Bread & With It

Wednesday evening I attended Georgia Heard's webinar "Word's that Sing and Soar," with Irene Latham. How wonderful it was to gather virtually with so many poets I have gotten to know through Boyds Mills(Highlights). Really looking forward to going to Poetry Palooza there this fall and catching up with them. Be sure to sign up for these little ditties! They are both a little bit of poetry love, filled with great tips and news about upcoming webinars. Georgia Heard's Newslett

...and they have my head swirling, in a very good way. ;) Poetry that touched my heart: Musician Glen Hansard tragically died last week, and the air has been filled with his music. He started out as a busker on the streets of Dublin, so I was particularly touched by the video of other buskers and people on the street gathered and singing his Oscar-winning song, "Falling Slowly." I first learned about Glen's work on a return flight home from a business trip to Hong Kong. The

I was a nervous newbie to the KidLit world, attending my first conference in 2017 when I found myself in line to have Jane Yolen and her daughter Heidi sign my books. As the line moved closer, I couldn't quite see them—for the shifting line of bodies trying to get a glance or a photo—but I could hear their voices... the kindness, the laughter, and the generous, encouraging words. When it was my turn, their lovely smiles and kind words made me feel welcome. As I left, I hugg

Choosing the colors for this week was a no brainer. I only had to look at the date and know they had to be: red, white and blue. I had posted a poem inspired by WHITE before, but decided to write a new poem about that color. A search for RED brought me to BRICK RED and for BLUE to BLUETIFUL. What fun these names are! BRICK RED At the top of my street, there is a little-known trail into the woods that has the evidence of all sorts of buildings that had once been there- stone f

I have always been fascinated by the color black. As a mural artist, I learned over the years that my art was not complete until I added touches of black and white — black to define, give depth and shadow, and white to highlight and call attention to areas. If I had to choose between a color photo and a black-and-white one, there was always a clear answer for me- black-and-white. With the color stripped away, I am invited to look deeper at the image; all distraction is gone.

Anyone hungry? To my delight, Crayola often uses food names to label their crayons. Not only do the word names themselves inspire, taking me to new places, but.... ...all my senses come alive. Take a color name like Cotton Candy :) It takes me right to the carnival. I can almost hear the merry-go-round music. Can't you smell it? Feel its stickiness between your fingers? Taste its sweetness? Words can do that! If you recall, a while ago I wrote a poem about the Crayola color M

Since I was young, I dreamed of having a backyard garden. It was perfect. No weeds, continuous blossoms and a harvest to die for. Especially in the winter when I longed for the blossoming energy of spring. Dreaming of what a garden could be. When I was 15, we moved to Boston and my family had a community plot. I loved driving there with my family after dinner and all of us pulling weeds and watering in the quiet dusk of the river valley, the joy of discovering what was ready

I think I can now safely say Spring is really here, and snow will remain a distant memory. I find myself enjoying being out in nature more and soaking it up with all my senses. the smell of my lavender lilacs the sound of baby birds in the birdhouse outside my home begging for food the softness of dogwood petals the baby goslings quietly paddling behind their mama the flavor of my summer drink- lemonade infused with passion fruit tea. Can't you just smell them? Spring shows

Welcome to the Poetry Friday Round-up I am delighted to be hosting for the first time. Coffee's on, apps are on the table, candles lit. Oh, I almost forgot. Some music would be nice. Welcome! Let me take your coat. Make yourself at home ;) Please feel free to let the music play while you browse. This week we celebrate mothers: Birth mothers, adoptive mothers, friends and family who are like mothers to us. They love , comfort , nurture, support and guide us—our soft place t

So happy to be back this week to celebrate COLOR!!! My precious granddaughter, running with joy through the tulips. This Crayola color journey has been an interesting one so far. I am amazed at all the "fandom" over crayons! These are just a couple of sites to check out if you want to know more about those "broken-colorful-wands-of-creation-filled-with-possibility," that you have in a Tupperware container in your closet ;) Check it out HERE Check it out HERE In 2013, Smithso

It's my turn to play . I can't wait! Each year, beginning April 1st, POETRY FRIDAY friends and other poetry lovers are invited to join the fun, as a poem travels daily from blog to blog, with each host adding a line. A big thank you to poet Irene Latham for creating The Kid Lit Progressive Poem, which was a way to celebrate National Poetry Month (April) as a community of writers. This year, I was assigned WEEK #2. Exciting but scary—with only one line ahead of me, the pos

A book is a magical thing. It can take you to places you have never been— tropical islands, outer space, foreign lands— all from the safety and comfort of your own bedroom. The picture books we discover as children and the novels we read as young adults tend to stay with us and hold a very special place in our hearts. My sister-in-law Delle and I were chatting the other day about our favorite childhood books. Hers was The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, and mine

Happy Spring, everyone! This year, the change in seasons has been a long time coming. But this week I saw little buds starting to form on skinny maple branches—their red color popping against the blue sky. It made me so happy! And then the surprise of a single crocus flower in my snowy backyard inspired this little ditty! The promise of growth, new life, and the resurrection of plants from their winter beds fills me with hope. Color is about to explode in the coming weeks, a