Tag: anthology

Poetry Friday: “Coming to Terms”

On By Matt Forrest EsenwineIn poetry22 Comments

This post was originally published 9 years ago, in June 2016; considering everything going on in the world these days, especially the turmoil here in the States, I felt it was important to pull it out of storage and re-share it here for Pride Month. I hope you like it.

trigger-warning

The following poem was first published in the anthology Trigger Warning: Poetry Saved My Life (Swimming with Elephants Publications, 2014), and following its publication I shared it here on this blog. Even though I rarely re-post poems, I felt this would be appropriate in this case, in recognition of President Obama’s recent proclamation of June being Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month.

You see, about 25 years ago, a very close friend of mine went through an extremely difficult time in his life…and it nearly destroyed him. Fortunately, he found support from his friends and therapy from writing poetry:

Coming to Terms

He had to keep quiet.

No one could know of his love, no –
infatuation – for the tall, dark beauty
with whom he shared daily smiles. His thoughts
were his, yet quickly
he became their slave; not uncommon,
of course, as we all succumb
to that numbness, once, at least,
but for his own sake

he had to keep quiet.
None could know, not even
Dark Beauty, who
had no inkling of an unthinkable
courtship, but simply smiled back
as acquaintances do
until one day, in a burst of emotion and discovery,
every passionate detail of his desire
came pouring forth from every pore
in an unintended self-
immolation of love and pain.

The revelation
and cloud of rejection suffocated
and he wished it would
deaden the nerves that allowed him to feel
every word hurled
from Dark Beauty, friends,
parents, the world.
Endless days spent scared and crying
bled into pill-filled nights
that led not to quiet slumber but to weeks
and months
in the ward, safe and distressed. Alone

in his room, with pen
firm between heart and forefinger, line
by line he began to sort through love,
loss, dejection,
reflection
and the realization
he had been lying to himself, thinking

he had to keep quiet.

© 2014 Matt Forrest Esenwine, from Trigger Warning: Poetry Saved My Life (Swimming with Elephants Publications, 2014), all rights reserved

.

========================================================

You’ll find more poetry at There is no such thing as a God-forsaken town, where Ruth is holding down the offical Poetry Friday roundup with fireflies – LOTS of ’em!

~~ I am booking school visits for 2025-26! ~~

I love chatting with students about creativity, poetry, the writing process, dinsoaurs, and lots of other things! So if you think you might be interested in having me visit your school – either in-person or virtually – check out all the presentations I offer below, then email me at Matt (at) MattForrest (dot) com!

I love chatting with elementary and middle school classes about writing: why poetry is fun to read and write, the importance of revision, and how imagination and creativity can lead to fantastic careers! My presentations are tailored to fit the needs of the classes and students’ ages. One day I might be sharing details of how a picture book like Flashlight Night (Astra Young Readers, 2017) was created; the next, I’ll be discussing dinosaur breath or crafting origami sea turtles!

Student presentations include:

  • The Making of a Picture Book
  • How a Child Saved a Book
  • “Once Upon Another Time”
  • The Most Important Thing about Writing Poetry
  • “I Am Today”
  • “A Beginner’s Guide to Being Human”
  • “Everybody Counts: Counting to 10 in Twelve Languages”

Adult presentations include:

  • The Making of a Picture Book
  • The Most Important Thing about Writing Poetry
  • Free Yourself with Free Verse
  • Tight Language, Loose Narratives: Crafting a Non-Traditional Picture Book
  • The Journey of a Children’s Author

Learn more at MattForrest.com!

=====================================================

Order PERSONALLY-SIGNED copies of my books
from my local independent bookstore!

=====================================================

I’m now on BOOKSHOP!

=====================================================

I’m also on BOOKSHOP:

And I’m very happy to be part of the BOOKROO family, too!

=====================================================

Ordering personalized signed copies online? Oh, yes, you can!

You can purchase personally-signed copies of Flashlight Night, (Astra Young Readers, 2017), Don’t Ask a Dinosaur (Pow! Kids Books, 2018), and nearly EVERY book or anthology I’ve been part of!

Click here to view all my books and to order!

Just click the cover of whichever book you want and send a comment to the good folks at MainStreet BookEnds in Warner, NH requesting my signature and to whom I should make it out. (alternatively, you can log onto my website and do the same thing) They’ll contact me, I’ll stop by and sign it, and then they’ll ship it! (Plus, you’ll be supporting your local bookseller – and won’t that make you feel good?)

======================================================

Did you like this post? Find something interesting elsewhere in this blog? I really won’t mind at all if you feel compelled to share it with your friends and followers!

To keep abreast of all my posts, please consider subscribing via the links up there on the right!  (I usually only post once or twice a week – usually Tues. and Fri. – so you won’t be inundated with emails every day) . Also feel free to visit my voiceover website HERE, and you can also follow me via Twitter , Facebook, Instagram, and SoundCloud

Poetry Friday: Celebrating TEN years of children’s lit publishing (Who’da thunk??)

On By Matt Forrest EsenwineIn poetry23 Comments
My life’s work. Well, at least the last 10 years of it.

Believe me, I’m the last person who would have thunk it!

But yes, it’s true – this year marks my tenth year of being published in the world of children’s literature, and no one is more amazed than Yours Truly.

Last week, I shared news about Schoolapalooza (Moonshower, 2024), a new school-themed children’s poetry anthology that arrived in December; this was the 18th collection of children’s poetry I’m proud to say I’ve been part of. Eighteen!

(This does not include the nineteenth book I’ll have contributed to, 40 Poems for 40 Weeks (Routledge, 2024) from my good friend David L. Harrison, which should be arriving at the house within the next week or so.)

The first children’s poetry anthology ever published with my name inside was Carol-Ann Hoyte’s Dear Tomato, published in Feb. 2015, followed by Sylvia Vardell’s and Janet Wong’s The Poetry Friday Anthology for Celebrations (Pomelo, 2015) and Lee Bennett Hopkins’ Lullaby & Kisses Sweet (Abrams, 2015), both published within days of each other the following month. However, the contract for Lee’s book was the first I ever signed – so I consdier all three of these on equal footing as far as “firsts” go!

I am very proud to have three poems included in Carol-Ann’s anthology, including this one, which I’ve not shared here since the book first came out ten years ago:

Fair is Fair
(a lesson in Fair Trade)

Mother’s coffee,
Father’s tea,
Sister’s cocoa…
all might be
a farmer’s only
chance to give
his family
a chance to live.

– © 2015 Matt Forrest Esenwine, all rights reserved

.
My career, by the numbers:

  • Nineteen children’s poetry anthologies and other books
  • Five poems published in Highlights magazine
  • Several poems (too many to count) featured on various blogs and online journals
  • A full dozen books of my own including picture books, board books, and my own upcoming anthology, A Universe of Rainbows: Multicolored Poems for a Multicolored World (Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2025), due out April 1
  • One more anthology I’ll be overseeing, which will likely not be out for a couple more years. This will be my 13th book; details forthcoming!

I am so grateful to you for following this blog, my career, my journey these past ten years – thank you, thank you, thank you! I left full-time employment in radio broadcasting as an on-air talent, commercial producer, and copy writer in 2012 to be a stay-at-home dad, build my voiceover business, start this blog, and see where my children’s writing might take me. I had no idea it would take me so far!

Three years after leaving radio, I found myself published in children’s lit; it would be another two years after that, in 2017, that my first picture book, Flashlight Night (Astra Young Readers), would debut with a Kirkus star.

All I can do is continue hoping that what I write connects with editors and book readers, and that I can continue doing what I love forever.

Again, THANK YOU for helping me get to this point. I hope you’ll be with me when we celebrate 20 years together! For today’s complete Poetry Friday roundup, head on over to Kat’s Whiskers where it’s “reigning” cats and dogs!

~~ I am booking school author visits for Spring 2025! ~~

I love chatting with students about creativity, poetry, the writing process, dinsoaurs, and lots of other things! So if you think you might be interested in having me visit your school, please check out all the presentations I offer, then email me at Matt (at) MattForrest (dot) com!

I love chatting with elementary and middle school classes about writing: why poetry is fun to read and write, the importance of revision, and how imagination and creativity can lead to fantastic careers! My presentations are tailored to fit the needs of the classes and students’ ages. One day I might be sharing details of how a picture book like Flashlight Night (Astra Young Readers, 2017) was created; the next, I’ll be discussing dinosaur breath or crafting origami sea turtles!

Student presentations include:

  • The Making of a Picture Book
  • How a Child Saved a Book
  • “Once Upon Another Time”
  • The Most Important Thing about Writing Poetry
  • “I Am Today”
  • “A Beginner’s Guide to Being Human”
  • “Everybody Counts: Counting to 10 in Twelve Languages”

Adult presentations include:

  • The Making of a Picture Book
  • The Most Important Thing about Writing Poetry
  • Free Yourself with Free Verse
  • Tight Language, Loose Narratives: Crafting a Non-Traditional Picture Book
  • The Journey of a Children’s Author

Learn more at MattForrest.com!

=====================================================

Order PERSONALLY-SIGNED copies of my books
from my local independent bookstore!

=====================================================

My very first poetry anthology, A Universe of Rainbows (Eerdmans, 2025) arrives April 1, 2025 –
but you can pre-order NOW!

I’m now on BOOKSHOP!

=====================================================

I’m also very happy to be part of the BOOKROO family!

=====================================================

Ordering personalized signed copies online? Oh, yes, you can!

You can purchase personally-signed copies of Flashlight Night, (Astra Young Readers, 2017), Don’t Ask a Dinosaur (Pow! Kids Books, 2018), and nearly EVERY book or anthology I’ve been part of!

Click here to view all my books and to order!

Just click the cover of whichever book you want and send a comment to the good folks at MainStreet BookEnds in Warner, NH requesting my signature and to whom I should make it out. (alternatively, you can log onto my website and do the same thing) They’ll contact me, I’ll stop by and sign it, and then they’ll ship it! (Plus, you’ll be supporting your local bookseller – and won’t that make you feel good?)

======================================================

Did you like this post? Find something interesting elsewhere in this blog? I really won’t mind at all if you feel compelled to share it with your friends and followers!

To keep abreast of all my posts, please consider subscribing via the links up there on the right!  (I usually only post once or twice a week – usually Tues. and Fri. – so you won’t be inundated with emails every day) . Also feel free to visit my voiceover website HERE, and you can also follow me via Twitter , Facebook, Instagram, and SoundCloud!

Poetry Friday: “Schoolapalooza” arrived/turned up/appeared!

On By Matt Forrest EsenwineIn poetry10 Comments

I’ve been waiting to hold this in my hands for MONTHS – and finally, over the Christmas holiday break, it arrived! Schoolapalooza (Moonshower, Oct. 2024) is a collection of fun, thoughtful, silly, and even >ahem< ironic poems about school, arranged alphabetically by anthologist/poet/editor Ryan Van Cleave!

From Anthologies, Buses, and Calculators to Notebooks, Outdoor recess, and Pop Quizzes, Schoolapalooza shares vignettes of school that both kids and adults will recognize, whether they’re on the playground or in the classroom.

What will Nina do when she fills her math notebook with art doodles? How does one begin a lesson with a “clean slate?” And why is it not a good idea to bring a dodgeball to class?

These are just a few scenarios you’ll find inside the pages of Schoolapalooza – and today I’m sharing my friend Rebecca Kai Dotlich’s contribution:

– Image © 2024 Moonshower/Bushel & Peck, all rights reserved

Thesaurus Storm

Yes, that’s Rebecca’s actual well-loved thesaurus! (photo courtesy Rebecca Kai Dotlich)

I’m searching synonyms for rain,
and writing down each one:
shower, sprinkle, downpour.
Surely I am done.

But no, here comes the deluge:
drizzle, drippy, mist,
precipitation, condensation,
pour those on the list.

The tally keeps on growing:
a gust, a dribble, a drop,
a spurt, a spout, a squall…

so I quit, refrain, and stop.

– © 2024 Rebecca Kai Dotlich, all rights reserved

Illustrator Laura Vitória Jäger’s art is just as fun and whimsical as the poems, so I hope you’ll check out Schoolapalooza! In keeping with the education theme, you’ll find today’s complete Poetry Friday roundup at A(nother) Year of Reading, where Mary Lee is sharing some Wisdom – brought to you by the Parts of Speech in the Land of Grammar!

NEXT WEEK: A big “Thank You” for TEN incredible years of publishing!

~~ I am booking school author visits for Spring 2025! ~~

I love chatting with students about creativity, poetry, the writing process, dinsoaurs, and lots of other things! So if you think you might be interested in having me visit your school, please check out all the presentations I offer, then email me at Matt (at) MattForrest (dot) com!

I love chatting with elementary and middle school classes about writing: why poetry is fun to read and write, the importance of revision, and how imagination and creativity can lead to fantastic careers! My presentations are tailored to fit the needs of the classes and students’ ages. One day I might be sharing details of how a picture book like Flashlight Night (Astra Young Readers, 2017) was created; the next, I’ll be discussing dinosaur breath or crafting origami sea turtles!

Student presentations include:

  • The Making of a Picture Book
  • How a Child Saved a Book
  • “Once Upon Another Time”
  • The Most Important Thing about Writing Poetry
  • “I Am Today”
  • “A Beginner’s Guide to Being Human”
  • “Everybody Counts: Counting to 10 in Twelve Languages”

Adult presentations include:

  • The Making of a Picture Book
  • The Most Important Thing about Writing Poetry
  • Free Yourself with Free Verse
  • Tight Language, Loose Narratives: Crafting a Non-Traditional Picture Book
  • The Journey of a Children’s Author

Learn more at MattForrest.com!

=====================================================

Order PERSONALLY-SIGNED copies of my books
from my local independent bookstore!

=====================================================

My very first poetry anthology, A Universe of Rainbows (Eerdmans, 2025) arrives April 1, 2025 –
but you can pre-order NOW!

I’m now on BOOKSHOP!

=====================================================

I’m also very happy to be part of the BOOKROO family!

=====================================================

Ordering personalized signed copies online? Oh, yes, you can!

You can purchase personally-signed copies of Flashlight Night, (Astra Young Readers, 2017), Don’t Ask a Dinosaur (Pow! Kids Books, 2018), and nearly EVERY book or anthology I’ve been part of!

Click here to view all my books and to order!

Just click the cover of whichever book you want and send a comment to the good folks at MainStreet BookEnds in Warner, NH requesting my signature and to whom I should make it out. (alternatively, you can log onto my website and do the same thing) They’ll contact me, I’ll stop by and sign it, and then they’ll ship it! (Plus, you’ll be supporting your local bookseller – and won’t that make you feel good?)

======================================================

Did you like this post? Find something interesting elsewhere in this blog? I really won’t mind at all if you feel compelled to share it with your friends and followers!

To keep abreast of all my posts, please consider subscribing via the links up there on the right!  (I usually only post once or twice a week – usually Tues. and Fri. – so you won’t be inundated with emails every day) . Also feel free to visit my voiceover website HERE, and you can also follow me via Twitter , Facebook, Instagram, and SoundCloud!

Poetry Friday: Children’s poetry anthology “40 Poems for 40 Weeks” arrives!

On By Matt Forrest EsenwineIn poetry3 Comments

It’s been quite a year for me and poetry anthologies!

Bless the Earth (Convergent/Penguin, 2024) from Nancy Tupper Ling & June Cotner was published in April; Charles Waters’ and Irene Latham’s The Mistakes That Made Us: Confessions from Twenty Poets (Carolrhoda Books, 2024) arrived October 1; and just last week I was celebrating Schoolapalooza: A Silly Symphony of Schooltime Rhymes (Moonshower, 2024), an A-Z anthology of school poems from Ryan G. Van Cleave.

But with barely two weeks left of the year, do you suppose that’s all there is? Not at all!

40 Poems for 40 Weeks (Routledge) is a special book from my good friend David L. Harrison and Tim Rasinski who have put together a unique collection of poems and Word Ladders (a very cool construct Tim developed) to help teachers integrate poetry into their classes throughout the school year.

The book also includes background info on each poet, so teachers and students can get to know the contributors better and find more of our work.

When David asked me if I’d be interested in participating, I knew I wanted a child-friendly poem that kids would get a kick out of. I hope they do!

Peas

I don’t like peas. I really don’t.
Yes, I should eat them – but I won’t.
They’re very tasty, so I’m told,
but I would rather eat green mold
on slimy yogurt six months old
while standing naked in the cold
than even think of eating peas,
so please don’t ask me, please, oh please.
I’d rather chew a garden hose
or dine on tiny termite toes –
or even what’s inside their nose –
than have this meal which you propose.
I’ve been quite clear just where I stand;
I hate them frozen, fresh, or canned.
I’ll eat the gum stuck on your shoe,
an orange that is turning blue,
some homemade caterpillar stew
with rancid tripe and haggis, too;
I might chow down on all of these,
but I really…
………………..…really…
………………………………….…don’t like peas.

 – © 2024 Matt Forrest Esenwine, all rights reserved
.

Congratulations to David and Tim! If you’re looking for more poetry, you’ll find it at today’s Poetry Friday roundup at A Word Edgewise, where Linda Mitchell combines poems from Edward Lear and Anne Sexton with Christmas carols to create something brand-new!

~~ I am booking author visits
for the 2024-2025 school year! ~~

I love chatting with students about creativity, poetry, the writing process, dinsoaurs, and lots of other things! So if you think you might be interested in having me visit your school, please check out all the presentations I offer, then email me at Matt (at) MattForrest (dot) com!

I love chatting with elementary and middle school classes about writing: why poetry is fun to read and write, the importance of revision, and how imagination and creativity can lead to fantastic careers! My presentations are tailored to fit the needs of the classes and students’ ages. One day I might be sharing details of how a picture book like Flashlight Night (Astra Young Readers, 2017) was created; the next, I’ll be discussing dinosaur breath or crafting origami sea turtles!

Student presentations include:

  • The Making of a Picture Book
  • How a Child Saved a Book
  • “Once Upon Another Time”
  • The Most Important Thing about Writing Poetry
  • “I Am Today”
  • “A Beginner’s Guide to Being Human”
  • “Everybody Counts: Counting to 10 in Twelve Languages”

Adult presentations include:

  • The Making of a Picture Book
  • The Most Important Thing about Writing Poetry
  • Free Yourself with Free Verse
  • Tight Language, Loose Narratives: Crafting a Non-Traditional Picture Book
  • The Journey of a Children’s Author

Learn more at MattForrest.com!

=====================================================

Order PERSONALLY-SIGNED copies of my books
from my local independent bookstore!

=====================================================

My very first poetry anthology, A Universe of Rainbows (Eerdmans, 2025) arrives April 1, 2025 –
but you can pre-order NOW!

I’m now on BOOKSHOP!

=====================================================

I’m also very happy to be part of the BOOKROO family!

=====================================================

Ordering personalized signed copies online? Oh, yes, you can!

You can purchase personally-signed copies of Flashlight Night, (Astra Young Readers, 2017), Don’t Ask a Dinosaur (Pow! Kids Books, 2018), and nearly EVERY book or anthology I’ve been part of!

Click here to view all my books and to order!

Just click the cover of whichever book you want and send a comment to the good folks at MainStreet BookEnds in Warner, NH requesting my signature and to whom I should make it out. (alternatively, you can log onto my website and do the same thing) They’ll contact me, I’ll stop by and sign it, and then they’ll ship it! (Plus, you’ll be supporting your local bookseller – and won’t that make you feel good?)

======================================================

Did you like this post? Find something interesting elsewhere in this blog? I really won’t mind at all if you feel compelled to share it with your friends and followers!

To keep abreast of all my posts, please consider subscribing via the links up there on the right!  (I usually only post once or twice a week – usually Tues. and Fri. – so you won’t be inundated with emails every day) . Also feel free to visit my voiceover website HERE, and you can also follow me via Twitter , Facebook, Instagram, and SoundCloud!

Poetry Friday: Bicycles, Tractors, and Peas (Ahh, it’s good to be back!)

On By Matt Forrest EsenwineIn poetry20 Comments

Well, now, THERE’S a headline, huh?

I’m finally back from my summer break, which ran a tad longer than I’d anticipated. Not only was summer busy with library visits and family trips, but once the kids started school I was even busier:

Click to check out the trailer!

I worked at the local state fair all Labor Day Weekend (my 14th year!), I’m heading up a candle fundraiser for our local youth sports association, both kids have started new schools this year, I just completed the final draft of a new picture book manuscript, I’ve sent out a whole new round of submissions for other projects, I’ve just begun a massive new collaborative poetry project, AND…my new board book, Tractor Dance (Susan Schadt Press, 2024), which arrives everywhere Oct. 8, 2024, is already starting to appear in bookstores! Oh, and my son is one of the MCs in the high school musical and my daughter is on the soccer team. WHEW!

Like I said…I’ve been a little bit busy.

Another reason I’ve been busy is because several farm and garden stores here in New Hampshire have decided to carry Tractor Dance, and I’ve visited each one of them to thank them: Osborne’s Farm & Garden Centers in Hooksett, Concord, and Belmont; Achille Agway in Hillsboro;, Henniker Farm & Country Store; and Beech Hill Farm in Hopkinton! (I’ll be signing books at Beech Hill Farm this Sunday from 1-4pm, as a matter of fact!)

Illustrated by award-winning illustrator Jen Taylor, Tractor Dance is available for pre-orders now – but it’s not the ONLY book I’m excited about.

I have LOTS of books bursting to life in 2024…

You see, it has been quite a year for me with poetry anthologies. In April there was Bless the Earth (Convergent/Penguin, 2024) from Nancy Tupper Ling & June Cotner, and in December we’ll have Schoolapalooza: A Silly Symphony of Schooltime Rhymes (Moonshower, 2024), edited by my friend Ryan G. Van Cleave in December.

But I’m also excited about a very unique poetry anthology due out in Dec., geared for the educational market:

This special book arrives Dec. 12 from Routledge. My good friend David L. Harrison and Tim Rasinski have put together a unique collection of poems and Word Ladders to help elementary school teachers integrate poetry into their classes throughout the academic year.

40 Poems for 40 Weeks also includes background info on the poets themselves, so that teachers and students alike can get to know us better – and after they read my poem, they will all know how much I despise peas, ha! My poem, aptly titled “Peas” explains in no uncertain terms the extent to which I hate peas. I think it’s likely one of the funniest poems I’ve ever written, so I hope it adds some levity to the collection.

If you think this could be helpful in your school, please take note of it and be ready to pre-order starting Nov. 21. The books will ship shortly after the publication date.

Last but not least, I just received my author copy of Charles Waters’ and Irene Latham’s children’s poetry anthology The Mistakes That Made Us: Confessions from Twenty Poets (Carolrhoda Books, 2024), which will be published Oct. 1!

I’m very proud to be part of this collection which includes poems by some amazingly talented, highly-esteemed folks! And the really cool coincidence? I share a spread with my friend and neighbor David Elliott! Who could’ve guessed that two guys from a tiny little NH town of 2800 people would end up back-to-back in a children’s poetry anthology like this?

So today I’m sharing just a glimpse of my poem, “Eating Concrete”:

It was only a curb,
not that high, not that big, certainly
not intimidating. I could jump it, easy.
Been biking since I was knee-high
to nothing
and I had to get to the sidewalk fast –
I’ll jump it, that’s what I’ll do.

Probably didn’t even get an inch in the air…

(you’ll have to read the rest once it’s out!)

You’ll notice that all 20 of us are featured on the cover, and if you can find the kid with the bike helmet, you’ll have found moi. If you do pick up a copy, I hope you’ll enjoy the rest of the poem! I do think you’ll get a kick out of David’s preposterous mistake, too – which is almost like two mistakes in one.

Pre-orders for The Mistakes That Made Us: Confessions from Twenty Poets are available now, so be sure to check out all the cool things we’ve screwed up. (Umm, I’m not sure that’s what I meant…)

Linda Baie at Teacher Dance has today’s complete Poetry Friday roundup, as she says goodbye to summer and welcomes autumn!

~~ I am booking author visits
for the 2024-2025 school year! ~~

I love chatting with students about creativity, poetry, the writing process, dinsoaurs, and lots of other things! So if you think you might be interested in having me visit your school, please check out all the presentations I offer, then email me at Matt (at) MattForrest (dot) com!

I love chatting with elementary and middle school classes about writing: why poetry is fun to read and write, the importance of revision, and how imagination and creativity can lead to fantastic careers! My presentations are tailored to fit the needs of the classes and students’ ages. One day I might be sharing details of how a picture book like Flashlight Night (Astra Young Readers, 2017) was created; the next, I’ll be discussing dinosaur breath or crafting origami sea turtles!

Student presentations include:

  • The Making of a Picture Book
  • How a Child Saved a Book
  • “Once Upon Another Time”
  • The Most Important Thing about Writing Poetry
  • “I Am Today”
  • “A Beginner’s Guide to Being Human”
  • “Everybody Counts: Counting to 10 in Twelve Languages”

Adult presentations include:

  • The Making of a Picture Book
  • The Most Important Thing about Writing Poetry
  • Free Yourself with Free Verse
  • Tight Language, Loose Narratives: Crafting a Non-Traditional Picture Book
  • The Journey of a Children’s Author

Learn more at MattForrest.com!

=====================================================

Order PERSONALLY-SIGNED copies of my books
from my local independent bookstore!

Arriving Oct. 8, 2024!
Pre-orders are available – just click the cover!

=====================================================

I’m now on BOOKSHOP!

=====================================================

I’m also very happy to be part of the BOOKROO family!

=====================================================

Ordering personalized signed copies online? Oh, yes, you can!

You can purchase personally-signed copies of Flashlight Night, (Astra Young Readers, 2017), Don’t Ask a Dinosaur (Pow! Kids Books, 2018), and nearly EVERY book or anthology I’ve been part of!

Click here to view all my books and to order!

Just click the cover of whichever book you want and send a comment to the good folks at MainStreet BookEnds in Warner, NH requesting my signature and to whom I should make it out. (alternatively, you can log onto my website and do the same thing) They’ll contact me, I’ll stop by and sign it, and then they’ll ship it! (Plus, you’ll be supporting your local bookseller – and won’t that make you feel good?)

======================================================

Did you like this post? Find something interesting elsewhere in this blog? I really won’t mind at all if you feel compelled to share it with your friends and followers!

To keep abreast of all my posts, please consider subscribing via the links up there on the right!  (I usually only post once or twice a week – usually Tues. and Fri. – so you won’t be inundated with emails every day) . Also feel free to visit my voiceover website HERE, and you can also follow me via Twitter , Facebook, Instagram, and SoundCloud!

Poetry Friday: A new poetry anthology! (As in, MY OWN anthology!)

On By Matt Forrest EsenwineIn poetry17 Comments

Last Friday was a big day for tractors.

Today is a big day for RAINBOWS!

I am so extremely excited to announce that I have another new book coming out next spring – a poetry anthology I’m not just contributing to, I’m anthologizing!

Never had I ever thought the word “anthologist” would land on my resume, but here we are. Having been published in numerous ones already, many from the incredible Lee Bennett Hopkins, I pulled together a bunch of our mutual friends like Rebecca Kai Dotlich, Georgia Heard, Charles Ghigna, Nikki Grimes, Jane Yolen, and many others for a children’s poetry anthology about a theme that was fun, intriguing, visual, and varied in possible subject matter: rainbows!

.And I don’t just mean the rainbows you see after a rainfall. There are actually rainbows all around us – from crystals and prisms to Vinicunca Mountain, from the Peacock Mantis Shrimp to the Rainbow Nebula of Orion. Lee himself was going to contribute to this anthology before he passed away in 2019 (yes, it has been a looong time coming!), so the book will be dedicated to him.

The title of the book, Matt – what’s the title of the book?!?

FreeImages.com/Cempey

Ah, yes! The book will be titled A Universe of Rainbows: Multi-Colored Poems for a Multi-Colored World and will be illustrated by the award-winning Jamey Christoph!

Scheduled for Spring 2025, it will be published by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, who also published several of Lee’s anthologies including Night Wishes, Manger, and his recent posthumous release, Bless Our Pets, illustrated beautifully by my friend Lita Judge.

Be watching for more details, including a complete list of all 19 contributors and the 22 poem subjects, right here! We’re also planning a big, splashy cover reveal in the near future!

In keeping with the rainbow theme, today’s poem is a classic from William Wordsworth, written in 1802:
.

The Rainbow

My heart leaps up when I behold
A rainbow in the sky:
So was it when my life began;
So is it now I am a man;
So be it when I shall grow old,
Or let me die!
The Child is father of the Man;
I could wish my days to be
Bound each to each by natural piety.

– William Wordsworth

.

Tracey Kiff-Judson is “cooking up inspiration” with today’s Poetry Friday roundup! You’ll find all the links and fun at her blog, Tangles & Tails.

~~ I am booking author visits
for the 2024-2025 school year! ~~

Not having raised my rates EVER, I regret to say I will need to increase my rates slightly this coming school year; if you think your school might be interested in having me visit, plese contact me before the end of THIS school year and I will lock in my current rate for you! (You don’t need to book me or sign a contract; simply let me know you’d like to lock in the current rate, and that’s it!)

Check out all the presentations I offer, then email me at Matt (at) MattForrest (dot) com!

I love chatting with elementary and middle school classes about writing: why poetry is fun to read and write, the importance of revision, and how imagination and creativity can lead to fantastic careers! My presentations are tailored to fit the needs of the classes and students’ ages. One day I might be sharing details of how a picture book like Flashlight Night (Astra Young Readers, 2017) was created; the next, I’ll be discussing dinosaur breath or crafting origami sea turtles!

Student presentations include:

  • The Making of a Picture Book
  • How a Child Saved a Book
  • “Once Upon Another Time”
  • The Most Important Thing about Writing Poetry
  • “I Am Today”
  • “A Beginner’s Guide to Being Human”
  • “Everybody Counts: Counting to 10 in Twelve Languages”

Adult presentations include:

  • The Making of a Picture Book
  • The Most Important Thing about Writing Poetry
  • Free Yourself with Free Verse
  • Tight Language, Loose Narratives: Crafting a Non-Traditional Picture Book
  • The Journey of a Children’s Author

Learn more at MattForrest.com!

=====================================================

Order PERSONALLY-SIGNED copies of my books
from my local independent bookstore!

Arriving Oct. 8, 2024!
Pre-orders are available – just click the cover!

=====================================================

I’m now on BOOKSHOP!

=====================================================

I’m also very happy to be part of the BOOKROO family!

=====================================================

Ordering personalized signed copies online? Oh, yes, you can!

You can purchase personally-signed copies of Flashlight Night, (Astra Young Readers, 2017), Don’t Ask a Dinosaur (Pow! Kids Books, 2018), and nearly EVERY book or anthology I’ve been part of!

Click here to view all my books and to order!

Just click the cover of whichever book you want and send a comment to the good folks at MainStreet BookEnds in Warner, NH requesting my signature and to whom I should make it out. (alternatively, you can log onto my website and do the same thing) They’ll contact me, I’ll stop by and sign it, and then they’ll ship it! (Plus, you’ll be supporting your local bookseller – and won’t that make you feel good?)

======================================================

Thank you to everyone for your support!

FLASHLIGHT NIGHT:

DON’T ASK A DINOSAUR:

======================================================

Did you like this post? Find something interesting elsewhere in this blog? I really won’t mind at all if you feel compelled to share it with your friends and followers!

To keep abreast of all my posts, please consider subscribing via the links up there on the right!  (I usually only post once or twice a week – usually Tues. and Fri. – so you won’t be inundated with emails every day) . Also feel free to visit my voiceover website HERE, and you can also follow me via Twitter , Facebook, Instagram, and SoundCloud!

Poetry Friday: Thomas Gray’s “Ode on the Death of a Favourite Cat”

On By Matt Forrest EsenwineIn poetry12 Comments

In case you missed last week’s Poetry Friday post, I’m thrilled to share the news that I’ll be contributing poems to not one, but TWO new children’s poetry anthologies coming out this fall!

Schoolapalooza: A Silly Symphony of Schooltime Rhymes (Moonshower, 2024), edited by my friend Ryan G. Van Cleave, is due out Sept. 3, while Charles Waters and Irene Latham’s The Mistakes That Made Us: Confessions from Twenty Poets (Carolrhoda Books, 2024), will be published one month later, on Oct. 1.

Speaking of Ryan Van Cleave, he asked me earlier this year if I’d be interested in guest-blogging at his home on the web, Only Picture Books, and I said, sure! So I called up my friends Josh Funk Books and Paul Czajak to see if they were busy.

Josh, Paul, and I all began our careers around the same time, having all met at an SCBWI conference in Massachusetts several years ago, and I thought it might be fun to catch up with each other and share with readers some of the things we’ve learned and experienced on our writing journeys.

We found an hour (only one!) in our schedules to all meet via Zoom, and spent time reminiscing, commiserating,and contemplating children’s lit, our career paths, and the craft of writing! I then pulled some of what I felt were “choice cuts” from our chat and used them as the basis for the blog post.

I hope you’ll check out Ryan’s blog and my post that includes the interview – and if you’re REALLY looking to kill some time, there’s a link where you can watch the complete video of our conversation!

Time for the poetry!

I don’t know what, exactly, reminded me of this poem, but it a favorite of mine that I first fell in love with decades ago. It’s based on an actual event of a cat falling into a bathtub where goldfish were being kept – and while it’s sad, it’s actually quite witty in its mock-heroic sort of style.
.

“Ode on the Death of a Favourite Cat Drowned in a Tub of Goldfishes”

’Twas on a lofty vase’s side,
Where China’s gayest art had dyed
The azure flowers that blow;
Demurest of the tabby kind,
The pensive Selima, reclined,
Gazed on the lake below.

Her conscious tail her joy declared;
The fair round face, the snowy beard,
The velvet of her paws,
Her coat, that with the tortoise vies,
Her ears of jet, and emerald eyes,
She saw; and purred applause.

Still had she gazed; but ’midst the tide
Two angel forms were seen to glide…

(continue reading HERE)

– Thomas Gray

.
Maybe it’s because one of our four cats is a tortoiseshell, perhaps it’s because I love cats in general – but this poem will always hold a place in my heart. “Purring applause,” fish being described as “angel forms”…it’s both brilliant and brilliantly humourous.

Be sure to click the link to read the entire poem though – because when you get to the final line you’ll be surprised to learn where a famous proverb came from! Oh, and congratulations to Max the Cat, who will be receiving an honorary degree in Litter-ature from my alma mater, Vermont State University at Castleton!

Patricia Franz is hosting today’s complete Poetry Friday roundup at her blog Reverie, with an original poem inspired by her work with The Sugar Pine Foundation.

~~ I am booking author visits
for the 2024-2025 school year! ~~

Not having raised my rates EVER, I regret to say I will need to increase my rates slightly this coming school year; if you think your school might be interested in having me visit, plese contact me before the end of THIS school year and I will lock in my current rate for you! (You don’t need to book me or sign a contract; simply let me know you’d like to lock in the current rate, and that’s it!)

Check out all the presentations I offer, then email me at Matt (at) MattForrest (dot) com!

I love chatting with elementary and middle school classes about writing: why poetry is fun to read and write, the importance of revision, and how imagination and creativity can lead to fantastic careers! My presentations are tailored to fit the needs of the classes and students’ ages. One day I might be sharing details of how a picture book like Flashlight Night (Astra Young Readers, 2017) was created; the next, I’ll be discussing dinosaur breath or crafting origami sea turtles!

Student presentations include:

  • The Making of a Picture Book
  • How a Child Saved a Book
  • “Once Upon Another Time”
  • The Most Important Thing about Writing Poetry
  • “I Am Today”
  • “A Beginner’s Guide to Being Human”
  • “Everybody Counts: Counting to 10 in Twelve Languages”

Adult presentations include:

  • The Making of a Picture Book
  • The Most Important Thing about Writing Poetry
  • Free Yourself with Free Verse
  • Tight Language, Loose Narratives: Crafting a Non-Traditional Picture Book
  • The Journey of a Children’s Author

Learn more at MattForrest.com!

=====================================================

Order PERSONALLY-SIGNED copies of my books
from my local independent bookstore!

=====================================================

I’m now on BOOKSHOP!

=====================================================

I’m also very happy to be part of the BOOKROO family!

=====================================================

Ordering personalized signed copies online? Oh, yes, you can!

You can purchase personally-signed copies of Flashlight Night, (Astra Young Readers, 2017), Don’t Ask a Dinosaur (Pow! Kids Books, 2018), and nearly EVERY book or anthology I’ve been part of!

Click here to view all my books and to order!

Just click the cover of whichever book you want and send a comment to the good folks at MainStreet BookEnds in Warner, NH requesting my signature and to whom I should make it out. (alternatively, you can log onto my website and do the same thing) They’ll contact me, I’ll stop by and sign it, and then they’ll ship it! (Plus, you’ll be supporting your local bookseller – and won’t that make you feel good?)

======================================================

Thank you to everyone for your support!

FLASHLIGHT NIGHT:

DON’T ASK A DINOSAUR:

======================================================

Did you like this post? Find something interesting elsewhere in this blog? I really won’t mind at all if you feel compelled to share it with your friends and followers!

To keep abreast of all my posts, please consider subscribing via the links up there on the right!  (I usually only post once or twice a week – usually Tues. and Fri. – so you won’t be inundated with emails every day) . Also feel free to visit my voiceover website HERE, and you can also follow me via Twitter , Facebook, Instagram, and SoundCloud!

Poetry Friday: “Poetry Out Loud” & “Poetry Ourselves” national winners – AND two new anthologies!

On By Matt Forrest EsenwineIn poetry16 Comments

As I’ve mentioned before on this blog, I have been a long-time supporter (and state judge) for Poetry Out Loud, a national recitation competition for high school students.

Well, I just realized that the National Finals were held last week, so I wanted to share the winners with you!

But first – a couple of quick, personal tidbits:

I’m very excited to announce that one of my poems will be included in an upcoming children’s poetry anthology entitled Schoolapalooza: A Silly Symphony of Schooltime Rhymes (Moonshower, 2024) is due out Sept. 3!

Click to enlarge. Wait, what’s this? My name is on the COVER??

From synonyms to school buses, from recess to detention, this fun, humourous collection of 26 poems also includes back matter to help readers better understand some of the poetry forms and devices used. But the best part of the book?

My name on the cover! Right there, in-between Jane & Marilyn and Charles & Irene! Ha, just kidding – the best part is always the reaction from readers, whom I hope will get a kick out of some of the funny things in the book.

The book is edited by another friend, Ryan G. Van Cleave, whom you were introduced to about a year ago when he visited the ol’ Triple-R for an interview about his poetry, in general, and his book The Witness Trees, specifically.

Click to enlarge. All 20 poets are depicted on the cover – can you find me?

Speaking of Charles Waters and Irene Latham, there’s ANOTHER children’s poetry anthology coming out to which I will also be contributing, The Mistakes That Made Us: Confessions from Twenty Poets (Carolrhoda Books, 2024), which will be published one month later, on Oct. 1!

This collection of poems from Charles and Irene is rather unique in that all the poems are autobiographical – and the poets even include a short paragraph explaining how their “mistakes” (from cheating in class to falling off a bike) helped shape who they are today and how they view the world around them.

Hard to believe the coincidence, but I am on THIS cover, as well! Each of the kids pictured is one of the poets – can you tell which is Yours Truly?

Now then…Poetry Out Loud!

As I mentioned, the national finals were held earlier this month on May 2 and the grand price winner was Niveah Glover, a 12th-grader from Florida who won $20,000! A companion competition called Poetry Ourselves took place the same day, which gives Poetry Out Loud state winners who participated in Poetry Out Loud the opportunity to share original poems.

South Carolina State Champ Jessie Leitzel won first place in the “Written” category for “We Must Be in the Harvest Again”: 

“We Must Be in the Harvest Again”

The end of summer
and our jalapeño plant

is wilting, its stem brittle
as the heat peels

away from us,
though we swore,

like every august,
that we would die

from it—

(continue reading HERE)

.
In the “Spoken” category, Jennifer Shon of Rhode Island took home the top honors for “My Hanbando.”

It’s so wonderful seeing young people not only enjoying poetry, but embracing it, learning it, creating it! Congratulations to the winners and all the folks participating each year.

For today’s complete Poetry Friday roundup – and a free clunker line – head over to A Word Edgewise where Linda Mitchell is offering “clunkers” (lines from poems that didn’t work and went nowhere) that you can use as poetry prompts, and she’d love to see YOUR clunkers, as well!

~~ 2024 SCHOOL VISIT dates still available! ~~

I still have a few dates still available for author visits for the 2024 spring semester! If you think your school might be interested in having me visit, check out all the presentations I offer, then email me at Matt (at) MattForrest (dot) com!

I love chatting with elementary and middle school classes about writing: why poetry is fun to read and write, the importance of revision, and how imagination and creativity can lead to fantastic careers! My presentations are tailored to fit the needs of the classes and students’ ages. One day I might be sharing details of how a picture book like Flashlight Night (Astra Young Readers, 2017) was created; the next, I’ll be discussing dinosaur breath or crafting origami sea turtles!

Student presentations include:

  • The Making of a Picture Book
  • How a Child Saved a Book
  • “Once Upon Another Time”
  • The Most Important Thing about Writing Poetry
  • “I Am Today”
  • “A Beginner’s Guide to Being Human”
  • “Everybody Counts: Counting to 10 in Twelve Languages”

Adult presentations include:

  • The Making of a Picture Book
  • The Most Important Thing about Writing Poetry
  • Free Yourself with Free Verse
  • Tight Language, Loose Narratives: Crafting a Non-Traditional Picture Book
  • The Journey of a Children’s Author

Learn more at MattForrest.com!

=====================================================

Order PERSONALLY-SIGNED copies of my books
from my local independent bookstore!

=====================================================

I’m now on BOOKSHOP!

=====================================================

I’m also very happy to be part of the BOOKROO family!

=====================================================

Ordering personalized signed copies online? Oh, yes, you can!

You can purchase personally-signed copies of Flashlight Night, (Astra Young Readers, 2017), Don’t Ask a Dinosaur (Pow! Kids Books, 2018), and nearly EVERY book or anthology I’ve been part of!

Click here to view all my books and to order!

Just click the cover of whichever book you want and send a comment to the good folks at MainStreet BookEnds in Warner, NH requesting my signature and to whom I should make it out. (alternatively, you can log onto my website and do the same thing) They’ll contact me, I’ll stop by and sign it, and then they’ll ship it! (Plus, you’ll be supporting your local bookseller – and won’t that make you feel good?)

======================================================

Thank you to everyone for your support!

FLASHLIGHT NIGHT:

DON’T ASK A DINOSAUR:

======================================================

Did you like this post? Find something interesting elsewhere in this blog? I really won’t mind at all if you feel compelled to share it with your friends and followers!

To keep abreast of all my posts, please consider subscribing via the links up there on the right!  (I usually only post once or twice a week – usually Tues. and Fri. – so you won’t be inundated with emails every day) . Also feel free to visit my voiceover website HERE, and you can also follow me via Twitter , Facebook, Instagram, and SoundCloud!

Poetry Friday: It’s Groundhog Day!

On By Matt Forrest EsenwineIn poetry20 Comments

Ask my wife her favorite holiday and she won’t say Christmas. She won’t say Thanksgiving, Easter, or Mother’s Day, either. She might say Halloween – but then she’ll be quick to correct herself.

It’s Groundhog Day!

As an animal lover, it makes perfect sense that her favorite day is one dedicated to hefty little furry rodents. If there were holidays dedicated to squirrels, chinchillas, capybaras, and naked mole rates, she’d celebrate those, too.

So I thought it was about time we celebrated Groundhog Day here at the ol’ Triple-R! And what better way to do so than with a poem written by a friend of mine, published by two friends of mine!

Be sure to visit http://poetryforchildren.blogspot.com/2016/01/ready-for-spring-celebrating-groundhog.html for Sylvia’s original blog post!


In case you didn’t know, this poem was originally published in Pomelo Books’ The Poetry Friday Anthology for Celebrations – a book that includes poems for TONS of special days, from Independence Day to Diwali to National Cereal Day (you can read my contribution HERE!).

This morning, it was announced that Punxatawney Phil did not see his shadow, so we can expect an early spring – which, climate change being what it is, will likely be the predominant forecast going forward, alas. Click HERE if you’d like to read more about Phil’s prognostications (and his 40% accuracy rate) or, if you’re looking for more poetry, head over to (A)nother Year of Reading where Mary Lee is hosting the Poetry Friday roundup with a “secret” poem!

May be an image of text

I will once again be sharing my books with classrooms across the country on World Read Aloud Day – next Wed., Feb. 7, 2024 – and I have only TWO timeslots available: 11am and 12pm, EST! (I do have some late-day timeslots after 3:30pm, for any school on CST, MST, or PST) If you’d be interested in having me join your students, or know a teacher who might, please email me at matt(at)mattforrest.(dot)com. (Check out that huge graphic below to get an idea of what one of my virtual visits is like!)

~~ SCHOOL VISITS still available! ~~

I’m booking author visits for the 2024 spring semester and still have a few dates available. If you think your school might be interested in having me visit, check out all the presentations I offer, then email me at Matt (at) MattForrest (dot) com!

I love chatting with elementary and middle school classes about writing: why poetry is fun to read and write, the importance of revision, and how imagination and creativity can lead to fantastic careers! My presentations are tailored to fit the needs of the classes and students’ ages. One day I might be sharing details of how a picture book like Flashlight Night (Astra Young Readers, 2017) was created; the next, I’ll be discussing dinosaur breath or crafting origami sea turtles!

Student presentations include:

  • The Making of a Picture Book
  • How a Child Saved a Book
  • “Once Upon Another Time”
  • The Most Imporant Thing about Writing Poetry
  • “I Am Today”
  • “A Beginner’s Guide to Being Human”
  • “Everybody Counts: Counting to 10 in Twelve Languages”

Adult presentations include:

  • The Making of a Picture Book
  • The Most Important Thing about Writing Poetry
  • Free Yourself with Free Verse
  • Tight Language, Loose Narratives: Crafting a Non-Traditional Picture Book

Learn more at MattForrest.com!

If you or someone you know might be interested in having me visit your school, library, or other organization, please email me
at matt(at)mattforrest(dot)com!

=====================================================

NOW AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE:
.

.

Order a PERSONALLY-SIGNED copy of this or or ANY of my books
from my local independent bookstore!

=====================================================

I’m now on BOOKSHOP!

=====================================================

I’m also very happy to be part of the BOOKROO family!

=====================================================

Ordering personalized signed copies online? Oh, yes, you can!

You can purchase personally-signed copies of Flashlight Night, (Astra Young Readers, 2017), Don’t Ask a Dinosaur (Pow! Kids Books, 2018), and nearly EVERY book or anthology I’ve been part of!

Click here to view all my books and to order!

Just click the cover of whichever book you want and send a comment to the good folks at MainStreet BookEnds in Warner, NH requesting my signature and to whom I should make it out. (alternatively, you can log onto my website and do the same thing) They’ll contact me, I’ll stop by and sign it, and then they’ll ship it! (Plus, you’ll be supporting your local bookseller – and won’t that make you feel good?)

======================================================

Thank you to everyone for your support!

FLASHLIGHT NIGHT:

DON’T ASK A DINOSAUR:

======================================================

Did you like this post? Find something interesting elsewhere in this blog? I really won’t mind at all if you feel compelled to share it with your friends and followers!

To keep abreast of all my posts, please consider subscribing via the links up there on the right!  (I usually only post once or twice a week – usually Tues. and Fri. – so you won’t be inundated with emails every day) . Also feel free to visit my voiceover website HERE, and you can also follow me via Twitter , Facebook, Instagram, and SoundCloud!

Poetry Friday: “How Do YOU Haiku?” A publication celebration with author Danna Smith!

On By Matt Forrest EsenwineIn poetry18 Comments

When is a poetry anthology more than just a poetry anthology? When it’s literally a complete how-to book featuring tips, guides, creative ideas, and writing prompts – and of course, plenty of poems from myriad writers!

I was so happy to learn that author/poet Danna Smith had selected one of my haiku for her brand-new book, How Do You Haiku? (Plumbago Press, 2023), that I knew I was going to need to ask her to stop by and visit. And sure, enough, she’s here!

Danna is an award-winning author of over twenty books for children, including The Hawk of the Castle (Candlewick), a 2018 Bank Street College of Education Best Children’s Books of the Year, Swallow the Leader (Clarion), and a number of Little Golden Books (how cool!).

Danna, thanks so much for taking a few minutes and chatting today. How did the idea for this book come about, and why did you feel it was needed?

A while back, I wrote a series of blog posts on my poetry blog, www.poetrypop.com, called How Do You Haiku?. Each week, readers had fun exploring a new way to “haiku,” from haiga (haiku with art), haibun (haiku with a story), and kuhi (creating poem stones).

Danna Smith

I received an overwhelming response to the series via emails from my readers, so I thought it would be great to expand on the idea in book form.

My blog focuses on teen and adult readers, but I wanted my book to be accessible to young readers as well, so I focused on creating a book with many templates and games that welcome and challenge writers of all ages.

What is it about haiku and its various iterations that you find so compelling? 

I love all forms of poetry, but I think with haiku, it’s the combination of so few rules, brevity, wordplay, and an opportunity to go outside and enjoy nature that I find most compelling.

This is not the first book you’ve published, of course, so I wonder if there was anything you found surprising in putting this one together? 

Most of my books are board books and picture books for young readers. They tell a story illustrated with colorful artwork. This book was a first for me: my first educational book, my first for older readers, and my first book with line-drawn illustrations. It differs significantly from what I’m used to, but I loved rising to the challenge!

A two-part question: what was the most challenging, and enjoyable, part of the process?

The most challenging part of the process was introducing (or reintroducing) the material in a friendly and accessible manner. I wanted my readers to see that writing haiku is not complicated, and it’s something they can do! I met the challenge by teaching how to “haiku” the way I would talk to my readers (or my kids when they were young) if we were in the same room, friendly, at ease, and a bit silly at times.

The most enjoyable part was interacting with and including poetry from poets and children’s authors worldwide (including your lovely haiku, Matt 😊). The book has a wide range of examples from my poems, current poets, and the Masters.

Image ©2023 Plumbago Press; cick image to enlarge.

I do have to say, I love the fact that you include new, contemporary haiku right beside poems from the Masters, as you say. (Seeing my poem on the same page as Masaoka Shiki was quite humbling!)

Alas, many publishers and bookstores tend to shy away from poetry – yet between picture books, music videos, and iTunes, kids are constantly exposed to poetry in one form or another. Why do you suppose there is a disconnect?

Unfortunately, poetry itself is not the most prevalent art form and takes up a much smaller shelf space. Maybe it’s because poetry is less interactive and “showy.” Picture books and music videos are visual, and many children are visual learners. Music is powerful as well.

It is my goal to get kids just as excited about poetry. For this reason, I included interactive elements with haiku templates, activities, and games. If kids (and adults) are creating haiku comics or painting poem stones, poetry is suddenly hands-on and more fun!

So what do you hope to accomplish with this book, and what would you like potential readers to know or learn? 

I want my readers to know that they can be poets. It’s not something we are born with; it is learned, and once you know the “tricks” of writing poetry, it’s easy and fun! I also want them to feel comfortable and confident in sharing their work with others.

Can you share details about any upcoming projects?

I have five books releasing in 2024–2026 that I’m super excited about! The first are two Little Golden Books, The Colors of Spring and The Colors of Fall, which will complete the series (The Colors of Winter and The Colors of Summer are in stores now). Two board books and a picture book are also under contract and in the works. These books have not yet been officially announced. I’m excited to share more about them when I can.

In the meantime, I am working on a picture book project about art, for which I hope my agent will be able to find a good home. I am crossing my fingers!

Well, thanks again, Danna, and have a great rest of your week!

Thank you for having me on your blog, Matt. It’s been a pleasure!

For more info about Danna, her books, and How Do You Haiku?, be sure to check out her website!

And for all of today’s poetry links and fun, check out the complete Poetry Friday roundup at Jama Rattigan’s Alphabet Soup, where she is featuring poetry that doesn’t take itself too seriously with Scottish poet Helena Nelson!

I hope you’ll join me NEXT FRIDAY as I host the Poetry Friday roundup right here as we pre-celebrate the Oct. 3 book birthday of my newest picture book, The Thing to Remember about Stargazing (Tilbury House, 2023), with a look at its poetic backstory AND a special event taking place throughout New Hampshire featuring the book!

Oh, and now that the school year is fully underway…

I’m booking author visits for the 2023-24 shool year!

I love chatting with elementary and middle school classes about writing: why poetry is fun to read and write, the importance of revision, and how imagination and creativity can lead to fantastic careers! My presentations are tailored to fit the needs of the classes and students’ ages. One day I might be sharing details of how a picture book like Flashlight Night (Astra Young Readers, 2017) was created; the next, I’ll be discussing dinosaur breath or origami sea turtles!

Student presentations include:

  • The Making of a Picture Book
  • How a Child Saved a Book
  • “Once Upon Another Time”
  • The Most Imporant Thing about Writing Poetry
  • “I Am Today”
  • “A Beginner’s Guide to Being Human”
  • “Everybody Counts: Counting to 10 in Twelve Languages”

Adult presentations include:

  • The Making of a Picture Book
  • The Most Important Thing about Writing Poetry
  • Free Yourself with Free Verse
  • Tight Language, Loose Narratives: Crafting a Non-Traditional Picture Book

Learn more at MattForrest.com!

If you or someone you know might be interested in having me visit your school, library, or other organization, please email me
at matt(at)mattforrest(dot)com!

=====================================================

NOW AVAILABLE FOR PRE-ORDERS:
.

.

Order a PERSONALLY-SIGNED copy of this or or ANY of my books
from my local independent bookstore!

=====================================================

I’m now on BOOKSHOP!

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I’m also very happy to be part of the BOOKROO family!

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Ordering personalized signed copies online? Oh, yes, you can!

You can purchase personally-signed copies of Flashlight Night, (Astra Young Readers, 2017), Don’t Ask a Dinosaur (Pow! Kids Books, 2018), and nearly EVERY book or anthology I’ve been part of!

Click here to view all my books and to order!

Just click the cover of whichever book you want and send a comment to the good folks at MainStreet BookEnds in Warner, NH requesting my signature and to whom I should make it out. (alternatively, you can log onto my website and do the same thing) They’ll contact me, I’ll stop by and sign it, and then they’ll ship it! (Plus, you’ll be supporting your local bookseller – and won’t that make you feel good?)

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Thank you to everyone for your support!

FLASHLIGHT NIGHT:

DON’T ASK A DINOSAUR:

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