Use the space of a poem to describe your vision of a Future House.
Author Archive
Thursday, 30 March 2023
Thursday, 23 March 2023
I’m putting together a list of read-alikes for teachers. These are books and poems that pair well with the emotional content (or the creature content!) of Welcome to Monsterville.
Today, I am sharing two wonderful SEL poems from Things We Feel, edited by Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong.
Thursday, 16 March 2023
Authors Take Action is organizing a community poetry project for kids.
I invite children’s poets and authors (YOU!) to create writing prompts on the theme of CLIMATE.
Friday, 10 March 2023
Today, I’m sharing my interview with debut verse novelist Meg Eden. Her middle grade novel, GOOD DIFFERENT, is out from Scholastic in April. The interview is up at the Diverse Verse blog.
Friday, 3 March 2023
Tuesday was the final day of the 2023 February Poetry Project. This year’s theme was STORY. There were so many incredible prompts, dreamed up by the group’s participants. I’ve been thinking a lot about poems and how we use them to tell stories. I’m gearing up to teach my virtual class once again: “Poetry Techniques […]
Thursday, 9 February 2023
My friend Aliza Werner sent me the most wonderful book: What Feelings Do When No One’s Looking by Tina Oziewicz, illustrated by Aleksandra Zajac. This sweet book about emotions was translated from Polish to English by Jennifer Croft.
Thursday, 2 February 2023
It’s clear that this chick is not a loon at all. She is a duckling, who takes to her loon parents’ ways like … a duck to water!
Friday, 27 January 2023
January rain —
Lenten roses budding,
woodpeckers at work.
Friday, 20 January 2023
Story is an essential part of being human. We are shaped by fairy tales, narrative songs, and cultural histories. Hayao Miyazaki, the legendary animated filmmaker, said, “I believe that stories have an important role to play in the formation of human beings, that they can stimulate, amaze, and inspire their listeners.” Memory is a form of story that lives in our minds until we shape it and share it with others.
Thursday, 12 January 2023
I made a special video just for Poetry Friday. You’ll get a sneak peek at some of Michael’s monsters… and I read a poem from Welcome to Monsterville that I haven’t shared before.
Laura Shovan is the author of the award-winning middle grade novel, The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary. Her second book, Takedown, is a Junior Library Guild and PJ Our Way selection. Look for A Place at the Table, co-written with Saadia Faruqi, in 2020. Laura is a poet-in-the-schools Maryland.
