Linda Kulp Trout

Friday, July 11, 2014


 Welcome to Poetry Friday!  
 
My 4 yr. old granddaughter, Evie
stopped by to welcome you!
 
 
Hello, everyone!  It's so nice to see you here! This is my first time to host so I’m a little nervous but very happy to finally take the plunge!  Please leave your links in the comments, and I’ll be rounding them up throughout the day.

I've been busy teaching summer school, and the days just seem to be speeding by. I can't believe the summer is half over already!

I did do one very special thing for myself this summer.  I spent the month of June in an online class that turned out to one of the best writing courses I’ve ever taken.  I don’t usually post about classes, but I think this one is such a fantastic resource for poets, teachers, and writers of all genres that I wanted to share my experience. Besides, I'm hoping this post will inspire you to share writing resources you've found helpful too. So, here goes!
 
I enrolled in The Lyrical Language Lab: Punching Up Prose with Poetry for the month of June with one simple goal in mind; I wanted to develop a writing routine for the summer.   What I got was so much more! 
The Lyrical Language Lab is an intensive month-long course taught by Renee LaTulippe.  Renee (of No Water River fame) is an outstanding teacher. Her knowledge of poetic elements, precise lessons, individual attention, and editing background is phenomenal!

A few of my favorite features of the course were:
  • The lessons were well-structured: model, practice, apply, feedback.
  • The assignments and daily interaction with Renee and my classmates kept me motivated.
  • There were opportunities to apply new skills to my WIP.
  • The lessons meet the needs of a variety of  learning styles (verbal, audio, visual, kinesthetic).
  • A lot of information was packed into this course, but it was always entertaining and FUN!

Most courses end, and that’s it.  Not The Lyrical Language Lab! At the end of the course, Renee provided us with a packet containing all of our assignments and her feedback. She is also creating an e-book of our course so we can review as needed. And, we had the opportunity to join an online group of course alumni so we can continue to learn and support each other. How wonderful is that?

I loved the class, and judging by the comments made by my classmates, everyone else did too.  I recommend this course for writers of all genres, but especially poets and picture book writers. Teachers who want a stronger foundation in poetry will also find this class beneficial.  

If you're looking to “punch up your prose,” add to your poetry toolbox, or add to your teaching repertoire, I hope you’ll head over to No Water River and check out The Lyrical Language Lab.



I can't end this post without mentioning another excellent resource.  If you are in need of coaching, consulting, or critiquing,  Mentors for Rent is the way to go!  Laura Purdie Salas and Lisa Bullard are the providers of this outstanding service. Both of these ladies have years of writing and coaching experience and share a wealth of knowledge about the business of writing for children. I can tell you from personal experience, they work hard to help clients reach their writing goals.  Check out their website for more details.


Okay, I hope I didn't sound too much like an infomercial, but I know there are folks like me who are looking for resources to reach the next level in their writing.

Now sit back, have a cup of tea, and let's enjoy today's poetry offerings.
Thanks for stopping by!



 

First Cup Edition


 Laura at Author Amok shares, "July 2 was the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act. I'm celebrating with a post about Debbie Levy's latest picture book, "We Shall Overcome: The Story of a Song." In free verse, Levy covers the history of "We Shall Overcome" from slavery, to the Civil Rights Movement, and its worldwide popularity today."

Matt comes to us today with an original poem at Radio, Rhythm, & Rhyme.

Tabatha shares a roller coaster poem by Heidi Mordhorst at The Opposite of Indifference.

Robyn at Life on the Deckle Edge brings us fortune cookies and a poem by Irene Latham.
 
Michelle has a limerick by Irene Latham at Today's Little Ditty

Donna had some fun with her grandchildren this week over at Mainely Write, and she also share's a poem by Linda Baie.

Linda shares a summer swap poem by Margaret Simon at Teacher Dance.

Over at Gathering Books, Myra shares a poem by Iphigene.

Reading to the Core brings us a poem by Edna St. Vincent Millay.

Heidi is looking for suggestions about a classic poem for her revision project at My Juicy Little Universe.

Diane is in today with an original poem at Random Noodling.  She also brings us a short post about FIREFLY JULY at Kurious Kitty.

Laura is in today with a poem by Irene Latham from her new book DEAR WANDERING WILDEBEEST.

Margaret shares a poem by Wendi Romero at Reflections on the Teche.

Irene is in today at Live Your Poem with Quilts, & Pears, & the Summer Swap.

Monica over at Cartwheels shares at original poem today.

Violet offers us some summer advice today.

Becky shares an adaptation of Rilke's unicorn poem at Tapestry of Words.

Second Cup Edition

Tara is in today with a post inspired by the news at A Teaching Life.

Bildungsroman comes to us with an Emily Dickinson poem.

Sylvia has a must read tribute to the poetry of the late, great Walter Dean Myers at Poetry for Children.

Jone shares a postcard she received from Joy Acey at Check It Out.

Joy is in today with an original summer poem  at Poetry for Kids Joy.

Amy is at The Poem Farm with a poem about spirit animals inspired by Laura Shovan's post last week.


OK!  I think that's it for round two.  I posted all the links in the Comments section also, just in case.  I'll check back later this afternoon in case anyone else drops by.  I apologize for not giving a better description for each of today's offerings, but I'm on a time crunch (like always), and the computer was not cooperating!  Now, I'm going to get my tea and read these wonderful offerings!  Thank you to everyone who stopped by Write Time

 
Our Third Cup Edition

Mary Lee at A Year of Reading  stopped by to bring us some "Chicory".

Jen from I am a teacher et cetera just popped in to share an interesting piece she's been working on. I like it!

Carol invites us over to Beyond Literacy Link for some summer serenity along with a writing invitation.

Lorie Ann is in at On Point today with an original haiku and at readertotz, "It Rains, It Pains."
 

35 comments:

  1. Hi, Linda. (You'll be fine, Miss Hostess!)

    Thanks for sharing your review of Renee's class. Renee is such a talented writer and actor, of course she would make a wonderful teacher.

    July 2 was the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act. I'm celebrating with a post about Debbie Levy's latest picture book, "We Shall Overcome: The Story of a Song." In free verse, Levy covers the history of "We Shall Overcome" from slavery, to the Civil Rights Movement, and its worldwide popularity today.

    http://authoramok.blogspot.com/2014/07/poetry-friday-we-shall-overcome.html

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  2. Hello, Linda - Welcome to the Host side of the fence! Thanks so much for rounding up posts today. Yours is great - what a wealth of talent and generosity among Poetry Friday-ers.

    I'm featuring one today, in fact - my Summer Poem Swap delights from our own Irene Latham. She sent fortune cookies to go along with our tea!
    http://www.robynhoodblack.com/blog.htm?post=963282

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  3. PS - Special hellos and thanks to your wonderful greeter, Evie with the red slippers!

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  4. Glad you enjoyed Renee's course - it sounded like a lot of fun from what I've heard from others, so hopefully you can put all that knowledge into practice! Today I have an adult-oriented poem I'm sharing: http://wp.me/p2DEY3-11I Thanks!

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  5. Renee and Laura are certainly good value-- no doubt about that! Thanks for hosting today, Linda... you remind me of my first time hosting just about a year ago. It was fun but exhausting! On Today's Little Ditty, I am featuring Irene Latham in Limerick Alley: http://michellehbarnes.blogspot.com/2014/07/limerick-alley-irene-latham.html

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  6. Thanks for the tea! Sounds like you've been busy!
    I had some fun with my grandson and new granddaughter this past week - hence the RefrigerARTor poem today!
    http://mainelywrite.blogspot.com/2014/07/refrigerartor.html

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  7. Thank you to Evie for her sweet welcome, Linda, and for hosting. I hope that someday I'll have the pleasure of working with one of those wonderful poets you've shared. This Poetry Friday I'm sharing a poem from our summer swap from Margaret Simon. http://www.teacherdance.org/2014/07/poetry-friday-poem-gift.html

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  8. I forgot to add - I'm sharing Linda Baie's poem that she sent me for the poetry exchange! It kind of goes with my RefrigerARTor poem and photos, too!
    http://mainelywrite.blogspot.com/2014/07/refrigerartor.html

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  9. Thank you for hosting, Linda! Your granddaughter is a cutie :-)
    I have a rollercoaster of a poem by Heidi Mordhorst today: http://tabathayeatts.blogspot.com/2014/07/13-ways-of-looking-at-roller-coaster.html

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  10. Hi there Linda! Thank you for hosting this week. Love love love the Welcome Bandwagon as seen in your lovely granddaughter's picture.

    Here is Iphigene's contribution to Poetry Friday up at GatheringBooks. It's her original poem that is definitely worth checking out.

    http://gatheringbooks.org/2014/07/11/poetry-friday-sometimes-i-sat-in-my-loneliness/

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  11. Thanks for hosting, Linda! Renee's Lyrical Language Lab sounds like an incredible experience. Something to think about... Today I'm sharing Edna St. Vincent Millay's "Dirge Without Music" http://readingtothecore.wordpress.com/2014/07/11/poetry-friday-dirge-without-music/

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  12. Good morning, Linda! I can't believe I'm the first one here...hope all is technologically well! I really appreciated your infomercial--it's always good to know what offerings are out there and how people experience them, and there are so many more options nowadays...

    I'm in today with a request for suggestions about a classic poem by a woman to copy tribute for my revision project. Thanks for hosting!
    http://myjuicylittleuniverse.blogspot.com/2014/07/taking-your-suggestions-please.html

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  13. Hi Linda! The course sounds wonderful! Thanks for sharing the information. Today, at Random Noodling, I have an original poem, "Tall Tales." http://randomnoodling.blogspot.com/2014/07/poetry-friday-tall-tales.html

    Kurious Kitty has a short post about Firefly July: A Year of Very Short Poems. http://kuriouskitty.blogspot.com/2014/07/poetry-friday-firefly-july.html

    KK's Kwotes has a quote by Longfellow. http://www.kkskwotes.blogspot.com/2014/07/poetry-friday_10.html

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  14. Linda, I was reading along, thinking, I KNEW Renee's course would be fantastic, and I'm so glad Linda got so much out of it! And then I came to your lovely shoutout for Mentors for Rent. Thank you! I was so excited to review galleys for a certain anthology recently and see that we both made it in--hooray for us!

    Thanks for hosting Poetry Friday--I'm in with a wonderful poem by Irene Latham from her upcoming collection, Dear Wandering Wildebeest. The poem I'm sharing is "What Rhino Knows."

    xoxo, Laura

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    Replies
    1. Laura, it's going to be such an adorable book. I can't wait for it to be published! I'm very proud to have my poem in an anthology with yours. I think this makes 3 of them now? I sure hope there are many more to come. : )
      P.S. I've "known" you now for many years, and you have ALWAYS been so generous and kind. I'll be in touch with you and Lisa again soon.

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  15. I read about these wonderful course offerings but haven't taken the plunge. Maybe next summer. I am doing Teachers Write on Kate Messner's blog. It's free and probably not as personal but full of great resources and a supporting community.

    Today I am featuring a poet from my area, Wendi Romero. Her poems are about beauty and transformation. http://reflectionsontheteche.wordpress.com/2014/07/11/out-of-the-kiln/

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  16. Linda, you HAVE been busy! So happy to hear about Renee's LLL... doesn't surprise me that it's above and beyond. How wonderful! I am busy busy with Camp Buttercup but did put together a post: http://irenelatham.blogspot.com/2014/07/quilts-pears-summer-poem-swap.html Thank you so much for hosting. xo

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  17. Hi, Linda and Evie! What a nice welcome. Thanks for sharing your experience with Renee's Lyrical Language Lab course, Linda. It sounds like a wonderful experience. I'm sharing a small original children's poem about cats and dogs today on my blog. By the way, my blog 'The Poem Trail' has been re-named 'Cartwheels.' Thanks, and enjoy the rest of your summer. http://monicagudlewski.com/2014/07/11/mix-and-match/

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  18. Thanks for the fabulous resources, Linda! On my Poetry Friday post today, I have an adaption of Rilke's unicorn poem by Scottish poet Don Paterson.
    http://beckyshillington.blogspot.com/2014/07/poetry-friday-revisiting-unicorn-and.html

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  19. My contribution is for TEACHERS ONLY...it is vulgar, rude, and hilarious. http://icanwrite100words.wordpress.com/2014/07/11/poetry-friday-im-comic-sans-ahole/ WARNING: Do NOT click if you are easily offended (but it is summer...and the students are not looking!)

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  20. Oh, wow, Linda! I just popped over to check out the links and I found this wonderful surprise. Thank you so much for your kind words. It was such a pleasure to work with you all month -- and many congrats on the anthology Laura hinted at. WHOO!

    Sadly, I still have not been able to get back to blogging, but am enjoying everyone else's offerings. Thank you for hosting!

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    1. Renee, I'm so happy I took your class. I'll be the first to sign up for the Part 2! Thank you so much for the support and honest feedback. You've given me a lot to think about this summer!

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  21. Thank you for hosting. I am sharing the postcard I received from Joy Acey: http://maclibrary.wordpress.com/2014/07/10/poetry-friday-10/

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  22. Hi, Linda, thanks for hosting and for sharing these excellent resources. You know I love Renee, Laura, and I need to meet Lisa! My post today is a tribute to the POETRY of the late, great Walter Dean Myers.
    http://poetryforchildren.blogspot.com

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  23. Thanks for sharing these resources and for hosting today! My Poetry Friday is influenced by the news:
    http://ateachinglifedotcom.wordpress.com/2014/07/11/poetry-friday-jerusalem-naomi-shihab-nye/

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  24. Thank you for hosting, Linda!
    Hi Evie, and good morning, bloggers!
    I posted an Emily Dickinson piece at my blog, Bildungsroman:
    http://slayground.livejournal.com/785659.html

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  25. Terrific review of The Lyrical Language Lab, which is one of my all-time favorite classes too!

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  26. Linda,
    Thanks for hosting us today.
    I have an original poem SUMERTIME and a poetry prompt up today for my 1,194th post!
    at www.poetryforkidsjoy.blogspot.com

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  27. Linda - What a wonderful write-up of two of our colleagues here at Poetry Friday! Renee and Laura are so generous and smart - we are lucky! Thank you for hosting today's roundup. I'm a little late, but I do have a poem about spirit animals, inspired by Laura Shovan's post from last week. It's here - http://www.poemfarm.amylv.com/2014/07/my-spirit-animals-inspiration-from.html

    Happy Poetry Friday!

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    1. Got it, Amy! I look forward to meeting you at NCTE in November!

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  28. Wow. Friday really snuck up on me! Must be summer. I've got a poem about chicory: http://readingyear.blogspot.com/2014/07/poetry-friday-chicory.html

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  29. Great resources! Thank you so much for sharing all of your resources as well as putting together the round-up of links (love the first cup, second cup!)

    I also wanted to share, albeit a bit late, a piece I'm currently working on which you'll find at http://etceteraward.blogspot.com/2014/07/teacher-as-poet-poet-as-teacher.html.

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  30. Linda, I am sorry that I am late in submitting my piece. I was at NYS' week-long curriculum conference and just arrived home. Thank you for hosting the Poetry Friday Round-up. I would like to share my poem and call for fellow writers to share their place that evokes summer serenity for a gallery of artistic expressions.

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  31. Such great information! Thanks for hosting today.

    At On Point, I've written a haiku, Life Lesson, The Brook.

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