12 Aug AH, AUGUST …

HOORAY!  August l3th is the official publication of ALL THE WORLD’S A STAGE (Creative Editions), illustrated by Guy Billout.  Based on Shakespeare’s “Seven Ages of Man” monologue from AS YOU LIKE IT, this anthology brings together poetry from birth to old age from ‘entrances’ to ‘exits’.

The book begins with Rebecca Kai Dotlich’s brilliant piece of work “Amazing Face II” heralding the birth of a child.  Lines from the poem include:

“You will cry for someone,/jingle keys, trace a warm cheek./You will skip, stumble, soar/You will climb a ladder to the stars…”.

A sad observation is that …STAGE is only the second of two anthologies to be published in the United States in 2013.  There should be more …and more.  Anthology offers a blending of so many voices to mesh as one.

Plans are underway to begin registration for the Fifth Annual Lee Bennett Hopkins/Edison State Writers Institute at Edison State in Ft. Myers, Florida.  Speakers this year, on October 26, include Patricia MacLachlan, Newbery Award winner for SARAH, PLAIN AND TALL, and Stephen Alcorn, illustrator of many award-winning books, including my MARY’S SONG (Eerdmans) – a 2013 First Place Catholic Book Award.  For those in Florida see EDISON STATE at my site.

Another exciting announcement is that Renee LaTulippe and I are in the process of doing a “Spotlight on NCTE Poets Series”.  I will be talking about each of the National Council of Teachers of English Excellence in Poetry for Children winners from David McCord through to the current recipient, Joyce Sidman.  The series will be launched in September.  I’ll announce the date at a later time.  Renee is a delight to work with.

SOMEHOW — between the end of July and early August, I completed a new manuscript — a young adult love story told entirely in rhyme.  I say ‘somehow’ because I truly do not know where it came from — or how.

Writing — even after decades later — is strange meeting of pencil on paper.  Strange yet wonderful.

Onto tomorrows…