NCTE report

Hi everyone,

I’m happy to say that both of the presentations I was in at NCTE were well received. On Friday morning, MARY JO FRESCH and I spoke to a room filled to capacity with people sitting on the floor along the walls. We spoke about topics covered in our NCTE book, Empowering Students’ Knowledge of Vocabulary, Learning How Language Works, Grades 3-5.

On Saturday, Mary Jo, TIM RASINSKI, and I spoke about our Scholastic books, Partner Poems and Word Ladders for Building Foundational Literacy Skills, Grades K-2 and Grades 1-3. We had a good turnout but not a full house because the keynote speaker, TOM HANKS, was still speaking in the general assembly auditorium to an enormous crowd, including some who might otherwise have attended other sessions. Still, we had a good crowd and the stars of the show were HANK and Mary Jo Fresch’s five grandchildren who read some of the poems from the book. They were wonderful. Attendees adored them and so did we.

Also on Saturday, Tim, Mary Jo, and I signed books at the Scholastic booth. While sitting there, greeting teachers and listening to their requests for other books, we had an idea for a new one we might do. On the plane ride home I began sketching out some thoughts, and since then we’ve resumed the conversation. We might be making a proposal fairly soon.

During the Children’s Awards Banquet, the eight people at each sponsored table stood up and yelled a chant they’d made up on the spot about their host author and or his/her book. When it came time for my table, my gang stood, held up their free copy of The Dirt Book, and yelled, “Read dirty books! Ready dirty books! Read dirty books!” I may be biased, but I thought it was the best chant in the auditorium! My thanks to Holiday House for sponsoring me. And my thanks to SANDY for being there with me to make the conference experience complete.

Went to several parties, visited with some old friends, waved at others. All in all, a very good conference. My thanks to Holiday House, Shell Publishing, and Scholastic for helping get me there.

How to write a villanelle, step 5

Hi everyone,

Yesterday we reached the point where all that remains to complete the draft of a villanelle inspired by stories is the final 4-line stanza.

?????????????????????????????? (key rhyme)
?????????????????????????????? (mind rhyme)
A bright imagination is the key.
Unlock the word and set the stories free.

What’s left of my words that rhyme with key: be, flee, gee, he, knee, me, pea, plea, see, she, ski, spree, three, tree, we, wee, agree, wee-wee, disagree, degree, simile, ability, celebrity, treasury, suddenly.

What’s left of my words that rhyme with mind: blind, fined, grind, mined, wind, assigned, combined, confined, declined, defined, designed.

Time for the big finale. We have plenty of ideas left from which to choose. If you are doing this with me, you’ll probably select a different combination. The more interpretations the better. Here’s mine.

Puzzle at a word until you see
its hidden stories waiting to unwind.
A bright imagination is the key.
Unlock the word and set the stories free.

So we’ve finished the complete draft of our poem. Let’s see how it looks.

A bright imagination is the key.
Hidden hieroglyphics tease the mind.
Unlock the word and set the stories free.

As curious as the seeking honeybee,
in search of hidden sweetness it might find,
unlock the word and set the stories free.

Wind may hold a tale of men at sea,
with sturdy boats and luck their fates entwined.
A bright imagination is the key.

Cup can hold your coffee or your tea,
either one can be a magic kind.
Unlock the word and set the stories free.

How about the tiny nuisance called the flea?
This one bites an elephant's behind.
A bright imagination is the key.

Puzzle at a word until you see
its hidden stories waiting to unwind.
A bright imagination is the key.
Unlock the word and set the stories free.

I’m not going to bill this as the best villanelle you’ve ever read. Remember, this is an exercise to walk you through this poetic form, and it, in turn, is in response to the monthly exercise to write a poem inspired by a single word. I’ll come back to this draft in a few days to see what I might want to tweak, but for now I’m finished.

How to write a villanelle, step 4

Hi everyone,

When I left off, I had the opening and second stanza roughed in for a villanelle inspired by stories. I’d outlined what was yet to be done and assembled a list of words that rhyme with key and mind. So here we go. And thank you, Nathan Papes, for the swell picture.

A bright imagination is the key.
Hidden hieroglyphics tease the mind.
Unlock the word and set the stories free.

As curious as the seeking honeybee,
in search of hidden sweetness it might find.
unlock the word and set the stories free.

?????????????????????????????? (key rhyme)
?????????????????????????????? (mind rhyme)
A bright imagination is the key.

?????????????????????????????? (key rhyme)
?????????????????????????????? (mind rhyme)
Unlock the word and set the stories free.

?????????????????????????????? (key rhyme)
?????????????????????????????? (mind rhyme)
A bright imagination is the key.

?????????????????????????????? (key rhyme)
?????????????????????????????? (mind rhyme)
A bright imagination is the key.
Unlock the word and set the stories free.

Rhyme words for key: be, bee, flea, flee, gee, he, knee, me, pea, plea, sea, see, she, ski, spree, tea, three, tree, we, wee, agree, wee-wee, disagree, degree, simile, ability, celebrity, treasury, suddenly. 

Rhyme words for mind: blind, find, fined, grind, kind, mined, twined, wind, assigned, behind, combined, confined, declined, defined, designed. 

Once I reach this point the words come more easily. I will do some rearranging and revising later, but for now things are moving along. I'm out of time for this morning but next time I expect to finish the last stanza and start looking for ways to improve what I've done.

Wind may hold a tale of men at sea,
with sturdy boats and luck their fates entwined.
A bright imagination is the key.

Cup can hold your coffee or your tea,
either one can be a magic kind.
Unlock the word and set the stories free.

How about the tiny nuisance called the flea?
This one bites and an elephant's behind.
A bright imagination is the key.

Ted who?

Hi everyone,

NOTE FROM NEWS-LEADER: HERE IS THE LINK FOR THE ONLINE EDITION. THE COMPLETE COLUMN APPEARS IN IT. And here’s the link to the (complete) column: https://www.news-leader.com/story/entertainment/2023/11/12/poetry-from-daily-life-ted-kooser-revels-first-snow/71508259007/

TED KOOSER’S guest column appears in this morning’s edition of Springfield News-Leader. It looks good and Ted is highly readable of course, but for reasons I’m trying to determine, the introduction was left off. Here’s what was omitted.

This week’s guest on “Poetry from Daily Life” is Ted Kooser, who lives on an acreage near Garland, Nebraska What would become his writing career began when Ted was in his teens. Today he is known for his conversational style, with subjects often about love, family, place, and time. A unique fact about Ted is that he and Will Cather are the only Nebraskans ever to win a Pulitzer Prize for literature. He mentions two recent books that he enjoyed writing: Valentines (poems) and House Held Up by Trees (Illustrated children's book). ~ David Harrison

My apologies to Ted. I’ll let everyone know what I learn about any options we have to correct the error. In the meantime, I celebrate the publication of our second column of “Poetry from Daily Life!”

My guest Sunday on Poetry from Daily Life is…

Hi everyone,

In tomorrow’s News-Leader, my guest columnist for Poetry from Daily Life is TED KOOSER. Kooser has received many awards, including five Pushcart Prizes, the Pulitzer Prize, and Mark Twain Award. From 2004-2006 he served as the United States Poet Laureate. He lives near Garland, Nebraska.

If you have access to News-Leader, be sure to read Poetry from Daily Life, tomorrow and every Sunday. If you don’t, fear not! Soon after the column appears each week I’ll post a link so you can enjoy the latest issue. If you enjoy the new column, please consider letting the News-Leader know. The editor-in-chief, AMOS BRIDGES, can be reached at abridges@springfi.gannett.com