Live Your Poem...

A Polka Dot Poem

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Latham) — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 09:30:00 +0000

Irene & Charles
Maynard Public Library

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Heidi at my juicy little universe for Roundup. (Next week's Roundup will be here! Hooray!)

You're invited to view my final Tuesday 2-Minute Writing Tip for the 2026 edition of the series, #35 "How I've Changed as a Writing Teacher." Thanks for your support!

Charles & Irene (photo by
Cathy Stenquist)

What a lovely time at Maynard Book Festival! So many thanks to the people who organized, volunteered, and attended! We heard some wonderful poems from a young patron. :) Special thanks to Mark Malcolm (the King of Kazoos!), the Maynard Public Library, and to Christie, Cindy, and Cathy for their hospitality (not a big enough word for all the ways they made our trip special and comfortable. mwah!). Charles and I couldn't be more grateful. There were many highlights of our weekend, but one that stands out is our walk with Cathy around Walden Pond. Time in nature is everything!

Tonight is the book launch for Some Starry Night. Hooray!

It's been fun (and emotional!) hearing from readers their responses to this, my first novel for adults. Here's a new graphic I made, in case you're wondering if this book is for you. It includes the following endorsement:

"With her poetic voice, Irene Latham delivers a dreamy and engaging read in Some Starry Night. Offering deep research, lyrical writing, and emotional resonance, this story reminds us that it's never too late to risk it all for love." - Julie Cantrell, New York Times bestselling author of Perennials

You can still enter the Goodreads Giveaway through April 30. Good luck!

Today's ArtSpeak: WOMEN features Yayoi Kusama from the Harper's Bazaar list of most influential women artists. Kusama is known as "the Polkadot Princess," because she often uses polka dots en masse to create an experience of feeling insignificant as individuals and interconnectedness to others and the universe.

Polkadot trees. Polkadot lights. And on and on! If you want to learn more about Yayoi Kusama and her work, please view this (short) video. Excellent!

Kusama's penchant for polkadots made me think of Rebecca Kai Dotlich, who loves them too! So I reached out to Rebecca and asked her to choose the last line of the poem—without showing her the first lines. :) Here are the choices I gave Rebecca:

the whole world is a polkadot – even you.

she was a polkadot, and so are you!

Paint isn't what makes a polkadot. The polkadot is you!

And here's where we landed. Enjoy!

Polka Dots

for Rebecca Kai Dotlich

There was a poet
who loved polka dots:
on dresses and purses,
cows and horses!
She polka-dotted plates.
She polka-dotted chairs.
But sported polka dots
in her hair. She polka-dotted
trees, sky and moon—
until there were no more stars,
no more leaves.
Instead? All polka dots!
Until one day she polka-dotted
her tongue, cheeks and knees.
She coughed polka dots
and laughed polka dots.
My friends, she wheezed!
And that's when she knew:
she was a polka dot,
and so are you.

- Irene Latham

p.s. this poem has a rhythm and whimsy similar to one of my most favorite children's poems: "Knitted Things" by Karla Kuskin.

I Brake for Butterflies + Giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Latham) — Fri, 10 Apr 2026 10:30:00 +0000

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Jone Rush MacCulloch for Roundup.

SO MUCH GOODNESS in our community this National Poetry Month. Hooray!

You're invited to view Tuesday 2-Minute Writing Tip 34, "What is Poetry?" It features one of my favorite poetry writing tools. Thanks for your support!

Today I'm away from my desk, en route to Maynard, Massachusetts, where Charles Waters and I will be sharing about our poetry anthologies at Maynard Book Festival. We're excited to re-connect with children's poet and librarian Mark Malcolm, whom we first met at Boyds Mills, the retreat center formerly known as Highlights. We're also super-excited to be meeting up with other Boyds Mills poets, Cindy Greene and Cathy Steinquist. You never know what will happen when poets get together! :)

My first novel for adults Some Starry Night releases next Tuesday! To celebrate, you're invited to enter a Goodreads giveaway—we're offering 3 signed copies of the book! Please share with others you think may be interested in reading about Vincent van Gogh & Emily Dickinson meeting in 1886 Paris. Good luck!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Some Starry Night

by Irene Latham

Giveaway ends April 30, 2026.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter Giveaway

Today's ArtSpeak: WOMEN features a piece by Helen Frankenthaler. She was influenced by Abstract Impressionism, but she did her own thing: a soak-stain technique that created a luminosity to her work. I love it! I found quite a few I'd like to write after. Again, titles matter. Here, I've selected an "untitled" piece so I could focus on my own emotional reaction to the piece. No doubt this poem was also influenced by this article about monarch butterflies being on the edge of extinction. ...and the reality of my driving experience. Thanks so much for reading!

I brake for butterflies

too often not fast

enough—

wings crash / against glass

I break

for butterflies

- Irene Latham

Stitch (a Picture Book!) Like an Egyptian with Dahlia Hamza Constantine

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Latham) — Fri, 03 Apr 2026 10:30:00 +0000

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Matt at Radio, Rhythm, and Rhyme for Roundup.

Click here to view this week's Tuesday 2-Minute Writing Tip 33 "What is Success (for Writers)."

Also I blogged over at Smack Dab in the Middle about writing identity & the kindness of readers...like YOU!

Today I'm excited to welcome to Live Your Poem Dahlia Hamza Constantine, my dear friend and co-author of A GOOD MORNING FOR GIDDO (illus. by Basma Hosam, Nancy Paulsen Books) which releases next Tuesday, April 7. Don't miss this post where I blogged about Dahlia and me and this book earlier this year!

Y'all, we sold this book back in 2021, so it's so, so lovely to see it finally in print. It's my gazillionth time to work with editor Stacey Barney, which makes me feel like the luckiest girl in the world! And this is Dahlia's debut book, so I want her to have all the experiences!

As is the tradition here at Live Your Poem, I've invited Dahlia to respond to 4 simple prompts inspired by Fresh Delicious: Poems from the Farmers' Market (illus. by Mique Moriuchi, WordSong)—which releases next week in paperback!! Which means new life for an old (2016) project! And makes me super-happy to imagine these fruit-n-veggie-love-imaginative-poems finding new readers. Hooray!

You will also find some asides from me below in pink. Thanks so much for reading!

FRESH

Dahlia at Mamaj restaurant (which
was a palace from 1469)
DHC: The freshest part of writing A Good Morning for Giddo was realizing… oh, we’re really writing this together.

I had never written fiction collaboratively before, and suddenly I was inside a shared Google Doc with Irene - building Somaya and Giddo’s world line by line.

There was so much laughter. [IL: Dahlia has a magical, musical laugh. Joy joy joy!]

We were writing scenes like Somaya racing through the market, clutching her secret stitching, determined to get to the tentmakers… while Giddo gently slows her down—“Today is a day to savor being alive.” And somehow, that became our process too. We would rush toward an idea, then pause, linger, reshape it, laugh, and begin again.

It never felt solitary. It felt like walking through the market together—turning corners, discovering something new each time. [IL: Exactly. There were so many surprises, so many connections between the two of us and between us and our story! And Poetry Friends: these two sentences are exactly what I'm after whenever I write or read a poem...turning corners, discovering something new...]

DIFFICULT

DHC: Picture books are tiny… and completely unforgiving. [Truth!]

The hardest part of writing Giddo was getting the language exactly right—so it could carry all that sensory richness in just a few words.

old Cairo market

We wanted you to hear the market—the old love songs on the radios, the chorus of voices, the call to prayer. We wanted you to smell the fava beans in lemony olive oil, the jasmine in the air. We wanted you to feel Somaya’s urgency and Giddo’s steady, anchoring presence.

And that meant every single word mattered.

There were times when Irene and I would try twenty different words for one line. Not exaggerating. Twenty.

It was meticulous. It was a little absurd.

And we laughed the whole time. [A word we (apparently) love? Shimmer. Shimmered. Shimmery. We had too many of these in the story, and Stacey asked us to revise...which led to, you guessed it, shimmery laughter!]

DELICIOUS

DHC: The delicious part is that moment when everything finally clicks.

When a line like “even the Sphinx smiles” lands just right. When the rhythm of “good morning with roses… and jasmine… and sunshine” begins to echo through the book like a song. When Somaya’s journey—from rushing ahead to slowing down—feels complete.

Because this book is so sensory, those moments felt immersive. We weren’t just writing the market—we were inside it, wandering past the tentmakers, the ink sellers, the tea, the music, the shimmer of fabric and abalone shells. [shimmer! Big smile!]

And then I went back.

the light in the market

I’ve been to the old market in Cairo twice since writing the book, and both times I felt it—I wasn’t just myself anymore. I was Somaya, noticing everything with fresh eyes, feeling the story layered over the real place. [I LOVE imagining Dahlia/Somaya at the market! I wish I could go! It has been many, many years since I was in Cairo, but y'all I can still smell it!]

But honestly? The most delicious part was working with Irene.

That shared delight in getting it just right—that was the magic. [Aw, big blushy thanks. And: Yes! It was delicious and delightful working with Dahlia. Did I mention JOY? And MAGIC!]

ANYTHING ELSE

DHC: At its heart, this book is about slowing down. [Children need this message. *I* need this message!]

Somaya begins the story rushing—we must get to the tentmakers!—and ends by saying, “I like it when we take our time.”

That shift feels very true to the writing process, too.

chairs with abalone inlay

We thought we were writing a simple story about a morning in the market. But what we were really doing was learning how to pause, notice, listen, and let the story unfold at its own pace.

Also, if you ever find yourself debating twenty words for a single sentence… just know you’re in excellent company.

And maybe—just maybe—you’re getting close. [Can you tell Dahlia is a former teacher?? I have learned so much from her (and not just about storytelling!]

Thank you, dear Dahlia, and thank you, readers, with roses and jasmine and sunshine!

Thanks also to Dahlia's mom, Sawsan Hamza, who was so generous in checking the accuracy of everything and gifted me an authentic piece from the Tentmakers of Cairo! So so special!

And now, today's ArtSpeak: WOMEN poem. Next up on the Harper's Bazaar list is assemblage artist Betye Saar—another new-to-me artist! I was instantly drawn to her piece entitled "Anticipation," as it brought up for me some conflicting thoughts I've had about mindfulness and living in the present moment, namely that our instruction is not to be in the past or the future. But sometimes I really LOVE anticipation. Sometimes the anticipation is better than the actual thing! Or at least amplifies the thing. I don't know. I have found much more peace in my life by letting go of expectations, for sure. At the same time, I still enjoy the buzzy feeling of anticipation and am trying to focus on it (rather than sliding into worry or scripting something that will never actually happen and only lead to disappointment!).

For Your Information

Yes, anticipation is participation
in expectation—
For some, a celebration.
For others, an abomination.
My observation?
Anticipation is best
as pollination—

appreciation (not hyperventilation)
leads to more exhilaration,
less perspiration,
and (sometimes) intoxication
spiked with growing realization.
So. Won't you accept
this invitation
to take a vacation
from self-flagellation?
Give your anticipation
a standing ovation. Yes?

Yes! Congratulations!

- Irene Latham

Celebrating TWILIGHT with Marcie Flinchum Atkins!

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Latham) — Fri, 27 Mar 2026 10:30:00 +0000

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Marcie for a WHEN TWILIGHT COMES Poetry Friday Roundup! It's an enchanting bit of loveliness, according to the starred Kirkus review. Of course it is; Marcie wrote it! I can't wait to get my copy in the mail.

Quick announcement: this week's Tuesday 2-Minute Writing Tip 32 "The Truth about Book Awards" shares some thoughts from my experience serving on multiple book award committees over the past decade. Enjoy!

When Marcie asked us all to flood the internet with images and poems about twilight, I immediately searched my computer files. I found some "twilight" poems, but even more "dusk" poems! Apparently, my poet-brain prefers "dusk."

That discovery sent me on an internet search to find the difference between twilight and dusk. (Spoiler: dusk is simply one phase of twilight, defined by the degree to which the sun has set!)

Then I searched my own files again for "sunrise" and "sunset" and found quite a few of both. Here's a small sampling.

Poem Found in a Ditch at Dusk

Twilight Time

Impression (of a Sunrise)

Alabama Sunrise Trinet

Recipe for a Sunset

(Elephant) Dust Bath at Dusk (from Dear Wandering Wildebeest: And Other Poems from the Watering Hole by Irene Latham, illus. by Anna Wadham)

(Elephant) Dust Bath at Dusk

Dust Bath at Dusk

Trunks become
dust hoses,
beasts strike poses

and preen in silhouette
created by the late,
hazy screen.

Soon skin
is powdered
in a red-grit shower

that banishes bugs
and becomes next day's
sunscreen.

One final
wallow,
one last trumpet--

all clean!

- Irene Latham

"How to Catch a Poem" (featuring dusk-y fireflies and found in The Proper Way to Meet a Hedgehog: And Other How-To Poems selected by Paul B. Janeczko, illus. by Richard Jones). Confession: this is a favorite of my own poems!

How to Catch a Poem

Step into the trees

on a summer night —

follow starshine

and cricketsong.

Be still, keep quiet;

watch for the flicker.

(No chasing,

let it come to you.)

Reach. Hold it in the safe

cave of your fingers

until the wings tickle.

Marvel at the glow

then

let it go.

- Irene Latham

---

AND I decided to write a new twilight poem for this week's ArtSpeak: WOMEN...only it morphed as poems do...and again with "dusk!"

The art is by abstract expressionist Joan Mitchell. I wanted to play with punctuation and repetition. Once again, I used the title of the piece (Blue Tree) as my jumping-off place. Thanks so much for reading!

Mama Tree Teaches Little Tree / the Color of Time

See / Little Tree?

Dawn tree / pink tree

Noon tree / green tree

Dusk tree / blue tree

Sweet dreams / Little Tree!

- Irene Latham

Poetry + Art = Some Starry Night by Irene Latham

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Latham) — Fri, 20 Mar 2026 10:30:00 +0000

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Tanita S. Davis for Roundup.

First: this week's Tuesday 2-Minute Writing Tip 31 is all about Writers & AI. Find out how I'm using AI, and how I'm not.

Second: I'm thrilled to be teaching another poetry webinar over at Inked Voices! Last year I tackled punctuation in poetry. This year I'm talking about one of my most favorite elements of poetry: surprise! Join me to learn "8 Ways to Wake Up Your Poetry: How to Create Surprise, Tension & the Unexpected Inevitable." Monday, April 27, 2026, 3 pm CST. Click to register.

I'll also be offering a limited number of poetry consultations in conjunction with this offering. So, if you need encouragement and/or feedback, I'm excited to help.

Third: My first novel for adults is coming next month from Historium Press! It's a blend of history and imagination that explores the lives of Vincent van Gogh and Emily Dickinson and answers the question: What—or who—inspired The Starry Night?

Y'all, I have long wanted to write a big, bittersweet love story...and now I have! I loved communing with Emily and Vincent.

That question you've heard about your ideal dinner party? Emily and Vincent are certainly at the top of my guest list! And this book is all about me exploring how a chance meeting between these two brilliant souls might change their art, their lives, and...US. It includes poems, letters, history, magic, mystery...and did I mention I loved writing it? I also got to write some poems for the book in the style of Emily Dickinson.. a whole series called "The Paris Poems by Emily Dickinson." More on this soon!

For a limited time, the publisher is running a pre-order special on the e-book: 99 cents! I really, really hope you like it.

Finally, my ArtSpeak: WOMEN piece this week features a Warhol-esque piece by Elaine Sturtevant. (I'm still working my way through the Harper's Bazaar list of women artists!) Sturtevant was known for her repetitions, particularly of Warhol's work. That got me thinking about repetition in nature, repetition in gardening, van Gogh's repetition in his art, and repetition in poetry...and then I had to stop! Because there are worlds within those worlds, and my get-to-do list is long. So I stopped myself at two (love!) poems, which I offer to you today. Thanks so much for reading.

May garden

the way my heart flares each time

I remember you

- Irene Latham

Repetitions

Ten thousand—

That’s how many times

a child mounts a bike

when learning to ride

A gardener in Hawaii

may plant ten thousand

hibiscus

to unify a garden

Your favorite artist paints

the same sky

ten thousand times

without moving on

No wonder

I whisper I love you

ten thousand times each day,

knowing ten thousand

will never be

enough.

- Irene Latham

In the Grip of the Ice by Doraine Bennett GIVEAWAY

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Latham) — Fri, 13 Mar 2026 10:30:00 +0000

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Linda at TeacherDance for Roundup.

This week's Tuesday 2-Minute Writing Tip 30 is for fiction writers, about leaning into fear when you're creating a plot. I hope you find it useful!

And now I'm excited to welcome my dear friend Doraine Bennett to the blog to respond to some simple prompts as they apply to her brand-new verse novel In the Grip of the Ice (Bandersnatch Books, 2026).

What's it about?

According to Kirkus: "A teenage stowaway records the disastrous course of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s 1914-1917 Antarctic expedition."

Here's the blurb I provided after reading the ARC: "Stow away for a few hours in these pages to experience a dark, frozen world that—thanks to Bennett's deep research and vivid poetic voice—radiates warmth, humanity, and hope."

*Leave a comment below to be entered to win a signed copy of the book! Entries open thru 11:59 pm Monday March 16. Winner announced here on the blog Friday March 20!

I remember Doraine reading snippets of this work in progress years ago, so it's especially fun to see it now in book format, soon to be in readers' hands! Here's the opening poem:

Welcome, Doraine!

FRESH

DB: This manuscript has languished for a long time, collecting digital dust in a virtual drawer. I discovered Bandersnatch Books in the summer of 2024 when they sent out a call for submissions. They specialize in books that are a little off the beaten path—stories traditional publishers often don’t have room or time for—and they are especially interested in works that bridge the reading space between middle grade and young adult.

In January of 2025, I received word that they wanted to publish my book. For a while it felt like a dream. Bandersnatch is a small press that publishes only five books a year, so I was absolutely thrilled.

When Shackleton’s ship, Endurance, was discovered beneath the ice of the Weddell Sea in 2022, interest in the expedition—and in Shackleton’s remarkable leadership that ultimately brought every man home—was reignited around the world. The wreck was found nearly 10,000 feet below the surface, less than two miles from the location the ship’s navigator, Frank Worsley, had recorded when it sank 107 years earlier.

More than a hundred years later, the story still has the power to capture our imagination. My book returns to that remarkable expedition through the voice of the young stowaway who secretly climbed aboard the Endurance—a nineteen-year-old who had no idea he was stepping into one of the greatest survival stories ever told.

DIFFICULT

DB: The most difficult aspect of writing In the Grip of the Ice was piecing together the journey from the journals the men left behind. Every story has many angles of vision. Each man recorded what he saw and felt in the moment, and those perspectives don’t always align neatly. The events remain the same, but the story bends slightly depending on whose voice is telling it.

Doraine's office wall while trying
to make sense of the story.

Some men wrote about the brutal cold. Others about the work of hauling sledges. Still others about the strange routines that developed as the ship drifted in the ice for months—reading aloud, playing games, writing letters home that might never be sent.

My task was to gather all of those voices and wrangle them into a single, coherent narrative while still honoring the human experience inside the journals.

DELICIOUS

DB: Poetry is delicious. It compresses language until every word has flavor. A single image can carry the weight of an entire scene.

When I began writing In the Grip of the Ice, I discovered that poetry was the best way to hold the fragments I found in the journals of Shackleton’s crew. Verse allowed me to distill moments—the groaning of the ice, the endless drift, the uncertainty of survival—into something that could carry both the event and the emotion of the men living through it.

Poetry also has a unique ability to enter the inner landscape of a character. In a few lines, it can hold fear, hope, loneliness, or courage, and invite the reader to imagine not just what happened, but what it might have felt like to stand on that vast Antarctic ice.

There was another reason poetry felt right for this story. Shackleton himself often recited poetry to encourage his men during the darkest stretches of the expedition. Telling the story in verse felt like honoring that small but powerful thread running through their journey.

ANYTHING ELSE

DB: I love reading aloud, so sharing a few of these poems brought me so much delight when friends organized a launch party earlier this week. It was just so much fun! Poetry really does come alive when it’s spoken. Hearing the rhythm of the lines and feeling the pauses land in a room full of people made the story feel new again, even to me.

After spending so many years quietly working on the manuscript, it was a joy to hear the words spoken aloud and shared with others. For a moment, it felt as if the long journey of this book had finally found its voice.

Thank you, Doraine!! Y'all, don't miss this book. It's special!

For my ArtSpeak: WOMEN poem, I've chosen from the Harper's Bazaar list another new-to-me artist, Leonora Carrington. Her work is surreal, wildly imaginative, and, okay, odd. But that's what's so cool about it! I was instantly drawn into this piece from the title alone: And Then We Met the Daughter of the Minotaur. A story is happening! What is that story? It could be so many things! I highly recommend the great (short) video here from MoMA (where the piece resides).

Also, I needed a refresher on mythical creatures. Minotaur = half human/half bull. Centaur = half human/half horse. I always get those confused!

AND...I've been thinking a lot about how this life journey is much less about acquiring things and much more about letting things go—shaving away all the not-you things until you become just yourself, and nothing else. Thanks so much for reading!

And Then We Saw the Daughter of the Minotaur

She sat like a queen woken
from a dream of flying.

Her father may have been defeated,
but that didn't stop her

from dressing in a crimson gown,
unleashing a sky full of bubbles.

You must learn to let go, she said.
Let your feelings rise like magic bubbles

then POP!
See them shimmer, disappear.

- Irene Latham

Desert Rain poems

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Latham) — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 11:30:00 +0000

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Karen Edmisten for Roundup.

You're invited to view Tuesday 2-Minute Writing Tip 29: Small Steps Lead to Big Writing. I hope you find the message useful!

I also shared some poems over at Smack Dab in the Middle, an Invitation to Bravery for Writers. Courage comes in all sizes and seasons...

What a thrill for Charles & me to be featured on Book Breaks video series for For the Win: Poems About Phenomenal Athletes. It was fun sharing poems from the book about LeBron James (by JaNay Brown-Wood) and Eileen Gu (by Nancy Tupper Ling), in honor of her recent Olympics medals! Kaylyn Farneth has created such a special series for teachers sharing booko-love... be sure to get to know her!

Today's ArtSpeak: WOMEN features work by another new-to-me artist: Agnes Martin. I am intrigued by abstract work, which feels so mysterious to me! I lean heavily on titles of the works to help me find meaning. I instantly loved the "feeling" of "Desert Rain." Stark, yes, but also full of promise...so much unseen! It carried me to Death Valley National Park, which I have long wanted to visit in the springtime, to catch the wildflower season. 2026 is predicted to be a "superbloom" year! I wrote two poems -- one a trinet, the other a failed haiku. (Too many syllables!) Thanks so much for reading.

Trinet After Drought

Desert rain,

what winds

blew you across these mountains today?

I wish I could catch you,

carry you

like a

bride's bouquet.

- Irene Latham

Gift

Rain, forever swift of heart,

waits until mountains are sleeping

to ride in on a brisk wind

& surprise desert with flowers

-Irene Latham

p.s. I read somewhere recently (where??) that "swift of heart" doesn't mean "fast." It means "to be fully committed." I love that!!

Sports and Spiders!

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Latham) — Fri, 27 Feb 2026 11:30:00 +0000

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Margaret at Reflections on the Teche for Roundup.

This week's Tuesday 2-Minute Writing Tip 28 "Contracts, Not Handshakes" touches upon the business side of writing and includes a real-life cautionary tale.

Next Tuesday (March 3, 2026) is the release date for For the Win: Poems Celebrating Phenomenal Athletes, poems selected by Irene Latham and Charles Waters, brought to us by the good folks at Carolrhoda/Lerner Publishing Group.

Y'all, I am not a sports person. (POETRY is my sport!) This anthology was Charles' idea, and I, pretty much always being up for a challenge, said yes!

I do love sports stories and athlete stories (and the Olympics!), which are so like creator-stories, all full of dreams and training and setbacks and inspiration and achievement...and I love how this book showcases moments from ALL of it, not just the glory days.

So much gratitude to the following poets—and the athletes!—who were a dream to work with:

Jaime Adoff - Mookie Betts

Lacresha Berry - A’ja Wilson

Jay Brazeau - Connor McDavid

JaNay Brown-Wood - LeBron James

Tanita S. Davis - Simone Biles

Mariana Dominé - Lionel Messi

Naaz Khan - Aprar Hassan

Irene Latham - Nelly Korda

Nancy Tupper Ling - Eileen Gu

Guadalupe García McCall - Juan Soto

Edna Cabcabin Moran - Roman Reigns

Darius Phelps - Patrick Mahomes

Glenis Redmond- Coco Gauff

Kim Rogers - Keenan Allen (Lumbee)

René Saldaña - Ronald Acuña, Jr.

Laura Shovan and Leah Henderson - Sophia Smith

Sarah Grace Tuttle - Jessica Long

Charles Waters - Jalen Hurts

Kao Kalia Yang - Suni Lee

If I were really on top of things, I might have coordinated my ArtSpeak: WOMEN poem this week with For the Win and gone with a sports theme. But, that's not how my creativity rolls (at least not this week :)!

Today's poem is inspired by a new-to-me artist from the Harper's Bazaar list: Louise Bourgeois. What a fascinating person! Learn more about Louise and the piece I selected, titled "Maman." Louise used her art to face her fears, a theme that came into my poem.

Again, if I were really on top of things, this piece would have been perfect for my interview earlier this month with Shannon Bramer, who shared about her "Dollhouse Spiders." Alas. But the beauty of ye ol' internet is one can revisit old posts, so yay! Thanks so much for reading.

Today my friend Louise placed me

in the center of the world

No more shadows for you, she said, and stroked my head
with her sculptor-fingers. Show them your tenderness,
your mender-heart perched on dancer-legs.
Fear set my toes a-tremble. You want me to stitch for them,
to spin? Louise's smile came soft-sudden as sunshine

after snow. Let them look at you, she said.
Let them look at you until they can no longer look away.

- Irene Latham

A Palindrome Birthday

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Latham) — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 10:30:00 +0000

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Susan at Chicken Spaghetti for Roundup.

It's almost my birthday, and it's a palindrome year—55. (I keep thinking: "I can't drive 55.":) Hooray! And happy birthday to my birthday twin Ruth and the many other Poetry Friday friends who have birthdays this time of year.

In other news, Tuesday 2-Minute Writing Tip 27 is about "Writers Who Give Me Courage." I'm so grateful to so many writers, and in this episode I mention a few.

Who are the writers who give you courage??

Also, in honor of Year of the Fire Horse, I wanted to share a few "horse" poems from ye ol' blog:

Anatomy of a Horse

Wild Horse

When a Horse Writes a Poem

Before the Race

This week's ArtSpeak: WOMEN is after a piece by one of my favorite artists Frida Kahlo. A dream of mine is to visit the Frida Kahlo Museum (La Casa Azul) in Mexico City. After last week's poem about a newborn, this poem is about death. It's also a Golden Shovel, featuring watermelons and a quote from Frida's journal just a few days before her death. Normally I would steer clear of choosing a striking line with awkward ending-line words like "the" and "is." But it's Frida! And I love the quote. So I decided to roll with it. Thanks so much for reading.

Watermelon, you

are sweet, and I

am red with hunger and hope.

You crack yourself open while I fold into the

corner of wanting. Won't you show me the exit?

Teach me how to hold the sun when the day is

anything but joyful.

- Irene Latham

p.s. Question for the hive: Do you prefer the striking line to be in bold, or not?

Nightmare Jones by Shannon Bramer

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Latham) — Fri, 13 Feb 2026 11:30:00 +0000

Hello and welcome to Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Robyn at Life on the Deckle Edge for Roundup.

Quick question for the Poetry Friday community: are any of you accepting members in your poetry critique groups? Or do you know of groups who are accepting members? (Asking for a striving children's poet!) Please reply to my email irene (at) irenelatham (dot) com. Thank you!

Also: this week's Tuesday 2-Minute Writing Tip #26 is something I shared at Boyds Mills (Highlights) Poetry Palooza: a poem is a bird (not a birdcage). Click here to listen!

Today I'm excited to welcome Shannon Bramer to Live Your Poem! I fell in love with Shannon's work when I read her first book Climbing Shadows (illus. by Cindy Derby, House of Anansi/Groundswood Press, 2019). Read my blog post here. Shannon's voice is entirely her own, and her poems are full of surprises, which I love!

Shannon hails from Canada. She's also a mom and a playwright. She doesn't have a website (yet!). The illustrator Irene Luxbacher, who worked on Shannon's book Robot, Unicorn, Queen, inspired "Auntie Irene" (!!) in one of my favorite poems in Shannon's newest collection, Nightmare Jones, illus. by Cindy Derby, House of Anansi/Groundswood Press, 2025. The poem is called "Dollhouse Spiders."

poem by Shannon Bramer; illus. by Cindy Derby

Dollhouse Spiders

Aunt Irene is finer than fine;

she keeps them as pets.

A brown recluse; a few clowns —

a tirade of tiny bird spiders, a trickle

of starlight spiders going up

and down the stairs; Auntie Irene

listens to them, she hears their legs click

on the tiny windows, the woosh

of unraveling silk when they work

on their webs. At night there is

tinkling on the keys of the dollhouse

piano, the ghosts of gone spiders

in spindly shadows on the moonlit

walls. I shrink myself down to the size

of a spider at sleepovers

with Auntie I. We listen.

We love the splendid spider music.

- Shannon Bramer

Y'all: I am an "Auntie I" so of course I loved seeing my name featured in such a brilliant poem!

(Aside: have you read The Winter of the Dollhouse by Laura Amy Schlitz? Wonderful!!)

And now, please welcome Shannon Bramer! Find below her responses to four simple prompts inspired by my book Fresh Delicious: Poems from the Farmer's Market (coming in paperback April 7, 2026!), about her new book Nightmare Jones. Enjoy!

FRESH

Shannon Bramer

SB: I've been writing poems since I was eleven years old, and I remember vividly the wonder and anxiety of getting a fresh notebook, how natural and urgent it was for me to write, but also what came with it--a pang of stress, thinking about how my words might also somehow sully the perfect, empty pages of the new book. It is still that way for me today; writing poems can sometimes feel like treading on freshly fallen snow. I have a fear of the mess I might make on the undisturbed landscape, that what I might write might expose some mistake in my thinking, the flaws in my heart. At the same time, I have always felt comforted by the infinite patience of the empty page; knowing it would always be there for me, waiting, without judgment. Nightmare Jones is a book of poems that makes room for all the tension inside me as a writer and human being. I felt nervous and uncertain writing many of the poems in the book, facing some of my feelings and exploring childhood images, worries, and thoughts that have followed me into adulthood. But that was the point of it: it's all allowed--the joy, the play, the discomfort as well. It all belongs in poetry. When I wrote Nightmare Jones, I felt like a bus driver, pulling over at every stop and letting every strange character and complicated feeling I met in for the ride.

DIFFICULT

SB: I miss being in the world of Nightmare Jones. Badlonely, Auntie Irene, the wonderous mermaid-like creature Cindy Derby illuminated so perfectly for "If She Was a Monster"--all the characters in the book are so deeply lovable to me that I'm finding it challenging to move on to another project.

Cindy Derby is a puppeteer and has an extensive background in theatre; in Nightmare Jones, Cindy's illustrations are as mysterious and suggestive as a theatrical set. I have a little dream to bring Nightmare Jones to life on stage somehow; in my mind, I see enormous puppets, glittering monsters high up on stilts, and a child that is the boss of it all. The child pulls all the strings.

DELICIOUS

SB: Words are my favourite food...but when I'm not writing, I love cooking for my family. I love discovering a new recipe or digging up an old one, figuring out a change or adaptation I might make if I don't have all the ingredients on hand. I also enjoy dining out very much, especially lunch, because lunch reminds me of my grandmother, who took me out often on weekends when I visited her. One of my favourite things about visiting a restaurant is investigating the menu. A menu is such a gorgeous and revealing artifact. I delight in all the menus--the busy, sticky menus--the austere, elegant menus--because a menu is the table of contents of a restaurant, there is history in a menu, stories, and sometimes even lies (sorry, we used to offer that but we don't anymore!). When the idea for a restaurant in the underworld popped up in my mind for Nightmare Jones--I ran with it. The poem is simply entitled "Welcome to Persephone's" and it's where to go if you'd like some Hurt Thoughts Soda with Frozen Rosehips or some Deep-Fried Questions with Red Ripper Sauce. Someday I'd like to write an entire book of menu poems for imaginary restaurants. My eleven-year-old son is convinced my next book will be a "funny but poetic" cookbook (about pickles!?).

ANYTHING ELSE

SB:

yellow crab spider

Eight Legs: The Story of Dollhouse Spiders

I'm scared of spiders because I can feel them thinking.

I met a thumb-sized wolf spider one morning while making my bed in a small sleeping cabin in Northern Ontario, Canada. It's likely, or at least very possible, that the spider had been in bed with me all night.

I was writing and re-writing a poem called "Dollhouse Spiders" for a new book I had already titled Nightmare Jones. While I was writing I was thinking about my friend, Irene. I wanted someone to be with me inside that poem, so I chose her.

I shook the sheets to urge the wolf out of my bed, but I did not try to kill it. I let it go. (It might come back.)

kiddos with Irene Luxbacher

The name Irene is derived from the Greek word for peace. Auntie I is the brave teacher in each of our own hearts, the one who chooses curiosity and wonder over fear. Deep Underwater, by Irene Luxbacher, is about finding peace deep inside yourself. It's also how I found Auntie I.

You can be scared of something beautiful. You can be terrified. Sometimes you need someone beside you.

The elegant black spider, in that moment of emerging and being spotted by me, froze, as I did, and we saw each other.

Small Shannon

In the universe of Dollhouse Spiders the child is little Shanny (me!) and I choose my family. I choose a sleepover with Auntie I, who always makes me feel safe. We listen. We love the splendid spider music.

THANK YOU, SHANNON! Splendid spider music, indeed!

Y'all, don't miss Shannon's books. They are special!

Now for today's ArtSpeak: WOMEN. The next artist on the Harper's Bazaar list is Harlem Renaissance sculptor Augusta Savage. Her work is amazing! It would have been fun to write a poem today about a spider or a dollhouse, but when I looked at the online offerings of Augusta's work, I was drawn to her sculpture of a new baby. I'm lucky that my good friend Pat often shares pics of her two great-grandbabies (and two more on the way!), so I have the sweetness of infants often in my life!

Process notes: I started this poem as a tricube. I've written a lot of tricubes, and last week Amy LV at the Poem Farm urged us to Try Try Try a Tricube. But I needed more lines, so I let the poem break free from the tricube form (I was finding the baby in the stone, just like Augusta!). The tricube work did leave me with mostly 3-syllable lines and some enjambment that I really like: "you, my heart," so YAY! Thanks so much for reading.

To a Newborn

You've crash-
landed in a blue
universe

your cheeks—round
ears—perfect
seashells

your bright eyes
blink-blinking

when I hold
you, my heart
finds its orbit

o small Star,
welcome!
You are home!

-Irene Latham

Can Poems Fall in Love?

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Latham) — Fri, 06 Feb 2026 11:30:00 +0000

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Molly at Nix the Comfort Zone for Roundup.

Exciting news: next week Shannon Bramer will be here to talk about her book Nightmare Jones (illus. by Cindy Derby)!

For today I've got a new Tuesday 2-Minute Writing Tip for you...and it was inspired by a Mary Lee Hahn poem she shared on a Poetry Friday post last year. Thanks, Mary Lee!

It's February, which means hearts are everywhere! Perhaps that's why today's ArtSpeak: WOMEN poem is a love poem of sorts. It's also a color poem because I was stuck, so I pulled out my Sherwin-Williams color chip case. (Every poet should have one, yes?)

I "matched" colors with the colors on this gorgeous Georgia O'Keeffe piece, and voila! Thanks so much for reading.

On the Day This Poem Fell in Love

the world was briny,
cloudless

sky streaked with gaiety
and knockout orange

earth pulsing green vibes
tipped with the taste

of juneberry—
that free spirit of the forest—

and every canyon yawned
freshwater and rapture blue

- Irene Latham

Someday You Will Become a Swan poem

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Latham) — Fri, 30 Jan 2026 11:30:00 +0000

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Amy at The Poem Farm for Roundup.

This has been a big week! After weeks of reading and discussing and poem-shuffling, Charles and I made our final selections for our forthcoming anthology The Periodic Table of Poetry! It's a bittersweet thing, because while the YES emails are so happy and celebratory, it's hard to say NO to so many wonderful poems written by wonderful poets! Whatever email you got from us, we hope you know how much we appreciate you sharing your poetry with us. 💗

Congratulations to all the ALAYMA winners! I always love watching the live-stream, and this year was no exception. I keep my library request window open during the broadcast so I can order the books I missed right away.

If you write or read historical fiction, please check out the Tuesday 2-Minute Writing Tip 24: The Art of Informed Imagination. I talk about gaps in research, and how to fill them in!

This week's ArtSpeak: WOMEN features a piece by the third artist on the Harper's Bazaar list: Swedish artist and mystic Hilma af Klint. I love this piece. And I've been reading A LOT of Barbara Crooker poems lately, so no wonder this one has veered into the adult space. Thanks so much for reading!

Someday You Will Become a Swan

Didn’t I tell you?
No, because no one can
fathom the pond: peaceful,
yes. But all that endless
circling!

And feathers? You can't keep
them clean. It takes at least five
lifetimes to learn how to be
content
and another to understand
you're not beautiful
because everyone looks at you—

You only become beautiful
when you look at yourself
in waters muddy or sparkling,
rippled or still
and decide you love all of it:

the beauty and the mess,
the light and the dark,
the now
and everything
that brought you here.

- Irene Latham

A Good Morning for Giddo by Dahlia Constantine and Irene Latham

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Latham) — Fri, 23 Jan 2026 10:30:00 +0000

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Tabatha at The Opposite of Indifference for Roundup.

I invite you to check out your Tuesday 2-Minute Writing Tip 23 "3 More Mindset Shifts for Writers." You can find it and all the episodes in the series at my YouTube channel. More episodes coming!

Also: have you heard this call for funny poems? If you haven't yet met Eric Peterson, let me assure you that he's a good guy with a big heart and a love of children's poetry! Here's the flyer for his Open Call, and you can find out more at his website sillysociety.org.

Now for some book news! In addition to For the Win: Poems Celebrating Phenomenal Athletes, the third curated-by-Latham/Waters poetry anthology, I have another picture book collaboration coming this spring: A Good Morning for Giddo, written by Dahlia Hamza Constantine and Irene Latham, illustrations by Basma Hosam, coming from Nancy Paulsen Books/ Penguin Random House on April 7, 2026.

("Giddo" is how many Egyptian families refer to a grandfather.) The first review has dropped, from Kirkus, and it's a lovely one:

"Constantine and Latham weave a tale that teaches the values of compassion and the importance of slowing down to enjoy the simple pleasures, while simultaneously offering an exploration of the ancient Egyptian arts of calligraphy, abalone inlay, and tentmaking. A special highlight is the theme of language as a cultural touchstone, where even a greeting like “Good morning with roses and jasmine” is a small act of kindness and care. Hosam’s bold and colorful illustrations capture the hustle and bustle of Old Cairo market’s narrow, winding streets. A joyous celebration of Egyptian art and culture and special family bonds."

Dahlia Constantine & Irene Latham

Dahlia and I met when we both served on the NCTE Charlotte Huck Award for Outstanding Fiction for Children committee. We bonded over books and so many other things...and then we wrote a book together. Pre-order links are live! More on this adventure very soon.

Today's ArtSpeak: WOMEN features (again!) Mary Cassatt! I wrote after her last week, and I found a second piece that wouldn't let me go. And it's fitting, as Somaya, the little girl in A Good Morning for Giddo, loves to stitch! BUT not every girl loves stitching as much as Somaya...so I wrote another version for the anti-sewing kid... :) Thanks so much for reading.

The Crochet Lesson

Mama says
stitching
helps
when you
are wanting,
wishing

but all
I am wanting,
wishing
right now
is an end
to this
ridiculous
finger-twist
stitching.

- Irene Latham

The Crochet Lesson

Mama says
stitching
helps
when you
are wanting,
wishing

but what
could I possibly
be wanting,
wishing
when Mama
is sitting
with me—just

me!
simply listening
and stitching?

- Irene Latham

The Dream Builder's Blueprint by Alice Faye Duncan

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Latham) — Fri, 16 Jan 2026 10:30:00 +0000

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Jan at bookseedstudio for Roundup.

I'm excited to welcome picture book author and poet Alice Faye Duncan to the blog today to talk about her new book The Dream Builder's Blueprint: Dr. King's Message to Young People, illus. by E.B. Lewis (Penguin Random House), which is perfect for Martin Luther King Day (and anytime!).

Before we get to that, quick reminder: You're invited to check out your Tuesday 2-Minute Writing Tip 22 "3 Mindset Shifts for Writers." You can find it (and the first 21 episodes) at my YouTube channel. More episodes coming!

Alice Faye Duncan

Okay. As is the tradition here at Live Your Poem, I've invited Alice Faye to respond to 4 simple prompts as they relate to her new book The Dream Builder's Blueprint, which is basically blackout/erasure poetry after one of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s speeches, presented in picture book format. Cool, yes?

I, of course, have much love for found poetry. In addition to my collection This Poem is a Nest, which features 161 "nestlings" found within one long poem, I have several other "found" poetry projects I look forward to sharing about in the near future! So I was thrilled and delighted to hear about this new book. Yay for publishers supporting this kind of wordplay, and for poets like Alice Faye being willing to play.

Without further ado, here's Alice Faye!

FRESH

wee Alice Faye

AFD: Thank you for this invitation to speak about poetry. I have loved the power of words ever since 1st grade, the year I learned to read in Mrs. Bettye Johnson's classroom. Thirty years ago, I used that love to write my first picture book, WILLIE JEROME (Macmillan). From then until now, my goal has been to wield words differently from each previous book. With THE DREAM BUILDER'S BLUEPRINT, I wanted to explore Dr. King's visit to Philadelphia during 1967. At that time, it was a season of social unrest like now. Dr. King spoke with 900 students at Barratt Junior High. He encouraged them with a blueprint for progress. He said, "KEEP MOVING." How could I share King's timely message in a captivating way? BINGO! I made a new creation. I transformed Dr. King's 1,700 words into an erasure poem composed of 270 words. My poem is now an inspiring affirmation for children in 2026. It is a lyrical "commencement" chorus and speech for graduates who are 5 years old to 100. My literary agent said to me, "This is a fresh idea."

DIFFICULT

AFD: Finding my voice and rhythm within Dr. King's thunderous message was a challenge. I made more than 50 photocopies of the speech. This allowed me to erase text, reconnect words, and erase again, until at last, I "unearthed" an impactful poem to inspire children today. First, I used white typing tape to erase my text, but it proved finicky and inconsistent. I also tried using a white acrylic pen. It splattered like paint and was not effective. After many trials, I discovered that typing fluid with a sponge brush were perfect for erasing text. I exhausted seven bottles in the process. To avoid damaging floors, desks, and chairs, protect these areas with newsprint or drop cloth before you draft your erasure poem. The whole process can be chaotic and messy. This brings me to the primary message in THE DREAM BUILDER'S BLUEPRINT. In everything that we pursue, Dr. King said, "PLAN." He also said to practice excellence, celebrate yourself, and when times turn tough, don't stop. KEEP GOING.

DELICIOUS

AFD: There came a time in the writing process when I needed to bring clarity to my text. I had photocopied Dr. King's speech on poster-sized paper. It was late in the evening. All the words blurred my vision as I had poured over the speech for several hours that day. I needed one poetic line that was dynamic, definitive, and determined. I needed one poetic line that could unite all children under the banner of their differences, and lead them to sing the same song for democracy and freedom for all. I searched for what my college professor called a "penultimate line." Then somewhere between midnight and twilight, I found it. Dr. King said, "Let nobody stop us." BINGO! These four words gave my erasure poem a resounding ring for freedom. It was not the "next to last verse" in my new creation. But, this line made the poem complete, giving it a shining note, reflective of the resistance required to preserve gratitude, compassion, and liberation in all places.

ANYTHING ELSE

AFD: Children will be what they see. Children imitate what adults do. Our opinions turn into the blueprints for their lives. So, make it a point to be Light. In your speech, writing, and daily life, be a symbol of goodwill. Show me a mean-spirited child and I will show you their mean-spirited parent. Some homes house hurtful and uncaring big people. To negate this harm, children need literary models of kindness, dignity, and self-respect. Sometimes, it takes just one good book to soothe the pain that a child has survived. Be mindful of this as you live in the world with others. Be mindful of this as you write. Lastly, my
second new book for 2026 is BLUES BOY -- THE B.B. KING STORY. Born in Mississippi and made famous across America and around the world, B.B. King used his guitar like a poet. His blues music was a balm of grace and good times for every listener. During these troubling times, children need Dr. King's blueprint for progress, and they need B.B. King's music for inspiration and joy. For these purposes, please share these books with young learners in your care. Thank you! More information is available at www.alicefayeduncan.com.

---

So many thanks to Alice Faye for stopping by! Don't miss the book. You're going to love it.

Today's ArtSpeak: WOMEN features a favorite artist of mine: Mary Cassatt! One of the few women Impressionists, Mary was known for her mother and child scenes, and her frequent model was her sister Lydia.

Aside: there's a new book on my TBR list, called The Cassatt Sisters by Lisa Groen. Can't wait! Meanwhile, I have written after Mary Cassatt's work many times. Here's a quick (incomplete) sampling:

Today's poem features Lydia reading the newspaper, and it's written in my fall-back form, the triolet. Correction: a variation of a triolet. I just can't bring myself to keep those lines exactly the same...my aesthetic demands a poem move! Fittingly, this poem is also a call to action. Thanks so much for reading.

Woman Reading the Morning News

When I scan the news each morning
I think: what can I do?
So many stories leave me reeling, mourning—
still, I scan the news each morning,
eyes smarting, heart storming.
I give the world my attention. I say: I see you.
When I scan the news each morning
I stop thinking. Time to rise. To feel. To do.

- Irene Latham

To the Little Girl Who Lives in the Mirror poem

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Latham) — Fri, 09 Jan 2026 11:30:00 +0000

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure and visit Ruth at There is no such thing as a godforsaken town for Roundup.

So many thanks to everyone for sharing their favorite women artists for this year's ArtSpeak: WOMEN. I look forward to meeting them and diving into their work!

Tuesday 2-Minute Writing Tips are BACK! I started this video series in 2023, and now I'm adding to it. You can view episode 21, "4 Traits of Successful Writers," on my YouTube channel. I welcome you to subscribe...I've got 15 or so tips in the queue and will be sharing them in the coming weeks.

Today's poem was inspired by French portrait artist Élisabeth Louise Vigée Le Brun (1780-1819). I've written after her before, back in 2017 when my focus was Portraits: "Happiness"

The piece I selected today is one of several portraits she made of her daughter Julie, titled "Julie Le Brun Looking in the Mirror." It lives at the Met. Thanks so much for reading.

To the Little Girl Who Lives in the Mirror

You have secrets.
I do too.

You only come out
when I look in.

Where do you
disappear to?

I only look in

when I feel like
I'm disappearing.

When I see you
I remember. . .

I can be my own
best friend!

- Irene Latham

STILL & WOMEN for 2026!

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Latham) — Fri, 02 Jan 2026 11:30:00 +0000

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure and visit Catherine at Reading to the Core for Roundup.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!! I've got so many things cooking this year...which means I need my Poetry Friday community more than ever! This weekly gathering and poetry practice are among the core tenets of my creative life...I'm so grateful to each and every one of you. Isn't it a wonder that we're able to share our lives in this way?! I look forward to reading all your posts and appreciate your support so much.

And now, my 2026 One Little Word: STILL. As in being still (not in motion) and also still, as in, something that remains, "I'm still here."

Aside: I still need to see the film: I'M STILL HERE

I love all the complexities embedded in this one little word! Here's more from The Center for Action and Contemplation website:

"Pausing and being still enough to notice love within and around is a deeply powerful and countercultural act…. In the case of most of contemporary society, stillness is a prophetic act, defying that which demands that we move quickly and move upward. It challenges the notion that it is better to be busy and occupied. It refuses the call to be constantly distracted and perpetually plugged in."

And...hello ArtSpeak: WOMEN! As in, women artists, who historically have been overlooked in the art world. Not this year!

I'll be using this Harper's Bazaar article that names 36 of the best female artists to begin selecting artists and art. And I will be looking to the universe to guide me....If YOU have a favorite female artist, would you please share her name and work with me?

I'm starting with #1 on the Harper's Bazaar list, Artemisia Gentileschi. Perhaps you've read the stunning YA verse novel Blood Water Paint by Joy McCullough? If not, you totally should! Artemisia was a woman creating art in a man's world—a victim of violence, yes, but also a survivor. She used her art to proclaim herself—and to get her revenge. Read more about Artemisia here.

Allan Wolf, Charles R. Smith, Jr.,
Irene Latham

The title of the poem was inspired by Allan Wolf. During our NCTE presentation with Charles R. Smith, Jr., Allan said he "wrote himself into existence." That has really stuck with me! It's the same for me, and the same, I imagine, for Artemisia (except painting). Engaging in a creative art has that kind of power. Thanks, Allan! And thanks, all, for reading.

I Paint Myself into Existence

You left me
splintered
shredded
but I will not
go quietly.

Many times
I have slit
your throat
spilt your blood
across a canvas.

You cannot
conquer me.
I will always
rise again,
paintbrush
in my hand.

- Irene Latham

Poem for the Day After Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Latham) — Fri, 26 Dec 2025 11:30:00 +0000

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Tricia at The Miss Rumphius Effect for Roundup.

Christmas tree shaped
charcuterie board :)

Hope everyone is enjoying some rest and relaxation during these beautiful holidays! We had a wondrous Christmas celebration, and I'm feeling super grateful for time, laughter, and conversation with my loved ones. Joy!

Last week several readers had questions about my new gig as a DAR Correspondent Docent in Training. Thank you!

my maternal grandmother,
Ruth Lavinia Ralston Hedden Oslund

Yes, I am a member of DAR. DAR is a non-political women's service organization focused on preservation, education, and patriotism—any woman who can trace her lineage back to the Revolutionary War can join. My grandmother was a member, so all I had to do was turn in the paperwork. If you don't have this information, DAR has Genealogy experts who are happy to help you dig!

My ancestor, Andrew Ralston, served in the Thirteenth Pennsylvania as a Sergeant. He participated in the battles at Germantown, Monmouth, and Brandywine, where he suffered a head wound. He was taken prisoner at the Battle of Long Island. Fortunately, he survived, and at the end of the war, he returned to York, Pennsylvania, where he married and started a family.

Funny thing: I didn't know any of this when we named our middle son Andrew! But now that I do know, it feels really sweet and special, like carrying on this name provides a vital connection to the past. Andrew thinks it's pretty cool, too.

If you've ever watched Gilmore Girls, you know Emily Gilmore was famously a DAR member. (Paul and I recently watched the entire series on Netflix. Love!) The show presents a stereotypical view of DAR as a hoity-toity social club for wealthy women. This may be true in some areas of the country. But my Warrior Rivers chapter here in Blount County, Alabama, is made up of wise, mostly elderly, down-to-earth women who are passionate about history, enjoy learning, and are eager to serve the community.

The DAR Museum is located in Washington, D.C., near the White House. It's dedicated to the preservation of life inside the home—anything to do with everyday life, from decorative arts to what we wear, to kitchen gadgets, furniture, toys, and so much more! There are 31 period rooms (sponsored by different states) and 3 rotating galleries.

I've never been to the DAR Museum, but I've received training about the museum so that I can be part of their Outreach team. Correspondent Docents deliver programs created by the museum's experts in their own home communities. Earlier this month, I gave a program on Holiday Traditions and how they've changed through the years. Next month, I will provide one titled "Sewn in America," which is about needlecraft, quilting, and dressmaking, based on an exhibit the museum held in 2024. Once I've given ten programs, I'll be a full-fledged Correspondent Docent and can drop the "In Training" part of the title.

Y'all, I love this! I get to learn! And share what I'm learning! I get to surround myself with other curious, history-loving folks! And who knows what stories and poems will arise because of it??

New life goal: visit the DAR Museum in person. For anyone reading this who'll be in D.C., it's free and open to the public Monday-Saturday.

Another DAR thing I'm doing during 2026 is facilitating an America 250 Book Club in our community. All the titles are related to the Revolutionary War. I'll paste in the list below. I'm excited!

The Founding Foodies: American Meals That Wouldn’t Exist Today If Not for Washington, Jefferson, and Franklin by Dave DeWitt

Angelica: For Love and Country in the Time of Revolution by Molly Beer

Founding Gardeners: The Revolutionary Generation, Nature, and the Shaping of an American Nation by Andrea Wulf

Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation by Cokie Roberts

1776 by David McCullough

Today's ArtSpeak: PICASSO is #52 and the last in the series! I've selected my ArtSpeak! theme for 2026, and I'll be introducing that—along with my 2026 One Little Word—next week.

One of my favorite things about Picasso is how incredibly prolific he was—he created nearly 150,000 pieces! He was constantly trying new things, and his style evolved over the years. This encourages me to be prolific and keep trying new things. So it made sense to choose for this last poem a piece of his art that was somehow related to him at work. There's also a nod to a famous Rilke quote (see below). Thanks so much for reading!

Picasso in His Studio the Day After Christmas

The air, once sharp
with anticipation
has softened. The world

rearranges with or without
our help. Do we dare
rest? We cannot

know what beauty
and terror wait for us
behind the yellow

door. The new year steals
into every room with
the feet of a thief.

- Irene Latham

p.s. I think maybe the poem isn't quite finished... I'll revisit another day!

Today I'm Feeling Winter by Irene Latham

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Latham) — Fri, 19 Dec 2025 11:30:00 +0000

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Michelle at More Art 4 All for Roundup.

I've enjoyed lots of jolly Christmas fun this week...and more to come!

This year we put up a "Keys" Christmas tree. As in the Florida Keys. So all the ornaments—pulled from our 35-years-together collection—have a coastal theme. Beaches and shells and blue! We added blue garland, and the treetopper is two dried starfish glued together. Fun!

Texas bedroom at DAR Museum

Interesting historical tidbit I learned about in my new gig as Correspondent Docent in Training for the DAR Museum: when Christmas trees first became popular in the U.S. (as early as 1820s), they were smaller (tabletop-sized) and a small fence was placed around the tree. Inside the fence, one might build a village, or add toy animals, and the like. I'm especially fascinated by the fences!

Today's ArtSpeak: PICASSO poem is kind of an anti-Christmas poem...because some days are just like that! Also, earlier I wrote "Today I'm Feeling Autumn," and I guess I'd like to complete the series. :) Thanks so much for reading!

Today I'm Feeling Winter

stuck inside
myself

weary
of the world's
advice

where
is the sun?

- Irene Latham

2025 One Little Word: SISU Review

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Latham) — Fri, 12 Dec 2025 11:30:00 +0000

Christmas fun with family
(Levi, Lynn, Mama, MicaJon, Irene)
at Opryland Hotel.

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Linda at A Word Edgewise for Roundup.

What a fun week...In addition to several joyful holiday celebrations, Charles and I are having a blast reading the flood of poems we received through our Open Call.

Friends, poetry is alive and well! SO. MANY. GREAT. Poems. Y'all are making our work really difficult. Thank you!!

This just in: Ryan van Cleave, poet, author, and editor at Bushel & Peck Books runs a fantastic blog called Only Picture Books, where he interviews picture book authors, and they share loads of wisdom. Recently he interviewed me! He asked great questions, like, what did I learn from my first poetry picture book?; what is Charles Waters' superpower?; how does "every word matters" show up in your writing life? It was a fun interview, and I invite you to check it out!

As 2025 is fast coming to a close, I wanted to take just a moment to reflect on Sisu, my 2025 One Little Word.

First, a confession: a few times this year, I couldn't remember what my One Little Word was. :) It's an odd little word! So I had to go back to the blog and remember. But each time I did, I realized the word had been working under the surface of my life. I've definitely been cultivating sisu, even on those days when I couldn't remember the word. And isn't that the power of a One Little Word practice?

Some ways I've brought sisu into my life this year (the most transformative practices in bold):

second-hand shopping

upcycling

taking small steps toward goals

limiting time with people who suck the sisu out of me/letting go of old commitments to make room for more positive growth and opportunities

taking a pause before responding: "Thank you, I'll think it over and get back to you as soon as possible."

Blue Mind - keeping water in my life (#lakelife, trip to coast, etc)

developing an allergy to self-pity - I just don't entertain it, at least not for long!

showing my appreciation of others - the grocery clerk, the lady who brings out the tortilla chips at the Mexican restaurant, my husband, etc.

So I'm feeling a bit sisu-fied, in spite of myself. Yay! And now I'm looking forward to what my 2026 One Little Word might be... do you have any OLW contenders yet?

In ArtSpeak! PICASSO news, just 2 more Picassos to go!! Today's features his Woman at the Window, 1936. It's basically me riffing off a Picasso quote I discovered sometime earlier this year:

“The world today doesn't make sense, so why should I paint pictures that do?” - Pablo Picasso

I have been thinking about how I can apply this to my writing, and lo, this week, a poem emerged! There's also a nod to one of my all-time favorite poems "A Secret Life" by Stephen Dunn. Oh, and the form is a viator. Thanks so much for reading.

Making Sense of the World

The world today doesn't make sense

so I dive into the wondergush of words—
not to understand; to be baptized.

Let me be the one to promise chaos:
The world today doesn't make sense!
Baptists and other accountants may now rest.

One doesn't need words to witness a sunrise,
just as one can drown without water. Who says
the world today doesn't make any sense?

- Irene Latham

Poetry Friday Roundup is Here!

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Latham) — Fri, 05 Dec 2025 01:00:00 +0000

Hello and welcome to Poetry Friday Roundup! Please leave your link below.

Reminder: The Open Call submission window for The Periodic Table of Poetry is this weekend! We can't wait to read your poems!

Over at Smack Dab in the Middle, I wrote about the Golden Hour for Writers. When is your Golden Hour?

Also, you can listen to me & Charles talk about writing, poetry, and literacy at Melissa Morrison's podcast Teaching to Transform. Thanks, Melissa, for having us!

For my Poetry Friday offering, I have a poem for you from Barbara Crooker's collection titled More (C&R Press, 2010). I love Barbara's work, and I love this collection in particular. Read the review at Rattle. Big thanks to Barbara for granting me permission to share this poem with all of you! Learn more about Barbara at her website.

My Life as a Song Sparrow

by Barbara Crooker

My life is a song sparrow, chip chip chipping

on the hard white ground, hoping to find seeds,

yellow millet or black sunflower. It flits

from old apple tree to hedgerow, saying

my name. It's ordinary as this day,

beige, brown, and white, not flashy cardinal red,

not brassy jaybird blue. You'd hardly notice it

at the feeder, jostled out by all those bigger

birds, plain as the hills behind us, stippled

with trees. It's both more and less than I was

hoping for as I think about the cold mountain,

the long journey home. The sparrow looks

in the still water as it sits on the lip of the bird

bath, sees the wind-drawn ripples. It doesn't look

for more than food and shelter, a nest of straw,

a bough to keep off snow. Someone to share

a branch with, downy feathers on a night

of frozen zeroes. What more can a person

hope for, in this world of a thousand sorrows,

than a life that was made for song, than a body

sometimes able to take wing?

Beautiful, yes?

And doesn't the title make a wonderful prompt? Perhaps you'd like to write a poem comparing your life to a particular bird? That's exactly what I decided to do...see below in this week's ArtSpeak: PICASSO poem. I chose a pigeon because that's what Picasso was fond of painting. :) (Without the art constraint, I think I might have chosen to write "My Life as a Hummingbird." Adding this to my to-do list...) Thanks so much for reading!

My Life as a Pigeon

Quiet, ordinary,
I scrabble for crumbs
along with my flock.
If I've learned anything,
it's that I was built
for flight—
flight and song.
Can't you hear me
cooing?
I carry a map
inside my heart
so that no matter
how far I fly,
I can always find home.

- Irene Latham

Black Friday is for Poetry!

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Latham) — Fri, 28 Nov 2025 11:30:00 +0000

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Buffy Silverman for Roundup.

Rebecca Kai Dotlich, Joyce Sidman,
Irene Latham

Wow, what a week. A lovely time was had by all at NCTE-Denver, and I enjoyed catching up with poetry peeps like Allan, Amy, April, Carol, Charles, Georgia, Heidi, Joyce, Laura, Linda, Lisa, Lynn, Margaret, Marilyn, Mary Lee, Matt, Nancy, Rajani, Rebecca, Willeena... and meeting new friends along the way. The world of children's poetry is alive and thriving!

I think the photo at the top of the post may be my favorite picture of the lot—so many thanks to the indomitable Laura Purdie Salas for taking it and for being the source of so much joy both on and off the page. Shout-out to Georgia Heard, who was also with us making merry!

AND thanks to Poetry Friday friend Linda Baie, who shared her beloved bookstore with me! (And lunch...and the science museum!) Y'all, Linda is a FORCE. I want to be just like her when I grow up.

Thanks to all the poets and organizers and educators and EVERYONE for making NCTE-Denver a valuable experience.

Special congratulations to all the 2026 NCTE Notable Poetry books! Several of my favorites were recognized, and I've already ordered the ones I haven't read yet from my library. Yay!

And yesterday was full of turkey and family and all the related JOY.

I have a wee Black Friday poem for you. It's a found poem from a website recommended by Heidi Mordhorst: Svahausa.com (where Heidi purchased her adorable typewriter key skirt!). Thanks, Heidi!

Poem for the Day After Thanksgiving

Black Friday is here—almost

everything appears automatically

now. Huge pockets hold nothing

but wasted time.

Shop. Explore. What do you really want?

- Irene Latham

And now for today's ArtSpeak: PICASSO. Y'all, I really struggled with this one! I wrote quite a few drafts, and they all just felt too heavy...so I spent the last ten minutes of my allotted time crafting a haiku for anyone out there who dreams of the coast, but for whatever reason won't be going to the coast. Yay for staycations!

lemons and oysters

pucker air with sunshine, salt—

staycation

- Irene Latham

*It occurs to me that this could be a fun poetry prompt. Forget about the art. Write a haiku that ends in "staycation." What would your first two lines be??

The Poetry of Car Mechanics by Heidi E.Y. Stemple

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Latham) — Fri, 21 Nov 2025 11:30:00 +0000

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Janice at Salt City Verse for Roundup.

ICYMI: Click here for information about the Open Call for a new middle-grade poetry anthology, The Periodic Table of Poetry, coming from Lerner in 2028 with poems selected by Irene Latham and Charles Waters. We can't wait to read your poems!

Heidi with The Poetry of Car Mechanics

Today (while I am talking poetry at NCTE), I'm excited to welcome Heidi E.Y. Stemple to share about her beautiful new verse novel The Poetry of Car Mechanics (Wordsong, 2025). (The title makes me think of the old classic Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. Ha!)

Publisher's description:

Dylan seeks solace through birdwatching and poetry in the woods behind his grandfather’s auto shop—but when he rescues an injured hawk, he must learn to confront the broken parts in himself in this powerful middle-grade novel-in-verse.

As is the tradition here at Live Your Poem, I've invited Heidi to respond to 4 simple prompts. But before we get to that, here are two poems excerpted from the novel. The first, because of its truth. I don't want it to be true, but it is. And isn't it our job to be honest with kids?

The second, because I love how clearly the distinction is made between "mentally ill" and "crazy." Kids need this message.

Broken

Nature is cruel

to broken creatures.

Lame—

be it claw

or mind—

a long

cold

starving

season.

Or worse.

---

Counselor's Office

So much time

in the school counselor's office

has been spent

untangling

mental illness

from

crazy.

I know the difference.

Mentally ill

is a diagnosis.

Crazy is a feeling.

But young me

was all feelings

and didn't understand

diagnosis.

So many days,

from where I stood,

my life felt

crazy.

And now here's Heidi!

FRESH

Heidi writing at Highlights
HS: I have written many things—from board books through adult short stories (well, only one of the latter) but a novel? That was going to be new for me. My friend, editor Eileen Robinson told me she wanted me to write a boy-centered novel. I thought that, perhaps, I wanted to, someday, try to write a verse novel. But, certainly not a boy novel… So, as an exercise in futility, I tried to create the most ridiculously testosterone-filled title. Hence THE POETRY OF CAR MECHANICS. I sat down and wrote the first poem. Then, I wrote a second poem. By the end of the day, I had 19 poems and I was hooked. I wanted to know more about Dylan. I wanted to read his story. In order to do that, I had to keep writing.

But, how do you know that a book is in the right voice? When I am teaching, I challenge my students to find new ways to look at their story. I have them try changing the tense, the point of view, or the style. So, after I had written 38 poems, I did this myself. I opened a new document and began at the beginning. I wrote Dylan’s story in prose. It was fun. I was able to wiggle around in the details so much more. I enjoyed fleshing out the scenes and digging in further into the landscapes and textures. “This is it,” I thought. “This is the way to tell this story.”

Then I reread the poems. With fresh eyes on Dylan’s story, it was clear—so clear—that, although, writing the story in prose was fun and less complicated, the poetry was the correct way.

DIFFICULT

HS: I liken the writing of THE POETRY OF CAR MECHANICS to writing 200 picture books, then revision 200 picture books. The process of creating a verse novel is, in my opinion, more intense than that of a prose novel (I’m in the middle of the revision of 4 of those, too). Though, I do think my experience as a picture book author did help. The space between poems is like the page turns of a picture book. The compression and economy of words is so important in both forms… there are many similarities.

But, honestly, the most difficult part of writing this book was the subject matter. There are many themes, but one of the most important is mental health, specifically, that of Dylan’s absent mother. I have received many emails from people commenting about how real this book feels in relation to their experience of navigating the mental health issues of their own loved ones. That is not just craft, it’s from experience. One of the most important things for me, as the author, was to treat Dylan’s mother with respect, but, at the same time, to allow Dylan to feel real feelings. He had to be able to be angry, embarrassed, sad, confused and even say things that, maybe, I was uncomfortable with, because his words weren’t always how I would like mental health issues to be portrayed. I did not want to stigmatize or villainize Dylan’s mother, but, if I sanitized what he was feeling, it would be less authentic. That balancing act was probably the most difficult part of writing this book.

DELICIOUS

HS: There is something magical about writing, especially poetry, when you realize all the pieces of your story fit together in a way you had not planned. There are lots of themes (or motifs) in this book that, when I started out, felt so separate. There is the mental health piece, car mechanics, birds, politics, masculinity, poetry… I had no idea how they would all mesh. Then, as I wrote, they started to bond in unintended and really special ways. Small ways-- Many cars are named for birds. And, big ways--an injured bird, a mentally ill mother, cars, and the world we live in, all feel like they need fixing.

Honestly, this is the part of writing I love the best. Just like Dylan says (of car mechanics) in the first poem. it’s “part poetry, part meter and math.”

If you’re a writer, you know the magic I’m talking about.

ANYTHING ELSE

HS: I feel so honored when anyone takes the time to read something I’ve written. When you’re writing, it is so internal, so personal. To let others in on the story… it’s terrifying. But, it’s also a gift. I am proud of all my books. I love each of them with my full heart. But, this one came from a very special place. It’s a completely made up story, but it’s as close to the bone as one can get in fiction. So, if you’ve read it, thank you. Thank you.

Tom Ricardi with a friend

Also, a little fun bit—when I got about half-way through the first draft, I went to visit my friend, raptor rehabber Tom Ricardi. I asked him a ton of questions to make sure the bird parts were plausible and he brought me around his facility. All the birds you meet in the pages of THE POETRY OF CAR MECHANICS, those are all straight from Tom’s real birds. I gave him part of my advance to continue saving birds. When I brought him his copy, he read it and brought it around to all his neighbors showing them “his book.”

-----

So many thanks to Heidi for visiting! Readers, don't miss Dylan's story. Good stuff!

And now for today's ArtSpeak: PICASSO. Wow, it's exciting to be heading into the homestretch now, with just 5 more Picasso poems to write! In honor of Heidi's visit, today I've chosen to write after one of Picasso's owl ceramics. Thanks so much for reading!

O, to Be an Owl; O, to Be Wise

by Irene Latham

First you'd have her eyes.

You'd like to see the world

the way she does, with such

clarity in low light.

And the way she sits still,

so still. A round moon

disappearing, becoming

one with her perch.

What you really want is to hear

with her ears, to savor

that symphony of heartbeats

singing from beneath three feet of snow.

How does she choose,

how does she know?

No one sees her coming.

She is all rustle and swoop,

feather rippling, her body

a quiver of arrows pointing

to the next right thing.

OPEN CALL: The Periodic Table of Poetry!

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Latham) — Fri, 14 Nov 2025 11:30:00 +0000

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Carol at The Apples in my Orchard for Roundup.

Exciting news: The Periodic Table of Poetry, a middle-grade poetry collection with poems selected by Irene Latham and Charles Waters, will be published by Lerner in 2028...and we want your poems! See the graphic for details...and I've also typewritten everything below. (You may also receive an email with the same information!) We are so looking forward to reading your work!!

OPEN CALL - PREPARE YOUR POETRY ENTRIES NOW FOR THE SUBMISSION WINDOW COMING UP FROM DECEMBER 6th - DECEMBER 9th.

Hello, Poets! Send us your 3 BEST/FAVORITE original, unpublished poems for possible inclusion in a new anthology curated by Irene Latham & Charles Waters!

Irene Latham and Charles Waters, also known as I & C Construction Company, are an established writing & anthology team with multiple aims and commitments – including projects showcasing exceptional poetry for children created by diverse contemporary poets. We have been creating books together since 2015.

In addition to jointly written titles such as Can I Touch Your Hair? Poems of Race, Mistakes, and Friendship and Dictionary for a Better World: Poems, Quotes, and Anecdotes from A to Z, our published anthologies include: The Mistakes That Made Us: Confessions from 20 Poets (Lerner, 2024), If I Could Choose a Best Day: Poems of Possibility (Candlewick, 2025) and For The Win: Poems Celebrating Phenomenal Athletes (Lerner, 2026). So far, our combined books have made twenty-six state lists.

We’ve got an exciting new project, and we’d love for you to participate.

THE PERIODIC TABLE OF POETRY

Published by Lerner, Spring 2028

Illustrated MG poetry anthology for ages 10 and up

Blurb: Discover the art and craft of writing poetry in a brand new way: through an exploration of 25 elements selected by Irene Latham and Charles Waters. From basics like line & stanza to more complex elements for wordplay, impact, and sound; this fun, unique guide features poems that exemplify each element to illuminate the joys of reading and writing poetry.

About the Book: The premise of this book—the elements of poetry presented as a periodic table—was originally conceived by one of our poetic heroes, Paul B. Janeczko (1945 - 2019), but he was unable to complete the project before his death. We miss him tremendously and are committed to carrying forth his work as children’s poetry anthologists. We couldn’t be more deeply honored that Nadine, his widow, and Emma, his daughter, have allowed us to step into Paul’s idea, expand on it, and make it our own. Our aim is to provide a comprehensive look at what makes poetry poetry—and perhaps inspire people of all ages to experience the joys of reading and writing poems. Here’s to you, PBJ!

What we’re looking for:

Your BEST/FAVORITE poems!

Original & Unpublished (no AI).

Any topic or type.

1-3 poems, no more than 60 lines TOTAL.

Payment $50 per poem accepted for publication in the anthology.

(We expect the collection to have 55 - 60 poems.)

First time rights only.

We’ll be searching for poems to serve as examples for the 25 poetic elements we’re featuring….basic elements like BREVITY (send us your shortest poems) and WHITE SPACE (send us something that uses white space in a compelling way)...impact elements like IMAGERY, EMOTION, SURPRISE. (Send us your poems that pack a punch!)...wordplay elements like ALLITERATION, METAPHOR, HYPERBOLE, and more. (Send us your playful poems that feature excellent use of these elements!)...and sound elements like RHYTHM, RHYME, and METER. (Send us your form poems, your funny poems, your re-readable poems!)

No need to “match” your poems to particular elements in your submission. Just send us your best/favorite 1-3 poems, and we will decide where it might fit into our collection. However, if you feel one of your selected poems is a great example of a poetic element, feel free to mention that in your submission!

Note: The submission window will only be open for 72 hours, from Saturday December 6, 2025 at Midnight (Eastern Time) to Tuesday December 9, 2025 at Midnight (Eastern Time).

**PLEASE DO NOT SEND YOUR POEMS BEFORE THE DATES AND TIMES OR AFTER THE DATES AND TIMES LISTED AND ONLY TO THE EMAIL ADDRESS PROVIDED BELOW, OR WE WILL DISREGARD YOUR ENTRIES**

At that time, please send us 1-3 poems, no more than 60 lines TOTAL.

A 50-60 word short bio.

Your contact information.

Submission link: lathamandwaterssubmissions@gmail.com

Subject Line: From YOUR NAME - Submission

Note: Poem(s), bio, and contact information in the body of the email. No attachments.

We will respond to all submissions by January 31, 2026.

-------------------------

Also: this time next week I'll hopefully be at NCTE! Here's my schedule:

This week's ArtSpeak: PICASSO features a mother and child. I was struck by the art, I think because I recently read The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma by Bessel van der Kolk, M.D.

This book has really impacted me. Children who don't experience faithful love and care from the parental figures they are born to or land with suffer throughout their lives in a multitude of ways. The book suggests that if we want to "fix" our society, we need to teach parents how to give children this kind of open, abiding love...and this would eventually result in less foster care, addiction, mental illness, incarceration, etc. The book is a powerful read, and I highly recommend it!

As for the poem itself, I thought about "Mother to Son" by Langston Hughes—and almost titled it "Son to Mother." But I didn't want to bring gender into the poem... and that title might have been interpreted as a response poem, and it's not...though now I want to—and will!—write a response poem. Ha!

Instead, I decided to lean into the way our bodies often speak without words...especially children, yes? Youngsters who, before they learn the words, try their darnedest to communicate with us using their bodies and behavior.

The end finds me again playing with the repetition of a single word. Here, my hope is that with the second "yawning," the meaning of the word shifts from "gap" to "sleepy." Thanks so much for reading!

Words Hidden in a Child's Hug

Tell me you love me

Tell me you'll always be

here

Fold me, hold me

kiss my brow

For my body may be small

but my heart

is a deep cavern

yawning

- Irene Latham

Still Riding the Highlights High!

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Latham) — Fri, 07 Nov 2025 11:30:00 +0000

(l-r) Charles Waters, Georgia Heard,
Rebecca K. Dotlich, Irene Latham

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure and visit Laura Purdie Salas for Roundup.

I'm home from another wonderful few days at Highlights. What a Poetry Palooza!

The magic is real, folks, and it's the poets who make it so. What a great group! Special shout-out to Poetry Friday friends who were in attendance: Rose Cappelli, Janice Scully, Cathy Stenquist...and we have a few new recruits! I look forward to seeing them joining the PF Roundup soon. :)

What an honor to spend time together! Happy news: Registration is now open for Poetry Palooza 2026!

If you are even thinking about it just a little bit, go ahead and sign up. Slots are limited to the space available on campus, and we had a lengthy Wait List this year. (It's much easier to drop off the list if plans change than to get on it later!)

In other news, the Big Book Giveaway in celebration of my 20 Year Blogiversary is still open until Sunday!! Don't miss your chance to get these beautiful books.

AND...next week I'll be sharing about the Open Call that Charles and I are issuing to collect poems for a brand new children's poetry anthology! Come back next Friday to learn all the details.

Today's ArtSpeak: PICASSO comes from Highlights (I think!). Someone recently shared a prompt with me: "I once.... but now I..." But I cannot for the life of me remember the source. I'm so sorry not be able to give credit where credit is due.

Y'all my brain (and my heart!) are so full right now. Thanks so much for reading.

True Story

Once

I disappeared

in winter

but now I

fling the curtains

w i d e

invite snowflakes

to nestle in

my ears nose eyelids

Can you hear it?

It's the kettle

that is my heart

singing,

singing

- Irene Latham

Calavera skull poem + Book Giveaway!

noreply@blogger.com (Irene Latham) — Fri, 31 Oct 2025 10:30:00 +0000

Hello and Happy Poetry Friday! Be sure to visit Jone Rush MacCulloch for Roundup.

Happy Halloween! Today I am traveling to Highlights for the Poetry Palooza!. Yay! I'm also joining others in our community (Matt! Heidi!) in celebration of a Blogiversary: 20 years!!

This is post number 2,346!

Newsletter subscribers already know this, but I wanted to be sure and share it here as well: To add to the fun, I'm hosting a book giveaway of a few of my favorite 2025 reads.

I’m offering ONE (US only) winner a book bundle: James by Percival Everett (adult); Knocking on Windows by Jeannine Atkins (YA). The Trouble with Heroes by Kate Messner (MG). Every Monday Mabel by Jashar Awan (PB); and a fresh-in-my-mailbox F&G of For the Win: Poems Celebrating Phenomenal Athletes selected by Irene Latham & Charles Waters (POETRY)!

Click to enter!

Even if you don't win, you'll get a subscription to my monthly e-mail newsletter. Good luck, and happy reading!!

In other news, The Mistakes That Made Us is a featured title in Lerner's Nonfiction November! Sign up for free!

This week's ArtSpeak: PICASSO features a piece I've been saving for this very day! I mean, what better than a skull poem for Halloween? Though this one did take an unexpected turn at the end! Learn more about calavera (skull poems) here. Thanks so much for reading.

Calavera
by Irene Latham

stubborn bone—
once a box for a brain,
once encased by skin—

empty now,
hollow

you glow–

a skull is a skull is a skull
no different
no less dead

o, determined cottage

of spirit and song—
shall I fill your windows with fruit?

perhaps you will be
the one to outlast
the internet

Live Your Poem...

A Polka Dot Poem

I Brake for Butterflies + Giveaway!

Goodreads Book Giveaway

Some Starry Night

by Irene Latham

Stitch (a Picture Book!) Like an Egyptian with Dahlia Hamza Constantine

FRESH

DIFFICULT

DELICIOUS

ANYTHING ELSE

Celebrating TWILIGHT with Marcie Flinchum Atkins!

Poetry + Art = Some Starry Night by Irene Latham

In the Grip of the Ice by Doraine Bennett *GIVEAWAY*

Desert Rain poems

Sports and Spiders!

A Palindrome Birthday

Nightmare Jones by Shannon Bramer

Can Poems Fall in Love?

Someday You Will Become a Swan poem

A Good Morning for Giddo by Dahlia Constantine and Irene Latham

The Dream Builder's Blueprint by Alice Faye Duncan

To the Little Girl Who Lives in the Mirror poem

STILL & WOMEN for 2026!

Poem for the Day After Christmas

Today I'm Feeling Winter by Irene Latham

2025 One Little Word: SISU Review

Poetry Friday Roundup is Here!

Black Friday is for Poetry!

The Poetry of Car Mechanics by Heidi E.Y. Stemple

OPEN CALL: The Periodic Table of Poetry!

Still Riding the Highlights High!

Calavera skull poem + Book Giveaway!

In the Grip of the Ice by Doraine Bennett GIVEAWAY