Today's Little Ditty: Laura Shovan

Showing posts with label Laura Shovan. Show all posts

Thursday, September 8, 2016

Laura Shovan: Fractured Fairy Tale Workshop

Title card from the Rocky and Bullwinkle Show, via Jonathan Morris

Sorry to say we do not have Rocky and Bullwinkle with us today, but we do have someone equally entertaining (some might say more so).

Laura Shovan is here with the next episode in her Poet in the Schools series on Today's Little Ditty— a look at a fractured fairy tale workshop she developed for the classroom.

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Hi, Michelle. Thank you for inviting me back to Today's Little Ditty.

I love fairy tale retellings. One of our family favorites is Jane Yolen’s book SLEEPING UGLY—a hilarious, earthy twist on traditional princess tales.

Another is Marilyn Singer’s first book of reverso poems, MIRROR MIRROR. Marilyn uses the reverso form to tell familiar stories—Rapunzel, the Frog Prince, Beauty and the Beast—from two very different points of view. More on that later.

This spring, I put together a fractured fairy tale poetry workshop for a local third grade. We had so much fun writing these poems. The students relished the chance to give a minor or misunderstood character the chance to tell his side of a famous story. This workshop complements the persona poem lesson we discussed in my last TLD post. Instead of a postcard or image of a person to work from, we’re taking a story we know well and fleshing out an existing character.

For educators, my goal for this lesson was this:

Students will list details of a familiar story, analyze for plot holes and characterization, and use point of view to create an alternate version of the story in a narrative poem.

The classroom teachers and I started this workshop by introducing the concept of a fairy tale retelling. Students were already familiar with books, though not always aware that they fit into this specific genre. One favorite was THE TRUE STORY OF THE THREE LITTLE PIGS by Jon Scieszka and Lane Smith.

Next, students generated a list of fairy tales in small groups. As a whole class, we began to discuss which characters, other than the traditional protagonist, we’d like to hear from. I love when students contribute outside-the-box ideas—letting the hill tell the story of Jack and Jill’s fall, or the porridge narrate what really happened when Goldilocks came to the bears’ house.

Using an overhead projector, I showed the students MIRROR MIRROR. We read “In the Hood” (spoken by Red Riding Hood and the Wolf) first, so students could check out the reverso form. They flipped out when they realized that the wolf’s poem is identical to Little Red’s poem—only the lines are reversed. And yet the meaning is totally different. Wow! Marilyn Singer is brilliant.

"In the Hood" from MIRROR MIRROR (Dutton Books) © 2010 Marilyn Singer, illustration © 2010 Josée Masse.
Used with permission of the author. (Click image to enlarge.)

I chose a different poem from this book for the lesson model. “Bears in the News” is a little bit longer and includes more details, which supports the lesson goal. The first half of “Bears in the News” tells the Goldilocks story from the human point of view, while the second part takes the bear family’s side.

If time permits, I like to walk younger students through the pre-writing process on the board before they head off to write their own poems. You may not need this step for fifth grade and up. We broke down the writing process in this way:

1.    List the facts of the fairy tale.
2.    Consider possible characters.
3.    Worksheet (see below).
4.    Who is narrating?
5.    Write!
6.    Share.

Here are two first draft responses from third grade poets at Bushy Park Elementary in Glenwood, MD:

GASTON

I am very mad
because I’m not the one who’s bad.

I’m prepared to fight the beast.
At my tavern there will be a feast.

I’ll carry Belle away
and marry her today.

That’s my plan,
to be a man,

to have Belle as my wife.
Kids? Gaston Jr. will be our ninth!

PAPA BEAR

One day, I took a walk in the woods
and when I came home
my house was destroyed.
I was very mad. Who did this?
I walked around and then
I saw a little girl in my son’s bed.
Why and how could she do this?
But she’s so tiny.
Then I realized she was sleeping.
I woke her up and she screamed.
I nearly tripped over something
because she scared
the living daylights out of me.
Then, when I opened my eyes,
she was gone.

My favorite line in this poem is “But she’s so tiny.” It communicates Papa Bear’s empathy for poor little Goldilocks beautifully.

To extend this workshop, I recommend Jane Yolen and Rebecca Kai Dotlich’s GRUMBLES FROM THE FOREST: FAIRY-TALE VOICES WITH A TWIST (WordSong, 2013). My favorite poem to share is “Whining Stepsisters Brag,” from the Cinderella story.

If you’re working with teens, check out Anna Denise’s “How to Change a Frog into a Prince” at Poetry 180 and Anne Sexton’s well-known and very dark revision of “Cinderella.”

Thank you, Laura!
We always enjoy discovering what's in your educational toolbox.

If you're new to these parts, make sure you check out Laura's previous posts on Today's Little Ditty:

Laura Shovan is former editor for Little Patuxent Review and editor of two poetry anthologies. Her chapbook, Mountain, Log, Salt and Stone, won the inaugural Harriss Poetry Prize. Laura works with children as a poet-in-the-schools. The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary is her debut novel-in-verse for children (Wendy Lamb Books/Random House).

Visit her at Laura Shovan.com.

Next month Carrie Clickard will be here with a new installment in her Rhyme Crime Investigator series. If you have a question for Carrie or want to suggest a rhyme-related topic, please send an email to TodaysLittleDitty (at) gmail (dot) com, or use the contact form in the sidebar to the right.

Last Friday's interview with Jane Yolen revealed that we will be writing septercets this month. We began this week with a Two Line Tuesday from Jane, followed by septercets from Ann Magee and Linda Baie. Visit our September 2016 padlet to see all of the poems contributed so far, or to add one of your own.

Amy Ludwig VanDerwater is our gracious Poetry Friday host this week. See what's on offer at The Poem Farm.

Thursday, May 12, 2016

Laura Shovan: Writing Persona Poems

Students from The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary
Jacket art © 2016 by Abigail Halpin

Hooray!!!

Laura Shovan is back, as promised.

In last week's spotlight interview, Laura revealed the DMC challenge for May is to write a persona poem. While she gave some hints about how to write such a poem, we thought it might be helpful to examine the process in more detail. So today Laura wears not only her verse novelist hat, but also her TLD contributor hat, to share her insights and experience as a poet in the schools.

Laura Shovan's previous posts on Today's Little Ditty include:

Today we'll discover how Laura shares the process of writing persona poems with elementary students and whether she applied the same process in writing her novel-in-verse:

Thank you for inviting me back to Today’s Little Ditty, Michelle. Our DMC Challenge combines elements of ekphrastic poetry—we’re using a visual image of a person as a writing prompt—and one of my favorite forms, the persona poem. You can find a definition of the form HERE. While a portrait poem describes a person, a persona poem is spoken in the voice of that person.

My love of persona poems began in college, when I studied Dramatic Writing. Instead of writing plays, I found myself focusing on monologues. Monologues combine voice (diction, word choice), point of view (the thread of the speaker’s thought process through the piece), and a moment of change or realization. After college, I continued to write these monologues in the form of persona poems.

I enjoy working with students on persona poems for several reasons. The form is great for teaching first person point of view. For some children and teens, it's a stretch to imagine what another person might be thinking about or feeling. Writing a poem is a safe way to wonder about someone else's personality and experiences, and therefore build compassion.

Writing a persona poem does require a lot of imagination, so I like to give students structure as they draft.

Mummy Case of Lady Teshat

Click HERE for more info
and to zoom in on the image.

1. Someone to look at.

The backbone of this writing prompt is simple. I pass around postcards or photographs clipped from newspapers and magazines. Sometimes we have fine art portraits provided by the school's art teacher. Students choose one portrait or card to focus on. Having a concrete visual in front of them provides tangible details to record in the poem.

2. Start with what's real.

I put one image on the screen or board for the group to discuss. The sarcophagus called Mummy Case of Lady Teshat is a favorite.

In looking at the image, I split our discussion into two parts. First, we list the facts – the things we can actually see. There is no guessing allowed. We might point out that the sarcophagus is highly decorated, that there is jewelry on her hair, that the coffin is made of wood. Do we know what's inside? No – we put that kind of imagining aside until we have all our facts written down.

3. Imagine what's not seen.

Once we've exhausted the details of the image, we explore what we think. Now we let our imaginations run wild. Who is the person in the painting or photograph? Where is he going and why? How is he feeling? What might happen next?

When it's time to write, the students who need organization make a t-chart. On one side, they'll write "I see" and list all of the things they observe in the image they chose. The other side of the chart is space for "I imagine."

And that brings me to another type of learning that happens with persona poems. Because we are talking about what we see (the facts) and then imagining what is unseen (what happens next, or the person's feelings), this exercise models the process of writing poetry. Poets take concrete observations and present them in a way that creates emotional impact or some kind of revelation. That's exactly what we do in a persona poem.

Malaika N. was a fifth grader at Swansfield Elementary who used Lady Teshat as her inspiration. Take a look at Malaika’s response to the sarcophagus.

Mummy of Lady Teshat
by Malaika N.

Mummified lady.
The casket resembles her.
Triangles and designs are all over.
She has dark hair and big eyes.
Inside, she screams to come out.
The gathering anger of 10,000 years
with a powerful kick will set her free.
Now she roams free.
She also roams unseen.
Now she is as weak as a baby bird.
She crumples to the ground.
Her dust finds it way back.
She is forever trapped in what she calls
the box of the afterlife.

The early lines of the poem reflect the “facts” of the image. When the poet allows her imagination to roam, the result is powerful.

Michelle asked me how I used this process to develop the characters in THE LAST FIFTH GRADE OF EMERSON ELEMENTARY. While I didn’t write in response to an image, I did rely on the “Facts” versus “I imagine” structure.

Brianna Holmes

When I came up with the character of Brianna Holmes, I only knew one thing about her: Her family was homeless. A neighbor of mine works with our local school system, providing support to homeless families. [Stay tuned for a forthcoming interview with her neighbor at Laura's blog.] Because Emerson Elementary is modeled on schools in my area, it was important to include a homeless character.

The “fact” I knew was that motels are a form of temporary housing for homeless families. What I imagined was that a homeless fifth grade girl would want to visit at each of her classmates’ houses, because doing so would help her plan what her own home might be like. With this combination of fact and imagination, I wrote the list poem, “Where They Live.”

From there, I continued to imagine how being homeless might affect Brianna’s point of view. I took the stanza in “Where They Live” where Brianna observes her classmates’ closet full of clothes, and imagined that Brianna had a passion for fashion. But because I knew (Fact) her family was struggling, I imagined that Brianna would have to get creative. That is how this character became adept at sewing, embellishing, and making over her clothes. The quality of resourcefulness came to define Brianna’s personality, more so than her homelessness. In fact, the first time we meet Brianna in the book, we learn about her creativity with clothes, not that she is homeless.

I’m looking forward to reading everyone’s DMC persona poems. I hope you have fun inhabiting someone else’s voice while you’re writing.

Thank you, Laura, for challenging us to stretch ourselves!

Laura Shovan is former editor for Little Patuxent Review and editor of two poetry anthologies. Her chapbook, Mountain, Log, Salt and Stone, won the inaugural Harriss Poetry Prize. Laura works with children as a poet-in-the-schools. The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary, her debut novel-in-verse for children, was released last month by Wendy Lamb Books/Random House.

Visit her at Laura Shovan.com.

This week we featured poems by
Diane Mayr and Angelique Pacheco.

If you'd like to try your hand at writing a persona poem...

Send it to TodaysLittleDitty (at) gmail (dot) com or use the contact form in the sidebar to the right. Some poems may be published on the blog as daily ditties, but all of them will appear in a wrap-up celebration on Friday, May 27, 2016.

You're welcome to send me the photograph, painting, or other image that inspired your poem as long as I can properly attribute the artist/photographer. Feel free to use your own photographs, works of art in the public domain, or works that fall under a "creative commons" license, but make sure to send me the link for proper copyright attribution.

One lucky participant will win a personalized copy of Laura Shovan's fantastic new verse novel for middle grade readers, THE LAST FIFTH GRADE OF EMERSON ELEMENTARY.

Thank you to Violet Nesdoly for hosting this week's Poetry Friday roundup.

Thursday, May 5, 2016

Spotlight on Laura Shovan + DMC Challenge

LAURA SHOVAN
Photo: Karen Leigh Studios

Am I ever chuffed to be featuring Laura Shovan

as TLD's spotlight author for May!

As many of you know, Laura has been a Today's Little Ditty contributor for the last two years, so to be able to showcase my knit-happy, Dr. Who-lovin', show tune-singin', uber-talented and ever-so-knowledgeable friend and her debut novel gives me the greatest pleasure.

Part poet, part editor, part educator, part educational consultant for teens with learning differences, and author of a brand spankin' new novel-in-verse, keeping up with Laura Shovan is not easy. Yet somehow she always manages to find time to write an engaging blog post, organize a slam-dunk poetry project, or offer a personal poetry recommendation to a friend. She's a wonder when it comes to making poetry connections, and with fifteen years experience as a poet-in-the-schools for the Maryland State Arts Council, you can be sure Laura knows her audience and always brings out the best in the children she works with. They don't call her Mrs. Poems for nothing!

Laura is former editor for the literary journal Little Patuxent Review and editor of two poetry anthologies. Her chapbook, Mountain, Log, Salt and Stone, won the inaugural Harriss Poetry Prize. Impressive, right? You can find out more about Laura, her books and achievements, and also her school visit availability at her website, LauraShovan.com.

Today we'll be focusing on her latest accomplishment which is making quite a splash in the kidlit publishing world: THE LAST FIFTH GRADE OF EMERSON ELEMENTARY (Wendy Lamb Books/Random House, April 2016).

THE LAST FIFTH GRADE OF
EMERSON ELEMENTARY
Wendy Lamb Books, April 12, 2016
ISBN: 978-0553521375
Find at Amazon.com, Barnes & Noble
or via Indiebound.org.

Request a signed copy from Laura’s
local bookstore, The Ivy Bookshop.
Just leave a note in the comments
when placing an order.

As described by Laura in an excellent interview about making poetry fun and relevant for every child,

THE LAST FIFTH GRADE is about a group of students who decide to save their school from demolition. Through a class poetry project, they describe their excitement about being the oldest kids at Emerson ES, their concerns about moving on to middle school, the changes they are coping with at home, and what makes their school special enough to fight for.

There's much to love about this book—the history, the familiarity, the poignancy, the community-building, the humor—but for me, two aspects are most noteworthy.

First, the believability. There are eighteen students in Ms. Hill's fifth grade class, each with a unique voice and all of them credible.

Take Katie McCain, for example, from "Writing Time":

Some mornings
my words are clumsy.
They bump into each other.
Smoosh
boosh
BAM!
They've got as much rhythm
as an octopus
doing the chicken dance.

Or Norah Hassan, excerpted from "Hijab":

When I put the hijab on
I float inside my scarf's blue cloth,
the golden threads shimmer
like sunshine on water.

                                             Or Rennie Rawlins, from "Hungry Yellow Bulldozers":

                                             I can picture them
                                             sitting at the edge
                                             of our kickball field.
                                             Two yellow bulldozers
                                             crouched outside,
                                             ready to eat our school
                                             in one greedy gulp.

The other thing I find particularly noteworthy is that this book never shies away from sensitive or controversial subject matter—homelessness, intolerance, divorce, death, identity. It's all fair game because it's all real world. No holds barred.

Take a look at this senryu titled "Shoshanna Says" by Rachel Chieko Stein:

"You can't be Jewish."
But I've never even
been to Japan.

You can read more from Rachel at Jama's Alphabet Soup.

Or this, from Edgar Lee Jones, excerpted from "The Funeral":

The church smells too clean.
I feel like I can't breathe.
I escape to the back room,
where they've got donuts and coffee.
My brother finds me, fills a cup
halfway with milk, pours in some coffee.
I take small sips. Bitter and sweet.
The flavor makes me think of Grandpa,
his coffee breath in the morning.

With so many diverse and true-to-life personalities united in a common goal, teachers can't go wrong by incorporating this fun book into their curriculum. Laura has made it easy by including a glossary of poetry forms and suggested prompts at the back of the book. What's more, Sylvia Vardell has gone and made it even easier by creating a educator's guide for THE LAST FIFTH GRADE OF EMERSON ELEMENTARY, which you can preview HERE or download HERE.

Short of two bulldozers on a voracious rampage, I can't imagine what might prevent anyone from embracing this novel-in-verse!

...except, perhaps, me blabbing on endlessly.

Don't worry, I'm done now.

I hope you enjoy this month's spotlight interview, beginning with five of Laura Shovan's favorite things:

Favorite sound:
Spring peepers.

Favorite music:
I’m an 80s girl. This summer, I’m going to see Duran Duran for the first time.

You are not! Click HERE for one of Laura's (and my) Duran Duran favorites.

Favorite childhood memory:

Visiting my grandparents. They lived in a big, old house called The Old Rectory in a rural part of Nottingham, England. It was as magical as it sounds.

"The Old Rectory" ...now converted into flats, but still magical.

Favorite teacher in school:
My third grade teacher Mrs. Khoury was my favorite. I felt that she saw who I was as a person. Also, she thought I was a good writer. I cried when she moved away.

Favorite children’s poet:
Robert Louis Stevenson when I was a child. Marilyn Singer and Calef Brown now.

Congratulations on your debut novel, Laura! How has the experience of writing a novel-in-verse changed or challenged you?

Thank you, Michelle! I started the book as a collection of 30 poems, each poem in the voice of one student in a fifth grade class. The biggest challenge was growing the book into a novel. The first storyline I came up with didn’t work, so I threw it out and started over. That experience reminds me of a favorite poem, Kay Ryan’s “We’re Building the Ship as We Sail It.”

Persona poems are a form I love, so I’m comfortable creating characters. The biggest learning curve for me was piecing together a plot. The story had to move forward poem by poem and character by character. It felt like putting together a giant jigsaw puzzle.

Can you tell us a little about your writing routine—when, where, how you prefer to write?

Book launch at The Ivy Bookshop Photo: Jen Grow

Morning person here! If I can get a poem (or 1500 words if I’m working on a prose piece) written before 11 am, it’s a good day. When I was working on revisions with my editor, I created a shrine of encouraging things in my writing space: an owl card from my grad school mentor, a small vase of feathers, a Marceline the Vampire Queen figure, and other mementos.

One of your inspirations for writing THE LAST FIFTH GRADE OF EMERSON ELEMENTARY was Edgar Lee Masters’ SPOON RIVER ANTHOLOGY (1915), but I can’t help wonder how much of it was also inspired by your personal encounters with children as a poet in the schools?

My son had just finished fifth grade when I started working on the book, so many of the original characters were based on his friends and classmates. By then, I’d been working as poet in the schools for six years, so those stories were seeping into the book too, along with memories from my own childhood. The scene where Shoshanna’s mother makes her invite Mark to the movies and she’s worried other kids will think they’re going on a date – that happened when I was in fifth grade. I officially apologize to Doug Mancini!

Taken from THE LAST FIFTH GRADE OF EMERSON ELEMENTARY
© 2016 Laura Shovan, used by permission of the author.

As if writing a novel-in-verse wasn’t enough of a monumental undertaking, Ms. Hill’s fifth grade class encompasses 18 diverse characters with 18 unique voices— each with their own set of real-life obstacles and aspirations, many of which are sensitive in nature. I imagine you had to rein them in some to allow the novel to come together as a whole. This is probably a big ask, but can you summarize your process of managing it all?

Find out more about this shockingly huge binder
at Sharing Our Notebooks.

I spent a lot of time on the characters. More than once, I pulled the whole book apart, revised the poems of each individual character one by one, and then reconstructed the book. This was a way for me to create consistent voices. The binder is where I kept drafts of each poem, organized by character.

The earliest version of the book was 30 poems, 30 characters. Over time, I cut some of the voices and combined pairs. My editor wanted to get the voices down to 18, but she also felt that the class queen bee didn’t have enough depth. We put that character together with one whose mother was in the military, and the result is Hannah. She’s a much more layered voice as a result.

Please share a favorite selection from THE LAST FIFTH GRADE OF EMERSON ELEMENTARY and tell us why it’s a favorite.

That’s really hard, Michelle! I’m partial to the series of poems that are dated around Valentine’s Day. Jason’s “Self Portrait” – the concrete poem with the little secret tucked into it – was the first poem I wrote for the book.

Taken from THE LAST FIFTH GRADE OF EMERSON ELEMENTARY
© 2016 Laura Shovan, used by permission of the author.

For Ms. Hill’s class, fighting to save their school becomes a life-changing event. What is something you’ve had to fight for in your own life?

On a school visit with students from Northfield Elementary

I am vocal about poetry advocacy. Giving young people space to find their voices is especially important in today’s classroom. In school, we are doing more than creating future college students and workers. We are spending hours a day with developing human beings. Sharing poetry encourages children and teens think and talk about their lives, makes them feel valued beyond their role as students, and helps them connect with teachers and peers. I may not look like I’m fighting when I visit a school, but I hope I’m showing educators, administrators, and parents this: Poetry is a powerful tool for supporting students’ growth as readers, writers, and people.

Laura Shovan, future author
(with fabulous hair)

What’s coming up next for you?

I am working on another middle grade novel for Wendy Lamb Books.

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

If I had all the children of the world in one room, I wouldn’t tell them anything. I’d get them working on something together: a poem, a song, painting a mural. The things they can learn from one another are more valuable than anything I might say.

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

Let’s go with one of my favorites, persona poems. These can be in third person, or written like a little monologue. I like using post-cards or fine art portraits. It helps to have a face or figure to look out.

When I work with young writers on this prompt, first we list the facts of the image. These are the things we can see and know are true (no guessing). Next, we imagine what the person is thinking and doing. If we could press “play” and make the image move, what would happen next?

Wonderful— persona poems, it is!

I know I tend to say this a lot, but I'm really excited about this month's challenge. No doubt the variety of poems will be incredible.

You've been such fun to have here today, Laura. Thank you for the interview and also for generously providing a personalized copy of THE LAST FIFTH GRADE OF EMERSON ELEMENTARY to one lucky DMC participant chosen randomly at the end of the month.

For those still a bit uncertain as to what a persona poem is, Laura will be back here at Today's Little Ditty next Friday to explore persona poems further. But for those of you good to go, by all means have at it!

HOW TO PARTICIPATE:

Throughout the month send your persona poems to TodaysLittleDitty (at) gmail (dot) com or use the contact form in the sidebar to the right. You're also welcome to send me the photograph, painting, or other image that inspired your poem as long as I can properly attribute the artist/photographer. Feel free to use your own photographs, works of art in the public domain, or works that fall under a "creative commons" license, but make sure to send me the link for proper copyright attribution.

For children under 13 who would like to participate, please read my COPPA compliance statement located below the contact form.

Some poems may be published on the blog as daily ditties, but all of them will appear in a wrap-up celebration on Friday, May 27, 2016.

BLOGGER FRIENDS:
Thank you for publishing your poems on your own blogs– I love that! Please also remember to send me a copy of your poem or a direct link to your post. That way I know I have your permission to post your poem on Today's Little Ditty.

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

Thanks again to everyone who participated in Marilyn Singer's challenge last month to write a poem inspired by the word "echo." I'm still feeling the reverberations of such an amazing collection of poems!

Random.org has determined that the winner of a copy of ECHO ECHO: Reverso Poems about Greek Myths by Marilyn Singer and illustrated by Josée Masse is . . .

CATHERINE FLYNN — Congratulations, Catherine!

Sylvia Vardell (yes, the same Sylvia who creates such marvelous educator guides) is hosting this week's Poetry Friday roundup at Poetry for Children. In honor of Mother's Day, you'll find a wonderful list of diverse poetry books about mothers, as well as links all of this week's other poetry offerings.

Friday, January 22, 2016

Laura Shovan: Report from ALA Midwinter

I'm always delighted when Laura Shovan comes to pay a visit. I know I can count on her for buzz-generating discussion and/or something fun thing to try at home or in the classroom.

Her previous posts on Today's Little Ditty include:

Today she's brought BOOKS to buzz about— previews of several 2016 poetry-related titles that she discovered at ALA Midwinter.

The one book that she barely touches upon, however, is her own THE LAST FIFTH GRADE OF EMERSON ELEMENTARY (Wendy Lamb Books/Random House), coming April 12th. Ordinarily, I wouldn't let her get away with something like that, but I promise we'll be taking a closer look at Ms. Hill's fifth grade classroom later this spring. In the meantime, you can visit Laura's snazzy new website for more information.

Take it away, Laura!

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

Thanks for inviting me back to TLD, Michelle.

I have been to the ALA Summer conference a few times, when the event was in Washington, DC. Earlier this month, I was pleased to find that ALA Midwinter has a more intimate feel than the big summer conference. The focus is on librarian work-sessions and meetings. There were only a few stages in the exhibit hall. Two that I visited were the Pop Top Stage (featuring author panels) and the Book Buzz Stage (where editors talked about favorite new releases). While certain publisher’s booths, Penguin Random House in particular, drew shoulder-to-shoulder crowds, it was easy to strike up a conversation with editors and book reps. Advanced Readers Copies for many books were scooped up early; the exhibit hall opened on Saturday morning and publishers were out of in-demand ARCs by that afternoon.

Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to stay for the Youth Media Awards on Monday. After a big year for 2014 novels in verse, when BROWN GIRL DREAMING won the 2014 National Book Award for Young People’s Literature and THE CROSSOVER won the 2015 Newbery, poetry continued to earn recognition. A highlight was Margarita Engle’s three awards for her two 2015 books ENCHANTED AIR and DRUM DREAM GIRL.

Sylvia Vardell has a list of this year’s award-winning verse novels and poetry books.

While I wasn’t able to see everything, I did chat with publishers about some of the poetry books they are excited about for 2016. Here is an overview. Keep in mind, I have not had a chance to read all of these books yet. These are only previews of a few books.

PICTURE BOOKS:

Coming May 10, 2016

TRUNK TO TRUNKLET (Enchanted Lion Books) is a book of poems about animal mothers and babies. It’s written by Jorge Luján of Mexico and illustrated by French author/illustrator Mandana Sadat. I hope to see more books from international authors on the shelves.

In stores now

Although it came out in 2015, another Enchanted Lion book that caught my eye was Joohee Yoon’s BEASTLY VERSE. An article from the website Brain Pickings described how Yoon creates the saturated colors that make this book stand out: “Trained as a printmaker and fascinated by the traditional, industrial techniques of artists from the first half of the twentieth century, Yoon uses only three colors—cyan, magenta, and yellow—on flat color layers, which she then overlaps to create a controlled explosion of secondary colors.” BEASTLY VERSE is a collection of animal poems, including selections from Lewis Carroll, Ogden Nash, Carolyn Wells, Christina Rosetti, D.H. Lawrence, and others. If you are a fan of Laura E. Richards’ “Eletelephony,” the hilarious fold out spread that accompanies the poem is reason enough to buy this book.

MIDDLE GRADE:

Coming February 1, 2016

Kwame Alexander was at the conference signing copies of his latest picture book, SURF’S UP (NorthSouth Books), but middle grade readers are most eager for his follow up to his Newbery Award-winning book THE CROSSOVER.

Coming April 5, 2016

BOOKED (HMH Books for Young Readers) is a free verse novel about 12-year-old soccer player Nick, who is coping with changes to his family and with bullying from his peers. The starred Kirkus review has more details on the story.

Ms. Hill's class, on display at the ALA conference.

It was such a thrill to see my own middle grade novel on display at the Random House Children’s Books booth. The icing on the cake was hearing my editor, Wendy Lamb, reading some poems from the THE LAST FIFTH GRADE OF EMERSON ELEMENTARY at the Book Buzz stage. One poem even got a laugh!

YOUNG ADULT:

Thanks to Anne Zafian of Simon & Schuster for telling me about two 2016 poetry books. (Although S&S was out of ARCs at the conference, Anne was kind enough to mail me copies to preview for this post.)

Coming May 3, 2016

The first is a slim volume of historical fiction by poet Carole Boston Weatherford. YOU CAN FLY: THE TUSKEEGEE AIRMEN is not a traditional novel in verse. Instead, it is a series of poems told in the second person, taking readers from training at Tuskegee Institute to combat in World War II. Scratchboard illustrations by Jeffery Boston Weatherford are a vivid companion to such poems as “Private Joe Louis.”

Coming April 12, 2016

The second S&S book, while not strictly historical, takes on an important moment in history: September 11, 2001. SOMEWHERE AMONG is a novel in verse by debut author Annie Donwerth-Chikamatsu. It is told from the point of view of Ema. Ema is both Japanese and American, but doesn’t feel quite at home in either country. Because my family is bi-cultural, I’m especially looking forward to reading this book.

In stores now

Set more recently, but also relating an event of historical significance is Leza Lowitz’s UP FROM THE SEA (Crown/Random House). Kai is a biracial teen living in a coastal village of Japan when the March 2011 tsunami hits. The jacket copy describes Kai’s journey this way: “When he’s offered a trip to New York to meet kids whose lives were changed by 9/11, Kai decides to look for his estranged father.” This sounds like a fascinating intersection to explore from a teen’s point of view.

Coming March 8, 2016

One of my fellow members of The Sweet Sixteens debut author group is Riley Redgate. Riley’s novel SEVEN WAYS WE LIE (Amulet/Abrams) is mainly prose, told in the voices of its seven main characters, each representing one of the seven deadly sins. At the center of this tense high school drama is the Juniper Kipling, who is also the only voice in the book written in verse.

Sweet Sixteen debut authors at ALA

It’s interesting to note that all four of these books are technically novels in poems, each has a story told through a series of titled, stand-alone poems; rather than verse novels, where each chapter is made up of longer, fluid, untitled poems in the main character’s voice.

Although it wasn’t at ALA, another YA novel with elements of verse is poet Janet McNally’s debut, GIRLS IN THE MOON (Harper Teen). This one won’t be out until fall. The main character is a poet and lyricist, so the book incorporates song lyrics and pieces of poems in her voices.

ADULT:

THE SELECTED POEMS OF DONALD HALL (HMH) was released in December. I’m excited about this collection from the former U.S. poet laureate. Now 87, Hall chose poems from his sixteen books published between 1955 and 2011. It will be a fascinating to see how Hall’s work and themes have developed over a long career.

So much to look forward to!
Thanks for keeping us in the know, Laura.

Laura Shovan is former editor for Little Patuxent Review and editor of two poetry anthologies. Her chapbook, Mountain, Log, Salt and Stone, won the inaugural Harriss Poetry Prize. Laura works with children as a poet-in-the-schools. The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary, her novel-in-verse for children, will be published in 2016 (Wendy Lamb Books/Random House).

Visit her at Laura Shovan.com.

One more week to go before our grand celebration of Nothing! This week's featured poets were Liz Steinglass, Katie Gast, Tricia Stohr-Hunt, and Brenda Davis Harsham.

Tara Smith is another one who knows how to generate a buzz in the classroom! Please join her at A Teaching Life for today's Poetry Friday roundup.