There are a couple new additions to this week's New York Times best sellers lists, including A Conspiracy of Kings by Megan Whalen Turner and Savvy by Ingrid Law, but Suzanne Collins still dominates the top places. CHAPTER BOOKS This Week Weeks on List 1 THE HUNGER GAMES, by Suzanne Collins. (Scholastic, $17.99.) In a dystopian... Continue Reading →
Contrary to popular belief, poets are not an endangered species. This is, after all, National Poetry Month - an entire month dedicate to connoisseurs of verse. In fact, poets are so special that one poet is appointed annually by the Librarian of Congress as our nation's Poet Laureate. But the Poet Laureate isn't just anybody.... Continue Reading →
Creative Writing Prompt #4 Free Verse Project No one ever said you were restricted to writing on paper or on your computer. If you're looking to make your mark with poetry, consider using other mediums to spell out your verse... like sand, dew, chalk, flower petals, coffee grounds, toys, balloons... Poets.org's Free Verse Project encourages... Continue Reading →
Creative Writing Prompt #3 Prose or Poetry? Some people have made an entire career out of writing their poems in prose form. (Russell Edson, for instance.) Some people shun the form entirely. I say, give it a shot at least a handful of times. While a prose form will work for some poems and not... Continue Reading →
The cover of Francesca Simon's Horrid Henry's Joke Book warns that this book is "Too rude for parents!" They really mean it. Er, sort of. Filled with groan-worthy puns and gross-out humor, Horrid Henry's Joke Book is chock full of the sort of simplistic humor that kids love -- and some of us grown-ups still... Continue Reading →
Today, in honor of both National Poetry Month and our April Book of the Month author Lisa Schroeder -- we're bringing you an introduction to verse novels. All three of Lisa's YA novels are written in verse, a device she's found handy for a variety of reasons. For one, it lets her get down to... Continue Reading →
Today, we have our final story from our Literary Lovers Mash-Up Writing Contest entries. We asked you to write about two literary lovers meeting OR falling in love for the first time in about 500 words. Today's entry comes from P.Q. Glisson -- whose story reads like a really cool, extremely well-written crossover fan fiction.... Continue Reading →
Creative Writing Prompt #2 Translation from Sound Whether or not you speak a different language, the idea of this exercise is to literally translate the following paragraphs into English. Literally. If the word is "quand," then translate it into what you think the word should be by how the word sounds - is it wand,... Continue Reading →
What would a National Poetry Month celebration be without a poetry contest? Today we are excited to announce our Novel Novice Poetry Contest... and, whether you're a budding poet or not, we think you're going to want to enter when you see the fabulous prizes available! But first, the contest rules: Your poem must be... Continue Reading →
Poetry Speaks Who I Am was developed for the YA demographic. But let me tell you, as a poet, I think this is a rock star kind of collection for any reader of any age, and it's an ideal book to feature during National Poetry Month. The poems included in this book (which is a... Continue Reading →
Novel Novice 