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.
Poetry Friday
Friday, 20 January 2023
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.
Thursday, 29 December 2022
“It became clear to me very quickly when I started expanding on the ‘waiting for the right resources’ parallel between poems and seeds that spring brought many of the things a seed needs to move from dormancy into active growth. “
Thursday, 15 December 2022
The miracle we celebrate on Hanukkah has to do with oil. So whether you like your treats sweet or savory, it’s time to get out those fryers and put on those aprons.
Thursday, 8 December 2022
One of my favorite projects of 2022 was writing a series of poems for Nature Culture’s Writing the Land Series. This organization pairs poets with local-to-them land trusts, to highlight our deep and abiding relationship with the soil, the forests, the farms.
Thursday, 1 December 2022
My heart is broken. My dear friend and collaborator, the poet Michael Rothenberg, passed away on November 21.
Thursday, 10 November 2022
Happy Poetry Friday, everyone. I haven’t been able to join the party in a while. We have been dealing with some health issues since the summer — including our first experience with Covid. Now that everyone is on the mend, I’m glad to be back with an author highlight. Today, I’m featuring a middle grade […]
Thursday, 25 August 2022
Happy Poetry Friday, friends. And happy National Dog Day! I am happy to share that we are a two-dog family once again. In February, we adopted a second beagle. Abbi is elderly. Her owner passed away and the family surrendered her to the same beagle rescue that matched us with Arthur. Look at these two! […]
Friday, 12 August 2022
Although I usually read Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice every year, it’s been a while since I’ve read her other novels. Persuasion is my favorite of all her books, then P&P, and Sense and Sensibility. Have you ever seen the movie written by and starring Emma Thompson as Elinor Dashwood? Alan Rickman play Colonel Brandon. […]
Thursday, 4 August 2022
Hi, Poetry Friday friends. My website has been down or wonky for several months. (Was anyone else affected by the Go Daddy hack?) I’m back to blogging at last, though—sadly—some of my posts from this spring were lost and can’t be recovered. Did you develop any habits or family traditions during the pandemic that have […]
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.
