The pen is a mighty weapon, according to the old saying. To help kick off inauguration week in the spirit of activism, poets and authors all over the U.S. are performing at WRITERS RESIST events. You can read about the movement at PEN America. Writers Resist has its own website with a listing of readings across […]
Poetry Friday
Friday, 13 January 2017
Thursday, 5 January 2017
Happy Poetry Friday, friends. As I write this post on Thursday afternoon, we are expecting our first snow of the winter season. I went looking for a “winter walk” poem (preferably, with dog), and instead landed on Henry David Thoreau’s essay “A Winter Walk.” As an exercise, I took Section 4 (featuring a baying dog) […]
Thursday, 22 December 2016
After a long season of traveling, I’m home and happy to be back to Poetry Friday. Wednesday was the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. Even though the poem I’m sharing today is set in autumn, its meditative quality reminds me of how brief, chilly winter days feel here in Maryland. This poem is […]
Friday, 11 November 2016
This week, I turned to Lucille Clifton’s words for comfort. Her poem “my dream about time” captures the frustration, fear, and anger so many women are feeling right now. my dream about time By Lucille Clifton a woman unlike myself is running down the long hall of a lifeless house with too many windows which […]
Tuesday, 1 November 2016
Hello from Klamath Falls, Oregon! In real life, I’m on the West Coast to do some school and library visits with my good friend Janet Sumner Johnson, author of THE LAST GREAT ADVENTURE OF THE PB&J SOCIETY. But online, I’m guest-blogging this week at poet and children’s author Jacqueline Jules’s blog, Pencil Tips: Writing Workshop […]
Thursday, 15 September 2016
We are having a big celebration at the Shovan house this weekend, Poetry Friday friends. After a year of planning, hard-work, painting, and poetry-writing, our Little Free Library is finally open for visitors! I don’t know why dragons have proliferated in our front yard. We have a dragon whirligig. His name is Clyde and he’s riding […]
Thursday, 8 September 2016
Happy Poetry Friday! This Friday, I am visiting Durham, NC as a Very Special Person. It is Muffin Morning at my niece’s school. She has never had a Special Person attend Muffin Morning. Of course, I said, “I am there!” Do you think they have fancy badges? Muffins are already pretty fancy. I am also […]
Thursday, 25 August 2016
It’s the last Poetry Friday before school begins. Let’s have a serious talk, friends. Last year, I was sitting in my teen’s school auditorium for an awards ceremony. The event celebrated students who were academic achievers, as well as stand-outs in art, volunteerism, and other areas. My kid wasn’t being recognized. She was alone, unseen in […]
Thursday, 18 August 2016
Happy Poetry Friday, writerly friends! It’s been a few weeks since my last blog post. Let’s catch up on news. First, I finished drafting my next middle grade novel (my excuse for not blogging). More info on that to come. Second, I have a few articles to share. Check out educator David Ruby’s post about how […]
Thursday, 21 July 2016
Greetings, Poetry Friday friends. Over the last few weeks, I’ve been trying something old/something new on Fridays. No — no one’s getting married. I’ve caught a very special baking bug. A few weeks ago, I was visiting my lovely sister-in-law Lisa in Orlando. She asked if I wanted to come with her for a women’s […]
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.
