Thursday, May 30, 2019

May DMC Wrap-Up Celebration + Giveaway


Megan Lynnette

At the beginning of the month, Elizabeth Steinglass challenged us to write a poem giving instructions to an inanimate object about how to do its job. The challenge was based on her poem "Instructions for the Field" from Soccerverse: Poems about Soccer (WordSong, 2019). Read her sample poem HERE, or as part of her Spotlight interview HERE. Look for Soccerverse at your local bookstore on June 4th!

With more than 50 responses including several student poems . . .

Leicester City Football Club

this challenge was an all-around winner!

Poems were mostly inspired by everyday objects in and around home or school, or out and about in our local neighborhoods. Our shared familiarity with these objects probably had a lot to do with the success of this challenge. It was so much fun seeing these common objects portrayed in a fresh new light.

Many thanks to everyone who participated, and especially to Liz for inspiring this eclectic collection—


Martha Heinemann Bixby

and be amazed at our poetic menagerie!


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

Made with Padlet

Is there an inanimate object you'd like to write an instruction poem about? If so, you'll need to be quick—this challenge ends TODAY (Friday, May 31, 2019). Post your poem on our May 2019 padlet by the end of the day and I will add it to the wrap-up presentation.




Participants in this month's challenge will automatically be entered to win a signed copy of Soccerverse: Poems about Soccer by Elizabeth Steinglass, illustrated by Edson Ikê (Wordsong, 2019). One entry per participant, not per poem.

Alternatively, you may enter the giveaway by commenting below. Comments must be received by Tuesday, June 4th. If you contribute a poem and comment below, you will receive two entries in total.

The winner will be chosen randomly and announced next Friday, June 7th, when we reveal our next Spotlight ON interview and DMC challenge!


This week the Poetry Friday community is celebrating and sharing the work of Naomi Shihab Nye, our new Young People's Poet Laureate. Read my interview with Naomi HERE, my poem "Letters" inspired by "To Manage" from Voices in the Air (Greenwillow Books, 2018), and our wrap-up celebration for her challenge to write poems with questions HERE.
Mary Lee Hahn is hosting this week's Poetry Friday roundup with many more Naomi Shihab Nye offerings at A Year of Reading.





23 comments:

  1. Such a wonderful collection! Thank you!

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  2. I've had a chance to catch up on some more of these - so many are fun & thoughtful!

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  3. Michelle, what a great challenge this way. The offerings were varied and so much fun to read. The children's voices were strong, especially Landon and Jayden's from Margaret Simon's class. You curated quite a creative bevy of inventive poems. Thanks for sharing all of these.

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  4. Yes, this challenge scored a veritable hat trick of responses! I enjoyed Matt's today on his blog. Very clever!

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  5. Matt's final one serves well as a title for this challenge, Michele. I took time to read all the kids' poems, too, wonderfully done. It is a lovely challenge from Liz!

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  6. Wow. I am simply overwhelmed by everyone's responses--so fun and creative and thoughtful and poetic! Thank you all for writing and sharing.

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  7. Liz gave us a rich prompt for the challenge this time! So many great poems!

    Thanks, also, for the links to Naomi's interview and her DMC challenge's wrap-up! Those unopened letters speak to my heart!

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  8. What a great prompt this was! I always find it fascinating to see the different directions people go with prompts. More than once this month, I found myself thinking, "Ooooh! I wish I'd thought of that!"

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  9. Such fun offerings this month!

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  10. Thanks Michelle for hosting Liz, and thanks Liz for this luscious variety of poems that sprouted from your prompt, I had fun reading through them here! In the age of techno–all I'll always welcome letters–and enjoyed your interview, and that prompt from Naomi Shihab Nye.

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  11. I loved reading all the Instruction poems this month. What a group. I may sneak one in but am not sure

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  12. I feel like I have been instructed well this month, Michelle. Lovely collection and great challenge from Liz. Thanks for all you both do for the poetry world. =)

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  13. Michelle....I enjoyed the poems this month immensely! And, I'm delighted at the community of writers TLD supports. Thank you for keeping us going! I am off to read those instructions to instructions!

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  14. This was a fun challenge, and the creativity it inspired is impressive. Thank you, Michelle and Elizabeth, for sharing this terrific prompt!

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  15. Michelle, my thanks to you and Liz. This challenge has been so much fun. It's been delightful to read a new instruction poem each day this month.

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  16. Wow, this one was a winner indeed! So many wonderful entries. I have to say, as a constant user of Google Translate, I was particularly tickled by Bridget Magee's instructions for that tool. But also by Penny's "Cinnamon Toast" since I have to make that every Sunday. :D (I already ordered Liz's book, so no entries for me!)

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  17. I was inspired to be a part of this!

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  18. I enjoyed being part of this challenge and am looking forward to what the next one will be!

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  19. This was a really fun challenge. Thanks, Liz, for the challenge, and thanks, Michelle, for all the work you do on this blog.

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  20. This was a great challenge. I was so happy that my students responded so well and thanks for featuring me and them here.

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  21. These are wonderful! I was going to pick a favorite, but I couldn'd decide. I am glad I finally sat down to write mine before reading all these.

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  22. I'm just now catching up on all of these poems -- so fun! Molly Hogan's "conversation" with a standardized test, in particular, made me chuckle. I'm sorry I didn't chime in for this month's challenge. As a grant writer, I'm accustomed to reading instructions all day, so this would have been a good one for me!

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