Welcome, Poetry Friday bloggers and fans. I’m excited to host Poetry Friday this week because it’s a special day. The third graders at Northfield Elementary, where I am poet-in-residence each spring, have their poetry celebration this afternoon! Thanks to everyone who has been following this residency and reading the kids’ poems. I have a few […]
Poetry Friday
Thursday, 13 June 2019
Thursday, 30 May 2019
Happy Poetry Friday! I hope you brought your appetite. The Northfield E. S. third graders have more food poems to share with you today. But before we feast on lemonade, bubble gum, ice cream, pizza, and chocolate chip pancakes, I’d like to share a favorite poem by Naomi Shihab […]
Thursday, 16 May 2019
Welcome back to Northfied Elementary, Poetry Friday readers. This is my thirteenth year working with third graders at this local school. It’s a special occasion that I look forward to all year. The residency is sponsored by the school PTA’s cultural arts committee, and by an Artist-in-Residence grant from the Maryland State Arts Council. Thank you! […]
Thursday, 9 May 2019
Greetings, Poetry Friday friends. This month, I am back at Northfield Elementary for my annual poetry residency. Each year, I spend about a month working with the entire third grade. The residency is sponsored by the school PTA’s cultural arts committee, and by an Artist-in-Residence grant from the Maryland State Arts Council. Thank you! Our […]
Tuesday, 16 April 2019
April is the cruellest month, breeding Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing Memory and desire, stirring Dull roots with spring rain. From “The Waste Land” by T. S. Eliot (Read the poem at the Poetry Foundation) Ever wondered why we celebrate National Poetry Month in April? It is the cruellest month, according to T. […]
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 […]
Thursday, 7 March 2019
Hello, Poetry Friday friends. I haven’t seen you in a few weeks. Before I get to this week’s poem — a quick update! I took a blogging break while I was traveling with 17 other children’s authors on PJ Library’s Author Israel Adventure. It was a life-changing trip, full of new friends, amazing experiences, and lots […]
Thursday, 17 January 2019
An admission: I tried listening to Marie Kondo’s book on audio. I didn’t make it past the first few chapters. My favorite idea from The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up was de-cluttering not by area, but by theme or object. I can picture myself gathering all of the candlestick sets we received for our wedding […]
Thursday, 27 December 2018
I am a dog mom. Sam the Schnauzer is my best furry friend. But three years ago, our family decided (with much convincing) that 8-year-old Sam needed a brother. Not a puppy. An older dog. A calm dog to show our very barky, anxious guy the joys of being chilled out. I went to the […]
Thursday, 20 December 2018
Around this time every year, my acupuncturist reminds me that winter is a time for hibernation. It’s okay to huddle by the fire with the family, to be more “in” and less “out” (whether that’s your physical or your energetic being). When snow blankets Maryland, everyone stays in and hunkers down. At my house, we […]
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.
