While I've always been creative, when I decided to channel that creativity into a writing career, suddenly the playing field looked different. For a long time I struggled with how to be proactive—to dial up my muse and direct the creative flow. Who am I kidding? I still struggle with that! But I've learned a valuable lesson along the way:
inspiration breeds inspiration. Creativity is about making connections, following leads, trusting the journey.
You may not end up where you expected, but you'll always end up where you're meant to be.
When you lead a jam-packed life like mine—fueled by distractions and a never-ending to-do list—you can't
afford to wait for inspiration to strike. You need to find it where it
lives.
That's why I'm thrilled that Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong recently unveiled
YOU JUST WAIT: A POETRY FRIDAY POWER BOOK (Pomelo Books, 2016).
Think of this book as your guide and companion as you set out in search of your own creative voice.
A mash-up between a poetry anthology, verse novella, and an activity book in the style of
Wreck This Journal, tweens and teens are going to go ga-ga over this book. I should know, I have two of my own. At a time when they're exploring who they are and experimenting with how to make their mark, why not encourage them to mark up the pages of this book!
But why should young people have all the fun?
Although Janet and Sylvia may not have had this in mind, YOU JUST WAIT is also the perfect resource for those of us who, despite our "advanced" age, may be itching to write a novel-in-verse and don't know where to begin.
Hello! We've got your do-it-yourself verse novel workbook right here!
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| Find out more about the Poetry Friday series at Pomelo Books |
The Vardell-Wong team have established themselves as experts at linking poetry with teaching and learning—you can trust them to know what they're doing.
At the core of YOU JUST WAIT are twelve poems from a previous collaboration,
The Poetry Friday Anthology for Middle School (an NCTE Poetry Notable), which are used as a jumping-off point. Janet Wong then wrote twenty-four new poems, weaving together a story about identity, sports, dreams, and frustrations, featuring a diverse cast of characters that young readers will be able to identify with on multiple levels. There's Paz, an Asian-Latina soccer player with dreams of athletic stardom, Lucescita, her feisty movie-loving cousin, and Joe, an older brother with dreams of his own.
While the story line, itself, will engage readers, for me, the magic comes from the way that the reader interacts with
ALL the poems—outside poems, response poems, and mentor texts—on a
personal level.
YOU are the one who sees the connection between them, hears the voices in your mind, and can write your own poems to weave those poems together to create a story only you can tell.
– from the introduction to YOU JUST WAIT (Vardell/Wong)
YOU JUST WAIT includes twelve "PowerPack" groups to guide you through the process of reading, thinking, writing, and responding. Aided by Sylvia Vardell's fun and helpful PowerPlay activities and Power2You writing prompts, you have a winning formula for spurring creativity, making connections, and allowing your own words and ideas to flow.
Come with me on a power walk through PowerPack 6 and I'll show you what I mean.
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—from You Just Wait: A Poetry Friday Power Book
by Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong ©2016 Pomelo Books |
POWERPLAY ACTIVITY: FRESH INK
What do you see when you look at this inkblot?
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—from You Just Wait: A Poetry Friday Power Book
by Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong ©2016 Pomelo Books (click to enlarge) |
This is a great activity for me! I'm not much of an artist, but I can draw one heck of a splotch.
OUTSIDE POEM (FROM ANOTHER POETRY BOOK)
When my muse has gone AWOL, I can usually find her hanging out with the poetry collections on my bookshelf! She told me she loves this poem by Joseph Bruchac.
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—from You Just Wait: A Poetry Friday Power Book
by Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong ©2016 Pomelo Books |
A RESPONSE POEM . . .
This poem and the next one were written by Janet Wong.
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—from You Just Wait: A Poetry Friday Power Book
by Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong ©2016 Pomelo Books |
AND A MENTOR TEXT . . .
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—from You Just Wait: A Poetry Friday Power Book
by Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong ©2016 Pomelo Books |
POWER2YOU WRITING PROMPT: CONCRETE POEM
Now it's your turn!
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—from You Just Wait: A Poetry Friday Power Book
by Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong ©2016 Pomelo Books |
What I immediately thought of was our recent full moon. Did you see it? It was positively wondrous!
Last week, many Asian nations celebrated the Mid-Autumn Moon Festival. In Vietnam, it is called Tet Trung Thu and is also known as the Children's Festival. Traditionally held on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month, it's sort of a mix between our Halloween and Thanksgiving. Children dress up and celebrate the full moon with masks and lanterns, parades and traditional dances, while parents enjoy family time and celebrate their love for their children.
Writing my poem about Tet Trung Thu, I envisioned a narrator who looks something like this little girl I found on Flickr Creative Commons. In my imagination, her name is Kim, which means "gold" or "golden" in Vietnamese.
And now, a golden opportunity from Janet and Sylvia...
No, not a moon cake, though I would like to try one.
I have several copies of YOU JUST WAIT to give away!
You may request 1, 2, or 3 copies—for yourself, tweens or teens in your life, for family, for friends, it's up to you—but you must leave a comment on this post no later than Tuesday, September 27th, in order to be entered. I'd love to hear how you plan to use the books. (For those who have trouble leaving comments, email me at TodaysLittleDitty (at) gmail (dot) com and I will post your comment for you.) Winners will be chosen randomly until all the copies are gone. I'll announce the winners next Friday, September 30th. Good luck!
We're heading into the last week of our September DMC challenge, courtesy of Jane Yolen. What an amazing
turnout we've had so far—keep those septercets coming! This week's daily ditties included work by
David McMullin,
Jone Rush MacCulloch,
Karen Eastlund, and
Linda Mitchell. Also enjoy septercets posted today by
Doraine Bennett,
Diane Mayr,
Elizabeth Steinglass and another one from
Jone Rush MacCulloch. See you next Friday for our wrap-up celebration (...assuming I can get them all organized!).
Thanks to Catherine at
Reading to the Core for hosting this week's Poetry Friday roundup.
