DMC: "life flutters" by Matt Forrest Esenwine

life flutters, frenzied
against cold window-prison
until gentle hands

© 2016 Matt Forrest Esenwine. All rights reserved.


Diana Murray has challenged us to write a poem about an unlikely hero this month. Click HERE for more details.

You have until the end of TODAY (August 31st) to join in! Post your poem on our August 2016 padlet and I will add it to the wrap-up celebration HERE. One lucky participant will win a personalized copy of her fun new picture book from Roaring Brook Press:

DMC: "The Brave Remora" by Buffy Silverman

THE BRAVE REMORA

A shark never dons a fedora,

but frequently wears a remora,

that clings to his back

without fearing attack,

while nibbling shark’s fauna and flora.

© 2016 Buffy Silverman. All rights reserved.


Diana Murray has challenged us to write a poem about an unlikely hero this month. Click HERE for more details.

You have until tomorrow, Wednesday, August 31st, to join in! Post your poem on our August 2016 padlet and I will add it to the wrap-up celebration HERE. One lucky participant will win a personalized copy of her fun new picture book from Roaring Brook Press:

DMC: "The Karate Pig" by B.J. Lee

THE KARATE PIG

At Porker Elementary,
there was a bullied pig.
The other pigs yelled, “Bacon Bits”
’cuz, well, she wasn’t big.

At home, she googled “self-defense,”
signed up for martial arts.
She learned to punch and kick until
her skills were off the charts.

Now when pigs start taunting her,
she takes a half-moon stance.
She spins her arms and twirls her legs.
She halts them with one glance.

When pigmates think of bullying, 

her moves cause them to stop.
They’ve all quit shouting, “Bacon Bits”—
they now call her, “Pork Chop.”

© 2016 B.J. Lee. All rights reserved.


Diana Murray has challenged us to write a poem about an unlikely hero this month. Click HERE for more details.

You have until Wednesday, August 31st, to join in! Post your poem on our August 2016 padlet and I will add it to the wrap-up celebration HERE. One lucky participant will win a personalized copy of her fun new picture book from Roaring Brook Press:

August DMC Wrap-Up + Giveaway

José María Pérez Nuñuz

“We are all ordinary. We are all boring. We are all spectacular. 
We are all shy. We are all bold. We are all heroes. We are all helpless. 
It just depends on the day.”

                    — Brad Meltzer

At the beginning of this month, Diana Murray challenged us to write a poem about an unlikely hero. What was not at all unlikely was the wide variety of poems in response— something I've come to expect and look forward to with each new challenge! From amusing to poignant, courageous to zany, each poem told a surprising story that opened our eyes to an alternative view of the world. And isn't that what poetry's all about?

José María Pérez Nuñez

Many thanks to all the poetry heroes who participated or accompanied us along the way, and especially to Diana Murray 

for helping us reach new heights.

On a practical note, this was the first month we used a padlet to collect our poems. If you struggled with the process, please don't hesitate to email me at TodaysLittleDitty (at) gmail (dot) com. I might be able to offer some pointers. What I don't want is for the padlet to get in the way of your participation, so please do contact me if you have any questions.

Scroll through the poems below, or for best viewing, CLICK HERE.

Created with Padlet

Inspired to write one of your own?

You have until Wednesday, August 31st, to join in with your poem about an unlikely hero. Post it on our August 2016 padlet and I will add it to the wrap-up presentation.

Participants in this month's challenge will automatically be entered to win a personalized copy of NED THE KNITTING PIRATE, by Diana Murray and illustrated by Leslie Lammle (Roaring Brook Press, 2016). One entry per participant, not per poem.

Alternatively, you may enter the giveaway by commenting below. Comments must also be received no later than Wednesday, August 31st. If you contribute a poem and comment below, you will receive two entries in total.

The winner will be determined by Random.org and announced next Friday, September 2nd, when we reveal our new Spotlight ON interview and ditty challenge. Good luck!

Heidi Mordhorst is rounding up this week's Poetry Friday offerings. Join her at my juicy little universe.

DMC: "A Man with a Cart" by Kathleen Mazurowski

A MAN WITH A CART

He travels the streets 

Pushing his cart

Jing-a-ling, Jing-a-ling 

 

Summer celebration 

Calling to children

Jing-a-ling, Jing-a-ling 

 

A break in the day

Stopping the workers

Jing-a-ling, Jing-a-ling 

 

Neighbors gather

Smiling and laughing 

Jing-a-ling, Jing-a-ling 

 

On to the next block

Pushing his cart

Jing-a-ling, Jing-a-ling 

 

Sweet relief from the heat

Jing-a-ling, Jing-a-ling.

 

© 2016 Kathleen Mazurowski. All rights reserved.

 

 

Diana Murray has challenged us to write a poem about an unlikely hero this month. Click HERE for more details.

Post your poem on our August 2016 padlet. All contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration TOMORROW, Friday, August 26th, and one lucky participant will win a personalized copy of her fun new picture book from Roaring Brook Press:

 

 

 

DMC: "Rosa Parks" by Mindy Gars Dolandis

ROSA PARKS

A woman of color in ‘55

A Montgomery crowded bus 

Told by the driver to move from her seat

She wouldn’t give in or stand up

An arrest, a boycott, a ten dollar fine

A lawsuit defeating Jim Crow

Fueled by a woman of quiet strength

Who simply sat and said no

 

© 2016 Mindy Gars Dolandis. All rights reserved.

 

 

Diana Murray has challenged us to write a poem about an unlikely hero this month. Click HERE for more details.

Post your poem on our August 2016 padlet. All contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration this Friday, August 26th, and one lucky participant will win a personalized copy of her fun new picture book from Roaring Brook Press:

DMC: "The Escape" by Janie Lazo

THE ESCAPE

An empty cage- a door agape
One hamster gone- a great escape
A frantic search- no clues in sight
No fond farewell - a senseless plight
For safe and sound- one hamster sat
Guarded closely - by our cat

© 2016 Janie Lazo. All rights reserved.


Diana Murray has challenged us to write a poem about an unlikely hero this month. Click HERE for more details.

Post your poem on our August 2016 padlet. All contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration this Friday, August 26th, and one lucky participant will win a personalized copy of her fun new picture book from Roaring Brook Press:

DMC: "AMBUSH!" by Renée M. LaTulippe

AMBUSH!

Beneath the cotton-checkered skies,
the hilltop blazed with fiery cries:

“Friends, you know we must arise.
if we’re to win the battle prize.
Open up your compound eyes.
We’re better than those gnats and flies.
Gather up your war supplies.
Bifurcate those tunnels, guys!
A sneak attack! Send in the spies!
Let’s fight as one! Let’s colonize!”

The soldiers seized the apple pies.
They marched off with the chicken thighs.
The hilltop rang with hungry cries.

The rest is history — ant-size.

© 2013 Renée M. LaTulippe. All rights reserved.


Diana Murray has challenged us to write a poem about an unlikely hero this month. Click HERE for more details.

Post your poem on our August 2016 padlet. All contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration this Friday, August 26th, and one lucky participant will win a personalized copy of her fun new picture book from Roaring Brook Press:

DMC: "Cher Ami" by Michelle H. Barnes

Homing Pigeons (public domain)

Diana Murray's challenge this month, to write a poem about an unlikely hero, has been more of a struggle than I thought it would be. Eventually I narrowed in on the story of Cher Ami, a carrier pigeon employed by the U.S. Army Signal Corps during World War 1, but couldn't figure out how to tell Cher Ami's heroic story. Nothing felt right. After several attempts, I finally just sat down with Cher Ami and said what was on my mind.

Cher Ami, on display at the Smithsonian

 

                                                   CHER AMI

                                                 If you were exchanged
                                                 for an ordinary pigeon
                                                 who fattens on white bread
                                                 and small bits of French fry,
                                                 if your iridescence was hidden
                                                 in the shade of an easy life,
                                                 then no one would know
                                                 your name, Cher Ami.

                                                 And somewhere in the world,
                                                 soldiers’ lives would be lost
                                                 because you were not there
                                                 to carry their hopes—
                                                 the weight dangling
                                                 on a bullet-shattered leg.

                                                 No one would know
                                                 your name, Cher Ami,
                                                 the burden you carried,
                                                 the pain that you bore,
                                                 as you rose like a Phoenix
                                                 though this wasn’t your war,
                                                 because you, like them,
                                                 just wanted to go home.

                                                 © 2016 Michelle Heidenrich Barnes. 

                                       All rights reserved.

The story of Cher Ami and the Lost Battalion

Of the more than 100,000 carrier pigeons used during World War I, Cher Ami (which means "Dear Friend" in French) is probably the most well known. Delivering twelve important messages for the Americans stationed at Verdun, France, it was Cher Ami's final mission that secured a place in the history books.

The message was from Major Whittlesey, who led the "Lost Battalion" of the 77th Infantry Division. In early October 1918, more than 500 American soldiers became trapped in the Argonne Forest on the side of a hill behind enemy lines. Surrounded by Germans and cut off from reinforcements and supplies, things went from bad to worse. They were bombarded by heavy friendly fire overhead since American forces didn't know their location. Major Whittlesey made attempts to inform the American forces of their whereabouts, but carrier pigeon after carrier pigeon was shot to the ground. Cher Ami was their last pigeon and their last hope.

National Archives Catalog 

"We are along the road parallel to 276.4. Our own artillery is dropping a barrage directly on us. For heaven’s sake, stop it."

Croix de Guerre

Cher Ami was hit in the chest soon after taking off, but miraculously, the brave and determined pigeon rose again. After a 25 mile flight that took roughly 25 minutes, Cher Ami arrived bloody and exhausted, blinded in one eye, a message capsule dangling from a leg that was scarcely attached.

One hundred ninety-four lives were saved thanks to this bird's noble efforts; and thanks to dedicated Army medics, Cher Ami survived, as well. Cher Ami was awarded the French Croix de Guerre with Palm for heroic service.  

An interesting postscript to this story is that when Cher Ami died on June 13, 1919 and was preserved by a taxidermist, it was discovered that this pigeon was not a Black Check cock as registered, but a Blue Check hen. Yes, according to the Army Defense Department's publication: A History of Army Communications and Electronics at Fort Monmouth, New Jersey, 1917-2007, Cher Ami would have been more appropriately named Chère Amie. Why am I not surprised? But apparently the National Museum of American History and many other educational and military history information sources have not yet received that memo. Perhaps if it was sent by carrier pigeon, they would have.

Monument to the Lost Battalion in the Argonne Forest, France (public domain)

I am loving the unlikely hero poems we've received so far! You can read them (and post yours) HERE. This week's featured poems were by Gayle C. Krause and George Heidenrich. Stay tuned for more daily ditties next week and our end-of-month wrap-up on Friday!

Doraine Bennett is our Poetry Friday hero today! Join her for the roundup at Dori Reads.

DMC: "Unsung Hero" by George Heidenrich

UNSUNG HERO

Things that make a hero:
Something you are
Something you have
Something you do
Being in the right place at the right time
Or something you don't even know about.

In the last group is Henrietta Lacks.
When she had cancer,
The doctors took it out.
Eventually she died.
The doctors discovered her cancer did not die.
They never told her.
They never asked her permission.
They experimented.

Her cancer is still alive more than 60 years later.
It has been the basis for discovering:
Many new drugs,
Cloning, polio vaccine,
Gene mapping, in vitro fertilization.
It even has its own name: HeLa.
All biology researchers the world over know about it . . .

But hardly anyone knows her name.

© 2016 George Heidenrich. All rights reserved. 

Read more about the subject in Rebecca Skloot’s book:  

THE IMMORTAL LIFE OF HENRIETTA LACKS.

Diana Murray has challenged us to write a poem about an unlikely hero this month. Click HERE for more details.

Post your poem on our August 2016 padlet. All contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration on Friday, August 26th, and one lucky participant will win a personalized copy of her fun new picture book from Roaring Brook Press:

DMC: "An Unlikely Hero: The Birthday Benefactor" by Gayle C. Krause

AN UNLIKELY HERO: THE BIRTHDAY BENEFACTOR

Some kids in my classroom
never bring lunch.
Their clothes are all faded.
They stay in a bunch.

When their birthdays come,
they don't attend school,
cause they can't afford treats,
and they fear ridicule.

I had an idea.
I cut yards of grass.
And the money paid
for their parties in class.

No one has an inkling
I thought of this scheme.
I don't have friends
and I'm not on a team.

But I know what it's like
when the mean kids poke fun.
You see, they have two hands.
But me? I have one!

© 2016 Gayle C. Krause. All rights reserved.


Diana Murray has challenged us to write a poem about an unlikely hero this month. Click HERE for more details.

Post your poem on our August 2016 padlet. All contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration on Friday, August 26th, and one lucky participant will win a personalized copy of her fun new picture book from Roaring Brook Press:

Diane Mayr: Ekphrastic Poetry

Photo: Kevin Barber

We're inside the main reading room of the Library of Congress' Jefferson Building in Washington DC to introduce you to a TLD VIP— the one and only "sprinkler hose of poetry". . .

DIANE MAYR

How lucky we are to have Diane Mayr as our newest TLD contributor! Her extensive knowledge of library and online resources has proven invaluable to me time and time again. Her prowess as a researcher and artful competence as a poet makes me certain that she is the perfect person to sit at Today's Little Ditty's virtual information desk.

Diane is no stranger to Poetry Friday. Many of you will recognize her name associated with two terrific blogs: Random Noodling (her poetry blog) and Kurious Kitty's Kurio Kabinet (her library blog). What you may not know is that Diane is the author of five fiction and nonfiction books for children, and serves her community as the Adult Services Librarian/Assistant Director at the Nesmith Library in Windham, NH. She is also the only person I know who possesses an honest-to-goodness Poetic License. No kidding—see for yourself!

As part of her "Ask a Librarian" series on Today's Little Ditty, Diane has agreed to address readers' questions and offer tips, tools, and insights on a variety of topics for readers and writers of poetry. If you have a question for Diane or would like to suggest a topic for a future post, please email her at TodaysLittleDitty (at) gmail (dot) com.

In the meantime, let's give a warm welcome to the eclectic, ekphrastic, and extra-fantastic Diane Mayr!

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Thank you, Michelle for inviting me to post today! The fact that I've been a public librarian 30 years this August gives me an air of authority, I guess. Rather than as an authority, think of a public librarian as a partner in unleashing your curiosity and creativity.

With that in mind, I'm going to tell you about one of my favorite types of poetry--ekphrastic poetry. Poems about art. Poems inspired by a work of art. Poems about a creator of art.

Ekphrasis, simply stated, is art about art. (See note below.)

The term is being used a little more often than it used to be, although you still won't find it in some dictionaries. Here's what you get if you look up ekphrasis at Dictionary.com:

Poets have been writing about art probably as long as poetry and art have existed. We can go back to the Greeks for early examples (the term ekphrasis is from the Greek and is translated as "description"). Here's part of Homer's description of Achilles shield from The Iliad:

Then first he form’d the immense and solid shield;
Rich various artifice emblazed the field;
Its utmost verge a threefold circle bound;
A silver chain suspends the massy round;
Five ample plates the broad expanse compose,
And godlike labours on the surface rose.
Read more here.

I daresay everyone's had to read "Ode on a Grecian Urn" by John Keats for a class somewhere along the line.

Poets of the recent past, and poets writing today, use art as inspiration. From Amy Lowell to Lawrence Ferlinghetti to Edward Hirsch.

Ekphrastic poetry takes all forms from long, as Homer wrote, to short, shorter, and shortest (think haiku). Amy Lowell wrote haiku-like poems such as this one on a print by Hokusai. I've included a work by Hokusai, but I'm not sure which of his prints Lowell had in mind when she wrote the poem:

One of the "Hundred Views of Fuji," by Hokusai
From "Lacquer Prints" in Pictures of the Floating World (1919)

Being thirsty,
I filled a cup with water,
And, behold!--Fuji-yama lay upon the water,
Like a dropped leaf!

Interested in short poems? Peruse this collection of contemporary five-line Ekphrastic Tanka.

If you take a look at the Ekphrastic Tanka page, the editor wrote, "Links were valid at the time the Special Feature was edited. We have attempted to find stable links for the art, but alas, the links are decaying faster than we can update." That's one of the reasons why I often incorporate my ekphrastic poems into the work of art. You, too, might consider this option using a free online photo editor like PicMonkey https://www.picmonkey.com/ or Canva https://www.canva.com/. As a public librarian, though, I must ask that you only use works within the public domain. Public domain is usually work created prior to 1923, however, if the artist lived well into the twentieth century, the work may still be under copyright. I can hear you asking, "how would I know?" Use art work that you can find on Wikimedia Commons (the urn, and the Hokusai print are both from Wikimedia Commons) or The Athenaeum, where rights are clearly stated. Or, you can ask your local public librarian for assistance!

(Note: art is a broad term, so the art could be 2-dimensional, sculpture, fountains, poetry, dancers, etc.)


Diane Mayr is a long-time public librarian and a freelance writer.  She is the author of a storyhour favorite picture book, Run, Turkey, Run! (Walker & Co., 2007).  Since 2007, she has concentrated on haiku and other short form poems, and works to improve her graphic skills by illustrating them. Find out more about Diane at her website.

In case you missed last week's interview with Diana Murray, her DMC challenge for August is to write a poem about an unlikely hero. Thanks to Rosi Hollinbeck and Jessica Bigi for getting things started! Post your poem HERE.

This week's Poetry Friday roundup is being hosted by birthday girl Julieanne at To Read To Write To Be.

DMC: "The Heroic Imagination" by Jessica Bigi

THE HEROIC IMAGINATION

In a faraway land

There was this great nothing
No crunching of apples
Or bubblegum popping
Giggling laughter
Not one single word
Was spoken
No stories of lands faraway
Then a scribble filled the sky
A squeaky whirl of lines
Sprouting wings of ideas
Taking to flight
Dragonflies of words
Whirling all about
Chasing them with
Wooden handled nets
Colorful sentences grew
Like wild flowers
Fields of wonderful words
Building castles across iced paper
Words like dragons
And noble knights
People started reading
These words
Each word like a song
Of a beautiful bird
In their voices
In a faraway land
You could hear stories
Crunching like apples
Letters popping like bubblegum
Giggling and laughter
In a faraway land
A story was born
Your story
My story
Our Story
And everyone

Read happily
Ever after

© 2016 Jessica Bigi. All rights reserved.


Diana Murray has challenged us to write a poem about an unlikely hero this month. Click HERE for more details.

Post your poem on our August 2016 padlet. All contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration on Friday, August 26th, and one lucky participant will win a personalized copy of her fun new picture book from Roaring Brook Press:

DMC: "Old Man of the Olympics" by Rosi Hollinbeck

OLD MAN OF THE OLYMPICS

 

He walks quite slow, his bones all creak,
He has gray hair, a wrinkled cheek.

How can it be that he’ll compete?
He’s never quit, this great athlete.

But can he win? He says, “Of course,
I have the most fantastic horse.”

Perhaps now this equestrian
will, at last, have his first win.

© 2016 Rosi Hollinbeck. All rights reserved.


Diana Murray has challenged us to write a poem about an unlikely hero this month. Click HERE for more details.

Post your poem on our August 2016 padlet. All contributions will be included in a wrap-up celebration on Friday, August 26th, and one lucky participant will win a personalized copy of her fun new picture book from Roaring Brook Press:

Spotlight on Diana Murray + DMC Challenge

DIANA MURRAY
                                                        Photo: Jesse Rinka

When Diana Murray was eight years old, she wrote and illustrated her first book. Then... she buried it under a tree. Not because it wasn't good enough. Not because she hoped it would grow. No, Diana imagined that archeologists from the future would discover it one day and put is on display in a Jetsons-style museum!

Fast forward to the present and Diana Murray is having an unusually busy year for a debut author. With three books out this summer—CITY SHAPES (Little, Brown, June 2016), GRIMELDA: THE VERY MESSY WITCH (Katherine Tegen Books/HarperCollins, July 2016), and NED THE KNITTING PIRATE (Roaring Brook/Macmillan, August 2016); three more slated for 2017; and another three to be released sometime after that, when Diana Murray makes a splash, she makes a SPLASH!

Little, Brown, June 2016

Equally impressive are her awards, starred reviews, and her extensive list of poems that have appeared in magazines such as Highlights, High Five, Hello, Spider, and Ladybug. My first introduction to Diana came through our participation in the Poets' Garage, a critique group for children's poets. Diana's valuable insights as a critique partner are not surprising given her success in children's publishing. She's a hard worker who's both playful and strategic in her approach. She knows what she's doing, she knows how to shake things up, and apparently, she knows how to make things happen!

Katherine Tegan Books/HarperCollins
July 2016

Whether Diana's working on a picture book, early reader, or poem, you can count on many wonderful qualities to her writing—imagination, humor, surprise, wordplay—all wrapped up in a lively story with fun characters and flawless rhyme.

She also happens to be one of the warmest and friendliest authors I know, and an amazing mom to "two very messy children and a goldfish named Pickle." Find out more by visiting Diana's website, www.DianaMurray.com.

NED THE KNITTING PIRATE
Roaring Brook Press/Macmillan, August 23, 2016
ISBN: 978-1596438903
Find at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble, or via Indiebound.org.

Diana's third book, NED THE KNITTING PIRATE, is the one we'll be focusing on today. It pulls into port on August 23rd.

It's not easy being the only fiber arts aficionado on a pirate ship called the "Rusty Heap." Yet Ned wields a pair of #10 straight needles with joy and self-confidence despite the objections of his more rugged and less mannered companions. That is, until the captain stomps his wooden leg, shakes his hook, and lays down pirate law.

Fortunately, one of the hidden talents of knitters is the ability to problem solve under pressure. And that's exactly what Ned must do when a sea monster threatens to make a midnight munch of the lot of them!

Lovable Ned is not only brave in deed, he bravely breaks stereotypes. Diana Murray's rollicking rhyme is a delight to read aloud and Leslie Lammle's illustrations are colorful, fun, and nonthreatening to daring, young buccaneers. Snuggle up with your favorite young readers to share this adventure at bedtime, story time, or anytime.

Be ye ready fer an interview, mateys? 

Ye best be, or thar's a plank you'll be walkin'! Yarrrrh!

Thanks for joining us today, Diana! 

We'll start off as always, with five favorites.

(see-ROTCH-ah)

Favorite food:
Hard to choose. Spicy tuna and shrimp tempura rolls, mango salad with scallops, chicken tikka, ramen noodles with shitake mushrooms, cheesy french fries, and just about anything crispy, salty, garlic-y, and/or covered in sriracha.

Favorite color: Black

Favorite music:
Back in high school, it was heavy metal! But now I listen to a lot of jazz, bossa nova, and music that’s good to dance to. (Although I typically run to it, rather than dance.)

Favorite teacher in school:
Mr. Zavatsky was my high school creative writing teacher. He’s the one who first got me into writing poetry. He also taught me about “free writing” which I enjoyed so much. That’s when you write down anything and everything that comes to mind, without any editing, for a solid few minutes. What emerges is nonsensical but so interesting.

Favorite pastime: Writing, of course!


As someone who enjoys success with both picture books and children’s poetry, I’m curious how you self-identify. Do you consider yourself a picture book writer who also writes poetry or a children’s poet who also writes rhyming picture books?

Diana at the NJ SCBWI conference, June 2016

Great question. That’s a tough one. I think I’m probably more of a picture book (and early reader) writer who also writes poetry.

Because most of my poems are mini rhyming stories, anyway. On the one hand, rhyming picture book texts are really just long poems that happen to have a narrative. But on the other hand, there are other picture book- specific characteristics you have to pay attention to, and those apply to prose texts, as well. For example, leaving room for illustrations, thinking about page turns, pacing so that the climax is on the right page, etc.



What comes first for you in your writing process? A unique concept or unusual storyline? A quirky character or relationship? A clever turn of phrase? Where do you typically start?

All of the above! It varies for each project. But often times, I try to combine conflicting ideas.


What was the inspiration for NED THE KNITTING PIRATE?

Watch Anthony Bourdain No Reservations on Travel Channel.

It was back in 2009 and there was an agent who was interested in GRIMELDA and wanted to see other work from me. But I didn’t have that much back then so I really wanted to start something new. I was very actively looking for inspiration. One day, I was watching Anthony Bourdain with my husband. If you haven’t seen it, that’s a food and travel show with a kind of tough-guy host from New York City. He traveled to Sweden where he met some extreme snowboarders who were descendants of vikings. And they were also avid knitters! It was an interesting juxtaposition. Then they gave one of their hats to the show’s host. He was visibly uncomfortable. I was immediately inspired and began to brainstorm. I wavered between vikings and pirates for a while, but ultimately went with pirates because it seemed to match better. Plus, that gave me the opportunity to write sea shanties! That let me vary the meter and rhyme scheme, and I particularly enjoy writing songs. I didn’t end up working with that agent in the end, but signed with my current agent in 2012.


On your website, you mention that your experience in graphic design has helped you become a more visual writer. Can you elaborate on what you meant by that?

While writing, I always imagine what the illustration might be for each page. The artist might go in a totally different direction, but I always have the visual in mind. It helps because that way it’s easier to ensure that the illustrations will have enough variety.

Text from NED THE KNITTING PIRATE © 2016 Diana Murray, illustration © 2016 by Leslie Lammle. (Click to enlarge.)

       And just as Ned had feared, it was the briny ocean beast,

       who loved to snack on pirate ships—his favorite floating feast.

       His tentacles were thick with slime, his eyes a ghastly yellow,

       and cannonballs bounced off his sides as if his skin was Jell-O.

Would you share a favorite selection from NED THE KNITTING PIRATE? 

Let’s see. I like:

   The pirates turned and stared at Ned. The ship was deadly quiet.
   “Yarrrrh!” said Ned, “I likes to knit. Ye might, too if ye try it.”

I like this part because Ned seems so unphased by the obvious disdain of the other pirates when he announces that he loves knitting. Especially, the captain. But Ned just sticks to his guns. I hope that I could be so stalwart in the face of derision.

As far as artwork, I LOVE the spread where they’re walking off into the sunset. And the surprise in the middle of the book. Can’t share that one, though. Also, in general, I love how Leslie’s illustrations look so classic.

Text from NED THE KNITTING PIRATE © 2016 Diana Murray, illustration © 2016 by Leslie Lammle. (Click to enlarge.)

"A scurvy pirate doesn't knit, nor wear a fuzzy hat."

Ned’s special skill is knitting, what (other than writing) is one of your special skills?

I’m not sure it’s a “special” skill, but I love doodling and sketching just for fun. I also like doing crafts with my kids.

Selections from Diana Murray's doodle and crafting portfolios.

What’s coming up next for you?

Well, next year my Grimelda sequel will be coming out. It’s called GRIMELDA AND THE SPOOKTACULAR PET SHOW. Heather Ross does such an amazing job with the illustrations! And it was fun to go deeper into Grimelda’s world. Another picture book I have coming out in 2017 is GROGGLE’S MONSTER VALENTINE illustrated by Bats Langley who is my talented agent sibling. I’ve already got a monster hat for events! SUMMER COLORS is a title coming from Little, Brown. It is similar in tone to CITY SHAPES but set in a rural area. I haven’t technically announced that one yet. Can’t wait to see the illustrations! DORIS THE BOOKASAURUS is coming from Imprint/Macmillan and will be illustrated by Yuyi Chen. I adore what she did with the characters. ONE SNOWY DAY is coming from Sourcebooks. It was inspired by my kids watching Youtube videos of dogs playing in the snow. Who doesn’t love a puppy in the snow? Finally, I have my first early reader coming out. That’s PIZZA! PIZZA! coming out with Random House’s Step-Into-Reading line. I find leveled readers to be super fun to work on and am really excited about that one.

Young Diana Murray
Dreamer, Doodler, Storyteller

If you had all the world’s children in one room, what would you tell them?

Taking inspiration from Ned’s story, I would say: 1) Find your passion 2) Follow your passion 3) Know that you will often face difficult obstacles, but if you keep trying, you can overcome them 4) Sometimes the people in charge are wrong 5) You can make a change in the world just by being true to yourself 6) Sometimes it’s a gift to be considered “different.”


Finally, what have you chosen as this month’s ditty challenge?

Write a poem about an unlikely hero. 

© 2016 Leslie Lammle

Aye! I reckon Ned would approve!
'n here's somethin' else to brin' ye pleasure...

THE BOOTY: 
Diana has offered to provide one lucky participant with a personalized copy of NED THE KNITTING PIRATE. A winner will be chosen randomly at the end of the month! 

While you're at it, click HERE to enter to win one of two copies available on Goodreads!

Yo ho ho and jolly thanks, Diana!

Now all hands on ditty deck —

swash your rusty buckles, scally your wanderin' wags, 

and let's get 'er done, me hearties!

HOW TO PARTICIPATE: 

As mentioned last week, I've made some changes to how we'll be collecting DMC contributions. Instead of emailing your poem and waiting for me to post it, sometimes not until the end of the month, post your poem about an unlikely hero on our August 2016 padlet. Stop by any time during the month to post your work or to check out what others are contributing.

By posting on the padlet, you are granting me permission to post your poem on Today's Little Ditty.  Some poems will be featured as daily ditties, though authors may not be given advanced notice. Subscribe to the blog if you'd like to keep tabs. You can do that in the sidebar to the right where it says "Follow TLD by Email." As always, all of the poems will be included in a wrap-up celebration on the last Friday of the month—August 26th for our current challenge.

TEACHERS, it's great when students get involved! Ditty of the Month Club challenges are wonderful opportunities to learn about working poets and authors while having fun with poetry prompts. Thank you for spreading the word! For children under 13, please read my COPPA compliance statement in the sidebar to the right.

FIRST-TIMERS (those who have never contributed to a ditty challenge before), in addition to posting your work on the padlet, please send your name and email address to TodaysLittleDitty (at) gmail (dot) com. That way I'll be able to contact you for possible inclusion in future Best of Today's Little Ditty anthologies.

BLOGGERS, thank you for publishing your poems on your own blogs– I love that!  Please also remember to include your poem (or a direct link to your post) on the padlet in order to be included in the wrap-up celebration and end-of-month giveaway.

"Not all treasure is silver and gold, mate."

                                          – Pirates of the Caribbean

Join Tara Smith at A Teaching Life for "Summer's Elegy" and this week's Poetry Friday roundup.