Poetry Friday: January Roundup of Museums and Books
Jan at Bookseed Studio is hosting our Poetry Friday roundup.
25 Museums in 2025
I live in the DC metro area, and there is a wealth of museums (most of them free). But if you’ve ever been here in person, you know that you could spend an entire day in each Smithsonian and not see everything. I’m giving myself permission to visit ONE exhibit each time I visit a museum. This gives me a chance to see exhibits that are temporary. It also means that I could potentially just spend a few hours out and about instead of a very long day. This makes it easier to fit it in.
1. National Gallery of Art
Visited January 4, 2025
“Gordon Parks: Camera Portraits from the Corcoran Collection” and “The 70’s Lens: Reimagining Documentary Photography”
I wanted to see the Gordon Parks exhibit. It was in two small galleries and I had the place to myself. Because I was there, I visited “The 70’s Lens.” Both of these photography exhibits fascinated me because they were a lens back in time and they are such different types of photos than what I take myself.
I have used Carole Boston Weatherford’s Gordon Parks biography with upper elementary students, so I really wanted to see more of Parks’ work in person.
There was also an interesting “Paris 1874” exhibit. I went upstairs in the atrium and saw a line as long as the entire floor. The volunteers said it was a 90+ minute wait. I had to decide if this was a must do. I decided to not spend an extra 2 hours for an exhibit I was neutral about.
2. National Postal Museum
Visited January 4, 2025
If you haven’t been to the National Postal Museum, it’s in a beautiful building across the street from Union Station. It’s never very busy and has a working postal office. I went to see the baseball exhibit in the hopes of getting some nuggets for a project. I didn’t get the information I was looking for, but I do love baseball, so I was still glad I visited.
January Books Roundup
My goal has been to doomscroll less and read more. I want reading to be my default. I’ve read a LOT in January trying to abide by this new habit. This week has been a bit of a struggle–especially with some of the local news being so troubling.
Carver: A Life in Poems by Marilyn Nelson
Augusta Savage by Marilyn Nelson
Star Child by Ibi Zoboi
Your Own, Sylvia by Stephanie Hemphill
(Note: All of these YA verse books were rereads for me)
Sonnets for a Missing Key by Percival Everett
No Sweet Without Brine by Cynthia Manick
Water, Water by Billy Collins
Meditations for Mortals by Oliver Burkeman
The Sticky Note Plot by David Macinnis Gill
In the Shadow of the Greenbrier by Emily Matchar
The Weekend Retreat by Tara Laskowski
The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
(Note: Someone at Highlights Poetry retreat with Charles and Irene recommended this book to me and I finally got around to reading it. I couldn’t put it down! So thank you!! And I’m sorry I can’t remember who it was.)
The Storied Life of AJ Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin
Bite by Bite by Aimee Nezhukumatathil
The Gap and the Gain by Dan Sullivan and Dr. Benjamin Hardy
The Dictionary People (audio) by Sarah Ogilvie
How to Winter by Kari Leibowitz
The Serviceberry by Robin Wall Kimmerer
From Scratch by Tembi Locke
Alive and Well Enough Continues by Jeff Daniels (audio)
I doubt I’ll have a month with this many books again. I had lots of down time with surgery recovery and snow days this month.
Haiku of the Week
wrapped in green
the lips of an almost-bud
whisper about spring
Photo Taken: January 29, 2025 at moon garden sit spot in my yard
Haiku Written: January 29, 2025
RECREATE
- Started “Severance” on Apple TV (Whoa!)
- Started “From Scratch” on Netflix (after reading the book)
- Lots of reading
- Sit Spot time
- Attended the 14th anniversary party of One More Page Books (my local indie)
13 Comments
Carol Varsalona
Marcie, I am always astounded by the magnitude of books you read and the preciseness of your word choices for your haikus. Today offering has a wonderful last line.
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Yes, I’ll probably not read that many books again in a month’s time. It was a perfect storm of circumstances. Though making reading my default has also helped.
Denise Krebs
Marcie, the lips of the bud whispering is beautiful.
Wow to all those books–hear, hear! I don’t think I could ever read that many books in one month, with or without surgery and snow days! Congrats!
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
It probably won’t happen again. 🙂 It was a wild set of circumstances that let me read that many.
Rose Cappelli
Love that almost-bud, Marcie. As always, thanks for the inspiration.
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Oh thank you!
Linda Baie
Thanks for a peek at some of the Smithsonian. What a treasure you have nearby, Marcie! I love seeing your book list, Star Child & The Storied Life. . . are favorites of mine, & The Serviceberry’s a gem! Love those “lips whispering”, too! Happy weekend!
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
I am a big fan of TOMORROW AND TOMORROW AND TOMORROW by Zevin too, so I was excited to read AJ Fikry. The movie on Netflix is sweet too.
Laura Purdie Salas
Love those whispering lips, Marcie!
Sara Lewis Holmes
I’m ready for Spring to do more than whisper. Love your poem, and your list of books. It’s been years since I read Yours, Sylvia (for the Cyblis, maybe??) but I remember it being powerful. Putting a few of your other reads on my list—the dictionary one (love me some dictionary stories!) and The Frozen River. Thanks, and thanks for popping over to my blog on Poetry Friday.
Liz Garton Scanlon
Oh, the close-up of that haiku!! The whisper! Just perfect…
Jane @ Raincity Librarian
UGH, I’m so very jealous of all the wonders at your fingertips – I live in a cultural desert, where even the few museums and galleries we do have are ridiculously expensive to visit, and out of reach of many people and families. My husband went to D.C. on a worktrip, I was so jealous!!
Karen Edmisten
So many marvelous books! And museums! And that haiku!
Riches, Marcie. 🙂