Happy Poetry Friday! (Wondering what Poetry Friday is? See this page for info.)
Today we have a special treat for all our followers who are fans of metaphor and/or poetry, and especially for those of you who teach writing.
I mentioned in my June 16 post that we'd be hosting a giveaway of Poetry by Chance: An Anthology of Poems Powered by Metaphor Dice edited by Taylor Mali (Button Poetry). Well, Taylor surprised me by sending not only a copy of the book autographed to "a fan of TeachingAuthors" but by also including a set of Metaphor Dice for the giveaway.
I include instructions on how to enter the giveaway for this
fun prize duo at the end of this post. But first, I want to share a bit about the anthology and
give you a sneak preview of my poem that appears in it.
As it says in the book's description: "Poetry By Chance is the first collection of poems that were all prompted by different rolls of Metaphor Dice, featuring submitters from the inaugural Golden Die Contest." But that description fails to note that the anthology includes poems from young people, ages 10 and up, as well as adults. The book also contains a section devoted to Lesson Plans using Metaphor Dice to inspire writers of all ages.
Poetry by Chance will be released Tuesday, July 11, 2023. Taylor Mali will be celebrating with a free book launch the following Friday, July 14, at Brooklyn Poets, 144 Montague St, Brooklyn, NY. If you're in Brooklyn, I hope you'll attend in person. If not, you can participate virtually instead. But either way, you must register in advance to attend, which you can do so here.
Even though the book isn't officially out till next week, I have received permission to share my poem with you today. As I mentioned last time, the poem was inspired by these dice:
WHAT IT MEANS TO FORGET
For some,
forgetting is a gentle blessing
providing absolution
and forgiveness of sins.
For me,
forgetting is a harbinger of death,
bearing the image of my grandmother—
her brown eyes blank, blinking—
unable to remember my name.
© 2023 Carmela A. Martino, Published in Poetry by Chance: An Anthology of Poems Powered by Metaphor Dice edited by Taylor Mali (Button Poetry). All rights reserved.
In my last post, I mentioned that I first learned of the anthology from a Poetry Friday post by Heidi Mordhorst, and that my poem follows one of two of Heidi's that appear in the book. I neglected to say that the Lesson Plan section in the back of Poetry by Chance includes a contribution by Margaret Simon, another Poetry Friday regular. Margaret shares a fun way she uses Metaphor Dice to teach students about figurative language. It's lovely to have my poem in such great company!
And now for our giveaway!
. . . . . .
To enter the drawing to win a copy of Poetry by Chance: An Anthology of Poems Powered by Metaphor Dice edited by Taylor Mali (Button Poetry) AND a set of Metaphor Dice, use the Rafflecopter widget below. (Note: if the widget doesn't appear, click on the link at the end of this post that says "a Rafflecopter giveaway" to enter.)
You may enter via up to 5 options. The more options you choose, the better your odds!
If you choose option 4, you MUST leave a comment on TODAY’S blog post or on our TeachingAuthors Facebook page. If you haven’t already “liked” our Facebook page, please do so today!
If you prefer, you may submit your comment via email to: teachingauthors [at] gmail [dot] com.
Note: if you submit your comments via email or Facebook, YOU MUST STILL ENTER THE DRAWING VIA RAFFLECOPTER BELOW. The giveaway ends July 15, 2023 and is open to U.S. Residents only.
If you’ve never entered a Rafflecopter giveaway, here’s info on how to enter a Rafflecopter giveaway. And a second article explains the difference between signing in with Facebook vs. with an email address.
Good luck!
Carmela
Posts
23 comments:
I know about metaphor dice & maybe I'll win, but really need to get some, Carmelo! How fun to have a giveaway of them & this new anthology! I love your poem that shows both sides of memories. Thx for the chance to win!
Yes, you'll want to buy some dice if you don't win them, Linda. Good luck in the giveaway!
I love metaphor dice! I put a set out at a maker station in the library this April and it was super fun to see students discover the dice and play with them...and then teachers drawn in. Congratulations on this publication! Your poem hits home for me pretty hard. I wish getting older had more niceties than it does. But, a beautiful and poignant poem. Well done.
The dice are a fun tool. Thanks for the feedback on my poem, Linda Mitchell. I'm with you when it comes to aging.
How cool is this? I’ll be buying this, since I’m obviously not eligible to win. I’ll also spread the word !
I've been using metaphor dice for years. Taylor is so generous to teachers. He even popped into my class a few years ago to do a quick lesson/critique with my students. Thanks for the shout out. Your poem is close to my heart because my mother has Alzheimer's. It's a difficult thing to process, but we have her in a nice memory care place whose caretakers are experienced in ways my siblings and I are not. I believe because of the random nature of metaphor dice, we can get to the heart quicker than we might otherwise.
Thank you, Carmela, for this wonderful post introducing me to a whole New World of Poetry.
You are truly living up to your name TEACHING AUTHOR! :)
Your poem is so powerful and packed with emotion. Metaphor Dice sound extremely helpful for writers of all skills. Thank you for the chance!
I was so intrigued with your first post about Metaphor Dice that I went online and ordered a set! Can't wait to try it! Will definitely grab this anthology. Congrats again on your publication!
This sounds like a very cool anthology! Congratulations on writing a poem for it. And I am intrigued by metaphor dice.
I've always been curious about metaphor dice. Your poignant poem is perfect.
Carmela, I spoke with Taylor at the last NCTE I attended. He is an amazing presenter and great with spoken word poetry. I would love to see the anthology. Congratulations on being published in Taylor's book. My uncle just passed away and before death, I saw him in a video chat. He could not remember me and could barely talk. Your poem is a vivid representation of the ravages of Alzheimer's Disease. Thanks for sharing your metaphor poem.
Marget, thanks for sharing about Taylor droppin into your class. How fun!
I'm so sorry about your mom. What a blessing that she's in such good care, though.
Thanks so much MA and Esther. Seems there's always something to learn!
Thanks, Danielle and Patricia! Patricia, I hope your dice lead you to some marvelous new poems!
Buffy and Rose, thanks for stopping by. If you don't win the Metaphor Dice, you may have to buy your own. :-)
Carol, you're the second person to comment about having met Taylor. I'd love to meet him, too.
I'm so sorry about your uncle. It is difficult to see our loved ones struggle with this terrible illness.
Such a haunting poem. Memory loss is so tragic and difficult to see in a loved one. I feel for you.
Wow! What a poem! Also, metaphor dice sound amazing!
Congratulations to Taylor and all whose poems appear in Poetry by Chance. I am familiar with haiku dice but have not heard of Metaphor Dice before this. It's great to discover a new way to inspire and facilitate poem-making! Carmela, I love your poignant poem expressing two truths connected to forgetting. Your experience with your grandmother is heartbreaking. I am sorry. My brother-in-law is living with Alzheimer's now, and while he still knows us, we can see that some long term memory has gone. Thank you to Taylor and Teaching Authors for this opportunity.
Thank you, Tracey.
Marcie and Joyce, I'm happy to introduce you to this fun tool. Metaphor Dice have been around a long time, but I just learned of them last year.
What a touching poem, Carmela. Both stanzas are powerful. The last stanza, heartbreaking. I'll bow to the teachers of the group who could use the Metaphor Dice with students. Though I'll say the random connectedness that serendipity brings to writing, to the arts in general, is a delightful tool.
Looking forward to reading Poetry by Chance!
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