Howdy, Campers and Happy Poetry Friday!
Thank you, Irene, for jumping in to host PF this week
(and, Irene! Congratulations on the upcoming publication
of your first poetry collection for children
which has gotten starred reviews from SLJ and Kirkus!)
(and, Irene! Congratulations on the upcoming publication
of your first poetry collection for children
which has gotten starred reviews from SLJ and Kirkus!)
We TeachingAuthors are discussing handwriting versus keyboard typing--read which Carmela, Laura, and Esther prefer.
Me? I'm bi.
When I'm in a boring meeting (or even an interesting meeting), under the hair dryer at the beauty parlor, or the passenger on a long trip, I'm happy to write poems in my little notebooks with my favorite pen.
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But I became a writer on one of these:
and my brain and fingers still adore keys.
So I wrote two poems today in honor of both:
by April Halprin Wayland
It’s a sound idea—
a muscular,
a strong one.
It’s a burly, able-bodied one
it’s beefy—
it’s a long one.
It’s a strapping noun,
it’s her fingers plunked down
with a most decisive click.
It’s a piece of punctuation
that’s sealed—
it sticks.
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by April Halprin Wayland
liquid longhand sometimes flows
or oozes slow
it drains from a dream
to its place on the page
where it will not linger
no, the pen seeps deeper
beneath each line
where longhand makes its own design
poems (c) 2014 April Halprin Wayland. All rights reserved.
And if you haven't already done so, don't forget to enter our current giveaway for a chance to win the historical middle-grade novel Odin's Promise (Crispin Press) by Sandy Brehl. See JoAnn's post for all the details.(We're supposed to sign our names at the bottom of each post...so hi, it's me--April Halprin Wayland! G'bye!)
I'm with you! Keyboards have their place and can be very efficient, but when I'm composing and processing thoughts and ideas, I prefer to do it the old-fashioned way. Your line "it drains from a dream/ to its place on the page" is exactly right. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteVery cool, thanks for sharing! I love the idea of both and not a "my way or the high way" approach. When my students do Poetry Friday, they have the choice too, and it's interesting to see who prefers to write in their notebooks vs. on the computers and the different ways that the medium influences the final poem.
ReplyDeleteCharming poems, April. Love seeing your fave pens and your handwriting (are you a leftie?). :)
ReplyDeleteI too am a hybrid, April. So great that you then turned this discussion into poetry and captured the act of typing and writing longhand so vividly. My favorite lines: "her fingers plunked down/with a most decisive click" and "it drains from a dream/to its place on the page."
ReplyDeleteI love the longhand poem....liquid, oozing. I do both as well. Especially if I need to think longer, I will write it out. Sometimes the poems is just there and the keyboard works for me.
ReplyDeleteOh April my bi friend. :) I guess I'm bi, but only out of desperation (when I have no computer at hand)-- stuck somewhere or in the middle of the night. Love your typing poem. It sticks. :)
ReplyDeleteI love 'drains from a dream/to its place on the page', but more and more I am typing, albeit on a computer, not my old typewriter (still have it!). I like the idea of the strength in typing. You're so right there. Maybe back & forth is a good thing? This time, for you, they created wonderful poems...
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed both of your poems today, April (& I won't give away my preference till next Friday), but my favorite part of your post is the title. What fun!
ReplyDeleteReadingtothecore ~ because I began writing on an old typewriter when I was about 12, creativity comes to me in both ways. I still adore keyboards...I'm still amazed and proud that my fingers know how type all on their own!
ReplyDeleteKatie ~ Your students are lucky that they can find their own way--we didn't have the choice of a keyboard when I was in school.
Jama ~ nope--I'm right-handed. But my husband is left-handed...does that count?
Michelle ~ thank you for telling me your fav lines. I love hearing what resonates...
Jone ~ yes, "sometimes the poem is just there"...and we just take dictation...
Hi, Irene ~ thank you for coming by :-)
Linda ~ I actually wrote both first on the computer...but then I rewrote the longhand poem in my favorite little notebook...and in doing so, it changed a bit. It made me really observe the handwriting process...
JoAnn ~ that title is one thing that just came to me--just slid down the hill and landed in my backyard. If only blog posts would, too!
I had to smile at your description of yourself as 'bi' - I am too! I love both typing in my trusty keyboard and writing using my favourite pens too. Plus I love notebooks. Thanks for this poem. Lots to ponder. :)
ReplyDeleteAnother bi here! I like to start poems in a notebook, and I keep a longhand-written journal. Everything else is usually written on the computer. A keyboard allows me to write faster than a pen. : )
ReplyDeleteLove the title of this post!
I, too, am a bi, April. Your poems capture the essence of each modality perfectly. Fun rhyming title, too! = )
ReplyDeleteMyra, Linda and Bridget ~ I think we "bi"s have won the vote!
ReplyDeleteOh, that longhand poem is beautiful, April (even though I'm firmly in the typing camp!). "It drains from a dream" - sigh.
ReplyDeleteMy favorites from each lovely poem are hard to pick - they each speak to me. Thank you for creating them & for sharing, April.
ReplyDeleteFrom "Typing"
"fingers plunked down"
From "Longhand"
"it drains from a dream"
My suspicious is that even full-bore type tappers, keyboarders are so creative, they scribble & handwrite from time to time due to necessity...
I'm a bi also, so keeping the vote on that side.
If I had written these poems I would try to place them with a writer's magazine. They are that wonderful.
j a n
Laura...and Jan ~ thank you for your comments that make me very happy <3 ..."drains from a dream" is the line that clearly resonates most.
ReplyDeleteAnd Jan...thank you for suggesting I send them to a writer's mag. When I dig out from under...I'll write them a letter in longhand... :-)
I loved the longhand poem. I hope they don't stop teaching penmanship at schools.
ReplyDelete