But following a recent school visit to West Fairlee, Vermont for a day of poetry workshops, I figured I should probably extend the poetry month festivities and share some of the poems the students and I crowd-sourced this week!
I had been invited to visit Westshire Elementary School, just over the New Hampshire border, to chat with students about writing, poetry, and my journey as an author. So I shared some of my poems along with the many reasons I love poetry, and then we took 10-15 minutes and crafted our little poems, right there on the spot.
As I’ve mentioned in past posts like this one and this one, I often use what I call the MBOE (Most Boring Object Ever) as a way to start thinking creatively. If something as mundane as a hair tie or a chewed-up eraserless pencil can inspire poetry, then pretty much anything can!
So this time, the 4th & 5th-graders chose a piece of dirt as the MBOE. We brainstormed ideas about what it could be – both literally and figuratively – and then started looking for connections and commonalities. I then did the same thing with the preK, K, and 1st-graders, followed by the 2nd and 3rd-graders – both of whom used a piece of driftwood I had brought with me.
Here’s what we came up with:
Piece of Dirt(4th & 5th)
Ants, worms, …..dandelions, too – call it home. Protecting, …..feeding, holding us together here on Earth.
….. Driftwood (preK-1st)
I need this in my office.
Dead branch, fence post, an island tree,
fishing rod, weapon – what might you be?
….. Driftwood(2nd & 3rd)
A century ago, I was a home – chair, shelf, …..gate my family – until the storm.
….. Didn’t they do a great job? These are based on list poems or “re-name it” poems, whereby the students try to come up with as many different things an object could be – or ways of describing the object – and then using some of those ideas as the basis for their poem.
Not bad for 10-15 minutes of crowd-sourcing, I’d say.
And as many times as I’ve done this with different grades in different classes in different schools – I have yet to ever get stumped and not be able to come up with a half-decent poem. (If you’d be interested in having me visit YOUR school, scroll down for the details!)
Well done, kids!
The REALLY cool thing was that my local indie bookstore, MainStreet BookEnds of Warner, NH, donated 75 copies of I Am Today (POW! Kids Books, 2022) so that EACH STUDENT could take one home with them. Talk about an incredible act of kindness!
If you’d like to see more photos of the event, check out the school’s Facebook post about it. And for today’s complete Poetry Friday roundup, head on over to Buffy Silverman’s blog where she has all the poetry links and fun – including a story about a hognose snake in three acts!
~~ 2024 SCHOOL VISIT dates still available! ~~
I still have a few dates still available for author visits for the 2024 spring semester! If you think your school might be interested in having me visit, check out all the presentations I offer, then email me at Matt (at) MattForrest (dot) com!
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 imagination and creativity can lead to fantastic careers! 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 crafting origami sea turtles!
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, and SoundCloud!
Yesterday was George Washington’s birthday, this past Monday was the official President’s Day, and last week Abraham Lincoln’s birthday was remembered.
Of course, they perfectly paired Honest Abe with the less-than-stellar Andrew Johnson, who found himself president following Lincoln’s assassination:
It’s a fun, informative, and eye-opening book, so if you’ve not come across it, I encourage you to check it out!
And for more poetry, I hope you’ll check out today’s complete Poetry Friday roundup with Tabatha at The Opposite of Indifference where she is sharing an original poem, “Sheherezade!”
~~ SCHOOL VISITS still available! ~~
I’m booking author visits for the 2024 spring semester and still have a few dates available. If you think your school might be interested in having me visit, check out all the presentations I offer, then email me at Matt (at) MattForrest (dot) com!
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 imagination and creativity can lead to fantastic careers! 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 crafting 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!
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, and SoundCloud!
I don’t know about your new year, but mine has been exceptionally busy, between writing, getting submissions sent out, and working on a couple of new projects the likes of which I’ve never done before. (More details forthcoming, if anything comes of them!)
So for today I thought I’d dust off a poem I wrote 8 years ago and share it again for any of the folks who’ve begun following the blog in these past intervening years. I don’t recall exactly what inspired it, but I seem to remember seeing pictures of the ocean, a little over an hour from where I am, in the midst of a January snowstorm – and the poem wrote itself!
“January Shoreline”
Ocean spits splinters, mists fight the blizzard’s frigid fists.
I love imagery in poetry, but I also love wordplay – and I think I managed to combine both here fairly well. Hope you liked it! (If you’re so inclined, you can view the original post HERE)
With all this frozen winter stuff, you might want to warm up a little bit by visiting Robyn Hood Black’s blog, Life on the Deckle Edge, where she is hosting Tea Time – and the Poetry Friday roundup!
I will once again be sharing my books with classrooms across the country on World Read Aloud Day – Wed., Feb. 7, 2024 – and I still have a few timeslots available! If you’d be interested in having me join your students, or know a teacher who might, please let me know by emailing me at matt(at)mattforrest.(dot)com. (Check out that huge graphic below to get an idea of what oen of my virtual visits is like!)
~~ SCHOOL VISITS still available! ~~
I’m booking author visits for the 2024 spring semester and still have a few dates available. If you think your school might be interested in having me visit, check out all the presentations I offer, then email me at Matt (at) MattForrest (dot) com!
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 imagination and creativity can lead to fantastic careers! 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 crafting 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!
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, and SoundCloud!
It was Nov. 1, 2016 when U.S. Children’s Poet Laureate Kenn Nesbitt’s children’s poetry anthology, One Minute Till Bedtime (Little, Brown for Young Readers), hit bookshelves across the country.
Was it really seven years ago?
I was very proud to be one of the more than 130 poets included in the book, not only because it was such a beautiful, well-received book (illustrated by New York Times illustrator Christoph Niemann), but because it was the sixth book of children’s poetry to which I had contributed. Flashlight Night (Astra Young Readers, 2017) would not be published until the following year, so for someone whose career was just beginning to take off, every anthology was a huge step for me.
And what a step it was! I found myself sharing pages with folks like J. Patrick Lewis, Jane Yolen, Lee Bennett Hopkins, Nikki Grimes, Charles Ghigna, David Harrison, Marilyn Singer, and many others I now call friends.
Over the years, Pat and Lee invited me to participate in several of their anthologies, I co-wrote Once Upon Another Time (Beaming Books, 2021) with Charles, co-wrote an animal poetry collection with David (that is still out on submission), and have worked with Jane, Nikki, and Marilyn on a couple of my own projects. This children’s poetry community in which I’ve found myself has been like one big supportive family, and I’m grateful for all the guidance and friendship I’ve received.
(c) 2016 Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, all rights reserved
The premise of the book is that it’s comprised of short, 60-second(ish) poems for kids to add to the end of their day, after the kids have been read to and are tucked in bed. When a child asks, “Can we read one more thing?” you can pull this out! If you have yet to pick up a copy, I hope you’ll consider doing so.
I also hope you’ll stop by Buffy Silverman’s blog, where she is hosting today’s Poetry Friday roundup with a celebration of snowflakes, maple trees, and her new book, On a Flake-Flying Day!
VIRTUAL or IN-PERSON, I’m booking author visits for the 2023-24 shool year!
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 imagination and creativity can lead to fantastic careers! 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!
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!
Earlier today I stumbled upon a couple of photos I took while climbing New Hampshire’s Mt. Kearsarge (which is almost in our backyard) with my son and daughter, back when he was in first grade and she wasn’t even old enough to attend school.
These were not taken from the summit – rather, I took these from just below the summit. I was too busy holding onto their arms for dear life, as it’s a flat, rocky peak and I didn’t want them running off the edge!
But the photos show a stunning landscape, nonetheless, so I sat and thought for a few minutes about the experience. I don’t normally share rough drafts here, but I was kind of pleased with what I was able to come up with in only 15 minutes at 10:30 at night, so I thought I’d let you see what you think…
Thoughts Atop the Mountain
Disheartening, it is, that one can climb so high and stroke the clouds that sail where gods are crowned, yet with every step we take – while closer to the sky – our feet, alas, remain upon the ground.
Carol Varsalona is hosting today’s complete Poetry Friday roundup at Beyond Literacy Link with an original poem about the changing seasons and a Padlet of Poetry (including one from Yours Truly) celebrating summer’s end!
And now that the school year is fully underway…
I’m booking author visits for the 2023-24 shool year!
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 imagination and creativity can lead to fantastic careers! 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!
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!
First of all, before we get going, I need to share some news about Stargazing (the book, that is!) and thank a few folks who already have had some nice things to say about it:
I need to again thank Julie Gribble and the gang at KidLit.TV for hosting the premiere of the official book trailer for my upcoming picture book, The Thing to Remember about Stargazing (Tilbury House, 2023) two days ago. (If you haven’t seen the short :60 clip, click HERE to watch it!)
Last but not least, many thanks to BlackRaven at Cannonball Read, who loved the book and said, “The poetic, wonder-filled story is contemporary with feeling and emotional.” Wow!
I’ll be hosting Poetry Friday on Oct. 6, three days after Stargazing is published, so be sure to stop by for all the links and fun as well as a special preview of the book and its surprising backstory. (Let’s just say you should never give up on a project, even if the project turns out to not be the project you thought it was!)
. “Flashlight Night” and Halloween…
Hard for me to believe, but my debut picture book, Flashlight Night (Astra Young Readers, 2017) celebrates its 6th birthday next week, on National Talk Like a Pirate Day, no less, Sept. 19! Sometimes, things are just serendipitous.
In advance of this occasion, you can imagine my surprise when I discovered that specialty online retailer barley & burch included my little book on their list of the BEST HALLOWEEN BOOKS FOR KIDS!
I’m so honored Flashlight Night is included with books by such highly-esteemed authors and illustrators as Chris Van Allsburg, Mercer Meyer, Aaron Reynolds, Stan & Jan Berenstain, Jon Klassen, and Charlotte Zolotow – as well as friends like Patricia Toht and my Once Upon Another Time collaborator, Charles “Father Goose” Ghigna, whom we’ll hear from in a bit.
Although I never wrote it with Halloween in mind, a nighttime adventure like Flashlight Night certainly spurs the imagination in much the same way Halloween does, so I’m happy to see it showing up on several other Halloween book lists, too, like We Are Teachers and the Los Angeles Public Library.
Next month, I’ll be sharing a LOT of Halloween book lists, so be watching for that!
.So in the spirit of the season, I asked Charles if he would mind sharing two of his favorites from the book – and I have to say, he picked a couple of awesome ones!
What a great way to open and close the book – and the holiday, itself! I hope you get a chance to pick up a copy, as the kids would love it, I’m sure.
For more poetry, be sure to visit Rose at Imagine the Possibilities, who welcomes autumn with a reverso poem – what a challenge!
And now that the school year is fully underway…
I’m booking author visits for the 2023-24 shool year!
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 imagination and creativity can lead to fantastic careers! 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!
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!
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!
It’s Friday, and that means it’s Poetry Friday – and yes, I have a very apropos poem coming up! But first – I’m so excited to welcome my Everybody Counts!illustrator and fellow SCBWI member Emma Graham to Radio, Rhythm, & Rhyme today.
Thanks so much for joining me here at the ol’ blog, Emma. I have to say it again: I love what you did for the illustrations. Before we get into that, though, I wanted to ask about what led you to becoming a children’s book illustrator. After graduating Norfolk Institute of Art, you had done a lot of corporate artwork like greeting cards, album covers, and sculpture painting, so how did you find your way to where you are now?
Hi, Matt, thanks for asking me! I trained as a graphic designer and worked a while in publishing and packaging design, then when my children came along I fell back in love with children’s books. I read a lot as a child and still have many of my books. It was a joy to read with my children and see their love of books develop.
There is something rather special about a dog eared book that a child wants read over and over again. I decided to give it a go, my early attempts weren’t good, but I refused to give up and it is so lovely to see my work in print. But without the authors there would be no books, it is a partnership, we bring each other’s work to life.
Aside from honing your craft, where there any specific skills or things you learned over the past 30 years that helped with this transition?
I’m always learning. Each project brings new challenges in research and design. I try to bring something fresh and new to each book and I love experimenting with new techniques and colour pallettes.
Well, I have to say I love the color palette you chose for our book – it’s soft, but vibrant, as well. So please tell me how you began your approach to illustrating Everybody Counts!
Sherry at The Little Fig sent over your wonderful text for me to read through and sketch ideas. I have to be honest, I started with children (which I imagine you were expecting), but drawing humans is way out of my comfort zone, and after many pages of sketching I felt that I just couldn’t capture the beautiful diversity of all those cultures.
As much as anything, I didn’t want to get something wrong, so I went back to [editor] Sherry Bushue with my worries, we discussed it and we said how about the animal – which I LOVE drawing – from each of those cultures. Then it was into the research of the animals, culture, food and all the little extra elements like pattern that I love to add.
Are those watercolors or digital? They certainly have the look of being hand-painted.
All hand drawn and painted in acrylic ink, which is similar in many ways to watercolour but a bit more versatile to build layers and keep colours vibrant. My artwork is then scanned and tidied in photoshop, ready to send to Sherry and the designer.
What did you find most challenging about the project? Any surprises along the way?
I think the hardest part was finding reference to the Navajo taa’niil, not an easy recipe to find!
Ah, yes – blue corn mush! So how was the process for Everybody Counts! different from the process for other books you’ve illustrated, like Señior Saguaro or Symphony Hollow?
There was much more research with ‘Everybody Counts’ with the 12 different cultures. Usually a picture book will have one main character and a few others that pop up on their journey. With 12 cultures, there were all the animals, food, settings, numbers, patterns and countries to ‘get right’.
Trust me, I can guess how much research you must have done – this book probably took me longer to write than any other!
Thank goodness for the internet and my collection of many books. I have to admit the recipes were wonderful, it made me rather hungry and wanting to try new things, I saved the recipes on Pinterest and think Sherry will add a link on the website to these to link in with the book.
I’m so glad to hear Sherry will be sharing the recipes – I’d wanted to include them in the book but quickly realized the amount of information would be overwhelming for a reader.Now,I know you have several books of your own that you’re working on; are there any upcoming projects you’re at liberty to share?
Ha ha, yes, I love to write, too. I think at last count I have 18 picture book stories written and 2 YA novels. I’d love to have one or more of my own published. I’m in discussion with a UK publisher at the moment, so fingers crossed.
One of my stories, ‘The Owl Who Wanted to Sing’ was a finalist in Stratford Literary Festival’s Stratford-Salariya Prize for picture books 2017. It was inspired by an owl who would sit in the tree outside my bedroom window and hoot at dawn. It made me smile, so I wrote the story.
Well, I wish you the best with getting it placed, Emma – and congratulations on your other books and projects, as well! I hope we get to work together again at some point.
Speaking of working together…
I had asked Emma to send me a favorite illustration of hers that I could write a poem about – and she sent me the most colorful, fun, energetic picture I could have asked for:
Ocoustic-pus
I have a diverse sort of musical soul; my style is folk-polka-rock ‘n roll. If you happen to take in one of my shows, I’ll have you dancing and tapping your toes.
So let’s join together! Quick, go grab a mic! We can play any music or rhythm we’d like. Alas, no big band or jazz tunes yet – I’ve no way of holding a clarinet.
Molly Hogan is hosting today’s Poetry Friday roundup at her blog, Nix the Comfort Zone, so be sure to head on over and check out all the poetry links and fun!
Read Across America Day ~
Would you like to have an author visit your classroom for free? I’m once again offering free, 20-minute virtual visits all day Thur., March 2, for Read Across America Day! I’m usually jam-packed with a couple of visits every hour, all day long – and spots are filling up.
If you’ woul’d be interested in having me join your class for a 20-minute visit via Zoom, GoogleMeets, or MS Teams, send me an email! I’ll read one of my 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 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 (featuring “Flashlight Night”)
How a Child Saved a Book (featuring “Don’t Ask a Dinosaur”)
“Once Upon Another Time”
The Most Imporant Thing about Writing Poetry
“I Am Today”
Adult presentations include:
The Making of a Picture Book (featuring “Flashlight Night”)
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!
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!
Radio, Rhythm & Rhyme 