[Ep 222] My most effective year teaching high school composition was the one I began with poetry. From day one, I introduced literary devices through poems, inviting students to spot metaphor and simile, hyperbole and imagery, rhythm, rhyme, and repetition. With a focus on a single poem, we could zero in on just a few observations and they could use those as … [Read more...]
#77: When You Don’t Know What to Say, Try Poetry
Last week on my blog I shared an excerpt from Mary Pipher’s book Writing to Change the World: I left it up to readers to decide what it meant for them, but I did hope her thoughts would encourage us to listen closely, to realize the power of our words, and then, when we choose to use them, to use our words well and use them for good. The Power of Poetry On Friday, … [Read more...]
Coming Home to Scotland – The Poetry of Place
Until 2001, my mom thought our genealogy traced to England and Germany, but that year she and her brother discovered to their surprise that the ancestors they presumed were English actually came from Scotland. After tracing our family name to Kirkcudbright, where Robert Burns visited the Selkirk Inn and offered the famous “Selkirk Grace” (offered at the beginning … [Read more...]
Food on Fridays: The Poetry of Potatoes
For the Food on Fridays carnival, any post remotely related to food is welcome—though we love to try new dishes, your post doesn’t have to be a recipe. We’re pretty relaxed over here, and stories and photos are as welcome as menus and recipes. When your Food on Fridays contribution is ready, just grab the button to include with your post. It ties us together visually. Then … [Read more...]
Needing to Remember
Today I needed this poem, to remember that God knew that very moment...and this one, too. Remembering Crawdads Sixteen miles from my home, the White River curves slightly to the south. In the fall, we sat near its edge, as my friend’s two boys caught crawdads that scrambled under stones in a puddle formed by the roots of a sycamore. The … [Read more...]
Curiosity Journal: February 27, 2013
Most Wednesdays (or thereabouts) I’ve been recording a Curiosity Journal to recap the previous week using these tag words: reading, playing, learning, reacting and writing. Sometimes I mix up the order, just to keep you on your toes. Playing On the schedule this afternoon: photography and haikus (see "Learning" below). Reading From the chapter entitled "Moon Shell" … [Read more...]
Curiosity Journal: January 4, 2012
Each Wednesday I’ve been recording a Curiosity Journal to recap the previous week using these tag words: reading, playing, learning, reacting and writing. Now I'm simplifying, to see if I like a slimmed-down version. ::: Reading From Rumors of Water: Thoughts on Creativity & Writing, by my friend and colleague L.L. Barkat, Chapter 2: "Let the unrestrained rain of … [Read more...]
Destructive Criticism vs. Healthy Critique
Writers write to be heard, which means writers must brace themselves for input, whether it ends up being destructive criticism or health critique. J.C. Schaap describes this kind of input among students in his blog post "Witless Fear and Hug Lines." In it, he tells how scary it is for a student to lay out something he or she has written in front of her … [Read more...]
Food on Fridays: When the Frost is on the Punkin
(alternative button below)Here at the Food on Fridays carnival, any post remotely related to food is welcome. Recipes are enjoyed, but you can simply tell us if you're hosting Thanksgiving—link to your post quickly and then by all means, return to your shopping and cleaning!In other words, the Food on Fridays parameters are not at all narrow. I think of it as a … [Read more...]
