A Poetry Contest Opportunity and The International Space Station

I’m excited to share this unique opportunity that I hope you will pass on to teachers, librarians, and homeschool parents. 

The Steam Powered Video Contest invites students to choose a poem from the Contest Poetry Packet (40 poems in all!) and transform it into a short, engaging video for younger learners. It’s a fantastic project that blends poetry and creativity while boosting media literacy skills. The best part? It’s totally free, AND there are cash prizes! The contest runs from October 1, 2025 through April 30, 2026.

I am honored that my poem "The International Space Station" is included as one of the 40 poems by a variety of award-winning children’s poets, some of them are Poetry Friday friends!

Again, the contest is free, fun, and brimming with opportunities for imagination and collaboration. Full details: https://steampoweredpoetry.com/contest/.

Heidi Bee Roemer is the founder and host of  Steam Powered Poetry Contest. Heidi has a passion for poetry! She is the author of 11 children's books and nearly 500 of her poems have appeared in children's magazines and anthologies, and educational publications. Her poems inform and delight readers of all ages. Best of all, she has a new book on the way this fall!

In addition to writing her own poetry, Heidi has mentored many other aspiring poets. She is a kind and generous teacher who gives personal attention to her students. Taking her class nearly twenty years ago was one of the best things I did for my writing. All these years later, I'm still learning from her, and I'm so proud to call Heidi my friend.

Registration for the contest opens Oct. 1. I plan to share more information as the time gets closer. I can't wait to see the videos students create!

I'm still having some issues with my blog and getting everything to work. Thank you for your patience as I work through them. : )

 

A special thank you to Jama for hosting this week on her blog Jama's Alphabet Soup. Jama's posts are always delicious so be sure to check it out.

Have a great week!

 

 

©Linda Kulp Trout

During my teaching years, I worked with many teaching assistants. They were important partners in my classroom. They are dedicated and work hard to help students learn. They don't get enough credit for their contributions. I wrote this poem as a tribute to them.

Note: I've been working to update my blog. I'm grateful for the how-to videos on YouTube!  There's still a lot I need to figure out including how to get my links to work. Technology is challenging for me, but I'm getting there. 

A big thank you to Margaret for hosting this week's Poetry Friday on her blog Reflections on the Teche.  

Have a great week!

 

Progressive Poem 2025

This month has flown by, and I've enjoyed following our progressive poem. Today it's my turn to add a line.

I decided to have the speakers of our poem follow a moonlit path. 

Open an April window
let sunlight paint the air
stippling every dogwood
dappling daffodils with flair

Race to the garden
where woodpeckers drum
as hummingbirds thrum
in the blossoming Sweetgum

Sing as you set up the easels
dabble in the paints
echo the colors of lilac and phlox
commune without constraints

Breathe deeply the gifts of lilacs
rejoice in earth’s sweet offerings
feel renewed-give thanks at day’s end
remember long-ago springs

Bask in a royal spring meadow
romp like a golden-doodle pup!
startle the sleeping grasshoppers
delight in each flowering shrub…

Drinking in orange-blossom twilight
relax to the rhythm of stars dotting sky
as a passing Whip-poor-will gulps bugs

We follow a moonlit path that calls us

I can't wait to see where Heidi takes our poem next!

April 25 Heidi Mordhorst at My Juicy Little Universe
April 26 Michelle Kogan at: https://moreart4all.wordpress.com/
April 27 Linda Baie at Teacher Dance
April 28 Pamela Ross at Words in Flight
April 29 Diane Davis at Starting Again in Poetry
April 30 April Halprin Wayland at Teaching Authors

For those of you new to the process: this NPM children’s poetry celebration was originally begun by Irene Latham, and the mantle taken up by Margaret Simon, who wrangled this year’s distracted poets into a cohesive whole. Linda M. started us off with a gloriously open April window…

A Universe of Rainbows

I love rainbows! So I'm thrilled to share a new anthology about all kinds of rainbows. 

A UNIVERSE OF RAINBOWS is a beautiful new book published by Eerdmans with poems selected by Matt Forrest Esenwine and illustrations by Jamey Cristoph.  It is a joy-filled celebration of rainbows, and each poem is accompanied by a scientific sidebar offering a few interesting facts. Congratulations to Matt and all of my poetry friends who wrote amazing poems for this anthology.  It is sure to be a hit with teachers and rainbow lovers of all ages.  

I've shared this poem before, but it seemed fitting to share it again today. A few years ago, my son sent me this photo, and here is the haiku I wrote for it.

A big thank you to Matt for hosting this week on his blog: Radio, Rhythm, and Rhyme.

Have a great weekend.

Happy Poetry Month!

Letter to a Bowling Ball

 

Dear Bowling Ball

Score tied.

Last frame.

I need a strike

to win the game.

Take a breath.

Check my stance.

Line you up.

Just one chance.

I send you flying

like a rocket

straight toward

the center pocket.

I think I might

get a strike

until

you decide

to take a right

                into

                       the 

                           gutter.

I thought I had you

in the zone,

but now I know--

dear bowling ball,

you have a mind 

of your own.

©Linda Kulp Trout

Like my bowling game, this poem is a work-in-progress. 😊

A big thank you to Rose for hosting today on her blog Imagine the Possibilities.

Have a great week!

Letter to a Poet

I almost didn't post anything today. Most of the time, I feel like I don't have anything worth posting. Then last night I read a book of poetry. I started wondering if the poet who wrote such heartfelt poems ever worried about sharing them with the world. I sat holding her book wishing I could talk to her. Before I knew it, a letter poem started forming in my mind. 

I don't often write in rhyme, but it's how the words came to me so I went with it. I may go back someday and work on the poem a bit more, but for now, it's what my heart needed to say.

I write to make a difference. My hope is that someday I write a poem that helps someone the way so many books and poems have helped me. So every once in a while, I gather my courage and share my writing. 

Thank you for reading. 

A special thank you to Janice for hosting this week's Poetry Friday on her blog Salt City Verse.  Be sure to check out her lovely poem "If a Snowstorm Comes to Town" here. It's just one of the fabulous poems in the brand new anthology, IF I COULD CHOOSE A BEST DAY. 

f I Had a Different Name

©Linda Kulp Trout 2023

This week IF I COULD CHOOSE A BEST DAY edited by Charles Waters and Irene Latham arrived on my doorstep. It is a beautiful anthology with poems of possibility. Every poem is fantastic! I especially enjoyed reading the poems written by our Poetry Friday friends. 

As I was reading, I remembered that I had written an "If" poem for WRITE WITH ME and decided to share a revised version of it today. I've always been fascinated with names and how they are an important part of our identity.

I've known students and adults who were unhappy with their first name and chose to go by a middle name, nickname, or legally changed their name. Most parents put a lot of thought into the names they choose for their children. I wish I'd asked my mother how she chose my name. Linda was a popular name choice back then in part because it was the title of a popular song. Still, I wish I knew more about why she chose it. 

How about you?  Do you know the story behind your name? Do you like you name? Do you think you'd the same if you had a different name? 

A big thank you to Margaret for hosting this week's Poetry Friday on her blog Reflections on the Teche.