extraordinary poems for every young adult day
The Beats were probably my first introduction to poetry beyond the moon, spoon, june poems that were politely put into elementary school texts. That is to say, the Beat stereotype--not the poems, really. Van Dyke facial hair. Berets. Black clothing. Coffee houses, later basement bars. Bongos. They spoke in lingo, like "coolio" and "hep". Once... Continue Reading →
Why do we deny the truth when it is not only staring us in the face, but punching us in the nose over and over and over? When my son was two years old he had a seizure. After the first doctor visit I was in denial. For two weeks he was falling down and... Continue Reading →
My mother always said that I thought too big. My voice is this blog and my teaching, both of which are unremarkable (in my mind). Yet, I remind myself daily of the novels that have no publisher, the teacher recognition I do not earn or the public policy I am subjected to because I dare... Continue Reading →
My wife was preparing her unit on the Harlem Renaissance and I came up short--I could only name about three artists involved. Now, I can't name that many writers from most literary movements, but when I called up Wikipedia I was at a loss to even recognize names beyond Hughes or Hurston (so, really, two names).... Continue Reading →
Another poem and poet I do not know. Welcome to National Poetry Month! The Victorian poem Arthur Symons was the choice of our local high school's Poetry Out Loud representative, Casey Ober. She went to the state competition and made the Top 10 regional finalists. She coupled it with Suzanne Buffam's Enough", a pair of... Continue Reading →
Suzanne Buffam's Enough", along with Victorian poet Arthur Symons "April Midnight", was the choice of our local high school's Poetry Out Loud representative, Casey Ober. She went to the state competition and made the Top 10 regional finalists. What was most interesting, in the interview I read, was her passion for the poem. Ober enjoyed... Continue Reading →
Several years ago, I stumbled upon a YouTube thread where a deaf woman in her twenties was signing/discussing.... I don't know. I don't sign. There were no subtitles. Whatever she was passionately putting out into the world was not for me. It was a bit of a revelation, because I think of everything being for... Continue Reading →
Is hope trite? My sister shared a parody pro-Hilary Clinton piece, which took me down the rabbit hole I'm sharing now because it ended with this poem. Back in 1969, when the real Clinton was Wellesley College's valedictorian speaker, she, too, ended her speech with the last lines of "The Art of Making Possible" (and,... Continue Reading →
What makes something go viral? It's a good question to ask your students. If you ask them about "Literature with a capital 'L'" they won't know what you're talking about. Classics? Old books? Books librarians shove in your hand, that have gold seals on them and are not good but good for you? Personally, I... Continue Reading →
Is it cheating to steal part of a post from another teacher and just stick it into my post? The Poetry Foundation published a piece by Eric Selinger titled "Ten Poems I like to Teach". Some of the poems are familiar, and others are not. At the very least, it provoked a lively comments section.... Continue Reading →
Middle School Poetry 180 