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