Our judges

REMINDER: Voting for August Hall of Fame Poet cuts off tomorrow (Tuesday) at noon CST. Don’t forget to vote.

Hi everyone,

I hope that those of you who have been in the path of the storm are doing okay. It’s hard to imagine so many people without power, many of them dealing with the nightmare of flooding and damaged homes. Our thoughts are with you all.

I want to remind you that even as we are selecting our August Hall of Fame Poet by popular vote, I’ve sent poems to our panel of professional judges so they can select their top pick for August Word of the Month Poet. To remind you of our judges, here’s a link with their names, pictures, and places to learn more about them. As always, I ask that you read their work and let them know you appreciate their time and talents. http://davidlharrison.wordpress.com/2011/05/28/word-of-the-month-poetry-judges/

David

W.O.M. poetry judges

REMINDER: Don’t forget to vote and encourage others to join the fun. Cutoff for voting is at noon this Friday, the 29th.

Hi everyone,

Here is a list of our W.O.M. judges and several links that provide more information about them. I thought you might like this as a reference.

Bobbi Katz
http://www.bobbikatz.com /
http://davidlharrison.wordpress.com/2010/04/08/bobbi-katz-tomorrow /
http://davidlharrison.wordpress.com/2010/04/09/bobbi-katz-today /

Charles Ghigna
http://www.charlesghigna.com /
http://davidlharrison.wordpress.com/2010/10/04/what-are-the-pros-up-to-with-charles-father-goose-ghigna /
http://davidlharrison.wordpress.com/2010/05/07/charles-ghigna-today /
http://davidlharrison.wordpress.com/2010/10/04/what-are-the-pros-up-to-with-charles-father-goose-ghigna /

Avis Harley
http://poetryforchildren.blogspot.com/2010/04/poetry-tag-avis-harley-is-it.html
http://poetryforchildren.blogspot.com/2008/04/monarchs-progress-and-avis-harley.html
http://www.boydsmillspress.com/contributors/author-illustrator/harley-avis
http://missrumphiuseffect.blogspot.com/2009/04/poetry-makers-avis-harley.html

Laura Purdie Salas
http://www.laurasalas.com /
http://davidlharrison.wordpress.com/2010/02/04/laura-purdie-salas-tomorrow /
http://davidlharrison.wordpress.com/2010/02/05/laura-purdie-salas-today /

J. Patrick Lewis
http://www.jpatricklewis.com /
http://davidlharrison.wordpress.com/2010/03/24/j-patrick-lewis-on-friday /
http://davidlharrison.wordpress.com/2010/03/26/j-patrick-lewis-today /

Rebecca Dotlich
http://www.rebeccakaidotlich.com /
http://davidlharrison.wordpress.com/2010/04/23/rebecca-dotlich-today /

Sara Holbrook
http://www.saraholbrook.com /

http://www.saraholbrook.com/bio2.htm

http://www.amazon.com/Sara-Holbrook/e/B001IXRVUK

http://saraholbrook.blogspot.com/

VERY important announcement!

Hi Everyone,

Some time ago I asked you to tell me which features you liked most about this blog. Top choice was Word of the Month Poetry Challenge. Near the bottom was the manner in which we select our monthly Hall of Fame Poets. Some love the excitement of the month-end race for votes while others are put off by it and would prefer a system that focuses more on the poetry. I promised to consider the situation. Now I have.Beginning this month, which is the first in our second year of W.O.M., we will have a dual system for recognizing our poets and their work. We will continue to post the familiar ballot boxes so you can vote for one adult and one young poet. Nothing will change in the way we select our Monthly Hall of Fame Poets.

Additionally, it’s my pleasure to introduce a panel of professional poets who have agreed to select the best poem in each group each month. I will send them the poems without names so they’ll judge strictly on merit. I’ll announce those winning poets each month at the same time we see who won the popular vote. These winners will be called Word of the Month Poet and Word of the Month Young Poet.

You may win once in each category during the twelve month period, from October 2010 through September 2011.

I hope you enjoy the new addition. I’m very excited to bring it to you. And now, meet our judges.

Bobbi Katz
http://www.bobbikatz.com/
http://davidlharrison.wordpress.com/2010/04/08/bobbi-katz-tomorrow/
http://davidlharrison.wordpress.com/2010/04/09/bobbi-katz-today/

Charles Ghigna
http://www.charlesghigna.com/
http://davidlharrison.wordpress.com/2010/10/04/what-are-the-pros-up-to-with-charles-father-goose-ghigna/
http://davidlharrison.wordpress.com/2010/05/07/charles-ghigna-today/
http://davidlharrison.wordpress.com/2010/10/04/what-are-the-pros-up-to-with-charles-father-goose-ghigna/

Jane Yolen
http://janeyolen.com/
http://davidlharrison.wordpress.com/2010/03/11/jane-yolen-tomorrow/
http://davidlharrison.wordpress.com/2010/03/12/jane-yolen-today/
http://davidlharrison.wordpress.com/2010/10/11/what-are-the-pros-up-to-with-jane-yolen/

Laura Purdie Salas
http://www.laurasalas.com/
http://davidlharrison.wordpress.com/2010/02/04/laura-purdie-salas-tomorrow/
http://davidlharrison.wordpress.com/2010/02/05/laura-purdie-salas-today/

J. Patrick Lewis
http://www.jpatricklewis.com/
http://davidlharrison.wordpress.com/2010/03/24/j-patrick-lewis-on-friday/
http://davidlharrison.wordpress.com/2010/03/26/j-patrick-lewis-today/

Rebecca Dotlich
http://www.rebeccakaidotlich.com/
http://davidlharrison.wordpress.com/2010/04/23/rebecca-dotlich-today/

Sara Holbrook
http://www.saraholbrook.com/

How’s that for a lineup? If others join the panel over time, I’ll let you know. I’ve provided links to some background information about our judges. You’ve already met everyone but Sara as a Featured Guest, and Sara is on tap to appear shortly.

That’s it for now. If you plan to post a poem this month, remember that the word is CHANGE and the cutoff for submissions is next Monday, the 25th, at 10:00 CST.David

Announcing Sara Holbrook

REMINDER: Voting ends at midnight CST this Saturday, January 30.

We had a good first day of voting for January Hall of Fame Poets. Early leaders are Steven in first place with Gay, Delane, and Mimi tied for second. Among the young poets, it’s Sam, Cecily, and Rachael. One of my favorite memories is of the time when I watched middle school cheerleaders lead chants for reading. Think about how rare that is. Then think about what we’re doing here, for poetry. The idea is to have a good time so vote and tell others to vote. Poets, tell your supporters that they’ll never have a better time to get out the vote. One month we had a student who received more than 100 votes. That was exciting!

Another reason I’m excited is that before long we’ll hear from Sara Holbrook. Everything about that woman is exciting. I get a kick out of watching good performance artists like Sara. She doesn’t just recite a poem. She becomes that poem. And don’t think you’re going to hear anything sugar coated either. A lot of Sara’s poetry gets its thumb in your eye and makes you think while you blink. More later. Just wanted you to be thnking about another star on the horizon.

Here’s an update on upcoming blog guests to tuck away. Laura Robb (1/29), Laura Purdie Salas (2/5), Lee Bennett Hopkins (2/12), Tim Rasinski (2/19), Laura Backes (2/26), June Rae Wood (3/5). These are all excellent people who will share information and insights from their successful careers and experiences. I hope you won’t miss them.
David