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By:
Carmela Martino and 5 other authors,
on 2/22/2013
Blog:
Teaching Authors
(
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JacketFlap tags:
Poetry Friday,
poem,
books about writing,
Monkey,
craft books,
Myra Cohn Livingston,
jealousy,
April Halprin Wayland,
books about teaching,
poetry prompt,
writer's bookshelf,
Add a tag
.
Howdy Campers, and Happy Poetry Friday!
PF is hosted by Sheri Doyle this week--thanks, Sheri! Poetry Friday hosting can be a big job, folks, so make sure you help Sheri put away the chairs and stack the dishes before you leave.
I'm continuing the
TeachingAuthors thread we're calling
Books We Recommend On Writing which
Esther began, reverently offering M.B. Goffstein's
A Writer...(which I, too, have on a golden altar in my bookshelf!) On
Poetry Friday, Carmela continued with her
top three books on the art and craft of writing poetry, and then Mary Ann offered
her favorite one or two books in three categories:
Inspirational Books,
Craft Books and
Craft Books for Kids. Jill gave us
three writing books packed with great information and inspiration, while Jeanne Marie focused on
books about plotting...and one on writing "Hit Lit."
I'm going to recommend one of Monkey and my favorite books on writing poetry,
POEM-MAKING ~ Ways to Begin Writing Poetry by Myra Cohn Livingston.
We like it because it's written for a ten year old--just about my level. For more on this book, read
Elaine Magliaro's really excellent review of it on The Wild Rose Reader--I couldn't review it any better.
Myra Cohn Livingston was the "Mother of Us All," as
Janet Wong writes. She was Poetry Mentor/Mother to me, Janet,
Ann Whitford Paul,
Sonya Sones,
Hope Anita Smith,
Alice Shertle, Kristine O’Connell George,
Deborah Chandra, Madeleine Comora,
Joan Bransfield Graham,
Tony Johnston,
Monica Gunning,
Karen B. Winnick,
Anita Wintz,
Ruth Lercher Bornstein and many, many other children's poets (Who am I missing? Let me know!).
I have
previously talked about two books I require in
classes I teach through the
UCLA Writers Program. One of the books is
Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott, about which several TeachingAuthors have waxed poetic in the past.
Here's a poem from that blog post inspired by Lamott's chapter on jealousy:
ANYTHING I CAN DO YOU CAN DO BETTER
or
CAN OF WORMS
by April Halprin Wayland
Varda once told us
we were all cans on a shelf.
.
Cans of chili, kidney beans, split pea soup.
I decided that I was a can of apricot halves.
She said that the shelf was only one can deep
but that it stretched out forever
.
so there’s always room
for one more.
“You don’t have to be afraid that adding another can
means
there isn’t enough room for you,”she said.
.
“You can even help a new can
onto the shelf next to you.”
.
And she never talked
about jealousy again.
.
poem (c) 2013 April Halprin Wayland. All rights reserved.
My brilliant teacher
Barbara Bottner taught me to write about my greatest fear...because chances are, we all share it.
Monkey is writing about his fear
of writing something stupid in a blog post.
Happy Friday! I don't know about you, but I've bookmarked Mary Ann's Wednesday Writing Workout. What a fun exercise! Now, back to the topic of favorite craft-oriented books. We all have our personal favorites, of course, and there are certainly enough out there to satisfy everybody's tastes. I hadn't even heard of Carmela's pick, Mary Oliver's A Poetry Handbook, but I'm going to have to try to find a copy. I'm more familiar with the terrific books on Mary Ann's list, although I've never had the pleasure of reading Marcia Colub's I'd Rather Be Writing. These two are going straight to my (ever growing!) "must read" list. For my own list, I'm going to stick to those books that deal with writing fiction.
When I feel the need for a writing boost, there are books I go back to again and again. But if I were going to be stranded on a desert isle with only three books about the writing craft to read while awaiting rescue (and praying for a cookbook to wash up: 500 Ways to Cook Coconuts), my picks would be:
Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, by Renni Browne & Dave King. This little gem was first published in 1993, but it's no less relevant now than 20 years ago. It's packed with information that vastly improved my writing. Vastly. And it's written in a friendly, chatting-over-the-back-fence style that appeals to me. So many illuminating examples are sprinkled throughout – good, bad, hilarious, and cringe-inducing – that there's no way you can read it and not come away a better writer. How many writing sins did Beginner Me commit? That's for another post.
Telling Lies for Fun by Profit, by Lawrence Block. Reading these essays is like picking the brain of a warm and witty, well-published favorite uncle who's willing to cut through the baloney and give it to you straight. He covers every topic I can imagine about writing and the writing life. From selecting a pen name (or not) to speeding up your writing to creating believable characters to "the perils of icebox thinking." I'm not kidding. It's ALL here. An often eye-opening read.
For my third choice, I’d have to go with Stephen King’s On Writing. Half memoir, half instruction manual, candid and, by turns, heartbreaking and funny, this book gives me hope that success can happen for any of us willing to work hard and BELIEVE. And who doesn’t need that?
Many, many other books on my bookshelves beckon, but these three remain my faves. Since I never studied writing formally, they pretty much provided my writing education, helped get me where I am today. How could I not love them?
Jill Esbaum
Happy Poetry Friday, all!
Esther kicked off our current topic, recommendations for your writer's bookshelf, by sharing a favorite of hers I'd never heard of: M. B. Goffstein's A Writer.
I have so many cherished books on my writer's bookshelf that it's hard to pick just one, so I'm going to share three. And, in honor of Poetry Friday, they're all poetry-related.
First up, I'd like to recommend my favorite book on writing poetry, Mary Oliver's
A Poetry Handbook: A Prose Guide to Understanding and Writing Poetry (Mariner Books). One of the book's most enlightening chapters for me is the one titled "Sound." Its opening paragraph reads like a poem:
"To make a poem, we must make sounds. Not random sounds, but chosen sounds."
Oliver goes on to explain that "A 'rock' is not a 'stone'" when it comes to sound. And she offers advice on how to choose words with sounds that best fit a poem's meaning and mood. While aimed at poets, this book contains valuable advice for picture book authors and novelists, too.
The second book I'd like to recommend is
Seeing the Blue Between: Advice and Inspiration for Young Poets (Candlewick), compiled by Paul B. Janeczko. Here's an excerpt from the book's description:
". . . in this unprecedented volume, thirty-two internationally renowned poets provide words of wisdom and inspiring examples of their own work for new poets everywhere. . . . This rich volume - an ideal resource for classroom teachers and a beautiful gift for budding writers of all ages - offers the perfect opportunity to do just that."
Since today is Poetry Friday, I'll share the first stanza of one of my favorite poems in this collection:
Poets Go Wishing
by Lilian Moore
Poets go fishing
with buckets
of words,
fishing
and wishing. . . .
(You can see the entire poem reproduced in this blog post at Blue Sky, Big Dreams.)
I love the image of poets "fishing with buckets of words." My third and final recommended title today is a journal to help all poets on their fishing expeditions:
The Poet's Notebook: Inspiration, Techniques, and Advice on Craft (Running Press), created by David Stanford Burr. As the description says,
"Part blank journal, part helpful workbook and reference, its pages are highlighted with insights from famous poets, an exercise to summon the muse, and definitions of classic poetic techniques. . . . This ingenious and useful writing tool also includes a six-page appendix with rules of form, meter, and rhythm to help readers compose their own sonnets, haiku, and other poems."
It's a slim, lightweight journal that's easy to carry along on your next "fishing" expedition.
If you have any recommendations for poetry-related books from your writer's bookshelf, I hope you'll share them in the comments. And don't forget to check out the Poetry Friday round up today at
A Teaching Life.
And, in case you missed it, be sure to read the poem
, "Pencil Speaks to Writer" by our Mystery Guest TeachingAuthor
in our latest Wednesday Writing Workout.
Happy writing!
Carmela
My
Writer’s Bookshelf consumes just about every inch of my writing room’s cleverly-extended window sill. While I peck away at my laptop’s
keyboard, wandering and wondering, each book sits there, winking and waving.
Books
on Craft, the Writing Process and Children’s Literature,
books
on Elements of Narrative,
books
on Storytelling.
How
To’s, handbooks, manuals, Dummies Guides,
dictionaries
(abridged and unabridged),
my
trusty Roget’s.
Smack
dab in the middle of the line-up, though, rests my very favorite writer’s book -
M.B. Goffstein’s A Writer (Harper
& Row, 1984). Its sky-blue book
spine short and slight brilliantly shines as my writer’s North Star.
I’m
almost hoping you’ve never ever heard
of this title, so this post can gift you the way the book first gifted me.
I
came upon it at Florence Shay’s antiquarian bookstore Titles, in Highland Park,
Illinois
while out and about on my Writer’s Journey sometime in the late 80’s.
I
was figuratively lost, unsure of my
path.
Opening
this small treasure of a book, I was instantly found.
Everything
was okay.
Really
and truly.
Days
spent daydreaming, imagining, probing my heart…
According
to A Writer, that’s what writers do.
A writer
sits on her couch,
holding an idea,
until it’s time
to set words
upon paper,
to cut, prune,
plan, and shape them.
Thoughts that open
in her heart,
and weather every mood
and change of mind,
she will care for.
Back
then, I was seeding and feeding my own stories as well as my writer self.
Marilyn
Brooke Goffstein’s simplicity in words and lines spoke to the gardener in me.
Today
I still grow my own stories but I also spend my days seeding and feeding other writers –
Young Authors and authors young-at-heart.
Goffstein’s
A Writer speaks even more loudly.
But,
don’t take my word for it. See for
yourself!
Come
to know this Minnesota-born writer, illustrator, children’s book creator,
Parsons School of Design faculty member.
Visit
her website.
Read
about her books, including the 1977 Caldecott Honored Fish for Supper.
Be sure to check her Tips for Picture Book Writers and Illustrators.
- Write something you
don't know but long to know.
- It is tiresome to read a
text that the author hasn't fought for, lost, and by some miracle when all hope
is gone, found.
- Do them (your readers) the
honor of reaching for something far beyond you.
And,
while Florence Shay and Titles, Inc. are sadly no longer with us, search other
antiquarian bookstores for Goffstein’s one-of-a-kind books.
Lucky
you should you come upon A Writer for
sale so it can shine on your Writer’s
Bookshelf!
Esther
Hershenhorn
P.S.
I
especially love that Goffstein dedicated A
Writer to Charlotte Zolotow, beloved children’s book author and
award-winning Ursula-Nordstrom-trained editor whose Admiring Declines I still treasure
as much as my first edition copy of M.B. Goffstein’s A Writer
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LOVE this! I'll be a can of macadamia nuts!
The newest quote at my desk is from Wallace Stegner:
"...loyalty to the next adventure of writing is more important than any kind of 'success.' "
I love the title (who doesn't feel that from time to time?) and the long row of cans. It's such a great way to express the idea that there's always room for more. I'm going to be thinking about writing about a fear for a long time. I share monkey's fear for sure.
Thanks for this wonderful poem and for including Monkey in your post :). I'm a can of tomato soup!
Love this post. So good to face those fears, especially when they are put in such wonderful words. I think I'm a can of black beans, you can do so much with them, even make dessert.
Fabulous poem! I love the line:
"She said that the shelf was only one can deep
but that it stretched out forever.
so there’s always room for one more."
Being the youngest of 10 kids I like the thought of there always being room for one more...=)
What a sweet post, April, so reassuring. I have the second meeting of a new writing group this coming week & I think it will be wonderful to share this with them. More are joining us this time so I suspect they will be a little nervous. I have the Livingston book & have used parts of it with students. Perhaps I should take a look for me! Thanks for all your words!
Mary Lee, Liz, Jama, Bridget, Doraine and Linda ~ Monkey was a little bit astonished that the poem hit a harmonic chord for all of you. He is so excited, he is now writing a ten-book series.
xxx
I'd like to have Doraine's recipe using black beans for desert.
I'll be a can of pumpkin. I bought too many during the holidays, so every time I open the cabinet, they look at me, just like the blank page.
Thanks for always encouraging the writer in us.
Inspiring poem filled with wisdom! Love that little brave monkey, too.
Hmmm - I think I'll be a can of peaches.
Thanks, April!
I'm a can of spaghetti sauce. With mushrooms and lots of garlic. :-) I love this poem. Jealousy is such an unpleasant emotion to feel, and I really like this way of looking at it.
That's a darn good story poem. Nice metaphors. Enjoyed it!
Margaret, Sheri, Ruth--you can be whatever can you'd like...ha ha...
And hi, Charles...why aren't you watching the Oscars?!?!
xxx
Love your post and your poem, April. I think I'll be a can of artichoke hearts. :-)