Poetry Friday -- Constellations

summer has arrived

chicory is blooming

bright blue roadside stars

©Mary Lee Hahn, 2019

Summer is well and truly here when the chicory and Queen Anne's Lace bloom. Besides which, we have heard the first crickets, seen the first fireflies, and eaten the first pesto. 

We Poetry Friday peeps also know summer is here when the call goes out for Poetry Friday Roundup Hosts for July - December! Choose your date...they go quickly! 

Michelle Kogan has the roundup today. 

Poetry Friday -- Call for Roundup Hosts

It's that time again. Six months have passed since last we queued up to host the Poetry Friday roundups.

If you'd like to host a roundup between July and December 2019, leave your choice(s) of date(s) in the comments. I'll update regularly to make it easier to see which dates have been claimed.

What is the Poetry Friday roundup? A gathering of links to posts featuring original or shared poems, or reviews of poetry books. A carnival of poetry posts. Here is an explanation that Rene LaTulippe shared on her blog, No Water River, and here is an article Susan Thomsen wrote for the Poetry Foundation.

Who can do the Poetry Friday roundup? Anyone who is willing to gather the links in some way, shape, or form (Mr. Linky, "old school" in the comments-->annotated in the post, or ???) on the Friday of your choice. If you are new to the Poetry Friday community, jump right in, but perhaps choose a date later on so that we can spend some time getting to know each other.

How do you do a Poetry Friday roundup? If you're not sure, stick around for a couple of weeks and watch...and learn! One thing we're finding out is that folks who schedule their posts, or who live in a different time zone than you, appreciate it when the roundup post goes live sometime on Thursday.

How do I get the code for the PF Roundup Schedule for the sidebar of my blog? You can grab the list from the sidebar here at A Year of Reading, or I'd be happy to send it to you if you leave me your email address. You can always find the schedule on the Kidlitosphere Central webpage.

Why would I do a Poetry Friday Roundup? Community, community, community. It's like hosting a poetry party on your blog!

And now for the where and when:

July
5    Tricia at The Miss Rumphius Effect
12  Jone at Deowriter
19  Carol at Carol's Corner
26  Margaret at Reflections on the Teche

August
2    Heidi at my juicy little universe
9    Molly at Nix the Comfort Zone
16  Christie at Wondering and Wandering -- optional theme: trees
23  Amy at The Poem Farm
30  Kat at Kathryn Apel

September
6    Sylvia (and Janet) at Poetry for Children
13  Laura at Writing the World for Kids
20  Linda at TeacherDance
27  Cheriee at Library Matters

October
4    Carol at Beyond LiteracyLink
11  Catherine at Reading to the Core
18  Jama at Jama's Alphabet Soup
25  Karen at Karen Edmisten*

November
1    Tabatha at The Opposite of Indifference
8    Irene at Live Your Poem
15  Michelle at Today's Little Ditty
22  Rebecca at Sloth Reads
29  Bridget at Wee Words for Wee Ones

December
6    Tanita at [fiction, instead of lies]
13  Liz at Elizabeth Steinglass
20  Buffy at Buffy's Blog
27  Michelle at Michelle Kogan

When You Go to a Museum

Last Saturday, Hubby and I went to the Dayton Art Institute to see the special exhibit "For America" before it closed on Sunday. It was an amazing collection. A requirement for membership into the National Academy is a portrait, and these (often of prominent artists) were paired with another piece by the artist who painted the portrait, or by the artist who was the subject of the portrait. There were lots of familiar artists (ie: white men), but I learned about some I will want to explore more deeply: Juane Quick-to-See Smith, an enrolled member of the Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes; Charles White, who painted "images of dignity" of African Americans; and Isabel Bishop, an Ohio native who was a leading member of the Fourteenth Street School of artists.

But it was what we found in the museum before we got the special exhibit that had the most profound impact on me. It was an exhibit of hats. Amazing hats. Over the top hats. So many hats owned by one woman.

One woman...and what a woman! Why had I never heard of Dorothy Height?

"This hat was worn on regular days to the office."

"Success depends on your stick-to-itiveness and the passion
with which you pursue your goals.
Give yourself a start and keep going." --Dorothy Height

"If the time is not ripe, we have to ripen the time." --Dorothy Height

"Greatness is not measured by what a man or woman accomplishes,
but by the opposition he or she has to overcome to reach his goals."
--Dorothy Height

"We African American women seldom do just what we want to do,
but always do what we have to do. I am grateful to have been in a time and place
where I could be part of what was needed."
--Dorothy Height

The hat she wore when Obama kissed her.

"Giving unconditionally is not a hard concept to understand
but it is very difficult for most to apply.
You have to be willing to see giving unconditionally
as something that you can do
because you recognize that your beneficiaries are human beings."
--Dorothy Height

From the introduction placard:

"Called the "Godmother of the Civil Rights Movement" by President Barack Obama, Dr. Dorothy Irene Height (March 24, 1912 - April 20, 2010) was an educator, activist, and a leader in the struggles for equality.

...she was rarely seen without a hat.

The hats worn by Dr. Height became a symbol of her personality, determination and poise. Often called "crowns" in the African American community, the hats are artistic creations, fashion items that Height wore on ordinary days and during extraordinary events in American history."

Dorothy Height wrote a memoir, Open Wide the Freedom Gates.
She also wrote Living With Purpose
and The Core of America's Race Problem.

She is featured on The History Makers: The Nation's Largest African American Oral History Collection (a resource to explore more deeply...)

and on the National Visionary Leadership Project website (another resource to explore more deeply...).

Her eulogy by Barack Obama can be found on American Rhetoric: Online Speech Bank (yet another site that needs a deep dive).

I couldn't find any clips from the Broadway musical, "If This Hat Could Talk," but I did find an interview with Julia Garrison, who played the young Dorothy Height.

Here is an hourlong documentary that I will watch, "The Life and Surprising Times of Dr. Dorothy Height."




Maybe I should be embarrassed to go public with my ignorance of this amazing woman, but instead  I'm going to bank on the possibility that I'm not the only one and make this a teachable moment about my own personal ongoing education in all of the aspects of American History that were not a part of my school curriculums (read BIPOC and LGBTQIA aspects).

I'll also make a plug for going to museums. Go to a museum and be as aware of the lenses with which you read the exhibits as you are the lenses with which you are reading books and the world. Ask questions about the curators of the exhibit to learn what their lenses were. Try on new lenses. Look for gaps in your education. Enjoy the art and the history...and LEARN.

My First Week of #SummerBookaDay

This is the first summer in a very long time that I haven't been traveling or working the first week of summer vacation. I knew I needed to take some things off my plate this summer so I could rest and reenergize a bit.  This first week of summer was glorious. didn't realize how much I needed to just be home without a lot of to-dos on my list.  I was able to read a #summerbookaday and it has been one of the best reading weeks I've had in a while. I love Donalyn Miller's whole idea of #SummerBookaDay and feel like I got off to a great start. 79 days of summer vacation means 79+ books. I  Below are the highlights from my reading week. I recommend all of thees books highly.

Middle Grade Novels

All of the middle grade books I read this week came highly recommended and they were all fabulous for middle grade readers.

Operation Frog Effect by Sarah Scheerger may end up being our first read aloud. We'll see. This is the story of a classroom of 5th graders and it is told in 8 voices.   This would invite a variety of conversations. It was a great read.

Some Places More than Others by Renee Watson

I received this ARC from the publisher as a happy surprise this week. I was happy to see Renee Watson writing for middle grade. This one was incredible.  Loved the characters and the story and all of NYC that was part of the story. It is more of a quiet book but definitely one of my favorites of 2019.   This one is coming out on September 3.  

Guts by Raina Telgemeier--I'm not always  huge graphic novel reader but keep up because they are so popular and important for middle grade reader  I was thrilled to see this upcoming ARC in my mailbox this week. This is a really important book, one that is about anxiety and it is authentic and right and perfect for middle graders.  So glad this book will be out in the world and so glad that Raina has such a following because that means many, many kids will read it.

Other Words for Home by Jasmine Warga is a novel in verse and another one that I know many middle grade readers will love.    This is the story of a girl and her mother who are forced to move to the US because of the war in Syria.  The focus is on her perspective and experiences.  

Adult Reading

I read Becoming by Michelle Obama over a few months. Since I chose to do this one on audio, I pretty much only listened while I was in the car--so about 20 minutes a day.  Since this is a 20+ hour book it took a while but it was so worth it. Such an engaging read and so insightful. So sad I am finished with this one. 

Nonfiction Picture Books

Borrowing Bunnies: A Surprising Tale of Fostering Rabbits by Cynthia Lord

I always love seeing pictures of Cynthia Lord's foster bunnies on social media so was thrilled to see this book. This is a great nonfiction picture book that shares the experience of fostering bunnies. It is a great read and a topic that isn't out there much in children's nonfiction.  And the fact that you get a peek into author Cynthia Lord's life outside of writing is another perk!

Her Fearless Run: Katherine Switzer's Historic Boston Marathon by Kim Chaffee

I've read about the first woman to run the Boston Marathon but was glad to see this picture book.  It is a good story with many of the issues around women's rights embedded.  

Somehow I missed No Truth Without Ruth:The Life of Ruth Bader Ginsburg by Kathleen Krull when it was published but glad to have read it now. Another look at this incredible woman. I like to have several picture book biographies about the same person in the classroom as middle grades are an important time to dig in and see the different information and perspectives presented by each one.

So it was a great reading week and I recommend all of these highly! Looking forward to another week of reading although I do have more I have to accomplish this week, but reading was definitely a great way to kick off summer!

Poetry Friday Roundup is HERE! -- Celebrating Naomi Shihab Nye

If you haven't seen Colby Sharp's "Awesometastic" Creativity Project, I'll give you a minute to explore it a bit.

Besides the fun of reading how some of your favorite children's authors responded to prompts, there is the fun of the prompts some of your favorite children's authors offered up, plus a bonus prompt from each of the authors from which you can choose to make whatever you want.

On this Naomi Shihab Nye themed Poetry Friday (don't thank me, I'm just the roundup collector...this week's theme is the brainchild of Tabatha at The Opposite of Indifference!) , I thought it would be fun to play a bit with her prompts from The Creativity Project.

This prompt, "Write a dialogue poem--a back-and-forth between human and something or things not human," is one from which I didn't manage a shareable draft. In the book, Kat Yeh writes from this prompt.

This bonus prompt really got me thinking: "Write a list of ten things you are NOT (not an astronaut, a perfectionist, a wool spinner, a butterfly, a name-caller). Then pick your favorite lines and develop, or embellish, them, adding metaphors, more description, whatever you like." Here's my draft:

I AM NOT

I am not a meticulous housekeeper.

I aim for clean enough.

The clutter and dust

rest on the surface of a love that runs deeper.

Similarly, I am not a master gardener.

I keep ahead of the weeds, mostly,

planting to encourage butterflies and bees.

They, I believe, are the most important harvesters.

Perhaps, then, you will be surprised

that I iron sheets

and follow recipes.

I choose when and when not to improvise.

©Mary Lee Hahn, 2019

You'll have to get a copy of the book to see how Naomi Shihab Nye responded to Tracey Babtiste's prompt, but her poem "Missing It" was featured on The Writer's Almanac this past Tuesday. (I'm so glad The Writer's Almanac is back!!)

Now, off you go to see what everyone else around the Poetry Friday corner of the Kidlitosphere has created for this week, whether inspired by Naomi Shihab Nye, or otherwise! Drop your link in the comments and I'll roundup old-school. (I've had news from two bloggers who weren't able to leave comments...not sure why, but if that happens to you, send your link to marylee dot hahn at gmail.)

Tabatha at The Opposite of Indifference has a request:

"Send me links to your posts if they are poems about/to/inspired by Naomi Shihab Nye!"

Here's the post that I will be adding them to:
https://tabathayeatts.blogspot.com/2019/05/poems-about-poets.html

* * * * * * *

Ruth (at There is no such thing as a God-forsaken town) is first in with a rich Naomi Shihab Nye post! She's got links to the announcement of NSN's appointment as the new Young People's Poet Laureate, links to other NSN posts on her blog, and a gorgeous photo + ode.

Linda (at TeacherDance) shares how Naomi Shihab Nye's poetry made a difference in the lives of the gifted students she taught. The poem she shares is one that can be used as a mentor text when writing personal oral histories and about "discoveries of new lives different from theirs." 

Irene (at Live Your Poem) sparked my interest in THE CREATIVITY PROJECT with this post, in which she also responded to this "I Am Not" prompt from NSN.  

For today's post, Irene shares three favorites from NSN's book THIS SAME SKY, and because she has an extra copy, there's also a give-away!

Linda (at A Word Edgewise) created a brilliant poem out of found words and phrases in NSN interviews. 

Michelle Kogan has so many favorites in her post today! Her beautiful art features monarchs and milkweed. She shares NSN's poem "Kindness," which I LOVE, and her response poem is a deep breath of gratitude and commitment to Mother Nature.

Robyn (at Life on the Deckle Edge) has some news from the recent Haiku Society of America Spring meeting, and some beach-themed haiku.

Christie (at Wondering and Wondering) borrowed a line from a NSN interview and unpacked some big truths. 

Molly (At Nix the Comfort Zone) wrote a beautiful love poem for her husband on the occasion of their 30th anniversary. Congratulations!

Donna (at Mainely Write) 's ocean poem pairs nicely with Robyn's beach-themed haiku! Almost makes this land lubber want to spend some time on a beach! (almost...)

Carol (at Beyond Literacy Link) connected the NSN theme to poems written for her (darling) not-such-a-baby granddaughter's two year birthday. 

Jama (at Jama's Alphabet Soup) has...but of course...and we love her for it...three Naomi Shihab Nye FOOD POEMS! 

Jan (at bookseedstudio) has lots of connections to the much-loved NSN poem, "Famous."

Matt (at Radio, Rhythm & Rhyme) shares his poem for the Ditty Challenge, "Instructions for Instructions." All kinds of clever!

Laura Shovan is still serving as Poet in Residence and as such, she shares the PERFECT resident poet poem by NSN, as well as (mostly) delicious food poems written by third graders.

Michelle (at Today's Little Ditty) has the Ditty of the Month Challenge Wrap-Up Celebration, along with links to her interview of Naomi Shihab Nye, the poem she wrote inspired by "To Manage," and the DMC wrap-up for NSN's ditty challenge.

Kimberly (at Kimberly Hutmatcher Writes) has a somber poem about devastating losses of young lives in her hometown.

Cheriee (at Library Matters) shares her next poetic installment "about a pivotal time in 1958, when my family joined other relatives on an adventure into the Pine Valley region in Northern British Columbia." It's diaper week, and it's grim.

Fats (at Gathering Books) joins in this week with a selection from the anthology Of Poetry and Protest: From Emmett Till to Trayvon Martin. I put this book on reserve at the library before I even finished reading her post. It looks amazing and important.

Renee (at No Water River) shares a selection of poems "from NIGHT GUARD, a collection of middle grade free verse poems by Norwegian poet, literacy educator, and environmental activist

Synne Lea," along with images from the illustrator of the collection, Stian Hole. You MUST listen to her magical voice and hear what she has to say about reading poetry!

Carol (at Carol's Corner) has a new puppy, finished school this week, AND managed to share a favorite NSN poem!

Tabatha (at The Opposite of Indifference) wrote a poem inspired by "Shoulders." I think Carol W. will like this poem!

Kay (at A Journey Through the Pages) used "Valentine for Ernest Mann" as her inspiration. Where are poems hiding in YOUR life?

Karen Edmisten (at Karen Edmisten...The Blog With the Shockingly Clever Title) has NSN reading her poem, "How Do I Know When a Poem is Finished?", my next new favorite!

Little Willow (at Bildungsroman) has song lyrics that remind us that humanity, like beauty, (like the love under the clutter and dust in my poem?) is not to be found on the surface.

Margaret (at Reflections on the Teche) finds magic in a single (amazing) line from Naomi Shihab Nye.

Catherine (at Reading to the Core) also wrote an I AM NOT poem that will sing to your heart.

Jone (at Deowriter) shares news of and a response to Naomi Shihab Nye's newest book, Tiny Journalist. At Check it Out, Jone is discovering buried treasure as she organizes her writing room!

Rebecca (at Sloth Reads) has a dialogue haiku for us that's sure to make you smile!

Amy (at The Poem Farm) has a post that is chock-full of goodness.

Tara (at Going to Walden) shares calming news from the farm in the form of a poem by Patricia Fargnoli.

Susan (at Soul Blossom Living) shares a pelican-filled post!

Poetry Friday -- Endings and Beginnings

photo via Unsplash

Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard.
~Kevin Durant


High Flight

The last day of school is in sight. You can’t imagine how hard

it is to release my masterpieces, say goodbye to my best work.

Launching you, I imagine the sigh of wing-beats

as you fly away, soaring with your talent,

your sense of humor, your desire to set the world right. When

you alight again next fall, don’t you dare hide your talent,

head under wing, letting others lead. Genius doesn’t

need adult plumage to rise and spiral. All genius needs is work.

And remember, the work of flight is joyful, not hard.

©Mary Lee Hahn, 2018

This is a re-post from my 2018 Poetry Month project. Today is the last (half) day of school. I will fledge another group of youngsters and hope against hope that I am sending them into the world equipped with the skills and mindsets they will need for their (our) future.


Dani has her very first Poetry Friday Roundup (welcome, Dani!!) at Doing the Work That Matters.

More than Quotes

I added two books to our classroom library recently that I love. Both of these books have powerful quotes from leaders in our world.  Each quote in these books can start important conversations in the classroom.  But they are so much more than quotes.  Each one of these books gives us, as readers, so much to think and talk about. They also give us invitations to dig deeper if we find something or someone that especially inspires us.

We Are the Change: Words of Inspiration from Civil Rights Leaders by Harry Belafonte is a must-have new book with quotes from 16 civil rights leaders including John Lewis, Sonia Sotomayor, Barack Obama, and Maya Angelou.  Each quote is paired with art from  one of 16 children's book illustrators and some reflection to go along with that art.  This book does not have a lot of words but it is a book that you can read and reread, spending hours with because there is so much to think about in the words and pictures.  I like books like this for the classroom for several reasons--there are several entry points for children. There are also so many ways to share this book with children--in parts or as a whole piece. It is a gorgeous book that you'll want for your bookshelf.

Limitless: 24 Remarkable American Women of Vision, Grit, and Guts by Leah Tinari is another book that I picked up at a local, independent bookstore.  This is a bit of an oversized picture book which makes the visual portraits of each woman so powerful.  24 women are illustrated with words about their role and impact. Alongside each portrait is a quote by that woman. The end of the book has a bit more information about each woman. The way that the black and white drawings are combined with a bit of bright color make the book unique and engaging.  What I think I love most about this book is the variety of ways the women portrayed have made an impact--I love the message that there are so many ways to make the world a better place.

To the Daisy

To the Daisy That Has Survived Even Though the Grounds Crew Mowed Down the School Land Lab Two Years Ago

Bloom!
No matter how low they mow you,
Bloom!
Show the world you won't be stopped:
Bloom!
Keep the memory of your former glory alive--
Bloom!
Send roots deep and runners long--
Bloom!
Bring joy to those who see your smiling face:
Bloom!


©Mary Lee Hahn, 2019



I wrote this poem for the Ditty of the Month challenge that Liz Steinglass offered up at Today's Little Ditty. I couldn't believe my eyes this week when I saw that one of the daisies that had followed the daffodils and previewed the cone flowers in my school's (only barely tamed) wild space known as the Land Lab had survived...and BLOOMED! Like dandelions, it has adapted to the mower and was right down at ground level instead of waving around in the breezes, but there it was. Its spirit spoke right to my heart. This poem is for all the "daisies" who have to stay low, either below the mower or under the radar, but who refuse to stop blooming.

Margaret has the Poetry Friday roundup this week at Reflections on the Teche.

Poetry Friday -- Teachers Who Write Poetry

Prompts (for High School Teachers Who Write Poetry)

by Dante Di Stefano

Write about walking into the building 

as a new teacher. Write yourself hopeful. 

Write a row of empty desks. Write the face 

of a student you’ve almost forgotten; 

he’s worn a Derek Jeter jersey all year. 

Do not conjecture about the adults 

he goes home to, or the place he calls home. 

(read the rest at poets.org)



"This poem attempts to catch some of the heartbreak and some of the vibrancy from the first third of my teaching life. The architecture of the poem was suggested by Adam Gellings's poem 'Prompt,' and by Elaina Ellis's Poem 'Write About an Empty Birdcage.' "

"Dante Di Stefano has taught tenth and twelfth grade English for eleven years in upstate New York and is the winner of the 2019 On Teaching Poem Prize, judged by Richard Blanco. He is the author of two poetry collections: Ill Angels (Etruscan Press, 2019) and Love Is a Stone Endlessly in Flight (Brighthorse Books, 2016). A poetry editor for DIALOGIST, he holds a PhD in English from Binghamton University and lives in Endwell, New York."

Here's a Teacher Appreciation Week montage from a few years ago.
Study the contrasting images carefully. This could actually be a stanza in my poem.

Prompts (for Fifth Grade Teachers Who Write Poetry)

by Mary Lee Hahn, ©2019

Write about the final third of your teaching life.
Write about school shootings and lockdown drills
and about the talent show.
Write about the student grappling with ethnic cleansing in Myanmar
and about the district dodgeball tournament.
Write about poverty and bullying
and about the the sound of two dozen eleven-year-olds giggling.
Write about the relentless and dehumanizing assessments you are required to give
and about the joyful mess of oobleck.



Liz has this week's Poetry Friday roundup at her blog Elizabeth Steinglass.

In three weeks, the roundup will be here. Tabatha suggested a Naomi Shihab Nye themed week, and she INSISTS that she had no insider knowledge of the fact that this week Naomi Shihab Nye would be named Young People's Poet Laureate for 2019-2021 by the Poetry Foundation! Now we REALLY cause to celebrate Naomi Shihab Nye on May 31!!

#BuildYourStack Event with NCTE and Dublin City Schools

On Saturday, NCTE and Dublin Schools partnered for a #BuildYourStack™ event for area teachers. It was a great morning --such good energy and so many good books! The day kicked off with Lynsey Burkins, chair of NCTE's Build Your Stack™ Committee talking a bit about Build Your Stack™, independent reading, and classroom libraries.  Gretchen Taylor spoke about the impact NCTE has had on her and then 6 teachers shared their go-to professional books in the quick, high energy BYS format.  There was time for visiting with friends, coffee and book shopping before the level-specific sessions began.

As part of the opening session, we learned about 6 professional books --go to books for these teachers. I was familiar with some of the books, but not all of them so I started to add a few books to my list right away during this opening session.  The books included were: Troublemakers by Carla Shalaby, A Novel Approach by Kate Roberts, 35 Dumb Things Well-Intended People Say: Surprising Things We Say That Widen the Diversity Gap by Maura Cullen, Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain by Zaretta Hammond, The New Teacher Book by Linda Christensen, and Game Changers by Donalyn Miller and Colby Sharp.

The best thing about days like this is how people come together to make it happen.  So many people pulling together to create a great day of learning for teachers. Literacy coaches, teachers, administrators, NCTE staff and students all played a part in making the day what it was. So many people planning, sharing books, setting up, etc. We are lucky to have supportive administrators who helped with the planning and participated in the event.  The day was high energy and positive because so much happened behind the scenes with so many people committed to making this a what it was for participants.

The bulk of the morning was spent in level-specific sessions (elementary, middle, secondary) hearing about books that we might want to add to our classroom libraries. In a little over an hour, teachers heard about many books from teachers and students who loved them.  We were introduced to new books and new authors as we built our stack of to-be-read books.  And of course, there was books shopping! Beth from Selections was there with the best and newest books for our classroom libraries.

It was a great day of good learning, good friends and good books!  I am hoping (hint hint) that this group plans to do this annually.  It was such a great way to spend a Saturday morning in May! Thanks to NCTE and Dublin City Schools and all the people who contributed their time to make this happen.  To learn more about Build Your Stack™ and to read more blog posts by NCTE members that will help you build your summer reading stack, visit NCTE's Build Your Stack™ page and Build Your Stack™blog posts.  You can also follow the #BuildYourStack hashtag on social media,

And don't forget to look for the Build Your Stack™stage in the Exhibit Hall at NCTE19 (November in Baltimore)!  If you were there last year, you know that it was the place to be to learn about new books throughout convention!  Planning is underway for another year of great sessions to help you Build Your Stack™!