Hi everyone,
Satchel Paige said, “Don’t look back. Something might be gaining on you.” Flaunting such wisdom might be risky, but I had a reason. I decided that I ought to have a presence on Wikipedia.
I thought I’d read that one can self-nominate, so I began going through all the old bios and lists of this and that in numerous disorganized, outdated folders, attempting to pull everything together into one updated document from which I might write a nice, tight little submission to Wiki. It took a week of off and on searching.
Only THEN did I look into the matter and learn that Wikipedia does not like it when someone submits his own bio. Okay. So it would have been smart to check that out first. On the other hand, I now have 24 pages of information about my track record over the last, uh, “few” decades. One of the more interesting areas of discovery (for me) was where my work has popped up in other people’s work. I knew I’d been in a good many anthologies but now I can tell you that the number is over 185, probably by quite a bit.
By anthology I mean a book by someone else that has included some or all of a poem, story, or nonfiction book for children by me or excerpts from a professional book for teachers that I’ve written or co-written.
The first entry was a long time ago:
1976, “The Little Boy’s Secret” from THE BOOK OF GIANT STORIES. Tapestry. By 4 editors. Houghton Mifflin Company.
Fast forwarding, here are a few from the last five years:
2010, CONNECTING DOTS.
Teaching Middle School Writers. By Laura Robb. Heinemann.
2010, Numerous entries (17 listed in index. I don’t know what they are.)
Using Poetry Across the Curriculum: Learning to Love Language. By
Barbara Chatton. Libraries Unlimited.
2011, CAVE DETECTIVES.
Pam Allyn’s Best Books for Boys. By Pam Allyn Page. Scholastic Teaching Resources.
2011, Selected poems for two voices, probably from PARTNER POEMS.
The Read-Aloud Scaffold: Best Books to Enhance Content Area Curriculum, Grades Pre-K-3. By Judy Bradbury. Libraries Unlimited.
2012, Rhymes from FARMER’S GARDEN.
Poetry Mentor Texts. By Lynne Dorfman and Rose Cappelli with Georgia Heard. Stenhouse Publishers.
2012, From USING THE POWER OF POETRY.
Balanced Literacy Essentials: Weaving Theory into Practice for Successful Instruction in Reading, Writing, and Talk. By Michelann Parr and Terry Campbell. Pembroke Publishers.
2013, THE ANIMALS’ SONG.
Before They Read: Teaching Language and Literacy Development through Conversations, Interactive Read-Alouds, and Listening Games. By Cathy Puett Miller. Maupin House.
2013, WHEN COWS COME HOME.
Models for Teaching Writing-Craft Target Skills, 2nd edition. By Marcia Freeman and Susan Koehler. Maupin House.
2014, “Nicholas Cobb” from DARE TO DREAM.
Creativity and Children’s Literature: New Ways to Encourage Divergent Thinking. By Marianne Saccardi. Libraries Unlimited.
2014, Selected poems plus a feature
Poetry Aloud Here 2. By Sylvia Vardell. American Library Association Editions.
2015, “The Future Me”
Literature and the Child, by Lee Galda. Cengage.
2015, From CAVE DETECTIVES.
Writers Express, A Handbook for Young Writers, Thinkers, and Learners. By Dave Kemper, Ruth Nathan, and Patrick Sebranek. Thoughtful Learning.
The complete document lists my books, articles, interviews, activities, awards, selected talks . . . the whole works. I’m not sure what to do with it. Maybe I’ll bomb the kids with it and tell them to keep this for future reference, should the need ever arise for a future reference. I could use it to traumatize conference planners who ask for background info. Or to threaten people into doing what I want them to do: “Do what I want you to do or I swear I’ll stand up and read all twenty-four pages right here and now! Stop that caterwauling or I’ll read it twice!”
I could send it to Wikipedia, but that, of course, would only justify their policy and strengthen their determination to avoid people who think they should be listed with them.
Children's Author David L. Harrison's Blog 