Friday, December 18, 2020

Looking forward to 2021

I'm looking forward to 2021 for all sorts of reasons, including one I'll discuss below. First though, I want to share a bit of news regarding our team. Hard to believe, but our newest TeachingAuthor, Gwendolyn Hooks, has already been blogging with us for a year and a half. You may have noticed that she hasn't posted recently. She's currently taking a six-month break to handle other responsibilities. We expect her to return in June.

Meanwhile, we're pleased to announce that Zeena Pliska will be posting in Gwen's spot. Her first post is scheduled in February. Till then, you can learn more about Zeena on our About Us page and also on her website.

So, one of the things I'm looking forward to in 2021 is becoming even more steeped in poetry, both reading and writing it. I hope to also participate more in Poetry Friday. In that spirit, today I'd like to share an excerpt from a poem in Amy Ludwig VanDerwater's wonderful picture book Write! Write! Write! (Wordsong) illustrated by Ryan O'Rourke. Although the collection is meant for young writers, I found plenty of inspiration for my own writing in it, especially in this poem:   

Excerpt from "Timeline"
by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater
(from Write! Write! Write!) 

. . .
Writing a sentence
is building a tower           
block after block   
hour after hour.

I am a writer.
And writing is power.

©2020 Amy Ludwig VanDerwater. All rights reserved.

I hope you'll check out more wonderful poetry in this week's Poetry Friday round up hosted by Michelle Kogan


Please note: the TeachingAuthors will be on our winter break until January 8. We wish all our readers a safe and happy holiday season.

I'm looking forward to learning and growing with you all in 2021!

Carmela Martino

14 comments:

Linda Mitchell said...

Hooray for more participation in Poetry Friday! No pressure--but it's great to see posts from this blog. PF is a weekly commitment to my writing.I do so much reading of what others are writing, reading and commenting on that I think PF is one of my greatest teachers. I so look forward to Amy's newest work. I love that she's touching the next generation of writers.

Irene Latham said...

Writing is power, indeed! Amy's gentle, encouraging voice shines in this book... like you, I find much here to nurture (older) me! Thank you for sharing.

Ruth said...

Thank you for this! That book looks terrific.

Janice Scully said...

Your excerpt speaks truth: you take one sentence at a time and often it turns into a tower. Writing does feel like a power were have.

Bobbi Miller said...

O! I love the poem, too! This is a very inspirational post. Thank you!

michelle kogan said...

I found this poem so empowering for the young writer, and us older ones too! Amy's book is delightful, thanks for sharing it Carmela. I look forward to your posts in the coming year, thanks!

Linda B said...

Amy's book came out after I was retired, but it is still a wonderful book for my inspiration, too! I'll be looking for you on Poetry Friday, Carmela. Have a special holiday however it flies!

Carmela Martino said...

Thanks for the Poetry Friday encouragement, Linda Mitchell!

Carmela Martino said...

Thanks for stopping by Irene and Ruth. Great to "hear" your voices.

Carmela Martino said...

Janice, I wish I could have shared the illustration that goes with this poem. I should have mentioned in the post that the illustration shows these very words built into a tower.

Carmela Martino said...

~~Bobbi. If you haven't seen Amy's book, I recommend you check it out!

Carmela Martino said...

Thanks Michelle and Linda B. Now that I've stated my intention to be more involved in Poetry Friday, I hope I'll be even more motivated to stick with it!

Carol Varsalona said...

Thanks for sharing Amy's poem, Carmela. I am saving it for my summer grad ELA institute. We will be immersed in writing to power up lessons for students. It will be great seeing you more frequently at PF.

Carmela Martino said...

Thanks, Carol. Happy New Year to you!