to share both my newest piece of writing as well as my first piece of (young adult) writing. Hope you liked it.
Thrilled to be a Firstt Round panelist for the Poetry Category!
I also hope you’ll consider picking up a copy of Beginner’s Guide. You can order personally-signed copies of this or nearly any of my books from my local bookstore. And be sure to visit Wee Words for Wee Ones, where Bridget Magee is hosting today’s complete Poetry Friday roundup!
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!
Even if I didn’t know I had a new book coming out next month, I’d still know – because only when a new book is due does life get this busy!
I’ve been coordinating interviews with bloggers, corresponding with bookstores, getting marketing posts out and scheduled, and already signing copies of A Beginner’s Guide to Being Human (Beaming Books, 2022)!
My first creative nonfiction book (from the publishers of Once Upon Another Time) introduces the very human concepts and emotions of love, creativity, and empathy, and I hope you’ll check it out. (You’ll certainly have plenty of opportunity to do so, as the number blog posts, reviews, interviews, and podcasts will start increasing as we get closer to publication date of Oct. 18!)
I’ve already seen the book on the shelf of one local bookstore, Gibson’s Bookstore in Concord, NH (guess they couldn’t wait, ha!), and yesterday I spent part of my afternoon signing all the fresh copies that had just been delivered to another local bookstore, MainStreet BookEnds of Warner, NH. I absolutely LOVE this!
As if I wasn’t busy enough, I’ve just learned that I will be a First Round Panelist for this year’s CYBILs Awards! I’m always eager to see what books get nominated for the various categories (I get to judge poetry!), and I’m especially excited because there are finally, finally TWO separate categories for poetry collections and verse novels.
Many of us have been requesting this for years, because it’s impossible to compare a collection of poems written for a 2nd-grade reading level with a YA verse novel. They might both be poetry, but they are as different as a board book and an early reader – they are two completely different genres, and it’s nice to see the CYBILs recognizing this.
Nominations for all the categories will open on Oct. 1, so be sure to check out the CYBILs website for all the info – and bookmark it so you can stay updated!
So to celebrate the CYBILs, I thought I’d reach back in time and share a poem from the book that won First Place in the Poetry Category the very first year I participated as a panelist or judge: 2013! (Wow, has it really been 9 years?)
The winning book was Forest Has a Song (Clarion Books, 2013) by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater, who at the time I’d only recently connected with on social media. Over the ensuing years, however, Amy and I would get to know each other better through our poetry, our books, and a mutual friendship with the late, great Lee Bennett Hopkins.
We’ve even had the privelege of contributing to each other’s books – me, by writing a soccer poem for her book Poems are Teachers (Heineman, 2017) and her, for contributing a poem to an upcoming poetry anthology of mine.
One of my favorite poems from her book has delightful wordplay and is beautiful in its simplicity and brevity – neither of which is an easy task, when it comes to poetry:
If you click the image, you’ll be whisked away to Jama Rattigan’s original blog post celebrating the publication of Forest Has a Song, so I hope you’ll check it out if you missed it 9 years ago!
Here in present day, however, Tabatha is hosting the Poetry Friday roundup at her blog, The Opposite of Indifference, and sharing a cute pussy willow poem, “The Willow Cats,” by award-winning poet Margaret Widdemer.
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!
This post was originally published four years ago on March 22, 2019. Wow, everything pre-Covid seems like ancient history, doesn’t it?
But since New Hampshire is finally melting away the winter snow and ice and we’re actually starting to see real ground (I saw the first butterfly of the season two days ago!), I thought it was apropos to share this again. Hope you like it! And for all of today’s poetry and links, head over to 
Radio, Rhythm & Rhyme 