Immersed in Verse An Informative, Slightly Irreverent & Totally Tremendous Guide to Living the Poet's Life

by Wolf, Alan; Mourning, Tuesday

• ISBN13: 9781579906283
• ISBN10: 1579906281
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-04-28
• Publisher: Lark Books

Summary

Poetry's hip, poetry's hot, and poetry's a blast with this cool, contemporary guide created in the same entertaining style as the popularIn Print! Kids instinctively love poetry--its rhythm, its rhymes, and its playful transformation of ordinary language. And these days, such cutting-edge, youthful forms as rap, hip-hop, and slams have made poetry more relevant than ever. With its fun facts, exciting writing activities, and words of encouragement from a respected professional,Immersed in Versenurtures the nascent poet in every child. Best of all, these awe-inspiring ideas have nothing in common with blah school assignments. Instead, youngsters rearrange their favorite (or least favorite) poems; start their own poetry workshop; present "open mike night" in the basement; and record their friends reciting. Along the way, they'll open more than a few "poet's toolboxes." They'll explore the wonderful world of words and learn about attitude, equipment, techniques (including "metaphors be with you"), different styles of verse, revising your writing, getting published, and performing. Allan Wolf has served as the educational director for the national touring company Poetry Alive! His books includeThe Blood-Hungry Spleen and Other Poems about Our PartsandNew Found Land. He lives in North Carolina with his wife and three children. A Selection of the Children's Book of the Month Club.

Table of Contents

Plunge into Words	6	(2)
Poetry & You	8	(20)
Of Blooms & Booms & Secret Rooms	9	(3)
What Kind of Poet Are You?	12	(2)
Do You Like Poetry? (A Guided Tour)	14	(6)
A Poem for All Reasons	20	(2)
The Nine Habits of Highly Successful Poets	22	(4)
Take the Daily Writing Pledge	26	(2)
Your Poetry Toolbox	28	(16)
How to (a-hem) Read a Poem	28	(1)
Toys of the Trade	29	(4)
Poetic Devices	33	(8)
Anatomy of a Poem	41	(3)
The Poet's Decisions	44	(22)
Details, Details	45	(2)
Observations & Explosions	47	(1)
Project Your Image!	48	(1)
Place Your Poems on the Accessibility Scale	49	(2)
Point of View	51	(1)
Tense	52	(1)
Form	53	(2)
Shaping Words into a Poem	55	(2)
Play a Structure	57	(2)
A Demonstration	59	(3)
Revising Your Poems	62	(4)
Always Something to Write About	66	(24)
Celebrate the Mundane	66	(2)
Journals: Your Storage Vault	68	(2)
Mind Games	70	(16)
Jump Starts	86	(4)
Ta Da!: Presenting Your Work	90	(15)
Reading Your Poetry	90	(2)
Performing Your Poetry	92	(2)
Secrets of Memorizing Poetry	94	(3)
Get Published!	97	(1)
Do it Yourself	98	(4)
Start a Writer's Group	102	(2)
A Promise. A Warning A Final Word of Hope.	104	(1)
Appendix A: Selected Poems	105	(1)
Appendix B: Selected Poets	106	(1)
Appendix C: Publishing Resources for Young Poets	107	(1)
Glossary	108	(2)
Selected Bibliography	110	(1)
Credits	111	(1)
Acknowledgments & Index	112