Awakening the Heart

I can't believe it's been over four months since my last post. I've been busy with family, revising my novel-in-verse, and working on a new project.The months have flown by. I'm finally popping in today to share a beautiful new book by Georgia Heard. 

I have loved her first edition of AWAKENING THE HEART since its publication nearly twenty-five years ago. It gave me the resources and encouragement I needed to teach and share poetry with my elementary and middle school students. When I retired from teaching, it is one of the few resource books I kept. Whenever I feel stuck, I flip through my copy's well-worn pages and always find inspiration! 

I never imagined that someday, I would have a poem in such a wonderful book! I am honored that my poem "Alone Doesn't Have to Be Lonely" (which I shared here) is included in the second edition of AWAKENING THE HEART. 

Summer is a time when teachers refresh and prepare for the upcoming school year. This updated and expanded version is the perfect end-of-year gift for teachers. It is filled with time-saving, practical teaching ideas and examples by children and adult poets. It will be a cherished resource for years to come.

In addition to being included in Georgia's new book, this poem extra special to me because it was inspired by a rock art picture my sister made for me. It's a picture I look at every day, and it always makes me smile.

I appreciate the time it takes to write a comment. I love reading your thoughts about my posts. If your comment doesn't appear right away, it is due to comment moderation. Thank you so much for taking time from your busy day to read my blog. 

A big thank you to my talented friend Buffy for hosting today's Poetry Friday.

Have a great weekend!

Celebrating a New Year and My Birthday

Having a birthday right after the holidays (January 2) meant money was especially tight, 

   but my mother always made sure I had a present. I loved music so a record player was the 

     best gift ever!

Along with the record player, I got a 45 record titled "All I Have to Do is Dream" by the    Everly Brothers. I had never heard the song, but with only one record, I played it over and  over. Although it is a love song, I didn't think of it that way. Maybe it was because the        word dream (one of my very favorite words) is repeated over 30 times. For eleven-year-old me, it was about dreams and making them come true. Even now, the song brings back memories of dancing across the living room floor singing, "Dream, dream, dream..." I was (and still am) a dreamer who loves to imagine "someday."

Wishing you and yours a happy, healthy, 2024. May all your dreams come true!

 A big thank you to the very talented Michelle for hosting today.

I love reading your comments and try to respond to every one. Due to some recent SPAM comments, I have enabled moderation so there will be a delay in your comment being posted. 

Holiday Movies

Last night, I had fun playing with holiday movie titles and turning them into this little poem. 

A big thank you to Jone for hosting this week's Poetry Friday.

Wishing you love and laughter this holiday season and a healthy, happy 2024!

Linda

This is another poem from my book WRITE WITH ME.  For each section in the book, I wrote a little story about the inspiration for the poem. There are also prompts and a space for writers to add their thoughts, poems, and stories.  My hope is that sharing some of my personal poems and stories will encourage others to write about their own emotions and experiences.

A big thank you to Carol for hosting today's Poetry Friday on her blog The Apples in My Orchard.

NOTE: Comment moderation is installed on this blog so your comment will not appear until approved. I love your comments and read ever one of them! Thank you so much for taking time to share your thoughts. 

Some Days

I'm grateful for this community where we meet every Friday to support and encourage each other.  

A big thank you to Bridget at wee words for wee ones for hosting this week's Poetry Friday gathering.

A Place Where I Can Be Me

It is always scary for me to share my poems and stories, especially when they are so personal.  Your  supportive comments last week helped ease my fear. Your kindness and encouragement means a lot to me. Thank you so much!

Today I'm sharing a poem from my new book WRITE WITH ME. You can read more about my book here.

I really do think of my journal as a place. It is a home for my words, my ideas, and my thoughts.  A place where I can be my own true self without worrying about being good enough. Inside the pages of my journal feels safe and comfortable.They tell the story of my life, and contain a part of me I don't always show the world. As I read through old journals, I gain perspective and begin to understand more about myself. 

I have a ton of journals and probably should recycle them, but they are so hard to part with. 

If you write in journals, I'd love to know what you do with them when they are full. Do you keep them? Recycle them? 

A special thank you to Matt for hosting this week on his blog Radio, Rhythm, & Rhyme. 

Have a great week!

Thank You Poetry Friday and Write with Me

 Dear friends, 

I have a new book, and I have you (and many others) to thank for it.  I could not have written it without the years of encouragement and support you have given.  WRITE WITH ME is part poetry, part memoir, and part journal.  

I got the idea for WRITE WITH ME after reading GOOD LUCK GOLD & MORE by the amazing Janet Wong. I love her book so much!  In it, Janet writes about growing up, family, culture, and identity. These are topics I care deeply about. (If you haven't read GOOD LUCK GOLD & MORE you are missing something special!) I was so inspired by Janet's poems and stories about her life, I wanted to write my own. GOOD LUCK GOLD & MORE became my mentor text. 

At first, I planned to write a book for my grandchildren. It was just going to be a few poems and stories about my life with space for my grandchildren to write about theirs. Then, I remembered the way my former students often struggled to find topics to write about. I started adding poems (some new, some previously published) exploring emotions, regrets, identity...  WRITE WITH ME grew into an interactive journal I hope will inspire writers of all ages the way GOOD LUCK GOLD & MORE inspired me. 

A lot of people helped me make this book a reality as you can see by my long list of acknowledgements. I am honored to be part of the Poetry Friday community where we share our love for poetry.  I'm very grateful to all of you for your kind comments and encouragement since this blog began in 2008. Each week, I look forward to reading your blog posts and have learned so much from you. 

Be sure to stop by Jama's Alphabet Soup for today's roundup. Jama's posts are always a treat!

Thank you so much!

Linda