Poetry Friday: Back from NCTE
Tanita at {fiction, instead of lies} is our host for this week. Hop on over there for the roundup.
One Step Forward Receives a Star
One of the hardest parts for me is that in between time when everything is set for a book and you don’t know if people will enjoy reading it. You hope it will find its audience, but you just don’t know.
Last week, the first review came in. Kirkus awarded One Step Forward a starred review. My first thought was, “well, one person liked it!”
Kirkus Starred Review
“The verse structure successfully conveys the grit, trauma, and violence of the times, adeptly emphasizing the activists’ doubt, pride, persistence, and exhaustion . . . Powerful, necessary reading.”
Truthfully, as a librarian, I know positive reviews help. With fewer books receiving professional reviews at all, I am grateful the first word I received was so lovely and positive.
Back from NCTE
It will take me longer than a few days to process NCTE. It was so busy. I didn’t get much down time. I’m an extraverted person, but I was wiped out!
The last time I went to NCTE was in 2019 in Baltimore where I met many fellow Poetry Friday friends. This year, we had a poet get together and it was filled to overflowing with so many poets I admire, and many I got to meet in person for the first time.
L to R: Marcie Flinchum Atkins, Debra Shumaker, Kirsten W. Larson, Teresa Robeson, Tanya Konerman
It’s a little tricky to see, but my tshirt says “Poetry Poetry Poetry.”
Of particular interest to the Poetry Friday crowd might be my Build Your Stack presentation that I did on Science in Poetry. I book talked about 2023, 2024, and 2025 Poetry Collections, Poetry Anthologies, and Poems as Picture Books.
Poetry Notables List
NCTE has its own set of awards and one of them is the Poetry Notables List. My friend and critique partner, Debra Shumaker’s new picture book WIND IS A DANCE is on the list. I also wrote about her book here. Charles Waters and Irene Latham’s anthology MISTAKES THAT MADE US is also on the list.
Haiku of the Week
zero in
fragile details
mute the chaos
Photo Taken: October 5, 2024 at United States Botanic Garden
Haiku Written: November 13, 2024
Grow
As busy as things were last week, I was able to do several artists dates with friends. I saw The Six Musical in DC. I went to the Isabella Stuart Gardner Museum with a friend. I got to visit two bookstores in Boston with friends. I also did several historic visits in Boston–Parker House museum, The Atheneum, King’s Chapel Cemetery. My artist’s heart is FULL.
14 Comments
Linda Baie
Congratulations on your picture book’s first review, Marcie. I will look for it next year! I so enjoyed seeing your pics from NCTE on social media & today, too. Boston is a special place to be & I’m glad you had the pleasure of seeing so much outside the convention. Love the haiku’s message, “mute the chaos” with beautiful outside pleasures!
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
It’s a YA novel. 🙂 But thank you for the wonderful wishes.
tanita
Hooray for your!⭐ Congratulations.🎉
I so enjoy the odd conference in a big city because the museum option are amazing. Zeroing in on the details, indeed. It’s glorious when there’s so much to see!
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
The museum options ARE amazing. So much to see and do.
Jone Rush MacCulloch
Congratulations on the starred review. They are so important besides word of mouth!
I’m so happy you got to attend NCTE.
We need to mute the chaos for sure.
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Thank you, Jone! I’m thrilled one reviewer enjoyed it.
Laura Purdie Salas
Congrats on the star, Marcie. And on all you did in Boston–wow. I survived NCTE–that’s about it! So glad we had a few moments together. I love the “fragile details.”
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
So glad I got to see you. That wonderful poetry gathering got big QUICK!
Liz Garton Scanlon
Mute the chaos. Phew — this is a mandate!! Wish I would’ve gotten to meet you in person in Boston!
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
So sorry I missed you at NCTE!
Irene Latham
So excited about your STAR, Marcie! And what fun we had in Boston!! I’m so so grateful and inspired and still catching my breath. xo
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Still replying late to my comments–because I’m playing catch up from NCTE! So lovely to see you!
Mary Lee
Yes to “fragile details/mute the chaos.”
It was great to meet you IRL and hear you speak. You are as organized and clear as a speaker as you are on this blog. No surprise.
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Thank you for your kind words! And thanks for coming to our session!