The Japanese believe there are gods to be found everywhere, in scrolls and screens and tatami mats, a pair of winter boots, a tufted quilt. Human speech, in other words, is only part of a much larger, more expansive conversation. It behooves us to commune properly with our possessions, says the organizing guru, Marie Kondo. She herself greets her house each time she comes home, grateful for its continuing shelter and protection.
Everyone’s voice merged into one poem, so it was not only a site of writing but also community, listening, and being heard.
There is something about that word, voilà, at the start of the poem that generates a little magic.
Poet Ann Gengarelly shares experiences from her work in “The Poetry Studio” where students found inspiration in nature.
Poet Terry Blackhawk introduces students to Dickinson’s lack of orthodoxy, worship of nature, and independence.
In a poetry writing activity inspired by nature, students find connection and community.
This lesson plan based on “First Passion” by Mary Kinzie asks students to play with spacing and punctuation to create poetic effects.
Sometimes life is so strange we need fantastic language to describe it. Students explore the surreal in this lesson plan inspired by Joanna Fuhrmann’s poem “The Year of Yellow Butterflies.”
Aracelis Girmay’s poem “You Are Who I Love” becomes inspiration for a collaborative poem lesson plan.
Born and raised in Santa Ana, California, Aracelis Girmay earned a BA at Connecticut College and an MFA from New York University. Her poetry collections include Teeth (2007), Kingdom Animalia (2011), and the black maria (2016), as well as collage-based picture book changing, changing (2005). Aracelis is the editor of How to Carry Water: Selected…