tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-64256996916153711372024-03-12T22:30:17.508-04:00Tapestry of WordsA website for writers and readers by Becky ShillingtonBecky Shillingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18185515854304384764noreply@blogger.comBlogger167125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6425699691615371137.post-72479873962808629722022-10-19T15:05:00.002-04:002022-10-19T15:05:59.812-04:00<span style="color: #800180; font-family: georgia;"><span style="font-size: large;">It feels like a lifetime has passed since I last posted! The world is truly a different place, and so much has changed. To keep it succinct, I’ve created a word cloud to illustrate what my last few years have looked like. </span><br /><br /><div style="font-size: x-large; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPebqU4yJPeBS8XnLB3tX6V52I-B9x74IvPn02dv-49FH6kbhmIS4PrrcdtKkyAZMNch2u0G4iPdg54gLu5IfQ8bAOrO1luTXBUm2ALmtQokCyuKyICvkx95NtMpBjkAmrcncAXkAaO8LGc1JX_iZ8-MZH6muYrWuHEr6rdF5DSCXeOKIMPwVOWkEY8Q/s1004/Word%20Cloud.png"><img border="0" height="365" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPebqU4yJPeBS8XnLB3tX6V52I-B9x74IvPn02dv-49FH6kbhmIS4PrrcdtKkyAZMNch2u0G4iPdg54gLu5IfQ8bAOrO1luTXBUm2ALmtQokCyuKyICvkx95NtMpBjkAmrcncAXkAaO8LGc1JX_iZ8-MZH6muYrWuHEr6rdF5DSCXeOKIMPwVOWkEY8Q/w521-h365/Word%20Cloud.png" width="521" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">word cloud created at <a href="https://www.abcya.com/" target="_blank">abcya.com</a></div><br /><span style="font-size: large;">My family and I have experienced all the emotions over the past few years—from fear to frustration to moments of extreme joy. But we have come through it, and I hope that you and your families have, too! I am keeping this blog up as a poetry resource but will only be updating it every so often. I hope you will find something here that feeds your poetic soul! 😊</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Happy Writing, </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: large;">Becky</span></span><br />Becky Shillingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18185515854304384764noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6425699691615371137.post-1670768787163721492019-10-11T23:52:00.006-04:002022-01-14T16:23:46.624-05:00KIDLIT FALL WRITING FRENZY CONTEST<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: #800180; font-family: times;">For fun,
I decided to participate in Kaitlyn Leann Sanchez’s Kidlit Fall Writing Frenzy
Contest this year. For this contest, participants were asked to choose one of ten
fall images and write a 200-word (or less) story or poem about it. The piece could be happy, scary, beautiful, grotesque—whatever the writer feels like—for any
kidlit age group, preschool through teen.</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #800180; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: times;"><span>The photo
I chose as my inspiration is below, followed by my entry. I hope you enjoy reading
it! To read more entries, visit Kaitlyn’s website </span><a href="https://mathiseverywhere439319476.wordpress.com/2019/10/07/official-kidlit-fall-writing-frenzy-contest-submission-page-2019/"><b><span>here</span></b></a></span><span><span style="font-family: times;"> (scroll down for links).</span><span style="font-family: arial;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #800180;"><span style="font-family: arial;"><!--[if !supportLists]--></span><span style="font-family: arial;"><span style="font-size: 12pt;">·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"> </span></span></span><span style="font-family: times;">Name: Becky Shillington<br />Twitter: @BeckyShillingtn<br />Image: #7<br />Word Count: 195<br />Age Level of Prize: YA<br />Country: USA</span><br />
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<span style="color: #800180; font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span>HAPPY HALLOWEEN</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: #800180; font-family: times;">Hi, it’s me! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: #800180; font-family: times;">I brought you a present. And I even wore a costume! I know it’s
your favorite holiday.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: #800180; font-family: times;">You would’ve rolled your eyes at school today. The entire junior
class dressed up as Disney characters, except for me and a few other rebels. Chloe
Paxton sat in your seat in Chemistry (sorry!) wearing the full Cinderella getup—<i>including
the glass slippers!</i> Even Mr. D. dressed up. Imagine the genie from <i>Aladdin</i>
directing the band. Yep. It was interesting.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: #800180; font-family: times;">I was trying to remember all of our Halloween costumes today;
Thing 1 and Thing 2, the twins from <i>The Shining</i>, a hotdog and ketchup. I
gave our idea for this year to the Thompson twins from church. I hope you don’t
mind—it was too good of an idea to go to waste.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: #800180; font-family: times;">Mom called on my way here, trying to sound excited. “Pumpkin
pancakes for dinner tonight, Avery!” I guess we’re keeping up our old tradition
this year, too? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: #800180; font-family: times;">These dried-out flowers have to go. How did this get dirty so
fast? <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: #800180; font-family: times;">There. I can see your name again. And our birthday.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: #800180; font-family: times;">Now I’ll set this right…here.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: #800180; font-family: times;">I miss you, Anna. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: #800180; font-family: times;">Happy Halloween. </span></span></div>
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Becky Shillingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18185515854304384764noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6425699691615371137.post-73732555480227087242019-10-10T12:48:00.000-04:002019-10-10T12:57:21.290-04:00Celebrating THANKU: POEMS OF GRATITUDE<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Our
poetry anthology THANKU: POEMS OF GRATITUDE came out on September 3</span><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">,
with contributing poets everywhere holding book signings and events celebrating
its release. My contributor friends and I in the Charlotte, NC area participated
in several events, as well!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: purple;">On
Sunday, August 25, Vanessa Brantley-Newton, Chrystal Giles, Megan Hoyt, and I had
a pre-release book signing event at Main Street Books in Davidson, NC. And on Saturday,
September 7, we held a book signing at Park Road Books in Charlotte. At both events,
Vanessa, Chrystal, Megan, and I each read our poems from the book and led an interactive
activity. Audience participation was terrific, our hosts were amazing, we signed
SO MANY BOOKS, and we all had a wonderful time! </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmQvEjfmQ_3CX42uzCVKPTjR-AlXhNjO0eehPQvm_m_3MnfXGtXsclCinD5-hfpzhY6YSyege9eqYQbr0zKDVLmKA5eBgqH90ErPC0ZLD4KZ8qhrVKjRqDcHa0L0wS_B4JHGFY_l2uVE68/s1600/BookSigning4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: 14pt; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="778" data-original-width="1600" height="153" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmQvEjfmQ_3CX42uzCVKPTjR-AlXhNjO0eehPQvm_m_3MnfXGtXsclCinD5-hfpzhY6YSyege9eqYQbr0zKDVLmKA5eBgqH90ErPC0ZLD4KZ8qhrVKjRqDcHa0L0wS_B4JHGFY_l2uVE68/s320/BookSigning4.jpg" width="320" /></a></span></div>
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<i><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Vanessa, me, Chrystal, and Megan</span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ciq2lYbN00mSZC19r3DkZvHTMgCGZt2tQDaPvCzGUbNlFqvBLSaFQEXcnlg8HNIFAOI0ueNI0VVub70aLdHjo_wBzSxz2-8jeuLixidlRvyQikwH7Bq_rpXX28MHQI243bPO8gbVATP1/s1600/BookSigning3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="240" data-original-width="320" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3ciq2lYbN00mSZC19r3DkZvHTMgCGZt2tQDaPvCzGUbNlFqvBLSaFQEXcnlg8HNIFAOI0ueNI0VVub70aLdHjo_wBzSxz2-8jeuLixidlRvyQikwH7Bq_rpXX28MHQI243bPO8gbVATP1/s320/BookSigning3.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><i>Vanessa talking about her limerick poem</i></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Then
on Saturday, September 28</span><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">, Megan and I signed books at our regional
SCBWI Carolinas conference, Stories in Pictures and Prose, in Charlotte. </span><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span><br />
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<img border="0" height="195" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgL0s2DChr7CXim0AHhgjF6BmYXJWbZbJZueH5CSTJkGkBiLlubv33PSim3rrw4rAvwBC2UDWx32P2FFGch3wmVOXXctf5g72aoN2ZYakVO1JC-GySHtUq8HRnpMSO8LjhriVFSZMkP1D97/s400/BookSigning1.jpg" width="400" /></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">I
am so very grateful to my editor, Miranda Paul, for selecting my poems to be a
part of this beautiful anthology. Each time I read through this book, I get a
little thrill (again!) to see my work alongside these wonderful poems written by
such illustrious and brilliant poets. And the illustrations amaze me anew each
time I come back to them—Marlena Myles is stunningly talented!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: purple;">If
you do not already have a copy of THANKU, get one as fast as you can—you won’t
be disappointed! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: purple;">(To
read more about THANKU: POEMS OF GRATITUDE, click </span><a href="http://www.beckyshillington.com/2019/08/announcing-thanku-poems-of-gratitude.html"><b><span style="color: magenta;">here</span></b></a><span style="color: purple;">.)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<br />Becky Shillingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18185515854304384764noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6425699691615371137.post-89262837730009767812019-08-01T12:39:00.002-04:002019-08-02T12:46:51.228-04:00Announcing THANKU: POEMS OF GRATITUDE<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I am thrilled to announce that my poetry will be included in the upcoming anthology THANKU: POEMS OF GRATITUDE (September 3, 2019, Millbrook/Lerner). The anthology is edited by author Miranda Paul and illustrated by Marlena Myles and includes many different types of poems about being thankful for all that we have, each and every day. The talented and diverse group of authors write about a variety of topics, each using a different poetic format, and Marlena Myles’ stunning artwork perfectly illustrates each poem.</span><br />
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple;">The poems I contributed to THANKU are math poems—one of my favorite types of poetry—which I discussed in three posts in the past (on you can find these </span><a href="http://www.beckyshillington.com/2014/03/poetry-friday-math-poems-ii.html"><b><span style="color: magenta;">here</span></b></a><span style="color: purple;">, </span><a href="http://www.beckyshillington.com/2013/08/poetry-friday-poems-of-august.html"><span style="color: magenta;"><b>here</b></span></a><span style="color: purple;">, and </span><a href="http://www.beckyshillington.com/2013/06/poetry-friday-math-poems.html"><span style="color: magenta;"><b>here</b></span></a><span style="color: purple;">). I cannot tell you what an honor it is for my poetry to be included in this book </span></span><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">alongside authors I have long admired, such as Jane Yolen, Vanessa Brantley-Newton, Renee LaTulippe, Sylvia Liu, Cythia Leitich-Smith, and SO MANY others! I am also thrilled that three of my local critique group members also have poetry in this anthology—Chrystal Giles, Megan Hoyt, and Vanessa Brantley-Newton. We are currently planning two book signing events in the Charlotte area and are excited to have four contributors in one place!</span></div>
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br /><span style="color: purple;">A portion of the proceeds from THANKU: POEMS OF GRATITUDE will go to We Need Diverse Books, a “non-profit and a grassroots organization of children’s book lovers that advocates essential changes in the publishing industry to produce and promote literature that reflects and honors the lives of all young people.” For more information, please </span><a href="https://diversebooks.org/"><span style="color: magenta;"><b>here</b></span></a><span style="color: purple;">.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: purple;">Please consider purchasing a copy of THANKU! This book will be a wonderful addition to your personal picture book collection and would also make an excellent contribution to any classroom library. THANKU: POEMS OF GRATITUDE will be available through online booksellers and can be ordered through your local bookstores beginning September 3rd. "THANKU" in advance for your support!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple;"><br /><i>An excerpt from the July 15th issue of Kirkus: </i></span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple;"><b>THANKU: Poems of Gratitude<br /> Editor: </b>Miranda Paul<br /><b> Illustrator:</b> Marlena Myles<br /><b>Publisher:</b> Millbrook/Lerner<br /><b> Pages:</b> 40<br /><b> Price ( Hardcover ):</b> $19.99<br /><b> Publication Date: </b>September 3, 2019<br /><b> ISBN ( Hardcover ): </b>978-1-5415-2363-0<br /><b> Category:</b> Poetry <br />An anthology of diverse voices united by the theme of giving thanks. In her editorial debut, Paul </span></span><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">(Nine Months: Before a Baby Is Born, 2019, etc.) </span><span style="color: purple; font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">pairs over 30 poems with Myles' </span><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">(Spirit Lake Dakota/Mohegan/Muscokee Creek) </span><span style="color: purple; font-family: times, "times new roman", serif; font-size: large;">spirited illustrations capturing favorite things for which the nearly three-dozen poets represented here are thankful. Motivated by the sentiment that gratitude should be expressed year-round, Paul collects poems as varied in form as content...Myles' colorful digitally rendered illustrations help contextualize the poems, saturated, often abstract backgrounds complementing neatly outlined, diverse figures...Lovely lyric lessons in appreciating the ordinary. (Picture book/poetry. 6-10) </span><br />
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple;"><br /><br /><i>An excerpt from the August 1st issue of Booklist: </i><br /><b>Thanku: Poems of Gratitude. <br />Ed. by Miranda Paul. Illus. by Marlena Myles <br />Sept. 2019. 40p. Lerner/Millbrook, $19.99 (9781541523630). </b></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple;"><b>Gr. 1–4. 811</b></span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">Authors from diverse backgrounds contribute poems (each displaying a distinct literary form) focusing on the concept that gratitude is appropriate in all seasons, not only at Thanksgiving...Myles' full-color digital illustrations exhibit variety as well, and she is equally adept at creating panoramic vistas, playground close-ups, and inventive collages...Appended with an explanation of poetic forms, biographical information on the creators, and an editor's note, this attractive and accessible collection should be popular with browsers and useful for creative writing classes. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple;">— Kay Weisman </span></span><br />
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Becky Shillingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18185515854304384764noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6425699691615371137.post-75062324483880703952018-02-23T11:33:00.000-05:002018-02-23T11:54:34.982-05:00POETRY FRIDAY: IT'S TANKA TIME (again)<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<span style="line-height: 150%;"><i><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple;">Thank you to </span><a href="http://elizabethsteinglass.com/2018/02/welcome-to-poetry-friday/"><b><span style="color: magenta;">Liz Steinglass</span></b></a><span style="color: purple;"> for hosting
Poetry Friday today!</span></span></i><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: purple;">* * * * *<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">South Carolina has officially slid into a spring-like weather pattern, and I am not sure how I feel about this. Everywhere I look, trees are blooming and spring bulbs are poking up through the ground, and yesterday it was almost 80 degrees where I live! Seriously!! I am not sure how I feel about this…as much as I love springtime, I feel like we barely had a winter here.<br /><br />For this week’s Poetry Friday post, I was inspired to write a poem about our quick switch from winter to spring, and chose the tanka. Tanka poems are siblings of the Japanese haiku and follow a 5/7/5/7/7 syllabic format. They allow the author more room to “move around” within the poem, but still provide a relative close snapshot of the subject, which is what I love so much about haiku poetry. Here is my tanka:</span><br />
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple;">Variations on a Theme<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple;">by Becky Shillington<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple;">Winter, where are you?<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple;">Outside, blooms make their debut<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple;">to birdsong, although<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple;">the calendar tells me it’s<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple;">February twenty-third.<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-7FA8ENIrSP153WXrQM5KHdb9Zttmu4sSDhtuomO0JySR6-n6tx6fITOM7ztwHxQFk3z5-0gG35Jpe3lIXZ5_HhbKLF0EkklFCiRlR7oV_8vPin1uYbYdr-wYluVNOQ7_wzelGwdbw3j3/s1600/peach-branch-230x153.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="153" data-original-width="230" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-7FA8ENIrSP153WXrQM5KHdb9Zttmu4sSDhtuomO0JySR6-n6tx6fITOM7ztwHxQFk3z5-0gG35Jpe3lIXZ5_HhbKLF0EkklFCiRlR7oV_8vPin1uYbYdr-wYluVNOQ7_wzelGwdbw3j3/s320/peach-branch-230x153.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I hope that, wherever you are today, the weather is just the way you like it this time of year! Have a wonderful weekend!</span></div>
Becky Shillingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18185515854304384764noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6425699691615371137.post-80731580657477465382017-12-15T00:04:00.003-05:002017-12-15T00:06:03.054-05:00POETRY FRIDAY: Tanka Poetry<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><i><span style="color: purple;">Thank
you to Diane at</span><b><span style="color: magenta;"> <a href="http://www.randomnoodling.com/"><span style="color: magenta;">Random Noodling</span></a></span></b><span style="color: purple;"> for hosting Poetry Friday this week!</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: purple;"> * * * * *</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: purple;">In
my poetry presentations next week, I will be introducing elementary school
students to different types of poetry and then they will write their own winter-
or holiday-themed poems. This presentation is one of my favorites and
includes poems about different December holidays and the winter season. I look
forward to sharing these poems with the kids every year!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: purple;">One
of the types of poetry we will be exploring next week is the Japanese <b>tanka</b>. A tanka is similar to a haiku
(but longer) and is also a poetic format that originated in Japan. Tanka poetry
follows a <b>5/7/5/7/7 syllable format</b>
and was created to allow deeper emotional exploration than is possible within
the shorter 5/7/5 syllables of haiku poetry. Below is an example of a Christmas
tanka that I wrote to share with the children.</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi24bWCh9oY897DgiRFl87OGeNQa5lGwgOr8Ab9X5GFw57jJgonJJKJlatUAZGL_O2628yuMvicw3PIuaEBCGWVINVPceR5TyT3RTCjqKkFxppvBrmf-zP2eKWza-IxaWH0ELX4Jb7PSOHa/s1600/Tanka.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1436" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi24bWCh9oY897DgiRFl87OGeNQa5lGwgOr8Ab9X5GFw57jJgonJJKJlatUAZGL_O2628yuMvicw3PIuaEBCGWVINVPceR5TyT3RTCjqKkFxppvBrmf-zP2eKWza-IxaWH0ELX4Jb7PSOHa/s400/Tanka.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">If
you enjoy writing haiku (which I LOVE!), try writing a tanka poem today. It is
a fun challenge and a great way to stretch your poetry-writing muscles!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: purple;">I
hope you are enjoying all the fun festivities that December has to offer.
Have a beautiful holiday season, and Happy Writing!</span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCVFvF_vv4HYxXh_wW9iYGsCG6WoaixqyCTnoDi68wnE4p4py-jlN-SuoNlPgCNNGrsK0UjbmVkr9a0VK8my2GIMYr287P23zK0qPE9vWng3aFwFQoxfqYNyYHeUKHk2YyCw5leNzQFLv0/s1600/snowman.GIF" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="187" data-original-width="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCVFvF_vv4HYxXh_wW9iYGsCG6WoaixqyCTnoDi68wnE4p4py-jlN-SuoNlPgCNNGrsK0UjbmVkr9a0VK8my2GIMYr287P23zK0qPE9vWng3aFwFQoxfqYNyYHeUKHk2YyCw5leNzQFLv0/s1600/snowman.GIF" /></a></div>
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Becky Shillingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18185515854304384764noreply@blogger.com21tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6425699691615371137.post-31670951524529797982017-12-01T07:19:00.004-05:002021-07-11T17:46:25.598-04:00POETRY FRIDAY: December Poetry and Writing with the Stars<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-top: 12pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: purple;">Thanks to Mary Lee Hahn at </span><a href="http://readingyear.blogspot.com/2017/11/poetry-friday-roundup-is-here.html"><span style="color: magenta;"><b>A Year of Reading</b></span></a><span style="color: purple;"> for
hosting </span></span></i><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: purple;">Poetry Friday this week!</span></span></i></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: purple; font-size: medium;">* * * * *<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: purple;">November
was a banner month for me. </span><span style="color: purple;">I traveled to
Indianapolis to see my boys’ high school marching band compete at Grand Nationals (I am a
proud tuba and trombone mom</span></span><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 150%;">) and I surpassed my goal of 50,000 words in this year’s NaNoWriMo! <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKydLEuHtdkytoT5dD7VsW8G3T6vbxotVgRFmQ2_p90PJZOrXTCZOrNjvtLZL-Ude2-ZQUHbMaG3Hlfg8JSUHDf4B79VyQ0UcgUxKm0SboJkiRrWQn8YLhFrzI22ueyAOiKwr8zePaLRA9/s1600/animated-festivity-and-celebration-image-0331.gif" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><img border="0" data-original-height="185" data-original-width="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKydLEuHtdkytoT5dD7VsW8G3T6vbxotVgRFmQ2_p90PJZOrXTCZOrNjvtLZL-Ude2-ZQUHbMaG3Hlfg8JSUHDf4B79VyQ0UcgUxKm0SboJkiRrWQn8YLhFrzI22ueyAOiKwr8zePaLRA9/s1600/animated-festivity-and-celebration-image-0331.gif" /></span></a></div>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">Now
I am busy preparing for holiday gatherings, church performances, and one of my
favorite traditions—the December poetry workshop I do each year with local
fifth graders. In our October workshop, we talked about the importance of the
poetic tradition, had fun with rhyme scheme, and read lots of wonderful poetry.
In just a few weeks, we will continue our discussion and I will introduce some
more fun poetic formats.</span></div>
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<span style="line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;"><span>One
of the fun forms we discuss each year is acrostic poetry. This format has been
around a looooong time; acrostic poetry was discovered during the </span><span>archaeological</span><span> digs at Pompeii! The most common variation of the acrostic poem has a subject
spelled out vertically in the left-hand margin, with each letter serving as the
beginning of a word or phrase relating to or describing the subject. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: purple; font-size: medium;">Most
elementary-aged students are familiar with acrostic poetry and are confident
masters of the format. But when I show the kids this acrostic poem by my friend
and critique partner Derick Wilder, with both the first AND last letters of each
line spelling out the subject, they are shocked and amazed:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">When
it is time for the kids to write their own poems at the end of our lesson, many
choose to tackle this particular challenge. It’s always fun to see what they
come up with!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: purple; font-size: medium;">Another
kid favorite is the cinquain, which is a five-line poem that spotlights a person, place, or thing. Each line
has a prescribed formula and minimal words, and follows this pattern:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: times; font-size: medium;">Line 1: Title - 1 word (noun)</span></div><span style="font-size: medium;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: times;">Line 2: Description - 2 words (adjectives) <br />Line 3: Action - 3 words (verbs)<br />Line 4: Feeling - 4 words (phrase)<br />Line 5: Title - 1 word (synonym for the first noun)</span>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: purple; font-size: medium;">Here
is a cinquain poem that I share with the kids each year (this one was written by me):</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">I
look forward to sharing more December poetry next week!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: purple; font-size: medium;"><b>IF
YOU WRITE PICTURE BOOKS</b> please keep reading! My talented friend and critique partner
Tara Luebbe*, who has two picture books coming out this spring (SHARK NATE-O
from little bee and I AM FAMOUS from Albert Whitman), is kicking off the second
year of her <b>Writing with the Stars</b> mentorship program. <b>Writing with the Stars</b>
is a (free) contest that will match 16 aspiring picture book
writers/illustrators with 16 published professionals. Mentorships are available
for authors and author/illustrators who are unpublished and unagented. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: purple; font-size: medium;">I
am super excited to finally be able to share this year’s incredible list of
mentors, who are volunteering their time and talents to help aspiring picture book writers. Seriously, people—it is such an OUTSTANDING list!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium;">So,
drumroll, please….the 2017 Writing with the Stars mentors are:</span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: purple;"><br /></span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: purple;">Andrea Loney<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: purple; font-size: medium;">Alastair Heim<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: purple; font-size: medium;">Stacy McAnulty<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: purple; font-size: medium;">Lindsay Ward<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: purple; font-size: medium;">Melissa Iwai &
Denis Markell<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: purple; font-size: medium;">Josh Funk<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: purple; font-size: medium;">Laura Gehl<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: purple; font-size: medium;">Adam Lehrhaupt<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: purple; font-size: medium;">Pam Calvert<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: purple; font-size: medium;">Jody Jensen
Shaffer<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: purple; font-size: medium;">Corey Rosen
Schwartz<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: purple; font-size: medium;">Annie Silvestro<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: purple; font-size: medium;">Rachel Ruiz<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: purple; font-size: medium;">Lori Degman<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div align="center" class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0in; text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: purple; font-size: medium;">Jennifer K. Mann<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: purple; font-size: medium;">Brianne Farley<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: medium; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: purple;">For more information,
visit Tara’s website </span><a href="http://beckytarabooks.com/wwts-contest/"><b><span style="color: magenta;">here</span></b></a><span style="color: purple;">. You can also follow Tara on Twitter at
</span><a href="https://twitter.com/t_luebbe"><span style="color: magenta;"><b>@t_luebbe</b></span></a><span style="color: purple;">. Please feel free to share this with any picture book authors or author/illustrators that you know!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: purple; font-size: medium;">Have a wonderful weekend,
and Happy Writing!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: purple; font-size: medium;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: purple; font-size: medium;">*
Yes, I know—I have some rock star critique partners! <o:p></o:p></span></span></i></div>
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Becky Shillingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18185515854304384764noreply@blogger.com12tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6425699691615371137.post-53096199344196302572017-04-01T13:04:00.000-04:002017-04-01T13:04:10.021-04:00Celebrating NATIONAL POETRY MONTH<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: purple;">April
is one of my favorite months because it is National Poetry Month, an entire month to celebrate POETRY! Since 1996, poets and poetry lovers around the world have participated in this
annual celebration, spearheaded by the </span><a href="https://www.poets.org/"><span style="color: magenta;"><b>Academy of American Poets</b></span></a><span style="color: purple;">. </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;">One
of my favorite things about National Poetry Month is the annual <b>Poem in Your
Pocket Day</b>, which will be observed on Thursday, April 27 this year. On this
day, poetry lovers are encouraged to carry a favorite poem in their pockets and share it with friends and family. I am already thinking about which poem I will choose! Here is one of my contenders, a favorite poem about
spring written by American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow:</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: purple;">An April Day<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: purple;">By Henry Wadsworth
Longfellow (1807-1882)<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman",serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: purple;"><b>
When the warm sun, that brings<br />
Seed-time and harvest, has returned again,<br />
'T is sweet to visit the still wood, where springs<br />
The first flower of the plain.<br />
<br />
I love the season well,<br />
When forest glades are teeming with bright forms,<br />
Nor dark and many-folded clouds foretell<br />
The coming-on of storms.<br />
<br />
From the earth's loosened mould<br />
The sapling draws its sustenance, and thrives;<br />
Though stricken to the heart with winter's cold,<br />
The drooping tree revives.<br />
<br />
The softly-warbled song<br />
Comes from the pleasant woods, and colored wings<br />
Glance quick in the bright sun, that moves along<br />
The forest openings.<br />
<br />
When the bright sunset fills<br />
The silver woods with light, the green slope throws<br />
Its shadows in the hollows of the hills,<br />
And wide the upland glows.<br />
<br />
And when the eve is born,<br />
In the blue lake the sky, o'er-reaching far,<br />
Is hollowed out and the moon dips her horn,<br />
And twinkles many a star.<br />
<br />
Inverted in the tide<br />
Stand the gray rocks, and trembling shadows throw,<br />
And the fair trees look over, side by side,<br />
And see themselves below.<br />
<br />
Sweet April! many a thought<br />
Is wedded unto thee, as hearts are wed;<br />
Nor shall they fail, till, to its autumn brought,<br />
Life's golden fruit is shed.</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: purple;">Click
here </span><a href="https://www.poets.org/national-poetry-month/home"><b><span style="color: magenta;">here</span></b></a></span><span style="color: purple; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 14pt;"> for more information about this year’s National Poetry Month festivities. Happy Spring, and
Happy Writing!</span></div>
Becky Shillingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18185515854304384764noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6425699691615371137.post-12215074989757577702016-12-15T17:14:00.001-05:002016-12-15T22:18:07.599-05:00POETRY FRIDAY: Holiday Math Poetry and a NEW CONTEST for PB Writers!<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: purple;">Thank you to Tabatha at </span><a href="http://tabathayeatts.blogspot.com/2016/12/homegrown-shadowbox-art.html"><span style="color: magenta;"><b>The Opposite of Indifference</b></span></a></span><span style="color: purple;"> </span></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><span style="color: purple;">for hosting Poetry Friday this week!</span></i><span style="color: purple;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">* * * * *</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: purple;">With
a little over a week to go before Christmas, life has been a crazy whirl of holiday
programs, concerts, parties, and shopping (the wrapping will commence soon☺).
School will be OUT in just a few days, so in honor of the upcoming break
from all things scholarly, I am sharing a few math poems that I wrote. I’ve posted
about math poetry previously (click </span><a href="http://www.beckyshillington.com/search/label/Math%20Poems"><b><span style="color: magenta;">here</span></b></a><span style="color: purple;"> for more on this fun poetic format),
and these holiday-themed poems were particularly fun to write!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Since
many Poetry Friday participants are also children’s writers, I also want to
share a wonderful new contest with you all. My friend and critique buddy Tara
Luebbe has launched <b>Writing with the Stars</b> this week, a (free) contest that
will match 16 aspiring picture book writers/illustrators with 16 published
professionals. Mentorships are available for authors, illustrators, AND author/illustrators,
and here is the AMAZINGLY TALENTED list of participating mentors:</span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Camille
Andros<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Vanessa
Brantley-Newton<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Megan
Bryant<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Pam
Calvert<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Marcie
Colleen<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Paul
Czajak<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Katie
Duffield<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Beth
Ferry<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Laura
Gehl<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Melissa
Iwai<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Stacy
McAnulty<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Peter
McCleery<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Penny
Parker Klostermann<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>Lori
Richmond<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b>DJ
Steinberg<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><b>Andrea
Zuill</b></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">(I
am seriously in awe of this list!!)<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: purple;">These
talented picture book professionals are volunteering their time and will each
choose one very lucky person to work with for a three month period. For more
about <b>Writing with the Stars</b>, visit Tara’s website </span><a href="http://beckytarabooks.com/contest/"><b><span style="color: magenta;">here</span></b></a><span style="color: purple;"> and checkout the
Twitter buzz at </span><a href="https://twitter.com/search?src=typd&q=%23PB%20WWTS"><b><span style="color: magenta;">#PB WWTS</span></b></a><span style="color: purple;">. Applications will be accepted January 13-16 and I
will post an interview with Tara the first week in January. In the meantime, follow Tara on Twitter </span><a href="https://twitter.com/t_luebbe"><b><span style="color: magenta;">@t_luebbe</span></b></a><span style="color: purple;"> and read </span><a href="https://johnelldewitt.com/2016/12/05/interview-with-new-author-tara-cattie-luebbe-and-mentor-contest-announced/"><b><span style="color: magenta;">this</span></b></a><span style="color: purple;"> fabulous interview with Tara by Johnell Dewitt!</span></span></span><br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Enjoy
these crazy December days, have a wonderful weekend, and Happy Writing!</span></div>
Becky Shillingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18185515854304384764noreply@blogger.com28tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6425699691615371137.post-10082396135301171262016-12-01T21:12:00.000-05:002016-12-01T21:13:15.519-05:00POETRY FRIDAY: Celebrating Haiku with Bob Raczka’s SANTA CLAUSES<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: purple;"><i><span style="color: purple;">Thanks to Bridget at </span><a href="http://www.bridgetmagee.com/weewordsforweeones.html"><span style="color: magenta;"><b>Wee Words for Wee Ones</b></span></a><span style="color: purple;"> for hosting
Poetry Friday this week!</span></i><span style="color: purple;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: purple;">A few years ago I read
about Bob Raczka’s book SANTA CLAUSES on another writer’s Poetry Friday post
and had to buy a copy for myself. I was definitely not disappointed—this delightful book
gives young readers a peek into the hectic life of Santa and Mrs. Claus as they
prepare for Christmas. Beginning on December 1, each day is
chronicled with a haiku, and the separate poems combine to tell a bigger story
that ends on Christmas day. It is a wonderful concept and I look forward to
sharing the book with young poets this holiday season!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: purple;">The idea of telling a
bigger story through multiple haiku poems is intriguing to me. Haiku is one of
my favorite types of poetry because it presents so many opportunities for the
creative mind to play. Its simplicity can be deceiving—some of the most
profound poetry I have come across has been written in haiku.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: purple;">For Poetry Friday this
week I have written my own December haiku, just for fun:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: purple;">Have a wonderful
weekend, and happy writing! </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
Becky Shillingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18185515854304384764noreply@blogger.com27tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6425699691615371137.post-2907365454681481652016-10-21T09:26:00.001-04:002016-10-21T10:04:04.950-04:00Great Writing Resources and Robert Louis Stevenson's poem "Autumn Fires"<div class="MsoNormal">
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<i style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: purple;">Thanks to Tricia at </span><b><span style="color: magenta;"><a href="http://missrumphiuseffect.blogspot.com/2016/10/poetry-friday-is-here-today.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: magenta;">The Miss Rumphius Effect</span></a> </span></b><span style="color: purple;">for hosting Poetry
Friday this week!</span></span></i><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Fall is here at last! Cooler weather has finally
arrived, and I am so glad—it was a long, hot summer here in South Carolina! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">To help celebrate my favorite season, I thought I
would share a few writers' resources that I have found helpful over
the last few months.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple;">First off is my friend Johnell Dewitt’s new website:
</span><span style="color: magenta;"><span style="color: magenta;"><b><a href="http://www.johnelldewitt.com/"><span style="color: magenta;">www.johnelldewitt.com</span></a></b></span></span><span style="color: purple;">. Of particular
interest to writers are her interviews with literary agents Rick
Richter and Rubin Pfeffer, and her posts about storyboarding and proofreading. These
were all helpful to me, and I look forward to reading more from Johnell in the
future. I can tell already that this site will be one I visit often!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple;">Another writing friend introduced me to ALL THE
WONDERS this summer. This site has it all—book reviews, podcasts, crafts, and more. Author and children's librarian Matthew Winner’s podcasts are especially helpful and insightful! </span><a href="http://www.allthewonders.com/"><span style="color: magenta;"><b>www.allthewonders.com</b></span></a><span style="color: purple;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple;">And although this one requires a paid subscription, I
want to encourage any aspiring picture book writers to consider
joining Julie Hedlund’s 12 x 12 Picture Book Challenge in 2017. My blog has
been super quiet this year, but this is because I have been so immersed in
writing and revising picture book manuscripts. I have found a fabulous critique
group through 12 x 12, participated in helpful webinars, and been creatively
challenged (this is an understatement). This investment in my writing career has definitely been worth it! </span><a href="http://www.12x12challenge.com/"><span style="color: magenta;"><b>www.12x12challenge.com</b></span></a><span style="color: purple;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I will share more links soon, but wanted to
highlight these today!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">For my <b>Poetry Friday</b> post this week I decided to share one of
my favorite poems about fall, “Autumn Fires” by Scottish poet Robert Louis
Stevenson. The smell of autumn is definitely in the air around here!</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple;"><b>Autumn Fires</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><b><i>by Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894)</i></b></span></div>
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In the other gardens</div>
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And all up the vale,</div>
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From the autumn bonfires</div>
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See the smoke trail!</div>
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Pleasant summer over</div>
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And all the summer flowers,</div>
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The red fire blazes,</div>
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The grey smoke towers. </div>
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Sing a song of seasons! </div>
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Something bright in all! </div>
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Flowers in the summer, </div>
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Fires in the fall!</div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt;">Have a wonderful fall weekend, and Happy Writing!</span></div>
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Becky Shillingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18185515854304384764noreply@blogger.com18tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6425699691615371137.post-23683258546829959822016-06-02T20:12:00.004-04:002016-06-03T11:51:21.015-04:00POETRY FRIDAY: The Swing by Robert Louis Stevenson<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 28px;"><i><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: purple;">Thanks to Jone at </span><a href="https://maclibrary.wordpress.com/2016/06/02/poetry-friday-welcome-all-poems-poets-and-lovers-of-poetry/" target="_blank"><span style="color: magenta;"><b>Check it Out</b></span></a></span><span style="color: purple;"> for hosting Poetry Friday this week!</span></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: purple;">Life
has been on fast forward since I last posted—the many activities of May swooped
down and pecked up the minutes, and the days flew by. School is out now and my
boys and I are settling in for a nice, long, slow summer. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: purple;">For
my jump back into Poetry Friday this week, I decided to share one of my
favorite summer poems. Swinging was one of my favorite things to do as a child,
and <i>The Swing</i> by Robert Louis Stevenson
captures every bit of the free-flying feeling that I remember so well.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="color: purple; font-size: large;">The Swing<br />by Robert Louis Stevenson (1850-1894)<br /><br />How do you like to go up in a swing, <br /> Up in the air so blue? <br />Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing <br /> Ever a child can do! <br /><br />Up in the air and over the wall, <br /> Till I can see so wide, <br />Rivers and trees and cattle and all <br /> Over the countryside— <br /><br />Till I look down on the garden green, <br /> Down on the roof so brown— <br />Up in the air I go flying again, <br /> Up in the air and down!</span></b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: purple;">Unfortunately,
I won’t be doing much swinging this summer; last weekend on the first night of
a long-planned camping trip to the D.C. area, I stepped in a hole and ended up
in the ER. My husband and boys refused to go into the city without me, so we
came home the next day. Now I am relegated to a nice, comfy chair for the next
several weeks, and am looking forward to having more focused writing
time than I've had in a long time (yes, I am desperately searching for the
silver lining here!).</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Wishing
you all a happy (and safe) summer!</span></div>
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Becky Shillingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18185515854304384764noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6425699691615371137.post-90484253935976928032016-04-22T16:46:00.001-04:002016-04-22T17:02:59.767-04:00POETRY FRIDAY: Celebrating National Poetry Month and Shakespeare's Birthday<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><i><span style="color: purple;">Thanks to Jama at </span><a href="https://jamarattigan.com/2016/04/21/laura-shovans-last-fifth-grade-of-emerson-elementary-poetry-friday-roundup/#more-18569" target="_blank"><span style="color: magenta;"><b>Jama's Alphabet Soup</b></span></a><span style="color: purple;"> for hosting Poetry Friday this week!</span></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><i><span style="color: purple;">* * * * *</span></i></span></span></div>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Happy National Poetry Month! I</span><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"> cannot believe that I have not posted since February! I have been hyper focused on writing and revising in 2016 and
have not posted as regularly as I would like to. I am thankful for those of you
who stick with me and read when I do post. ☺</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: purple;">I
could not let April slip by without recognizing </span><a href="https://www.poets.org/national-poetry-month/home" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: magenta;">National Poetry Month</span></b></a><span style="color: purple;">! Founded
in 1996 by the Academy of American Poets, National Poetry Month celebrates the
importance of poetry in our country. Schools, libraries, book sellers,
publishers, poets, and readers all join in the fun with programs and
events celebrated each year during the month of April.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: purple;">Yesterday I spent time with some wonderful 5</span><sup style="color: purple;">th</sup><span style="color: purple;"> graders, talking about
different poetic forms and celebrating </span><a href="https://www.poets.org/national-poetry-month/poem-your-pocket-day" target="_blank"><span style="color: magenta;"><b>Poem in Your Pocket Day</b></span></a><span style="color: purple;">. By the end of the workshops, each student had chosen a poem to carry
in his or her pocket and share with family and friends, and everyone was hard at work creating his or
her own poem. A favorite again this year were book spine poems (to read more
about this poetic format, click </span><a href="http://www.beckyshillington.com/search/label/book%20spine%20poetry" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: magenta;">here</span></b></a><span style="color: purple;">). Next week I will be leading a poetry
workshop with some kindergartners—I especially love sharing the magic of poetry
with very young learners!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Since
tomorrow (April 23) is William Shakespeare’s 452<sup>nd</sup> birthday, I am
sharing one of his poems for my Poetry Friday post today. I hope you enjoy
it!</span></span></div>
<br /><div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: large;"><b>A Fairy Song</b></span></div>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b><div style="text-align: center;">
<i>by William Shakespeare (1564-1616)</i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Over hill, over dale, </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Thorough bush, thorough brier, </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Over park, over pale,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Thorough flood, thorough fire! </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I do wander everywhere, </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Swifter than the moon's sphere; </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
And I serve the Fairy Queen, </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
To dew her orbs upon the green; </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The cowslips tall her pensioners be; </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
In their gold coats spots you see; </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Those be rubies, fairy favours; </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
In those freckles live their savours; </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I must go seek some dewdrops here, </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
And hang a pearl in every cowslip's ear.</div>
</b></span><br />
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb5UjKSlAqQG5Lii0D06tWKkGUZpqd5SWTbZ2JJCxqLnfWF8kS4PdzABwgdE1vjMG1ZZrgrjaDjM1Js-wKKS36gtWWEmj_lPWIen7AhrYpl3coUKus8hY2YtpgIGgVfnLHm41gXxC5Z4Fa/s1600/animated-fairy-image-0093.gif" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb5UjKSlAqQG5Lii0D06tWKkGUZpqd5SWTbZ2JJCxqLnfWF8kS4PdzABwgdE1vjMG1ZZrgrjaDjM1Js-wKKS36gtWWEmj_lPWIen7AhrYpl3coUKus8hY2YtpgIGgVfnLHm41gXxC5Z4Fa/s1600/animated-fairy-image-0093.gif" /></a></span></div>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Happy
National Poetry Month! Have a great weekend, and Happy Writing!</span>Becky Shillingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18185515854304384764noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6425699691615371137.post-19816905629959663182016-02-25T22:15:00.002-05:002016-04-24T23:16:24.263-04:00POETRY FRIDAY: Celebrating Henry Wadsworth Longfellow<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: left;">
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><i><span style="color: purple;">Thank you to </span><a href="http://elizabethsteinglass.com/blog/" target="_blank"><span style="color: magenta;"><b>Liz Steinglass</b></span></a><span style="color: purple;"> for hosting Poetry Friday this week!</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">* * * * *</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">I
have been busy writing and revising lately, and it has been way too long since
I’ve posted. But I wanted to jump back into Poetry Friday this week to talk
about American poet</span><b style="color: purple; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"> </span></b><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Henry
Wadsworth Longfellow, who was born on February 27, 1807.</span></div>
</div>
</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilJOwBDEoHXR8YGnkoNs9qBoEsplrykaAyz3-RxHV6aQChFekiWMBz167lk-dc7Bss91Ndv6PctwaVpoVizq0SFyR2Wte7E9H65AENVLOZhvE1tcF_0o4He5qyMuY54XQm2biRuGpxPD3l/s1600/Longfellow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilJOwBDEoHXR8YGnkoNs9qBoEsplrykaAyz3-RxHV6aQChFekiWMBz167lk-dc7Bss91Ndv6PctwaVpoVizq0SFyR2Wte7E9H65AENVLOZhvE1tcF_0o4He5qyMuY54XQm2biRuGpxPD3l/s1600/Longfellow.jpg" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: purple;">Longfellow
is the author of many well-loved poems, including one of the first poems I ever
memorized as a child:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: purple;"><br /></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: purple;">There Was a Little Girl<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: purple;"><i>by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807-1882)</i><o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: purple;">There was a little girl,<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: purple;"> Who
had a little curl,<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: purple;">Right in the middle of her forehead.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: purple;"> When
she was good,<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: purple;"> She
was very good indeed,<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: purple;"><b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;">But when she was bad she was horrid.</span></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Lon</span></span><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">gfellow also wrote another one of my favorite poems, </span><i style="color: purple; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">The Landlord’s Tale. Paul Revere’s Ride</i><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">,
which I read every year to my third graders when I was a teacher. Although not 100% historically accurate, the narrative of the poem captures the urgency and spirit of this moment in America's collective consciousness. The cadence
and atmosphere is spectacular, and it is always such a joy to read
aloud. Here is the opening stanza:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: purple;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: purple;">The Landlord's Tale. Paul Revere's Ride<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: purple;">by
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–1882)<o:p></o:p></span></span></i></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: purple;">Listen my children, and you shall hear<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: purple;">Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere,<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: purple;">On the eighteenth of April, in
Seventy-five;<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: purple;">Hardly a man is now alive<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: purple;">Who remembers that famous day and year.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: purple;">He said to his friend, "If the
British march<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: purple;">By land or sea from the town to-night,<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: purple;">Hang a lantern aloft in the belfry arch<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: purple;">Of the North Church tower as a signal
light,—<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: purple;">One, if by land, and two, if by sea;<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: purple;">And I on the opposite shore will be,<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: purple;">Ready to ride and spread the alarm<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: purple;">Through every Middlesex village and
farm,<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: purple;">For the country folk to be up and to
arm."<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: purple;">To read the rest of this poem, click
</span><a href="http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/173903" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: magenta;">here</span></b></a><span style="color: purple;">. <span style="font-size: 14pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></i></div>
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<br />
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">Thanks
for stopping by to celebrate Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s birthday tomorrow!
Have a wonderful weekend, and happy writing!</span></div>
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Becky Shillingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18185515854304384764noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6425699691615371137.post-82126220906095351412016-02-01T12:26:00.001-05:002016-03-25T19:51:41.298-04:00Reading, Writing, and Revising <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><span style="color: purple;">So far it’s been very quiet on my blog in 2016, but that's because I've had lots of exciting things going on. I took the plunge and joined the 2106 </span><a href="http://12x12challenge.com/"><b><span style="color: magenta;">12 x 12 Challenge</span></b></a><span style="color: purple;">, and am *LOVING* it! If you're unfamiliar with 12 x 12, it is a community of picture book writers who motivate and support each other in our goals of writing 12 picture book drafts in 12 months. 12 x 12 was founded by author Julie Hedlund and 2016 is its 5th year. In January I wrote two new picture book drafts and revised another I’ve been working on for a long time. I’ve attended two great webinars and am looking forward to another fabulous one tomorrow. And yesterday I posted the first 250 words of a PB for critique (this made me very nervous!).</span></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXO5UUlbA8joGWUCNbce97wnb6iy_3FMynpXsZAHB1Lqv2OKOOjcGvKzlxJ0Vu9zf9VnPm9dl19BIeiPhr1tvnXzug4PmpK5IKK99krrxGxMAUKM8VQGGNzUrn4POc6uIzyvuojDWrHCJZ/s1600/12+x+12+new+badge.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="209" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXO5UUlbA8joGWUCNbce97wnb6iy_3FMynpXsZAHB1Lqv2OKOOjcGvKzlxJ0Vu9zf9VnPm9dl19BIeiPhr1tvnXzug4PmpK5IKK99krrxGxMAUKM8VQGGNzUrn4POc6uIzyvuojDWrHCJZ/s320/12+x+12+new+badge.png" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">In January I also joined a local SCBWI critique group that, although new to me, is established has some incredibly talented writers and illustrators. And I’m also participating in a “Read 1000 Picture Books in 2016” challenge. Here is what my dining room table looks like right now:</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWH_4tmPnzCaC02g7seSuirGiomgEl8OOK6P1VInArG1al33lm3JxCSOFaT_Rb8J5vWlLKYLAZIJSXsUBv0xme_P6yAiUg3l_qdiZDpxh7F3x6GedU4T9hYVCLd3d53XkhBwyhT16JNZNW/s1600/books.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWH_4tmPnzCaC02g7seSuirGiomgEl8OOK6P1VInArG1al33lm3JxCSOFaT_Rb8J5vWlLKYLAZIJSXsUBv0xme_P6yAiUg3l_qdiZDpxh7F3x6GedU4T9hYVCLd3d53XkhBwyhT16JNZNW/s320/books.jpg" width="320" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;"><br />So far my favorite picture books have been the 2016 Newbery and Caldecott winners, which I bought last week. The Newbery winner this year is a picture book, which is remarkable since most years the award is presented to a middle grade novel. <i>Last Stop on Market Street</i> was written by Matt de la Peña and illustrated by Christian Robinson. This year's Caldecott winner, <i>Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear</i>, was illustrated by Sophie Blackall and written by Lindsay Mattick. Both winners are AMAZING picture books with heartwarming stories and several "layers"—wonderful reads for both kids and adults. I can’t believe I had not read either book until last week. I will do much better in 2016!</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: large;">I’d love to hear what your favorite picture books are. Please comment below if you’d like to share. Have a wonderful February, and Happy Writing!</span></div>
Becky Shillingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18185515854304384764noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6425699691615371137.post-19324308571000142732015-12-31T19:00:00.000-05:002015-12-31T19:05:33.215-05:00Happy 2016!<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 21.4667px;"><span style="color: purple;">Thanks to Mary Lee at </span><a href="http://readingyear.blogspot.com/2015/12/poetry-friday-roundup-is-here.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: magenta;"><b>A Year of Reading</b></span></a><span style="color: purple;"> f</span><span style="color: purple;">or hosting </span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<i style="color: purple; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 21.4667px;">2016's </i><i style="color: purple; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 21.4667px;">first Poetry Friday Roundup! </i></div>
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<i style="color: purple; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 21.4667px;">* * * * *</i></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">2015 was an interesting year. I traveled to
France and St. Lucia in the winter and spring, negotiated my first book
contract over the summer, embarked upon an editing frenzy, ushered in my boys' teen years in October, and then learned that my publisher was closing in
November. As the emotional dust settled following this news, I found myself in
a strange place—no longer tied to deadlines and pre-publishing tasks, I
suddenly had a lot more time on my hands. </span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Because the holidays were imminent,
this extra time turned out to be a huge blessing, and I enjoyed the most
stress-free holiday season that I can remember, proving that—surprisingly—even this
particular cloud had a silver lining. </span><span style="color: purple; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">I’m not sure what 2016 will bring, but I am excited
to see. This publishing journey is one filled with ups and downs, and MANY twists
and turns (a lot like a great book, actually).</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Because it is Poetry Friday, I'm sharing Robert Burns' <i>Auld Lang Syne</i> today. I hope you enjoy it!</span></div>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b></b></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><b>Auld Lang Syne</b></span><br />
<b style="color: purple; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="font-size: large;"><i>by Robert Burns (1759-1796)</i></span></b></div>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>
</b></span>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">Should auld acquaintance be forgot,</span></b></span></div>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>
</b></span>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><span style="font-size: large;">And never brought to mind?</span></b></span></div>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">Should auld acquaintance be forgot,</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">And auld lang syne.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">For auld lang syne, my jo,</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">For auld lang syne,</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">We'll tak a cup o' kindness yet,</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;">For auld lang syne...</span></div>
</b></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;"><i><br /></i></span>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;"><i>To
read the rest of </i>Auld Lang Syne<i> (and a wonderful history) click </i></span><a href="http://www.scotland.org/features/the-history-and-words-of-auld-lang-syne/" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic;" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: magenta;">here</span></b></a><span style="color: purple; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; font-style: italic;">. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple;">Happy New Year! May your 2016 be
a year filled with JOY. HEALTH, and FUN!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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Becky Shillingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18185515854304384764noreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6425699691615371137.post-9321343300054868912015-12-04T10:42:00.002-05:002015-12-08T18:58:38.135-05:00POETRY FRIDAY: “Snowball” by Shel Silverstein<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 115%; text-align: center; text-indent: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%; text-indent: 0in;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><i><span style="color: purple;">Thanks to Buffy at </span><a href="http://buffysilverman.com/blog/?p=873" target="_blank"><span style="color: magenta;"><b>Buffy's Blog</b></span></a><span style="color: purple;"> for hosting Poetry Friday
today!</span></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">* * * * *</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: purple;">As I’ve </span><a href="http://www.beckyshillington.com/2014/04/poetry-friday-celebrating-shel.html" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: magenta;">mentioned before</span></b></a><span style="color: purple;">, Shel
Silverstein is one of my all-time favorite poets. He had a knack for creating
poetry that is smart, engaging, and entertaining—three of the “must haves” for
kids’ poetry, in my opinion. <o:p></o:p></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I love all of Silverstein’s poetry,
but the poem I am sharing today is extra special because when I taught third grade, one of my students wrote it out on a piece of paper and gave it to me. He
loved it and he knew that I would, too. This touched me so much that I’ve held
onto it for 15 years. When I came across it a few weeks ago, I knew I needed to
share it for a winter Poetry Friday post. I hope it makes you smile today! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Snowball<br /><i>
by Shel Silverstein (1930-1999)</i></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br />
</span></span></b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>I made myself a snow
ball as perfect as could be.<br />
I thought I'd keep it as a pet and let it sleep with me.<br />
I made it some pajamas and a pillow for it's head.<br />
Then, last night it ran away.<br />
But first -- it wet the bed.</b></span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Thanks, Alex, wherever you are!☺ Have a wonderful weekend, everyone, and Happy Writing!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;">
</span></span>Becky Shillingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18185515854304384764noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6425699691615371137.post-23358933323922595692015-11-19T16:32:00.000-05:002015-11-20T05:12:59.497-05:00POETRY FRIDAY: Words of Hope from Emily Dickinson<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: purple;"><i><span style="color: purple;"><span style="color: purple;">Thanks to Tricia at </span><a href="http://missrumphiuseffect.blogspot.com/2015/11/poetry-friday-is-my-november-guest.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: magenta;"><b>The Miss Rumphius Effect</b></span></a></span><span style="color: purple;"> for hosting Poetry Friday this week!</span></i></span></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: purple;">* * * * *</span></span></span></div>
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: purple;">This
has been a difficult week. A few days ago I received the news that Sunscribe
Publishers, the company I signed a 3-book contract with, is closing, which
means that my books will not be published anytime soon. My publisher, who has
poured so much of her time, talent, and energy into creating Sunscribe, is facing an unexpected and devastating medical diagnosis, and in the interest of
her health is closing her fledgling company. </span></span></span><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">I appreciate all of the time she has spent helping me edit
and polish my manuscripts, and it is my hope and
prayer that she will beat this disease and come through the battle stronger
than ever. (You can read the company's announcement </span><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><a href="http://sunscribe.net/" style="font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 21.4667px;" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: magenta;">here</span></b></a><span style="color: purple;">.)</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Looking
forward, I know what I need to do—start submitting my books again. It feels strange and a bit scary to be back at
square one, but I have been here before and know the drill. My favorite part of
the submission process was always having “tiny pieces of hope” floating around
out there in the world. So I’m holding tightly to hope right now, for my former publisher and for my books. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">One
of my favorite poems by Emily Dickinson is about hope, so I decided to share it
for Poetry Friday this week. It is a wonderful reminder that, no matter how
stormy life gets, HOPE is our faithful friend.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>“Hope”
is the thing with feathers <o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><i>by
Emily Dickinson (1830-1886)</i><o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>“Hope”
is the thing with feathers -<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>That
perches in the soul -<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>And
sings the tune without the words -<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>And
never stops - at all -<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>And
sweetest - in the Gale - is heard -<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>And
sore must be the storm -<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>That
could abash the little Bird<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>That
kept so many warm -<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>I’ve
heard it in the chillest land -<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>And
on the strangest Sea -<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>Yet
- never - in Extremity,<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b>It
asked a crumb - of me.</b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">I hope you all have
a wonderful weekend, and Happy Writing!</span>Becky Shillingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18185515854304384764noreply@blogger.com16tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6425699691615371137.post-30450794040478394982015-11-12T22:27:00.006-05:002015-11-12T22:35:00.133-05:00POETRY FRIDAY: Saluting Our Veterans<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><i><span style="color: purple;">Thank you to Bridget at </span><a href="http://weewordsforweeones.blogspot.com/2015/11/never-fear-poetry-friday-round-up-is.html" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: magenta;">wee words for wee ones</span></b></a><span style="color: purple;"> for hosting Poetry Friday this week!</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">* * * * *</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">On our way to school Wednesday morning, my boys and
I had a great discussion about Veterans Day and the true meaning behind the
holiday. When I was growing up, we always had Veterans Day off of school. I
remember talking about this at school each year, and recall the teachers
emphasizing that Veterans Day is a special day to honor those who fought for our freedoms. It is sad
to me that this is no longer a school holiday (at least where I live), but I am
somewhat mollified each year when my boys come home and share how they observed
the holiday at school.<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: purple;">In honor of Veterans Day, I am sharing a poem by
American poet Joyce Kilmer, “Prayer of a Soldier in France.” This poem is
especially poignant because Kilmer was killed in France during WWII at age 31. (For more posts about Joyce Kilmer, click </span><a href="http://www.beckyshillington.com/2013/03/poetry-friday-happy-easter.html" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: magenta;">here</span></b></a><span style="color: purple;"> and </span><b><a href="http://www.beckyshillington.com/2013/04/poetry-friday-celebrating-earth-day.html" style="color: magenta;" target="_blank">here</a><span style="color: purple;">.)</span></b></span></span></div>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"></span></span><br />
<div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Prayer
of a Soldier in France</span></b><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
<b>by Joyce Kilmer</b><br />
<!--[endif]--><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></div>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></span>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">My
shoulders ache beneath my pack<br />
(Lie easier, Cross, upon His back).<br />
<br />
I march with feet that burn and smart<br />
(Tread, Holy Feet, upon my heart).<br />
<br />
Men shout at me who may not speak<br />
(They scourged Thy back and smote Thy cheek).<br />
<br />
I may not lift a hand to clear<br />
My eyes of salty drops that sear.<br />
<br />
(Then shall my fickle soul forget<br />
Thy Agony of Bloody Sweat?)<br />
<br />
My rifle hand is stiff and numb<br />
(From Thy pierced palm red rivers come).<br />
<br />
Lord, Thou didst suffer more for me<br />
Than all the hosts of land and sea.<br />
<br />
So let me render back again<br />
This millionth of Thy gift. Amen.</span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></span></span></div>
</div>
<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJLa4M4owMbXHEiPJgtC1Y9_IgEW1Rn5wYoAck5kxNDkA42HaP7gv7dyWfCuvVrBzTnwW2hLKOlu_eK74Fmn1H4hDs2FL4Qr9ev7O6x2cH9t-n3iljjVsYnnnezKrvE-2TqWdjhKAsULc3/s1600/joyce-kilmer-448.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="208" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJLa4M4owMbXHEiPJgtC1Y9_IgEW1Rn5wYoAck5kxNDkA42HaP7gv7dyWfCuvVrBzTnwW2hLKOlu_eK74Fmn1H4hDs2FL4Qr9ev7O6x2cH9t-n3iljjVsYnnnezKrvE-2TqWdjhKAsULc3/s320/joyce-kilmer-448.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="font-weight: bold; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">I
hope your Veterans Day week was reflective and meaningful. Enjoy your weekend,
and Happy Writing!</span></div>
</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple;">* * * * *</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i><span style="color: purple;">Interesting Veterans Day fact: The correct spelling
of this holiday is “Veterans Day” with no apostrophe. Since I am nit-picky about
apostrophe usage, I looked this up. Here is the explanation from the </span><a href="http://www.va.gov/opa/vetsday/vetday_faq.asp" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: magenta;">website</span></b></a><span style="color: purple;"> of
the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs:</span></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , "serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><i><b>Veterans Day does not include an apostrophe but does
include an "s" at the end of "veterans" because it is not a
day that "belongs" to veterans, it is a day for honoring all
veterans. </b></i></span></span></div>
Becky Shillingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18185515854304384764noreply@blogger.com22tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6425699691615371137.post-49548445515927157442015-11-10T14:02:00.003-05:002015-11-10T14:05:35.833-05:00SUNSHINE at last!<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">I am normally someone
who enjoys cool, rainy fall days—it’s the perfect weather for settling in and
getting some writing done, and encourages me to stay inside and work. However, after
days and DAYS of rain, I am so happy to see the sun shining today!</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"></span></span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmYQi2_MtomXfodKKED6m_EWGDS7TJxpp7SDdXiicQP8HuXsdbbUokYO3abcHUwj4AiGb7AUYGJYM8DHRnY9tZyAizyWOjPdKdtfipdAJkq1Kw3OHg6evHV3dfdTAUjJOKsQfWHwtopFLl/s1600/SUN1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmYQi2_MtomXfodKKED6m_EWGDS7TJxpp7SDdXiicQP8HuXsdbbUokYO3abcHUwj4AiGb7AUYGJYM8DHRnY9tZyAizyWOjPdKdtfipdAJkq1Kw3OHg6evHV3dfdTAUjJOKsQfWHwtopFLl/s320/SUN1.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: purple; font-size: small;">There's some sunshine, and even some blue sky. We really hit the jackpot today!</span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">I love the leaves in
the fall, especially with sunlight filtering through, and with a stretch of several
cool, SUNNY days in our upcoming forecast, I am looking forward to getting
outside and catching up on my Vitamin D. </span><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">I </span><i style="color: purple; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">have</i><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;">
gotten quite a bit of writing-related work accomplished over the last few weeks, though. What is your “perfect
weather” for making progress with your writing, completing projects, or just staying
focused and on task ? I am interesting in hearing what others have to say, so
please share in the comments below!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: purple;">I have another reason
for celebrating today aside from the beautiful weather—I just found out that my
poem “Monster Bash” was one of the Best Descriptive/Mood Piece winners in Susanna
Leonard Hill’s Halloweensie contest, which I posted about on </span><a href="http://www.beckyshillington.com/2015/10/poetry-friday-monster-bash.html" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: magenta;">October 30th</span></b></a><span style="color: purple;">!
Thank you so much, Susanna! For a list of all the winners, including the outstanding
top 10 (who won AMAZING PRIZES!!!), please check out Susanna’s post </span><a href="http://susannahill.blogspot.com/2015/11/2015-halloweensie-contest-winners.html" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: magenta;">here</span></b></a><span style="color: purple;">. </span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;"><span style="color: purple;"><br /></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 150%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: "times" , "times new roman" , serif;">Have a wonderful week everyone, and Happy Writing! </span><span style="font-family: "times new roman" , serif;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
Becky Shillingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18185515854304384764noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6425699691615371137.post-1363399963386429972015-10-15T17:05:00.003-04:002015-10-16T08:04:39.741-04:00POETRY FRIDAY: Fall Poetry by My Childhood Self<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><span style="color: purple;">Thank you to Amy at </span><a href="http://www.poemfarm.amylv.com/2015/10/come-one-come-all-poetry-friday-is-here.html" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: magenta;">The Poem Farm</span></b></a><span style="color: purple;"> </span></i></span></span><i style="color: purple; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">for hosting Poetry Friday this week!</i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">* * * * *</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I
have missed participating in Poetry Friday lately! I am happy to be back and thought it would be fun to share some poems I came across this week. </span></span><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Fall
has always been my favorite season—even when I was very young, I loved the
cooler temperatures, the beautiful leaves, and the anticipation of winter’s
cozy embrace.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">This
week as I was reading through some poems I wrote growing up, I was tickled
to realize how many I came across that were about fall. I don’t know if this
was due to the fact that my teachers had more creative instruction time in
autumn as opposed to spring’s annual round of standardized testing and
end-of-year field trips, or if it was because I just liked writing poetry about
fall. Whatever the reason, it was fun to go back and read what I’d written so
long ago!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Here
are a few of the poems that I found. When I typed them, I did edit for
punctuation—proving that we will always have the urge to go back and edit
our work, even over 30 years later! <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Here
is one I wrote in about third or fourth grade (and yes, I grew up with the name "Becky Bookout"</span></span><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 18.6667px; line-height: 21.4667px;">☺</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">):</span></span> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh60BWUdkFwOCxrd6ItDSvQBcpmrSK-4SaZMUieAigVjbmlZZjy6P3-14IU22e36cQRme79Qvy0IBDsMTUbqy87-GEb1wwiV4PgwVMbkyT9YlswDXhV3Y5tFQQ6_fUYgklG8AdkvUfOmrE/s1600/fallpoem3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgh60BWUdkFwOCxrd6ItDSvQBcpmrSK-4SaZMUieAigVjbmlZZjy6P3-14IU22e36cQRme79Qvy0IBDsMTUbqy87-GEb1wwiV4PgwVMbkyT9YlswDXhV3Y5tFQQ6_fUYgklG8AdkvUfOmrE/s640/fallpoem3.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;"><b>Fall</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Fall
is here,<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Winter
is near.<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>The
weather is cool,<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>We
go back to school.<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>The
leaves are falling,<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Winter
is calling.<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>As
red, gold, and brown<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Leaves
fall all around.</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">And
here is another, written about the same time:<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicQRdCHp1hGt7b-Dh99NJ3n69uNh1jlSBPz0RecHZ15mr-i3364f7WYlLyLpn01z-hwAaV_2jXM4z04myes23DPVEkDNSwgKCNi1uE1VEu4CplOtKwBvO0boAvSGwvTt6RkJTRfX0OLFUl/s1600/fallpoem2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicQRdCHp1hGt7b-Dh99NJ3n69uNh1jlSBPz0RecHZ15mr-i3364f7WYlLyLpn01z-hwAaV_2jXM4z04myes23DPVEkDNSwgKCNi1uE1VEu4CplOtKwBvO0boAvSGwvTt6RkJTRfX0OLFUl/s640/fallpoem2.jpg" width="360" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Halloween<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Halloween
is coming soon,<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Halloween,
with a bright full moon.<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Ghosts
and goblins<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Everywhere
in sight.<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>And
jack-o-lanterns glowing<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Brightly
in the night.<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Halloween
is coming soon,<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Halloween,
with a bright full moon.<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Witches
flying<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Through
the air,<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>On
magic broomsticks<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Everywhere!</b><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">This
last one is from second grade, I believe. <o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Fall<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b><br /></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Fall
is nice.<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>There’s
a nice cool breeze<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>As
we play in the leaves.<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>Winter
is on its way,<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><b>And
it’s almost Halloween day.<o:p></o:p></b></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Do you have any of the poems you wrote as a child? If so, please feel free to share in the comments below. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple; font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">Thanks
for taking this autumn stroll down memory lane with me! Have a wonderful weekend,
and Happy Writing!</span></span></div>
Becky Shillingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18185515854304384764noreply@blogger.com26tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6425699691615371137.post-76490316073702461292015-10-10T10:37:00.001-04:002015-10-10T10:37:45.470-04:00Rain, Rain, Go Away<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">I have always enjoyed
rainy days. I love the muted colors of an overcast day (especially in autumn),
the cool lift of the air that accompanies a storm, and the quieter feel of
rainy mornings and afternoons. There is actually a word for someone who likes
rainy days; according to urbandictionary.com, a </span><b style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">pluviophile </b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">is </span><b style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">a lover of
rain; someone who finds joy and peace of mind during rainy days</b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">. I was
happy to find this definition a few years ago!</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">But the rain this
morning is a double-edged sword. After last weekend’s historic flooding in
South Carolina, today's rain is not a welcome sight. Although the rain has effectively
ended our recent drought, it has caused a glut of new issues. Many bridges are
still out, much of the state is under flood watches through tonight, and already-swollen
rivers continue to rise and rise. Although my area thankfully came through last weekend relatively unscathed, I am so sad for our neighbors to the south in
Columbia, Charleston, and all of the other areas affected by this wet
weather.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple;">I have heard such
tragic stories this week—and I am sure you have, too, if you’ve watched the news
at all. But in the midst of all the BAD, there has been a lot of GOOD. This
week my boys’ middle school collected cases of water to send via the
Red Cross to the affected areas, and one of my sons' teachers left to serve as a National Guardsman in the affected areas (what a wonderful example for our young men and women!). Donation centers have overflowed with
offerings for flood victims. And the </span><a href="http://www.sportingnews.com/ncaa-football/story/2015-10-09/lsu-giving-south-carolina-warm-welcome-amid-flooding-devastation" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: magenta;">welcome that USC is receiving in Baton Rouge for the Gamecocks vs. LSU Tigers game today</span></b></a> <span style="color: purple;">is touching and profound. Who
would’ve thought?</span></span><span style="color: purple;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple;">Since I haven’t posted
in awhile, I decided that this rainy Saturday morning would be a great time to
jump back in and post a link for anyone interested in helping flood victims in
SC. The South Carolina Emergency Management Division’s website has information
about how to donate, as well as a link to a list of most-needed items (click
</span><a href="http://www.scemd.org/recovery-section/donations-and-volunteers" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: magenta;">here</span></b></a> <span style="color: purple;">for more information). </span></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">I will have some
exciting writing-related news to share very soon! Enjoy your weekend, stay dry,
and Happy Writing! </span></div>
Becky Shillingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18185515854304384764noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6425699691615371137.post-40908794177274172712015-09-22T09:20:00.001-04:002015-09-22T09:20:51.315-04:00Eric Whitacre's Musical Rendition of Goodnight Moon<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple;">I am a huge fan of modern classical composer/conductor/musician
Eric Whitacre. His music is beautiful and ethereal, and listening to his compositions
can be as captivating and soothing as getting lost in a really good book.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple;">One of my favorite pieces by Whitacre is his musical rendition of Margaret
Wise Brown’s children’s classic, <i>Goodnight
Moon</i>, from his 2012 CD <i>Water Night.</i> When my boys were little, we read this book every single night. My
memories of <i>Goodnight Moon</i> are
intertwined with recollections of baby kisses, nighttime cuddles, and the
simple sweetness of my boys as infants and toddlers. The text of the book soars
with the melody and wraps the listener in an amazing blend of music, words, and
(in my case) poignant memories. It is simply beautiful!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple;">Please check out Whitacre's website </span><a href="http://ericwhitacre.com/music-catalog/satb-choral/goodnight-moon" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: magenta;">here</span></b></a><span style="color: purple;">, where he talks about reading <i>Goodnight Moon </i>to his own young son. And here's a</span></span><span style="color: purple; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">n excerpt of </span><i style="color: purple; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Goodnight Moon</i><span style="color: purple; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">, performed by Whitacre's wife, soprano Hila Pitmann. I hope
you enjoy it as much as I have.☺</span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Have a great week, and Happy Writing!</span></div>
Becky Shillingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18185515854304384764noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6425699691615371137.post-32083968927679826542015-09-04T09:01:00.000-04:002015-09-04T09:04:32.982-04:00POETRY FRIDAY: A Poem for September<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><i><span style="color: purple;">Thanks
to Linda at </span><a href="http://www.teacherdance.org/2015/09/poetry-friday-welcome.html" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: magenta;">Teacher Dance</span></b></a><span style="color: purple;"> for hosting Poetry Friday today!</span></i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple;"><i><br /></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple;">*
* * * *<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple;">Autumn is my favorite season. Although it is still HOT here in South Carolina, I can
see glimpses of fall in the yellowing leaves and occasional cool breezes. On the sports fields around town, soccer and football players hone their skills and the coaches’ whistles mingle with the scent of freshly mown fields. I am
eagerly anticipating a visit to my favorite apple orchard, </span><a href="http://skytoporchard.com/" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: magenta;">Sky Top</span></b></a><span style="color: purple;"> near Hendersonville, NC, where apple picking is
already in full swing. And although our summer was wonderful, I am really, *really* looking forward to saying goodbye to temperatures in the 90s.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; line-height: 115%;"><span style="color: purple;">For
Poetry Friday today, I am sharing a poem I wrote at my son’s soccer practice
last week. I hope you enjoy it!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: purple;">September<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: purple;">by Becky Shillington<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<br /></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: purple;">Summer’s deep green slowly ripens to gold.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: purple;">Mornings are cooler,<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: purple;">Nights come sooner,<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: purple;">And the sky blooms autumn blue.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: purple;"><br /></span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: purple;">Whistles and shouts echo across fields,<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: purple;">School bells ring in a new year of
learning,<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: purple;">And apples and pumpkins pop up
everywhere.<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: purple;"><br /></span></span></b>
<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: purple;">Bands march under Friday night lights
and<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: purple;">Life hunkers down for the season ahead,<o:p></o:p></span></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: purple;">As fall shouts, “Ready or not, here I
come!”</span></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: purple;"><i>poem and photo </i></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><span style="color: purple;">©</span></span><i style="color: purple;">2015 by Becky Shillington </i></span></div>
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<i style="color: purple;"><br /></i></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Also,
I am happy to share some exciting writing news: I’ve started a column called “Word
Play” for a local magazine, </span><i style="color: purple; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">YC Parenting</i><span style="color: purple; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">.
</span><a href="http://specialsections.heraldonline.com/SS/Page.aspx?secid=154131&pagenum=30&sstarg=&facing=false&" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: magenta;">Here</span></b></a><span style="color: purple; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"> is the link to my first column, if you’d like to check it out, and </span><a href="http://specialsections.heraldonline.com/SS/Page.aspx?sstarg=&facing=false&secid=154131&pagenum=16" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;" target="_blank"><b><span style="color: magenta;">here</span></b></a><span style="color: purple;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;"> is
a link to an article on stretching with children that I also wrote for this issue. I am enjoying this new challenge and looking forward to writing more
for my wonderful editor/creative director </span><span style="font-size: 18.6666660308838px; line-height: 21.4666652679443px;">extraordinaire</span><span style="font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">! ☺</span></span></span></div>
</div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt; line-height: 115%;">Have
a happy Labor Day weekend, and Happy Writing!</span>Becky Shillingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18185515854304384764noreply@blogger.com24tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6425699691615371137.post-59149616789872583892015-08-21T09:41:00.001-04:002015-08-21T09:41:17.698-04:00POETRY FRIDAY: A Haiku for Back to School<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 18.6666660308838px;"><i><span style="color: purple;">Thanks to Catherine at </span><b><span style="color: magenta;"><a href="https://readingtothecore.wordpress.com/2015/08/20/the-poetry-friday-round-up/" target="_blank"><span style="color: magenta;">Reading to the Core</span></a> </span></b><span style="color: purple;">for hosting Poetry Friday today</span></i></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="font-size: 18.6666660308838px;">*****</span></span></div>
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;">This
summer brought a whirlwind of travel and fun for our family—we camped at the
mountains and the lake, spent time with family and friends, and finished our
“summer tour” with a quick trip to Charleston last week.</span><br />
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<span style="color: purple; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif;"><i>One of the sweet turtles at the SC Aquarium's sea turtle rescue</i></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: purple;">But
on Monday, our summer officially ended and my boys went back to school.
Although it is hard for me to believe, they are now in the seventh grade!</span></span><span style="color: purple; font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: purple;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHneFGPBxh6bx37sQhUqxXf_ajtTnmFk8_R75Q5e9t3WdvxKo8FBhESnosRltoAy22LXh6UsLa615AOWLodvm5N1kRGgGMNxxdntAr82_mvbWh2u0S-ALPqB_qVyoSF-DzVyauNFpIKFHR/s1600/IMG_4975.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHneFGPBxh6bx37sQhUqxXf_ajtTnmFk8_R75Q5e9t3WdvxKo8FBhESnosRltoAy22LXh6UsLa615AOWLodvm5N1kRGgGMNxxdntAr82_mvbWh2u0S-ALPqB_qVyoSF-DzVyauNFpIKFHR/s320/IMG_4975.JPG" width="240" /></a></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif";"><span style="color: purple;"><i>My boys on the first day of school</i></span></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: purple;"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><span style="color: purple;">To
celebrate back to school, I am sharing a haiku for Poetry Friday today.
Wherever you are, enjoy your last few weeks of summer, and Happy Writing!<o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><b><span style="color: purple;">Lazy
summer days<o:p></o:p></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><b><span style="color: purple;">Collide
with early mornings</span></b></span></div>
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<b style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 14pt;"><span style="color: purple;">No
more sleeping in</span></b></div>
Becky Shillingtonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18185515854304384764noreply@blogger.com6