Best Day Ever ... Winning the CABA

So many moments. So many best days ever… I follow after April Halprin Wayland and share in her celebration of the wonderous moments when a class gets going and you realize you have congealed into one living organism learning, playing, supporting, and loving together. 

I also think of those deeply personal moments of best days ever, like when I birthed my daughter at a birth center in Hollywood, CA off of Sunset Blvd. with direct-entry midwives.  Eight strong women, the majority of which were healers held space around a birthing tub.  My daughter was born in the water in a lavender painted room with white curtains blowing and Bach playing in the background.  Candles surrounded the birthing tub and when she came into the world…then there were ten (including me.)  It was truly a sacred birth.

But, that’s not the memory I want to share at this time.

This past October, Hatem Aly and I were awarded the Children’s Africana Book Award (CABA) for Egyptian Lullaby from Howard University. The committee flew me out to Washington D.C to accept the honor.  

Honestly, when Hatem reached out, I had mixed feelings.  Awards set apart one person from the others and creates hierarchy.  Awards more often than not appeal to one’s ego.  I am in favor of an egalitarian society over a hierarchical one.  I’m not in favor of awards for teachers because I see teaching as a collaborative process which spans the years of a student’s academic career.  Progress cannot be measured by a single year with a single teacher.  We all contribute to the final “product.”  Awards for artistic endeavors are a bit less cut and dry for me. How many of us have watched the Academy Awards or Grammy’s and fantasized ourselves on that stage. (OK maybe that’s an LA thing.) Awards given to artists/writers can help awardees obtain more opportunity to create more work.  It’s hard to ignore the reality.  Hard to ignore that the words “award-winning” can change the trajectory of one’s career. While I can be competitive, I prefer to lean into my collaborative self which is actually stronger and more productive and comfortable to exist in. I have spent decades developing and nurturing my skills as a collaborator as an activist, organizer, educator and artist. I felt honored and yet compelled to acknowledge that I was embarrassed by the attention that singled me out… Humbled by all the congratulations I received. I knew I was expected to give a speech.  What would I talk about? My writing process? The intention of Egyptian Lullaby? The importance of normalizing Arab culture? In the end I chose to celebrate the intentions of the award itself.  

Click here to watch video of speech 1

Click here to watch video of speech 2

Click here to watch video of speech 3

Below is a transcript of my acceptance speech:

Thank you to Africa Access and the African Studies Association and the Howard University community on behalf of Hatem Aly and myself.  I am an Egyptian-Filipino American.  Egyptian Lullaby is my love letter to Cairo, the homeland of my father.

 There are literary awards out there that might have served my ego and vanity, and then there is this award that speaks to my heart, my soul, and most importantly…aligns with my purpose. Your mission to encourage the publication of children’s books to contribute to a better understanding of African societies and issues, intersects with my own 35 years of activism and grassroots organizing for social justice.  

I am both a children’s book author as well as a public-school kindergarten teacher in Los Angeles.  I wrote Egyptian Lullaby to normalize Arab culture because Hollywood and the media have done a bang-up job of demonizing Arabs in addition of course to almost all the cultures on the continent of Africa.

I often present at teacher’s conferences on Using Picture Books to Decenter White Culture and Recenter Diversity.  Your mission recenters true global diversity.  I know that my fellow teachers in the US as well as myself, come to our classes with internal biases.  It is impossible to not.  And without resources and support, we pass those on to our students unknowingly.  We choose books that prioritize stories told through a white, Eurocentric lens.  Your mission is so important to widening the span of available books like, Egyptian Lullaby and those of my fellow authors and illustrators here today.  If teachers and librarians can choose from a greater variety of books, we can consciously shift the way we center marginalized cultures and not reinforce the dominant culture.  We can create a lens through which children see a world where many different peoples and cultures live equitably…A world where children in current marginalized communities see themselves as valued…A world where we can address the unequal power dynamics.  We can demonstrate valuing all people and most importantly, bring marginalized people out of the margins.  Sometimes it feels like doing anti-racist work is insurmountable and overwhelming.  Your work makes it easier.  Spotlighting and encouraging the creation and production of more books about many diverse cultures on the continent of Africa facilitates more access for teachers, librarians, and ultimately, readers. It helps motivate the publishing industry to create and value the stories of currently marginalized peoples.  It creates opportunities for writers and artists to tell their stories that may not otherwise get told. And, it influences what bookstores choose to carry and market.  Providing a balanced view of the world for children is imperative to promoting equity.  Afterall, if we keep reinforcing for our young children through the books we share…that Eurocentric cultures have more value…we cannot be surprised when Anglo-Americans grow into adults unable to recognize their privilege.  Your work helps to deconstruct the dominant paradigm and erase marginalization.  This is the reason why I create.  This was the intent of Egyptian Lullaby.

I would be remiss not to thank the people who birthed this book into being…My cousins Nabil and Fatma, adult children of my Aunt Zina who inspired this story, my writing teacher and friend, Deborah Norse Latimore, my dear agent,  Abigail Samoun, the Roaring Brook team…executive editor, Emily Feinberg, assistant editor, Emilia Sowersby, copy editor, Sarah Gommper, art director, Aram Kim, designer, Mercedes Padro, publicist, Sara Elroubi, and school and library marketing assistant, Grace Tyler.  Thank you!  Thank you! Thank you!

                                                            

Truly what made the day, “the best day ever,” was the confluence of people who came together in that room at the luncheon.  Brenda Randolph, Vanessa Oyugi and Harriet McGuire who made it all possible.  The other authors and illustrators with whom I shared this once in a lifetime memorable day.  

Each person honored was given their own table.  Those in attendance sat at the table of their choice. And there it was, a table full of people with points of access representing different parts of my life. Instantaneously, I felt like I was sitting with family.  Each person familiar in their own way and intersecting different parts of me. Seemingly, all roads led to those social justice aspects of my past trajectory referenced in my speech and soon I would find that they would continue into my current journey providing camaraderie and solace along the way…Fellow picture book author of Hands Around the Library – Protecting Egypt’s Treasured Books, Karen Leggert Abouraya and I connected for a couple of reasons.  She wrote the book that I had found a few years ago as a comp for a story I was researching about the Arab Spring Revolution in Egypt.  I remember finding the story and wishing I had been the one to write it.  It’s so beautiful.  She is also married to an Egyptian man.  Cheryl Hamlin Freeman, board member of Africa Access and a member of the CABA planning committee and I connected with the other side of my heritage, my Filipino side as she is married to a Filipino man.  She was accompanied by her daughter.   Heba F. El-Shazli, fellow political activist who shares my Egyptian roots and is a professor at George Mason University’s Schar School of Policy and Government connected with me immediately like sisters. I reconnected almost immediately after I was back in LA to tap into her wealth of knowledge pertaining to Israel and Gaza. Then checked in with her again regarding Syria. My good friend from college, Kathleen West came to experience this best day ever.  We hadn’t seen each other in almost 2 decades and went to school together in the early 80’s.  Lastly, Deborah Menkart, executive director of Teaching for Change, an organization that influenced my teaching in the 90’s as I was developing, sat at my table unknowing of the influence she had had on me as a progressive teacher.  As a result of their work and the work of Rethinking Schools, I have grown to see my role as a teacher as an act of social justice. 

I reached out to many the following Wednesday, the day after the elections, to find community.  These are the words from Deborah that brought tears to my eyes and hope to my heart.  Meeting this amazing group of people was truly the result of “the best day ever!”

I get choked up every time I read this.  My heart is full...

by Zeena M. Pliska

MY BEST DAY EVER

Howdy, Campers, and Poetry Friday!

I'm kicking off our first series of 2025  ~ Happy New Year! We've decided to borrow the 2025 Tournament of Roses Parade's theme, "My Best Day Ever!"

For more about the parade's theme, read this article.

At first, I was going to post about the fantastic time I had at the NCTE Convention in Boston this past November. There were numerous Best Days that week, one of which was when I was on my way to hear the opening speaker...and the sheer pleasure of attending a huge convention (7,500 attendees) for the first time in years. What. A. Blast!

But as I was hiking with our 1-year old pup Sadie, on New Year's Day, it became clear. I had to tell you what my favorite hike does for me.  This particular trail, which I've named The Courageous Trail, takes about two hours. It's a steep hike, the footing is tricky, and I rarely run into anyone on it.  I hike it at least once a week, often more. I'm always, always happier (often ecstatic) as soon as we're greeted by the pepper trees near the trailhead, and I'm definitely the Queen of Bliss when I make a point of touching the post at the end of the trail: we did it!

pepper trees greet us 
at the beginning of trail 

When I hike this trail, grey skies clear, Vitamin Green calms, heals, and softens me...and poem ideas jump up from their hiding places shouting, "SURPRISE!" 

Remember those pocket breath strips that would dissolve on your tongue? For me, brilliant ideas are like that. So, to make sure I don't forget, I send each idea from the trail. The subject line is simply: Poem: [whatever I just thought of]; I leave the body of the email blank.

Here are a few examples of those subject lines:

• Poem: the toe has no nose but it knows; my eyes have no clothes but they're closed
• Poem: I'm so glad I married this trail
• Poem: HIKING PRAYER: I am here I am here
• Poem: the wind leaves leaves. The leaves win.
• Poem: as much as I love pepper tree leaves, I am developing an affection for the green spoon, the blue rubber glove, the empty whiskey bottle near the trash can at the end of this trail.

Yes. I love personification.

Some of the ideas turn into poems, some of them wander over to my husband's worm farm in the backyard. Apparently, old ideas are delicious.

For me, every day I hike--is my Best Day Ever.

Below are three poems related to nature and dogs.

I wrote the first one when we'd just adopted Sadie—my husband was healing from a major accident, I was recovering from whatever I was recovering from, our wonderful old dog Eli had died a few months before (Kitty was in deep mourning--she wouldn't sleep in our room, and refused to purr). A gloomy fog filled our home. You know what I'm talking about.

AND GOD SAID...
by April Halprin Wayland

Done. You’ve asked, I’ve granted. Now go
Out there and laugh, laugh, laugh!
Give all the love you’ve been saving to your new furbaby.

BLESSING
by April Halprin Wayland

I’m listening—
sometimes it’s clear,

sometimes I hear
a healing balm.

It whispers soft:
my word is calm.

We breathe in green.
It’s healing both my dog and me.

DOG PARK SPRING QUARTET
by April Halprin Wayland

1.
Dogs frisk in dust,
birds choir on wires.

2,
The sparks of spring
bring racing things
on paws
and wings.

3.
Dog’s full-stretch yawn.
The chill?  It’s gone.
Instead, the crazy sting
of spring.

4.
Our park is full of
barks that mean g’morning, howdy, hi!
My heart is full of wagging tails
and hope and song and sky.

poems (c)2024 April Halprin Wayland. All rights reserved.

Regarding the last poem:

Sometimes I get flashes on a topic. Pieces of a puzzle that don’t fit together with that satisfying click no matter how I rearrange the pieces.  Most days I discard all but one and work out a poem from that. But the day I wrote this one, I wanted to keep them all.  This is one way to organize ideas.  Bring 'em all on board! Then the poem's like a strobe light, flashing on one idea at a time in a black room.

It’s your turn. Pick a big topic–spring, love, Paris, mother–whatever it is, scribble down metaphors, words that sound like your feelings about the topic, etc.  Create a quartet of poems.  And remember to breathe.

Sit, Sadie...

Oh--I almost forgot! A different kind of Best Day Ever is teaching! 

Do I still get nervous when my classes begin? You betcha. 

But the moment I can tell that my students and I are in that flow--that's the Great Gift.

So, come join my next one-day, 3-hour UCLA Extension's Writers' Program class, INTRO TO WRITING THE CHILDREN'S PICTURE BOOK ~ A Workshop for Absolute Beginners 

many thanks to Barney Saltzberg for this illustration

Guess what?!?! 
UCLA Extension offers it FREE! 
Enrollment begins January 22nd--this class fills FAST!

* * *

Thank you for reading this post. 

Now, it's your turn. What's your Best Day Ever? (And if you've forgotten how the Tournament of Roses defines that, read this article.)

Thank you, Mary Lee, for hosting the first Poetry Friday of 2025 at A Year of Reading !

I believe that the Kidlitosphere will bring hope to this beautiful, sorrow-filled world. 
It's going to take time, humanity, art, humor, community, committment, poetry, and a few good songs.

posted by April Halprin Wayland
with help from Sadie and Kitty

PS: I just read that hashtags can be added to Blogger...so here goes

(and please let us know in the comments section if you found us via a hashtag--and which one!):

#newyear #wedandothis #wesing #wewrite #wecreateart #weteach #welaugh 
#poetryforchildren #writingchildrensbooks #poemsaboutdogs #poemsabouthiking #poetryfriday #BarneySaltzberg #Icouldgoonandon #dohashtagsmakemelookfat 

Wishing You a Good Wintering!

 

Let it breathe, if it doesn't breathe, it's gonna die.
Let us see, if you let it be, is it gonna fly?

I want to tell you before I forget,
You're doing well!
You know you're living it!
You're gonna make it no matter how hard it gets!

-            -- Wintergreen, by the East Pointers (lyrics by Tim Chaisson, Koady Chaisson, Jake Charron, Colin MacDonald)

 

This week I’ve been hobbled with covid, and as such, I’ve been forced to rest. I was grumpy, to say the least, because I have so much to do! There’s the end of semester grading, my daily walks. And the holidays, including the shopping. And not to mention, but I will, wintering the garden.

Add this to the recent stresses of  current life in general, and boy did I growl about.

Wintering. Every gardener recognizes the process. Then I came upon this article, and was profoundly pleased with the new application.  As Sheridan Voysey explores in his blog post, There’s a Word for What I’m Experiencing: Wintering. Maybe You’re Feeling it Too:  

“Winter is a time of retreat and hibernation for much of the natural world, wintering is the process by which our bodies and souls seek rest and recuperation when the clouds descend and light fades.”

Voysey reviews Katherine May's book, Wintering (Riverhead Books, 2020). He highlights key points in May's definition of  "Wintering", to include:

The Power of Pause: 

 "Wintering" reflects a necessary pause for repair and reflection. Just like nature withdraws in winter, allowing the land to rest and replenish, we need times of quiet introspection. This "wintering" allows us to process experiences, heal from emotional wounds, and gain clarity on our path forward.

 Self-Compassion: 

May emphasizes the importance of self-compassion. Be kind to yourself, acknowledge your struggles, and celebrate your small victories. Prioritize activities that nourish your mind, body, and spirit, just like you would nurture a loved one going through a tough time.

 Slow Down to Savor the Journey: 

"Wintering" challenges us to slow down and appreciate the present moment. By embracing a slower pace of life, we create space for creativity, deeper connections with others, and a greater appreciation for the beauty of everyday life.

For a more in-depth discussion on the processing of wintering, Here’s an excellent Connecticut Public Radio interview with Katherine May on Wintering! 

Look for the Katherine May's book, Wintering (Riverhead Books, 2020) at your favorite book store.

 

And wishing you a good wintering!

 

 

Thank you for reading!

-- Bobbi Miller

New Book I Can't Wait to Share: Buffalo Dreamer by Mary Ann Rodman

   

The more I learn about writing, the harder it is for me to "lose"myself in a book. My Inner Editor keeps chattering away... Poor word choice. A ten-year-old would never say that. Hmm...well isn't that a wonderful coincidence for the sake of the plot? Really annoying.

Inner Editor took a break as I read Buffalo Dreamer by Violet Duncan, a finalist for this year's National Book Award for Young People's Literature. (The awards will announced this Wednesday, November 20th.) Duncan handled a disturbing topic--government-sponsored "boarding schools" for indigenous children--in an age-appropriate but serious manner. And...she did it in only 128 pages.

Usually I blitz through 128 pages in a little over an hour. This book took two days. The writing is so lovely, you read a sentence, then let it seep into your soul. My reading pace slowed as page 128 approached. I didn't want to leave these characters and their lives. 

There may be other children's books that deal with this subject, but I haven't read them. (BTW, if you know any, please let me know in the comments.) Residential schools for Native American/First Nation children were established as early as the mid-17th century in both the US and Canada. Their purpose was to assimilate the children into Anglo-American culture. All traces of their native culture were squashed. The students were dressed in Western clothes, their hair cut. Speaking their native language was forbidden. Parents who tried to hide their children were cut off from government assistance or even jailed. Sometimes the children were kidnapped from the reservations and sent miles away to school, never to be seen again. Those who tried to escape were harshly punished. Sometimes they died. Parents were never notified.

All 11-year-old Summer knows is that her beloved Mosom (grandfather) was once a student at one of these schools. A mixed tribe girl from Arizona, Summer, her mom and little brother, are on their way to her grandparent's reservation home in Alberta, Canada. On the long car trip, she falls asleep, dreaming odd dreams. About a girl who is not Summer. A girl who is trapped somewhere dark and cold. She needs to escape.

These troubling dreams unspool even as Summer enjoys her annual vacation with her mom's family. She suspects the dreams are connected to the old residential school at the edge of town. She and her mystery-loving cousin Autumn resolve to find out more about the school, and their grandfather's time there. Their investigation gets a boost when unmarked graves are discovered on the school grounds. Will Mosom at last speak about his past? Do the graves have a connection to Summer's nightmares?

Duncan doesn't pull any punches in her description of how the schools treated children. This could've been a super grim tale if not for the episodes of Summer enjoying her reservation vacation--swimming, riding bareback, picking sweetgrass, in addition to giggly sleepovers with bestie Autumn. Cultural history and customs are woven unobtrusively throughout the story, as Summer learns more about her Cree heritage. 

I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

And other news I can't wait to share...

It's been three years last week since my beloved friend, April Pulley Sayre, passed away. I did not realize that six weeks later, her long-time illustrator, Steve Jenkins, also died. In honor of this perfect pairing of author and artist, Beach Lane Books will be re-issuing four of their titles: Vulture View, Eat Like a Bear, Squirrels Leap, Squirrels Sleep and Woodpecker Wham! in 2025. I'm so thrilled these new editions will be available to the next generation of readers. April's unique vision of the world lives on.

Posted by Mary Ann Rodman

3 New Somethings for My Body, Mind and Spirit

At long last, I’ve set aside two afternoons each week to learn 

T’ai Chi!

Though only a Beginner, thanks to my venerated Chicago 

instructor Hau Kum Kneip, I now see how this low-impact 

exercise lives up to its description as “meditation in motion”

 – as well as – “medication in motion.”

I am besotted with the gentle movements within the short 

forms I’m working hard to learn.

Increased strength, flexibility and balance are the goals, 

for my body, of course, but even better, it turns out, for 

my mind and spirit.

Speaking of my mind,

in September I lost mine when my Lenova Yoga laptop’s cursor and

touch pad froze.

Tech-savvy I am not; in fact, I’m an honest-to-goodness Luddite

who relies on the help of experts.

Enter GOOGLE and You-Tube videos, once I correctly phrased the

question that addressed the issues.

“Who knew?” I heard myself exclaim as I learned about my

keyboard’s Function Keys (Fn) – and –  top row with all sorts of

varied icons dubbed “hot keys.”

I sure didn’t.

And I’ve only been typing on a computer since maybe 1997.

After unfreezing both touchpad and cursor, I celebrated by lighting

my keyboard.

Using GOOGLE and You-Tube videos to solve several of my

computer problems has gifted me with a new independence when

technological challenges arise.

As for matters of the spirit,

alas, an editor (or three) sent me what Richard Jackson called

“an admiring decline.”

In the past, I turned to children’s books for comfort and inspiration.

(Think: I think I can. I think I can. I think I can.)

Fortunately, Amy Gash and Elise Howard gathered nearly 400 wise

and inspiring words from children’s classics old and new in their

lovely new book Believe in the World, Wisdom for Grown-ups from

Children’s Books (Algonquin, 2024).

Several of the categorically-grouped quotes restored my spirit and

had me back on task in no time.

Indeed, writing this post proved the perfect Rx, too, for keepin’ me

keepin’ on.

Believe in the World included Yuyi Morales’ words from Dreamers

(Neal Porter, 2018):

                                    “Someday we will become something we

                                      haven’t even yet imagined.” 

Thanks to Patricia Franz at Reverie for hosting today’s Poetry 

Friday.

Here’s to your New Somethings! Feel free to share them.

Esther Hershenhorn

2 THINGS I LEARNED & CANT WAIT TO SHARE!

Howdy Campers, and Happy Poetry Friday! (The link to PF is below)

I'm starting off our final topic of the year: 

Something New I Learned and Can't Wait to Share 

Sadie learns something new: TV!

There are soooo many things I'd love to share!
But lucky, lucky you, 

I can't remember all of them,
so I'll just offer two.

#1: This Splendid Blog Came Knocking at my Door...

Many of you probably already know this one...it's a blog! it's a newsletter! it's a splendid picture book/poetry/gift resource and more!)

I'm talking about Orange Marmalade Books ~ with the tagline: spreading the word on delightful children's literature  

And who's the wonderful writer behind the curtain?  Her name is Jill Swanson (though I think of her as Ms Marmalade.)

Jill's October 14th post, "Five for Autumn's Splendor" introduces us to the beauty of picture books that celebrate fall, including Buffy Silverman's On a Gold-Blooming Day: Finding Fall Treasures  

I love that her posts are never too long to read on a busy day, and I love that they're always full of the illustrations of the picture books she's introducing us to...such as this illustration from Buffy's book:

If this photo is cut-off on your device,
the words on each picture are: 
Clouds rumble. Mushrooms Pop.
Raindrops Tumble. Acorns drop.

I also love that this blog shines its light on books that are hot off the press and those that have been around for a while. Good books shouldn't be lost in the shuffle, and Ms Marmalade sees that they aren't.

I like getting her blog as a newsletter, which comes every two weeks. If you haven't already, check it out!

#2: A Poet I've Just Discovered: Arthur Guiterman

This past weekend, our pup Sadie was overjoyed to be in the center of a circle of my folk music friends in our living room. Janet, who was tossing Sadie a ball, told me that when she was young, her family put this short poem on their dog's house:

MOTTO FOR A DOG
by Arthur Guiterman

I love this little house because
It offers, after dark, 

A pause for rest, a rest for paws,

A place to moor my bark.

Sadie prefers Kitty's bed to her own

Born in 1871, Arthur Guiterman was famous for his clever humor and quick language.  He wrote of technological advances and modern progress in poetry, novels and satires. He addressed the hypocrisy of the ladies of Daughters of the American Revolution and other similar organizations. Guiterman co-founded the Poetry Society of America in 1910. Guiterman was forever caught in the “now,” addressing the rapid and shocking evolution of society with humor and mental agility: "First dentistry was painless;/Then bicycles were chainless" as well as...“Now motor roads are dustless, The latest steel is rustless, Our tennis courts are sodless, Our new religions, godless.” ~ The information above, which I've shortened, is from this source.

In looking up Guiterman, I discovered that one of my fellow blogmates, JoAnn Early Macken, posted information about him in 2016 and shared the very poem you just read.😊 

In her post, JoAnn writes: "The last line always grabs me. I didn’t realize the double meaning at first: a bark is a kind of boat; of course, a dog’s bark would be moored (tied up) somewhere cozy and safe. And the pause/paws homonyms add to the poem’s genius." 

Thank you, Matt, for hosting Poetry Friday this week 
on Radio, Rhythm and Rhyme

posted with hope by April Halprin Wayland,
with help from Sadie's big sister, Kitty

Celebrating a New Anthology Featuring Poems by Two TeachingAuthors!

Our current TeachingAuthors topic is "Something New I Learned and Can’t Wait to Share." I've been learning lots of things this year and am pleased to share a few with you today! You'll also find a link to this week's Poetry Friday roundup at the end of this post.

I'm especially pleased to announce that today we're celebrating this week's release of Clara's Kooky Compendium of Thimblethoughts and Wonderfuzz edited by Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong and illustrated by Frank Ramspott (Pomelo Books).

This new anthology includes poems by me and my fellow TeachingAuthor, April Halprin Wayland. I include samples of our poems below. But first, here's a bit about this amazing new book for grades 3 and up. Clara's Kooky Compendium is a "fun-filled journal-style book featuring a mixture of dandy doodles and drawings, fun facts, quirky questions, and 150+ poems that will get your kids giggling and guffawing while they learn about language arts, science, math, research skills, writing techniques, and more." No wonder the book has been named a Children's Book Council "Hot Off the Press" Selection for October 2024! You can see the list of the over 100 poets who contributed to the anthology on the Pomelo Books website. That page also includes printable activity sheets to go with the book. (While you're there, you may notice that a portion of the profits from this book will be donated to charities that bring joy to children in hospitals.) If you'd like to learn even more about this anthology, watch this video from Pomelo Books posted on Twitter/X.

I am honored to have two poems in Clara's Kooky Compendium, both of which came out of a course I took with Sylvia and Janet on Writing Humorous Poetry. In that course, I learned that a poem doesn't always have to make the reader laugh out loud to be humorous. Instead, it can employ rhyme, repetition, sounds, wordplay, etc., to simply invoke a smile. And when Sylvia sent me the final images of my poems in the book, I also learned how much art can add to the fun! You can see that for yourself from the page featuring my poem "Pasta"!  

I even learned something from the Thimblethought that accompanies my poem--I had no idea the first U.S. pasta factory was built by a Frenchman! My other poem in the anthology is also in free verse, but it's quite different from this one. You'll have to get the book to read it for yourself, but I'll tease you with two facts about it: The poem is called "Invention" and it's related to math.

My fellow TeachingAuthor April Halprin Wayland also has two poems in the Compendium. Here's the first one, called "Errand Dog:"

Don't you just love April's poem? Her second poem is also about a dog, but again, you'll have to get a copy of the book and read it for yourself.

Just this week, I also learned that April has a poem in another anthology that released on October 1: The Mistakes That Made Us: Confessions from Twenty Poets edited by Irene Latham and Charles Waters and illustrated by Mercè López (Carolrhoda Books). Congratulations, April!

I'm looking forward to learning a lot more from the posts in this week's Poetry Friday roundup hosted by Tabatha Yeatts at The Opposite of Indifference

Happy Writing!
Carmela

There's Always a Chess Game Playing Out in the Basement

 Something New I Learned and Can’t Wait to Share…

Well, I’m not sure if it’s brand new.  It’s always brewed below the surface.  However, what I have come to understand more and more everyday is that there’s always more than meets the eye.  Whether it’s workplace politics, the publishing industry, the entertainment industry, education politics, domestic politics, geo politics, etc., there’s always more than meets the eye.

Sometimes I wonder why I can’t connect with coworkers. Sometimes I wonder why a manuscript won’t gain traction even when the notes I receive are positive (from multiple editors or my agent.) Sometimes I wonder how and why a movie gets made or a concert is performed that seems under par. Sometimes I wonder why the school board and/or the superintendent makes policy that seems counter to common sense and works against the best interests of children. Sometimes I wonder how anyone can observe this current presidential election without some hesitation and/or acknowledgement of the absurdity playing out right before our very eyes. And in regards to geo politics, I indulge myself in an analogy that there is always a chess game playing out by the powerbrokers (both corporate and their elected government representatives) in the basement while the rest of us are busy running around playing Chutes and Ladders with zeal as if our very lives depend on the outcome of that boardgame. There’s always more than meets the eye.

Image Credit www.pngmart.com/image/19220

Chutes and Ladders

Children know this.  It is perhaps why I choose to spend my day with 4 and 5-year-olds. They intuitively understand that there is a bigger picture and they wonder about it.

Years of experiences have brought me to these conclusions:  Experiences as an activist in electoral politics, direct action, grassroots organizing, policy work, campaign work, lobbying, and international travel as a delegate.  Slowly, pieces have revealed themselves. A peek into a world that operates beyond most of our day-to-day existence. I’m not advocating for conspiracy theories.  I am supporting healthy skepticism. Question and hear multiple sources. Be curious.  

I’m at an age that I remember what life and access to information was like before social media and 24-hour streaming news stations. I can remember a time before the information age took hold and dictated how we interact with information, giving the illusion that we have access to all information whenever we ask for it. I began my journey in journalism when the news had a few broadcasts a day. CNN was in its infancy. (Then, I made a left-hand turn into education and writing/entertainment.) 

Before we had 24-hour access to “news” and everyone potentially was the truth keeper of information, we knew that we never had the full story.  And, that facilitated wondering. The illusion of unlimited access has made us blind believers.  We believe that we have the ability to know everything whenever we want.  We think it is a mere click away on the tiny computers that we hold in the palm of our hand.  I am certainly guilty of sharing posts without checking all the facts, pretending to be a reliable news source.  A confession that I must admit is embarrassing for a former journalism student who believed that I was going to join the 4th arm of democracy. I believed that the newscasts/newspapers that I wrote, was news that would give viewers/readers the information they would need to make informed decisions about their everyday lives. It was never the whole picture but I think we knew it wasn’t. And now, the genie is out of the bottle.  Artificial Intelligence is coming in fast and hard, taking us potentially deeper down the rabbit hole.  Will we ever return to wondering?  Will we ever return to knowing that we don’t have the full, expansive, and everchanging picture? Will we ever think about that chess game in the basement while we play Chutes and Ladders upstairs? There’s always more than meets the eye.  Never stop wondering.

By Zeena M. Pliska

Something New About Turtles and Micro-tensions

 Teaching Authors starts a new topic, our “Something New I Learned and Can’t Wait to Share!” It’s been a long minute since the planets aligned just right, allowing me to take a writing class. And this one is a doozy, sponsored by Lorin Oberweger and Free Expressions. This six-week course -- The Breakout Novel Intensive -- explores the principles outlined in Donald Maass ‘ book, Writing the Breakout Novel (2001). As a story nerd, I thrive on taking deep dives into the story engineering process, and this is as deep as it can get. This class is bloody brilliant. The lectures offer a deep dive into concepts. I so appreciated the discussions into creating emotionally complex characters. The one-on-ones took a further dive into my work. I had so many "ah-ha" moments when everything came together. One of the best ah-ha moments explored micro-tensions.

This type of tension isn't in the action itself, but in the psychology underscoring the action. To make this happen, the narrative uses dialogue and exposition to highlight the emotive presence, build tension and expand the plot that leads to an emotional payoff.

As a working writer, I consider my job is to write. As such, I dutifully and gleefully do my job, sometimes hours at an end. I LOVE my job (writing, that is)!

Except, unexpectedly, these days I find myself rather spent after only an hour or two. It's not just writer's block. And not just exhaustion. Something else bubbling just beneath the surface.

For example, I went about doing some errands. I kept squirming because my running shorts didn’t seem to fit. O no, I bemoaned. I already have enough old lady fat. Turns out, I had put my britches on inside out AND backwards. And yes, I went out in public like that. (You can’t take me anywhere.)

And it’s hot outside. Too hot to sleep. My garden is decimated. Bees are dropping off the petals, their little wings burned. I even feel sorry for the wasps, those evil little buggers. The heat index has reached over 100 for several days, and there’s no end in sight. Combined with the high humidity, I feel like a toad swimming in boiling water. And toads do not like to swim.

You may remember that I am the ultimate Doctor Who superfan. I’ve been watching the show since it first aired in 1963. In other words, my relationship with the Doctor has outlasted two husbands, four dogs and three cats. And yet, when the finale for the Fifteenth Doctor finally aired, I fell asleep. What? What? WHAT?

You may also remember that I live in the middle of Red Hat County. Politics are posted everywhere. I’ve learned to ignore it. Mostly. True, one neighbor did rant on about 800,000 dead people who voted illegally. I had to admit that zombies are just the worse. Another neighbor railed about how we are a republic and not a democracy. I told him that he reminded me of some of my good friends. Perhaps he knew them: John Adams, James Madison, my personal favorite John Jay, and that upstart Alexander Hamilton, who all argued the very same thing for years. I told him, he could read all about it in the Federalist Papers. Granted, with 85 long-winded essays, it’s thicker than a comic book.

The stakes are rising. Everyone brags about how many guns they collect. One man rants about shooting a coyote (in the middle of a neighborhood?). Meanwhile, the school down the road had gone on lockdown a couple of weeks ago. And a couple blocks away, a high school student shot his neighbor.

You may remember, too, that I’m counting the days to when I no longer have to teach. At long last, I can choose which classes, and when, to teach. Or not. After forty years, it’s a daunting decision. By the way, I hate WorkDay, with those online forms you have to fill out, all those fecking buttons and columns, and rows and arrows and … it took longer for me to fill out one spleeny form than to grade two weeks of class. (Yes, it’s God’s greatest joke to the universe that I teach online classes. But I am not laughing. I remember that movie when computers took control. It didn't end well for most folk.)

By the way, the water pipe burst. What a MESS. And it’s messing with my internet.

I think I'll go for a walk, and get some ice cream. Chocolate. Better yet, chocolate fudge, with chocolate sprinkles. I'll go to the local pond and count the dragonflies and watch the turtles. At least turtles make sense. And no worries, I will put my britches on the right way. Not that the turtles will care. And when I return, I’ll get back to that bothersome scene.

By the way, see what I did there? I used micro-tensions to illustrate how micro-tensions can be used to add tension to an otherwise very ordinary, if not downright bland scene.

And of course, you want a big emotional payout at the end of such a scene. Take this, for example:

 

For more information about the BONI and many other excellent seminars, webinars and classes at Free Expressions, check out their website. 

 Thank you for putting up with my micro-tensions!

--Bobbi Miller