Hi, Poetry Friday friends. Today, is my anniversary, but I’m not celebrating a wedding. More like a milestone. One year ago today, I posted my first robot doodle on Instagram. Much like the annual poetry project that I run each February, sharing my almost-daily robot doodles is an exercise in being creative without judging the […]
Original Poem
Thursday, 27 June 2019
Thursday, 14 March 2019
Happy Poetry Friday! I think everyone knows by now, one of my favorite poetic forms is the portrait poem. Maybe it’s because I studied dramatic writing as an undergrad, but I think there’s something magical about bringing a character to life in the space of a small poem. My poem for this week was inspired […]
Wednesday, 5 December 2018
I’m posting my Poetry Friday offering early this week. I’ll be traveling on Friday, visiting the niece and nephews mentioned in the poem below. This is my first attempt at a haibun. It has also been forever since I shared a “random conversations” post. I wanted to capture the way an everyday moment (shopping) transformed into […]
Thursday, 15 November 2018
Hey, friends! I’m heading to the National Council of Teachers of English in Houston today. Will you be there too? My schedule is at the bottom of this post. I thought it would be a fun week for a throwback poem. This one is from the 2013 March Madness Poetry competition, run by Ed DeCaria […]
Thursday, 25 October 2018
Happy Friday, poets and poetry lovers! Autumn has arrived in full force. We had our first frost in Maryland this week, but I’m still thinking of the sunny days of summer. Last Friday, I brought you with me on a visit to the Sea Turtle Hospital on the Florida Keys. Today, let’s visit the beach. […]
Thursday, 21 June 2018
Greetings and salutations, friends. Happy Poetry Friday! This week, I’m celebrating the launch of my second book for children, TAKEDOWN. (Read a review at the Nerdy Book Club.) I think of this novel as a friendship story set in the world of youth wrestling.It’s told by two sixth graders: Mikayla, who wants to be a wrestler […]
Monday, 28 May 2018
Our beloved historic downtown has been hit with its second catastrophic flash flood in less than two years. If you would like to help with recovery and restoration efforts, please consider donating to the Downtown Ellicott City Partnership. In 2016, Amy Ludwig VanDerwater asked me to contribute a current events poem to her wonderful collection, POEMS ARE […]
Thursday, 15 February 2018
Happy Poetry Friday! Thanks for visiting the Poe House with me last week. I pulled a random name from the comments and Jama Rattigan is the winner of the Poe Keepsake Journal. Congratulations, Jama! Before I get to this week’s post, I want to thank Arnold Adoff and the Virginia Hamilton Conference. Last week, I […]
Thursday, 25 January 2018
Happy Poetry Friday! January is hobbling to its frigid, icy end. It’s been a cold month in Maryland, as the blue hues of my temperature scarf will attest. The annual February Poetry Project members are warming up for our month of daily writing. This year’s project theme is “Ekphrastic at Home.” Each day, a member of […]
Thursday, 11 January 2018
This is a year of big transitions for my family. Our youngest turns 18 this week and is preparing to make the leap from high school to college. Shortly after that, Mr. S turns 50 and our eldest celebrates his 21st birthday. (All of our birthdays, including Sam the dog’s, fall within five weeks. Mine […]
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.
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