Pam Webb

a writer's journey as a reader

Archive for the category “Books”

16 Feb 2014
6 Comments

Brr–It’s a Bit Drafty In Here


According to a recent bookbaby article by George Burgett I have been writing my drafts all wrong.  Then again, there is a disclaimer that his advice addresses non-fiction primarily.  Hmm, writing is writing, isn’t it?

Here are His pointers offset by my comments.

Write the first draft as quickly as possible. I tend to review the previous day’s work to get a feel for what framework I was in prior, and I do dibble dabble as I read. Best tweak now when the muse is dancing than when the muse can’t remember the steps.

Most of the words will never see light. Wait–throw them out? There’s some really good stuff on the pages. If I tossed it all out why write at all?  I do, of course, edit, weed, and revise.  That’s why I have a critique group. And thick skin.

Look at the purpose statement. I agree. Now and then I should reassess where I started on this path and if I’m still moving in the right direction.

Divided the chapter into logical points. That makes sense too. Chapters should flow naturally to a spot where the reader wants more.

Don’t edit as you write. Guilty. Guilty. Guilty.

Do research after the first draft. Umm, I need that research now in order to continue.

Don’t share your first draft. I do share because I get great feedback from the MEPA. Working in that garret gets a bit dismal without input.

Looking over the list I have to concede I need to reassess my writing habits of editing. And yes, I could tighten up on my research rabbit trails. Okay, I learned a couple of things. How about you?  Any nuggets to place in your basket?

Posted in Blogging, creativity, reflections, Uncategorized, Writing and tagged , , ,
14 Feb 2014
5 Comments

Children’s Books for Forever


I don’t think I will ever outgrow my liking of children’s books. At one point I began collecting them as I came across them in yard sales, thrift stores, and the cast offs from the public library. I probably would have done better to start my collection after I had done my college moving days. Carting crates of books during a year of several moves created in me to appreciate children’s books in a different fashion. I no longer have my collection, and I don’t terribly regret the decision to dissemble it. I still am a confirmed reader, promoter, and writer of children’s stories. They remain my fave.  Here’s a hint–if you are feeling somewhat blue about the edges, go grab a kid’s book and read it. Better yet, grab a kid and a book and read the book to the kid. No more blues.

With all that being said it gives me great smiles to present the New York Public Libraries first ever 100 Top Children’s Books of the Last 100 Years. First posted on School Library Journal’s site September 30, 2013 (I am a bit behind in my inbox readings).

 

100YearsChildBks strip1 NYPL Unveils 100 Top Children’s Books of the Last 100 YearsIn alphabetical order by title, this list is as follows:

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Judith Viorst. Illus. by Ray Cruz. (1972)
All-of-a-Kind Family. Sydney Taylor, illustrated by Helen John. (1951)
Amelia Bedelia. Peggy Parish, illustrated by Fritz Siebel. (1963)
The Arrival. Shaun Tan. (2007) Bark, George. Jules Feiffer. (1999)
Because of Winn-Dixie. Kate DiCamillo. (2000)
Ben’s Trumpet. Rachel Isadora. (1979)
Big Red Lollipop. Rukhsana Khan. Illus. by Sophie Blackall. (2010)
The Birchbark House. Louise Erdrich. (1999)
The Book of Three. Lloyd Alexander. (1964)
The Borrowers. Mary Norton. Illus. by Beth Krush and Joe Krush. (1953)
El Gallo De Bodas: A Traditional Cuban Folktale. Lucía M. González. Illus. by Lulu Delacre. (1994)
Bread and Jam for Frances. Russell Hoban. illustrated by Lillian Hoban. (1964)
Bridge to Terabithia. Katherine Paterson. (1977)
Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? Bill Martin, Jr. Illus. by Eric Carle. (1967)
Caps for Sale. Esphyr Slobodkina. (1938)
The Cat in the Hat. Dr. Seuss. (1957)
Chains. Laurie Halse Anderson. (2008)
A Chair For My Mother. Vera B. Williams. (1982)
Charlotte’s Web. E.B. White. Illus. by Garth Williams. (1952)
Chato’s Kitchen. Gary Soto. Illus. by Susan Guevara. (1995)
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault. Illus. by Lois Ehlert. (1989)
Corduroy. Don Freeman. (1976) Curious George. H.A. Rey. (1941)
D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths. Ingri D’Aulaire and Edgar Parin D’Aulaire. (1962)
Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! Mo Willems. (2003)
Esperanza Rising. Pam Muñoz Ryan. (2000)
Freight Train. Donald Crews. (1978)
Frog and Toad Are Friends. Arnold Lobel. (1970)
From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. E.L. Konigsburg. (1967)
George and Martha. James Marshall. (1972)
The Giver. Lois Lowry. (1993)
Go, Dog. Go! P.D. Eastman. (1961)
Goodnight Moon. Margaret Wise Brown. Illus. by Clement Hurd. (1947)
Grandfather’s Journey. Allen Say. (1993)
The Graveyard Book. Neil Gaiman. Illus. by Dave McKean. (2008)
Green Eggs and Ham. Dr. Seuss. (1960)
Harold and the Purple Crayon. Crockett Johnson. (1955)
Harriet the Spy. Louise Fitzhugh. (1964)
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone. J.K. Rowling. (1998)
Hatchet. Gary Paulsen. (1989)
The Hobbit. J.R.R. Tolkien. (1937)
Holes. Louis Sachar. (1998)
The Invention of Hugo Cabret. Brian Selznick. (2007)
Joseph Had a Little Overcoat. Simms Taback. (1999)
Jumanji. Chris Van Allsburg. (1981)
Just a Minute: A Trickster Tale and Counting Book. Yuyi Morales. (2003)
Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse. Kevin Henkes. (1996)
The Lion and the Mouse. Jerry Pinkney. (2009)
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. C.S. Lewis. (1950)
The Little House. Virginia Lee Burton. (1942)
The Little Prince. Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. (1943)
Locomotion. Jacqueline Woodson. (2003)
Lon Po Po: A Red-Riding Hood Story From China. Ed Young. (1989) 100YearsChildBks strip2 NYPL Unveils 100 Top Children’s Books of the Last 100 YearsMadeline. Ludwig Bemelmans. (1939)
Make Way for Ducklings. Robert McCloskey. (1941)
Matilda. Roald Dahl. Illus. by Quentin Blake. (1988)
Meet Danitra Brown. Nikki Grimes. Illus. by Floyd Cooper. (1994)
Millions of Cats. Wanda Gág. (1928)
Miss Nelson is Missing! Harry Allard. Illus. by James Marshall. (1977)
Mr. Popper’s Penguins. Richard and Florence Atwater. Illus. by Robert Lawson. (1938)
Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH. Robert C. O’Brien. (1971)
Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale. John Steptoe. (1987)
My Father’s Dragon. Ruth Stiles Gannett. Illus. by Ruth Chrisman Gannett (1948)
My Name is Yoon. Helen Recorvits. Illus. by Gabi Swiatkowska. (2003)
Olivia. Ian Falconer. (2000)
One Crazy Summer. Rita Williams-Garcia. (2010)
The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales. Virginia Hamilton. Illus. by Leo/Diane Dillon. (1985)
The Phantom Tollbooth. Norton Juster. Illus. by Jules Feiffer. (1961)
Pierre: A Cautionary Tale in Five Chapters and a Prologue. Maurice Sendak. (1962)
Pink and Say. Patricia Polacco.  (1994)
Pippi Longstocking. Astrid Lindgren. (1950)
Ramona the Pest. Beverly Cleary. (1968)
Rickshaw Girl. Mitali Perkins. Illus. by Jamie Hogan. (2007)
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry. Mildred D. Taylor. (1976)
Rumpelstiltskin. Paul O. Zelinsky. (1986)
A Sick Day for Amos MCGee. Philip Stead. Illus. by Erin E. Stead. (2010)
The Snowy Day. Ezra Jack Keats. (1962)
Starry River of the Sky. Grace Lin. (2012)
The Stories Julian Tells. Ann Cameron. Illus. by Ann Strugnell. (1981)
The Story of Ferdinand. Munro Leaf. Illus. by Robert Lawson. (1936)
Strega Nona. Tomie dePaola. (1975)
Swimmy. Leo Lionni. (1963)
Sylvester and the Magic Pebble. William Steig. (1969)
Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing. Judy Blume. (1972)
The Tales of Uncle Remus: The Adventures of Brer Rabbit. Julius Lester. Illus. by Jerry Pinkney. (1987)
Tar Beach. Faith Ringgold. (1991)
Ten, Nine, Eight. Molly Bang. (1983)
Tomie dePaola’s Mother Goose. Tomie dePaola. (1985)
The True Story of the Three Little Pigs. Jon Scieszka. Illus. by Lane Smith. (1989)
Tuesday. David Wiesner. (1991)
The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Eric Carle. (1969)
The Watsons Go to Birmingham—1963. Christopher Paul Curtis. (1995)
The Westing Game. Ellen Raskin. (1978)
When You Reach Me. Rebecca Stead. (2009)
Where Is the Green Sheep? Mem Fox. Illus. by Judy Horacek. (2004)
Where the Wild Things Are. Maurice Sendak. (1963)
Why Mosquitoes Buzz in People’s Ears. Verna Aardema. Illus. by Leo/Diane Dillon. (1975)
Winnie-the-Pooh. A.A. Milne. Illus. by Ernest H. Shepard. (1926)
A Wrinkle in Time. Madeleine L’Engle. (1962)

So many wonderful friends. I love a great list filled with great books. I hope you found some good old friends as well.

Posted in Books, children, Literature, Reading, reflections, reviews and tagged , , , ,
06 Feb 2014
5 Comments

Rating the Underrated


Thank you for tuning in for another round of lists. This one again comes from BookRiot, being posted by Rebecca Joines Schinsky. She shares the results of reader poll for underrated books from the 576 who decided to voice their opinion. Usually I find these findings rather dubious.  Stanford and Gallup were not involved so how do we really know how legit the findings are?  Since you are here take a look at the list.  Any surprises?  I am only familiar with a couple of the votes. Sigh, my illiteracy is showing again, I suppose.

       Posted by   Rebecca Joines Schinsky     

Are These the 13 Most Underrated Books?

<!—->
  1. I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (9 votes)
  2. The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon (6)
  3. Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts (6)
  4. The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell (5)
  5. Stoner by John Williams (5)
  6. The Fionavar Tapestry Trilogy by Guy Gavriel Kay (4)
  7. if on a winter’s night a traveler by Italo Calvino (4)
  8. Lamb by Christopher Moore (4)
  9. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell (4)
  10. Pale Fire by Vladimir Nabokov (4)
  11. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster (4)
  12. The Princess Bride by William Goldman (4)
  13. The Neverending Story by Michael Ende (4)

I adored The Phantom Tollbooth in elementary school, grooved on The Princess Bride in college, and skipped The Neverending Story, both the book and the movie. Nothing else on the list rings a bell. I’m not seeing how Tollbooth or Princess Bride could be underrated since both became film adaptations.

Anyone read any of these? Are they underrated?

Check out other Riot polls:

The 25 Most-Hated Books (by Book Riot Readers)

19 Books You’ve Been Meaning to Read FOREVER

20 Books You Pretend to Have Read

Top 10 Books You’re Embarrassed to Admit You’ve Read

20 Most-Loved Literary Characters

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Posted in Books, Reading, reflections, reviews, writers and tagged , , , , ,
02 Feb 2014

Publisher’s Weekly 2013 List


Cover of November 6, 2006.

Cover of November 6, 2006. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

 

A bit behind in getting out the best of the year posties, but my procrastination has a purpose: now it’s a reminder instead of a glut of wrap up info. Good old fashioned method-in-my-madness stuff going on here.

 

I am always curious as to what is popular in book reads. The New York Times is one popular measuring tool, and another one is Publisher’s Weekly. These are excerpts from their yearly best 20 books of the year. I found some head-scratching “Really, that was popular?” selections to “Well, that’s no surprise” entries. Here are some pull outs with their summaries. One thing I noticed is that I haven’t heard any of these titles. I’ve not even seen them on the new book offerings shelves at the library.  Is this something I should be concerned about?  Also, most of these titles are not very cheery, interesting, yes–cheery no.  Somehow, I am not as concerned about that issue.  After all, people tend to flock towards the sad and mad instead of the glad. Or is that just my view?

 

The People in the Trees by Hanya Yanagihara (Doubleday)

 

 

Add Norton Perina to the pantheon of literature’s best unreliable narrators. Perina is a scientist who, after graduating Harvard medical school in the 1940s, travels to a remote Pacific island chain where he may or may not have stumbled upon the key to immortality. The book is composed of his memoirs, which he is writing from prison in the U.S. after being convicted of a heinous crime. The truth behind Perina’s story is both riveting and chilling.

 

Miss Anne in Harlem: The White Women of the Black Renaissance by
Carla Kaplan (Harper)

 

 

In this beautifully written, empathetic, and valuable addition to the history of the Harlem Renaissance, scholar Kaplan (Zora Neale Hurston: A Life in Letters) presents the untold story of six notable white women (including Fannie Hurst and Nancy Cunard, members of a larger group known collectively as “Miss Anne”) who embraced black culture—and life—in Harlem in the 1920s and ’30s, serving as hostesses, patrons, activists, comrades, lovers, writers, and editors.

 

 

Sea of Hooks by Lindsay Hill (McPherson & Co.)

 

On a small scale, Hill, a onetime banker and now a poet with six published books, has written a fragmented portrait of a man’s troubled childhood and lost adulthood—a spiritual biography that’s both tragic and comic, and provides moments of pure reading pleasure on every single page, not to mention a wallop of pathos. On a larger scale, it’s a moving and unforgettable novel.

 

DISCLAIMER: covers and summaries are from the Publisher Weekly site. For the entire tamale go to: 2013 Publisher’s Weekly List

 

 

 

Related articles

 

Posted in Blogging, Books, Reading, reviews, writers and tagged , , , , | Leave a comment
30 Jan 2014
1 Comment

Continuing the Love for LOC


Cover of "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (Pi...

Cover via Amazon

Visiting the Library of Congress is high on my BIG list, yet that one wish won’t be actualized until time and funding match up. For now I continue visiting it on-line for research and serendipity surprises. For instance, as I browsed for Idaho pioneer entries my screen popped up their Books that Shaped America entry. I’m thinking somewhere there is a book about pioneers in Idaho? It didn’t matter because I became lost through the eras as I browsed, read, and absorbed.  Fascinating, illuminating, and enlightening how the books reflected the times and influenced future reading. For the entire link go to Books That Shaped America.

Here are some titles to ponder:

Benjamin Franklin, Poor Richard Improved (1732) and The Way to Wealth (1785)

Washington Irving, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow (1820)

L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (1900)

Upton Sinclair, The Jungle (1906)

Dale Carnegie, How to Win Friends and Influence People (1936)

Ralph Ellison, Invisible Man (1952)

Dr. Seuss, The Cat in the Hat (1957)

Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird (1960)

Ralph Nader, Unsafe at Any Speed (1965)

César Chávez, The Words of César Chávez (2002)

I know, I know–I’m hearing the “what about _______!” I was surprised at what made the list and what didn’t. I hope you check it out and let me know what you think should have made it.

Interior Library of Congress, by G. D. Wakely

Interior Library of Congress, by G. D. Wakely (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Posted in America, Books, education, Literature, Reading, reflections, Uncategorized and tagged , , , , , ,
25 Jan 2014

Lit One-Liners


BookRiot became another 2013 discovery, and I am hooked. How could I resist posts delivered free to my mailbox which concern all things books? I definitely found this one by Rachel Cordasco a saver. It will be incorporated into my AP warm-ups where I have students create micro-précis  statements as a ready-set-go for the May exam. Here are some pull-outs from Cardasco’s post:

    Posted by   Rachel Cordasco   from BookRiot            

30 One-Sentence Lessons from Literature

1. Hamlet by William Shakespeare: Just make up your mind already, dude.

2. Anything by Stephen Crane: It doesn’t matter what you do- the Universe still thinks you’re super lame.

3. Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes: You can never read too many novels…oh wait, maybe you can…

4. Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser: Cluelessness is not something you want to broadcast when you’re a young woman in strange new city, for you’ll just become a skeevy-guy magnet.

5. Dracula by Bram Stoker: If you have a choice between Count Dracula’s castle and the Holiday Inn, stay at the Holiday Inn.

6. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley: If you absolutely must create a freakish monster thing, be sure to make a girlfriend for it, cause if you don’t, he’ll be really, really mad.

7. The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka: Sucks to be a bug.

8. Macbeth by William Shakespeare: You should treat your guests well by, you know, not murdering them in their beds.

9. Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain: When you travel around in a boat with a friend, away from human civilization, when you do run in to people you realize just how crazy they all are.

10. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen: When it comes down to choosing between the hot guy who treats you like crap and the not-as- hot guy who treats you like a queen, it’s really not a choice at all.

11. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad: Don’t frighten the natives.

12. The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells: When the freaky alien things come swooping down on Earth and shooting lasers or whatever at everyone, run as fast as you can cause those aliens are mean.

13. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald: Yeah, yeah, money can’t buy happiness- check.

14. Anything by e. e. cummings:

capital

letters

are for

losers.

15. King Lear by William Shakespeare: Don’t bother arguing with your parents. Or your children. Just don’t bother.

_________________________

My own contributions:

Beowulf by John Gardner: growing up in a cave with a fiendish mother definitely changes your perspective

Daisy Miller by Henry James: It’s true, when in Rome, or at least in Italy, as a single American girl, who should do as the Romans–Italians do–then again, maybe not.

Room with a View by E.M. Forester: what is about Italy and young women anyway?

“The Lovesong of Alfred J. Prufrock” T.S. Eliot: What if, What if, What if Hamlet hadn’t been your poster boy of decision-making?

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson: getting in touch with your inner feelings definitely deserves a second thought

Posted in Blogging, creativity, education, Literature, Reading, reflections, writers and tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment
23 Jan 2014
2 Comments

The People Factor


Relationships. They seem to make or break our happiness. Van Moody, a pastor serving the Worship Center in Birmingham, Alabama, understands the importance of relationships and provides a compact guide with his The People Factor.

The People Factor addresses the vertical (our relationship with God) and the horizontal (our relationship with others) aspects of relational skills. As a pastor he found a lack in ready resources when he counseled people. “There was nothing to put in the hands of people who left my office after sharing their deep pain over a relationship that would teach them beyond-the-basics lessons that could help them in highly practical ways.”

In each chapter, Pastor Moody weaves sound advice around his provided relatable examples, ending with “Relationship Reminders” and “Raising Your Relational IQ” which serve as personal checkpoints or could be used as discussion points in a group study.

The book is filled with points of reflection:

“We must realize that discrepancies between words and actions are serious warning signs.” (p.7)

“In relationships, commitment to integrity must take precedence over mutual comfort or shared enjoyment because integrity is the foundation of a person’s life.” (p. 47)

“You cannot erase your past. It will alwys be part of your personal history, but it does not have to define you.” (p.75)

Divided into three sections, the book explores the dynamics of relationship.

Part One: The Critical Laws of Relationships delves into the essentials of relationship such as agreement, understanding how the past influences relationships of today, and the importance of loyalty.

Part Two: How to Make the Most Difficult Choices, investigates unhealthy relationships–how to cope with them and how to let go of them.

Part Three: Essentials of Great Relationships promotes the understanding of the process of how healthy relationships work.

Finding happiness can come by losing weight, redecorating the house, or changing up the wardrobe, and there are plenty of books that help a person towards that measure of happiness. Yet, finding joy in relationships, that supercedes any temporal happiness.

The People Factor provides sound advice to promote sound relationships.

Posted in Books, Christianity, Family, reviews, Uncategorized, Writing and tagged , , , ,
18 Jan 2014
7 Comments

Cook Shack Commentary of the Clearwater


idaho!

idaho! (Photo credit: sandwichgirl)

As I continue researching my novel concerning the Idaho gold rush, I wade though promising volumes of background material. One particular book  centered on the right area of Idaho, yet proved to be about lumberjacks in the 1930s instead of gold miners of the 1800s. Since it arrived in my batch of research finds I decided to glance through it in hopes of finding a nugget (yes, an intended pun). I found a dandy story about a circus elephant and a lost poker bet, but not much else I could use. I did find these pithy bon mots of philosophy at the back of the book. Perhaps I will have various characters spout them at appropriate moments.
From Tales of the Clearwater by Sam Swayne:
1. Life is too short to shave with a dull razor.
 2. Half of success is trying, and if you half try, you will succeed.
3. Too many men think that when they bite off more than they chew, they can wash it down with alcohol.
4. A dog that has been to the carcass doesn’t need to confess to his master where he has been.
5. A lean man lives long; a hog on a diet is the last to market.
6. The most conspicuous guest is usually the most unwelcome; a pole cat though long remembered is not invited to return.
 7. Some wives are like varoom motors on tricycles. Lots of noise up front, but no help on the push.
8. Them that have nothing is them that don’t take care of what they have.
9. A whipped rooster runs from a rabbit, but the cock of the hen yard will fight the bull (which goes, I presume, with this last one):
10. He who is head of the house will go twice as far as the man who is shoved by his spouse.

Now I’m not saying I agree with the sayings; I’m thinking they catch the flavor of the setting invoked: both lumber camps and miner camps functioned without the company of women ( at least the marrying kind).

Any of these sayings still applicable to today?

Posted in Books, reflections, reviews, Uncategorized and tagged , ,
16 Jan 2014
10 Comments

Trio of Tomboys


Is it just me or do the more popular female lit protagonists share this particular trait in common: they tend to step outside of the expected norms of behavior. Here is a quick lit list:

Katniss Everdeen: hunter
Elizabeth Bennett: outspoken
Antonia: ran the farm
Hattie Inez: homesteader; journalist
Pippi Longstocking: indefatigable personality
Thursday Next: amazing skills
Jo March: independent spirit (psst–a writer when it wasn’t in vogue)

Hmm, most of these ladies might be under the broad category of tomboy (I rather liked than unintentional pun, thank you)

Tomboy

image: kidzworld.com

Tomboy. Is it a label of distinction or derision? What is a tomboy? According to one source (TVTrope.org), it’s a derivative of tomcat, which is odd because a tomcat is all out male. I’m trying to catch on to the logic here–cats usually associated with female and by designating a girl as tomboy it’s saying she’s a boy cat instead of a girl cat? I’ll put a pause on that line of thought and jump right in the learned fact that there are different categories of tomboy. TVTropes.org lists over a dozen types of tomboys. I had no idea.

My favorite reads usually involve spunky heroines and among my childhood reads are a trio of tomboys. I think I appreciated them so much because we shared so many characteristics:

Scout: overalls are indeed comfortable, I have two sets in my closet
Laura Ingalls: playing ball at recess beats the snot out of gossiping with the girls at lunch
Caddie Woodlawn: running around outside having adventures is a much better way of growing up

I have settled down somewhat, although I would still be playing church softball league if I hadn’t messed up my shoulder, and I have a difficult time passing up a playground, let alone skipping rocks. and climbing trees. And yeah, I would prefer watching Red Dawn II instead of Legally Blonde II. The male progeny are realizing theirs is not a normal, or at least expected mum. Is that a problem? I can make brownies or meat loaf when needed, but I’d rather be up to bat.

Maybe that’s why my character, Rebecca, in my historical novel is a tomboy–often a little of “me” goes into the “who” I create on the pages in my stories.

What are your thoughts on tomboys? Who can I add to my lit list of fave tomboys in the annals of literary girls who just can conform to the expected norm?

Posted in Books, Literature, Reading, reflections, Writing and tagged , , , , , ,
14 Jan 2014

Verse for Wear


1st edition

1st edition (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

First word purging and now onto verse wearing.

Throughout the year I also collected poems from my daily feeding from www.poets.org. Daily offerings are contemporary, while weekends focus on past classics. I began subscribing for a couple of reasons:

1. Poetry appreciation came into my life later than sooner and I’m making up for lost time.
2. Since becoming an AP teacher I figure it’s best practice to move beyond my basic knowledge of Frost–doctors must keep up on new practices, so as a practicing English literature teacher I should as well.

After a year of daily dosing of poems I have found I’m still drawn more to the classic poets, yet still appreciate the “now” of poetry today and listen, for the most part, what is being said.
So, here are the poems that I keep in my “save” file. I plan to wear these verse offerings by pulling them out for discussion in class. And here, as well. Any comments? Are you more contemporary or classic in your poetry choices?

All poems and bio information are from poets.org

Edgar Guest:
Guest has been called “the poet of the people.” Most often his poems were fourteen lines long and presented a deeply sentimental view of everyday life. When his father died, Guest was forced to drop out of high school and work full time at the Detroit Free Press, eventually considering himself “a newspaper man who wrote verses.” Of his poetry he said, “I take simple everyday things that happen to me and I figure it happens to a lot of other people and I make simple rhymes out of them.” 

Only A Dad
Edgar Guest 

Only a dad with a tired face,
Coming home from the daily race,
Bringing little of gold or fame
To show how well he has played the game;
But glad in his heart that his own rejoice
To see him come and to hear his voice.

Only a dad with a brood of four,
One of ten million men or more
Plodding along in the daily strife,
Bearing the whips and the scorns of life,
With never a whimper of pain or hate,
For the sake of those who at home await.

Only a dad, neither rich nor proud,
Merely one of the surging crowd,
Toiling, striving from day to day,
Facing whatever may come his way,
Silent whenever the harsh condemn,
And bearing it all for the love of them.

Only a dad but he gives his all,
To smooth the way for his children small,
Doing with courage stern and grim
The deeds that his father did for him.
This is the line that for him I pen:
Only a dad, but the best of men.

From the book "A Heap o' Livin'" ©1916
Joyful Moments Web Designs Graphics © by Mary  (Garren) Morand © MARY MORAND WEB PAGE – ALL RIGHTS RESERVED Webmaster ~ E-Mail ~ Comments
I appreciate this poem because it gets a shout out to dads. There are so many poems that exult moms (which I don’t mind) and I think fathers get shorted on all they do and how we feel about them.
Radar Data #12
by Lytton Smith
 
It was in the absence of light
as when near new moon and 
no moonlight; as when a part 
of a picture is in shadow (as 
opposed to a light); as when 
in the condition of being 
hidden from view, obscure, 
or unknown–in concealment, 
or else without knowledge 
as regards to some particular; 
and of the weather, season, 
air, sky, sea, etc., characterized 
by tempest; in times, events, 
circumstances etc. subject to 
tempers; inflamed, indicative, predictive, or symbolical of 
strife (harbinger of coming 
trouble)-a period of darkness 

occurring between one day & 
the next during which a place 
receives no light from the sun, 

and what if it is all behind us? 
I no longer fear the rain will 
never end, but doubt our ability 

to return to what lies passed. 
On the radar, a photopresent 
scraggle of interference, as if 

the data is trying to pretend 
something’s out there where 
everything is lost.

About This Poem   
“People are always curious where a name like ‘Lytton’ comes from–and it’s not from modernist biographer Lytton Strachey, but gothic novelist Edward Bulwer-Lytton. He famously came up with the opening phrase (in Paul Clifford) ‘It was a dark and stormy night.’ But I’ve begun to feel guilty mentioning that; his opening sentence is actually pretty good, so I’ve begun writing a whole series of poems that try to translate, rework, recuperate it.”  Lytton Smith

This is My Life
by William Stanley Braithwaite
 To feed my soul with beauty till I die;
To give my hands a pleasant task to do;
To keep my heart forever filled anew
With dreams and wonders which the days supply;
To love all conscious living, and thereby
Respect the brute who renders up its due,
And know the world as planned is good and true-
And thus -because there chanced to be an I!

This is my life since things are as they are:
One half akin to flowers and the grass:
The rest a law unto the changeless star.
And I believe when I shall come to pass
Within the Door His hand shall hold ajar
I’ll leave no echoing whisper of Alas!

Over the course of his career, Braithwaite founded a publishing company and taught creative writing at Atlanta University. His poetic style was influenced by English Romantic poets John Keats, Percy Bysshe Shelley, and William Wordsworth.
This poem smacks of resolution for the New Year. It stirs a resolve to become better than I am and to leave no regrets at the passing of the day. Yup, that’s what a poem should do–get some soul stirring going.
My hopes are that your New Year will be filled with verse, be it created or found, and that the words will resonate in your life into others!
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