Poetry Friday: Poetry + Research
Tanita S. Davis is our host for this week. Hop on over there for the roundup.
Poetry + Research
Last weekend, I got to do two different writerly events. On Friday night, I was a guest reader at a “Reading Under the Stars” event at a local elementary school. I read from THINGS WE FEEL. Kids got to choose emojis and I read the corresponding poems.
Afterwards, I handed out poetry postcards and poems for their pockets. It was a great way to bounce back after last week’s poetry rejection and review.
On Saturday, I attended a research event at the Library of Virginia. I’m the nonfiction event coordinator for our local SCBWI region. In the past (pre-pandemic), we did several in person events where we learned about doing research at various places like the Library of Congress, the National Archives, and the Smithsonian Libraries.
For my next project, I did a lot of research this past summer at the Library of Virginia in Richmond, our state capital, so I organized a tour for us. They did a brief overview of the collections (online and physical), a fabulous tour of their Indigenous Perspectives exhibit. It was both beautiful (their art and culture) and horrific (the history our Virginia Indians have suffered), as you can likely imagine. We also got to take a tour of the library space. I love being with other writers and hearing what others are researching or working on. It’s such a solitary job sometimes that it’s amazing to hear about what everyone else is doing in their little cubby holes of writing.
Haiku of the Week
winter’s gift—
tiny cups of sherbet
hum of bees
Photo Taken: February 4, 2024 Green Spring Gardens
Haiku Written: March 4, 2024
Poem as Picture Book
by Nina Laden
Illustrated by Sawyer Cloud
Roaring Brook Press, 2024
This 130-word picture book that uses the metaphor or seeds to help readers know how they can make the world a better place. It has connections to Social-Emotional Learning.
Poetry Connections
- Metaphor
- Rhyming
- Repetition
- Anaphora
- Alliteration
Links
Grow
Right after I got a rough review of a poem last week, I had the above-mentioned event scheduled where I had promised to do an interactive poetry reading. I put on my “Poetry is My Jam” t-shirt and celebrated some poetry with kids. It’s a mood booster to share poems with kids, that’s for sure.
20 Comments
Sarah Grace Tuttle
So glad you got a boost from some poetry celebration time! Your haiku and the photo are lovely– we don’t have such sherbert where I am, but it reminds me of the mountain laurel flowers I love so much. Happy Poetry Friday!
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Oh I love mountain laurel!
tanita
Argh, crushing criticism vs. constructive critique — it’s always demoralizing when you run across people who have that axe to grind, and don’t acknowledge that there’s a difference. I’m so glad you found a way to plump up your sun-crisped leaves with the balm of kids’ unfettered delight in celebrating words and sounds, and by acknowledging the many gifts of the natural world. You have SUCH an eye for photography, which elevates your posts. It’s always a mini-vacation to visit here.
May you find more gifts the world has offered you, in small moments of peace, confirming that you are, indeed, as awesome as you know you are.
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Thank you so much, Tanita!
PATRICIA J FRANZ
I don’t get too many chances to read to kids, but my pup is an awfully good listener!
PS…I like your new website banner!
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
A Poetry Pup!
Mary Lee Hahn
I love your haiku! I, too, have seen lots of bees/polinators buzzing around all the first-to-bloom trees!
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
I love those early spring bees! 🙂
Denise Krebs
Marcie, so glad this week was better for you. The children’s event and the research event both sound like winners! How rewarding!
Those “tiny cups of sherbet” have captured my imagination today. I just want to be a fairy and eat one up.
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Fairies would love these!
Linda Baie
Argh, sorry for the words that hurt, Marcie. Something I know and have told my grandchildren and earlier, my students, that others’ words belong to them, not to you. I love your haiku, bringing new looks to the pictures that accompany them. This time, considering my world is full of snow these recent days, I love “tiny cups of sherbet”. Thank you!
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Thank you!
Rose Cappelli
Oh, those tiny cups of sherbet! Beautiful!
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Thank you, Rose!
Linda Mitchell
Whew! That WAS a lovely and positive boost. Thank goodness! I’m headed downtown next week for some research. I haven’t done this since lock-down so I’m excited. I need to pick your brain on vision boards. I tried to find your post on them–and ran out of time looking. I’m putting boards up in my “office” today. I’m at the point of having too many facts to hold in my brain at once and yet not enough strands to write from.
Marcie Atkins
Was it this one: https://www.marcieatkins.com/2024/02/02/poetry-friday-artist-dates/
I will email you too!
Laura Purdie Salas
Tiny cups of sherbet — oh, what a lovely, fresh metaphor, Marcie!
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Thank you, Laura!
Michelle Kogan
Gorgeous image and haiku–love the sherbet cups!
And Indigenous Perspectives looks like a powerful exhibit, thanks for sharing the link!
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
It was an eye-opening exhibit!