HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LEE!

Dear friends,

Come on in. Grab some cake.  It's time to celebrate! 

I'm keeping this post short today, because A LOT of folks want to express their good wishes for Lee, and I want you to have time to read all of them.  I want to add my appreciation for all that the ways Lee has promoted poets and poetry. He has made poetry accessible and  touched the lives of children, teachers, poets, and poetry lovers.  Lee has made the world better. Isn't that what we all hope to do?

A few years ago, I wrote a blog post about Lee and how much his encouragement has meant to me.  When you have time, you might like to take a look. For now, I'll share a few things I didn't include in the post.

In the early 90's, I interviewed Lee for an article I wrote for a teacher resource.  This is the picture he sent me to accompany the article. I treasure this picture and keep it in my "Lee" folder along with every handwritten/typewritten note he ever sent me. 

Lee and Royal Dude

One of my favorite poems by Lee was inspired when Dude had to spend two nights away from home at the office.   All of us who love our pets can relate.  It begins:

Overnight at the Vet's

I found

a strand 

of snow-white hair

strewn upon his

favorite chair

I wonder how 

he's feeling there

alone—

©Lee Bennett Hopkins. All rights reserved.

Want to read the rest of the poem?  Would you like to know more Lee's journey as a writer and anthologist?  Well, you've come to the right place!

In honor of Lee's birthday, I'm giving away a copy of his book THE WRITING BUG (Meet the Author).  Just leave a comment with a special birthday wish for Lee by Monday, April 16.  I'll draw a name and announce the winner on my blog next Friday. Good luck.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LEE!  

May all of your wishes come true!

A special THANK YOU to my beautiful friend Robyn for hosting the party! 

Three New Books I Love and Two More I Can't Wait to Meet

There are certain authors that as soon as I see an announcement of their new books, I immediately pre-order them. Amy LudwigVanderwater is one of those authors. The gentle voice in her poems speak to my heart. This week her latest book, DREAMING OF YOU arrived on my doorstep.  It is a sweet lullaby perfect to read to little ones.  It is also a lovely gift to yourself when you’ve had a stressful day.  The flowing rhythm and repetition will calm and quiet you.

 Another author I love is Laura Purdie Salas. She is a master at teaching her readers about a topic and getting them to see the world in new and interesting ways.  For example, in her brand new book MEET MY FAMILY, readers learn about baby animals and their diverse family structures. What a creative way to teach children that there are all kinds of families, and they can be cared for in different ways.  This book will help children see that there is more than one right way to be a family.

I think I have just about every anthology by Lee Bennett Hopkins, and I am happy to have another one to add to my collection! SCHOOL PEOPLE is a collection of poems celebrating the people children encounter during the school day. The poems are written by many of my favorite poets including members of our own Poetry Friday family. I especially love the way the opening poem “School’s Story” by Rebecca Kai Dotlich invites readers in and lets us know that we are all welcome, “I am waiting—come on in.”  I hope this collection finds its way to every elementary classroom.

I’m honored to announce that I have poems in each of these two forthcoming anthologies. YAY!   I’ll share more about each of them in a future post.

A big thank you to Michelle at Today's Little Ditty for hosting today.

Valentine Hearts

In honor of Valentine's Day, I'm reposting a few of my favorite collections of love poems along with some links to poetry collections.

Valentine Hearts selected by Lee Bennett Hopkins  is perfect for young readers because they will relate to poems about everything from heart-shaped sandwiches to  hoping for a special valentine and a love note for a special pet. I am honored to have a poem included in this very gorgeous little book.

                                                       Singing Valentine

                                                          Outside my window

on the icy ground below

a little bird sings:

   "Chick-a-dee

          

                        dee

                            dee

     Chick-a-dee

                       dee

                            dee."

A valentine melody

          just for me!

Linda Kulp, all rights reserved

Click here to read two poems from the collection by two very talented poets,  Rebecca Kai Dotlich and Marilyn Singer.

Hopscotch Love:  A Family Treasury in Love Poems by Nikki Grimes is a true “valentine delight” with poems about many different types of love.  The rhymed and unrhymed poems are written in variety of  forms including: letter poem, list, and free verse.  I love the vivid imagery and deep emotions in this collection.  Here is the beginning of one of my favorite poems from the collection.

Sweethearts Dance

He pulls her close

           She strokes his face

Their thoughts fly to

           Their starting place

Read the rest of the poem here, and you'll see why I'm such a big Nikki Grimes fan.

Check out these links for a few Young Adult collections I love:

I Am Wings and Buried Alive both by Ralph Fletcher

A Lion’s Hunger: Poems of First Love by Ann Turner

Partly Cloudy: Poems of Love and Longing by Gary Soto

Dizzy in Your Eyes: Poems About Love by Pat Mora

 I found the next two collections several years ago while browsing the poetry section in my local Borders. It's unfortunate that so many wonderful book stores have closed.  I used to have a lot of fun discovering treasures such as these.

Also check out: Love Poems by Charles Ghigna. After you read these beautiful poems, you might want to pen your own poem for someone you love.  Charles provides us with inspiration and advice here.

Love Poems by Nikki Giovanni.  I come back to these poems again and again! 

If you have other favorite collections of love poetry, please share the titles with me so I can add them to my bookshelf.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Be sure to stop by to see Sally for more Poetry Friday to love today!

Grandma's Gift

Grandma's Gift

I don’t remember Grandma,

(She died when I was three.)

but I always think of her,

every time I see

my little figure skater     

dancing on our tree.

My skater’s dressed in purple.  

How did Grandma know  

that’s my favorite color?

(She made it long ago.)

I don’t remember Grandma

but I feel her close to me

when I see my skater dancing

on our Christmas tree.

©Linda Kulp Trout

This poem is a work-in-progress, but I wanted to post it today in memory of my grandmother.  It's been more than thirty-five years since my grandmother made each of us a little beaded figure skating tree ornament.  Mine danced on our tree every year as a beautiful reminder of my grandmother. Sadly, a few years ago, my skater mysteriously disappeared.  I searched and searched, but she was no where to be found. Our Christmas tree hasn't been the same without her.

Last week, I was telling my sister how much I miss my little skater.  Within a few minutes, my sweet sister sent me a picture.  I was happy to see that her skater is exactly like mine. Although it is not the same as having my skater on the tree,  at least I can look at the picture and remember.

I'm glad my sons were old enough to get to know my grandmother. But even if they had been too young to remember her, the little skater would tell them something about who she was.

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

Wishing you and yours love, health, and happiness!
Happy Holidays!

Christmas Cards

I love receiving greeting cards. I love sending them too, especially Christmas cards. I know many people have gone to the digital variety, and those are very nice, but I still like sending the old-fashioned version.  Although it can be time-consuming, I try to write a little personalized note on each card.

I'm late sending my cards out this year. Things have been busy around here, so I'm hoping to get them out by the end of next week.

Greeting cards are healing for the sender and for the receiver so I thought I'd join Mary Lee's #haikuforhealing today with this little poem. 

A blanket of cards

hug my dining room table

   one chosen for you

A big thank you to Lisa at Steps and Staircases for hosting today's roundup.

Publishing News!

I am tickled to have a poem in the fall issue of BUMPLES BUDS, a brand-new online magazine for children.  BUMPLES BUDS is a high-quality interactive magazine filled with stories, poems, games, and activities. It's bright, colorful, and very inviting.  I just love the illustrations for my poem.  Did you notice the book the boy is reading?  It is my very own TREASURE IN THE ATTIC!

I wrote "First Book" many years ago after watching the excitement my sons and my students experienced when they independently read their first book.   This past summer, I got to relive that experience when my granddaughter and I read together. She is quickly becoming an independent reader!

"First Book" originally appeared in  Lee Bennett Hopkins' WORLD OF POETRY series in 1998.  A year later, it appeared in Scholastic's MONTH-BY-MONTH POETRY professional book.  For the past 18 yrs., it was tucked away in my files. When I saw that BUMPLES BUDS was accepting poems, I took a chance and sent it off! It makes me happy to think a new generation of children will read and (hopefully) enjoy it.

Writers, BUMPLES (for children 6-10) and BUMPLES BUDS (for children 3-5) is accepting submissions!  You can check out a sample issue here.

A big thank you to Brenda for hosting this week. I hope wherever you are, you are enjoying a gorgeous autumn season.

National Day on Writing

Today is National Day on Writing, a day to celebrate the joy and importance of writing.  Click on the link to find resources for teachers, tips for writers, and information about how to join the conversation on WhyIWrite. You can also listen to podcasts of authors talking about their process and reasons for becoming a writer.

Lately, I've been thinking a lot about my own writing process. I  have always loved to write, but it doesn't always come easy. Here is a #poemsketch I wrote about my sometimes struggle with words.  It is still a work-in-progress, but it's late and this what I have so far.

Stuck

Sometimes writing feels like
a Chinese Finger Trap—

The harder I try 

to pull  words   
onto the page,
the more they stick
inside my brain—

But finally  
when I stop,

to take a breath—

Words somehow 
seem to know

and suddenly
they begin         to let go.

©Linda Kulp Trout


A big thank you to Leigh Anne over at A Day in the Life for hosting this week's Poetry Friday.