Today's Quote: Proverbial Wisdom

Text:
Never point out the mistakes of another with a dirty finger.
~ Italian proverb

Today's Quote: Adlai Stevenson II

You have to start by believing in yourself! --DM

Text:
It's hard to lead a cavalry charge if you think you look funny on a horse.
~ Adlai E. Stevenson II

Do unto others?

Sometimes when we have to try to fix a mistake we've made (or maybe when we're trying not to make a mistake in the first place), we might use the motto "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" to guide us. It's a good motto, but only if we really understand it.

If I hate surprise parties and you love them, then if we thought of "Do unto others" as meaning "Throw the other person the kind of party you would want to have," we would be way off base.

BUT if we understand "Do unto others" as meaning "Care about what other people want as you would have them care about what you want," we are much more liable to make good choices and offer meaningful apologies.

Listening can be hard -- we think we know the best answer already or we think everybody feels the same way we do. The only way to know for sure how another person feels, though, is to hear them out. Being a good listener can be a real superpower if you can develop it.

In this video, some people are trying to be helpful, but only the one who cares about what Jason wants enough to listen to him hits the ball out of the park.

Today's Quote: Joe Miller

Text:
When you're not really happy with a painting--that's the time to experiment...it can't get any worse.
~ Joe Miller

Soaring Elephant Soccer Moths

Some IMPERFECT poets have new books out this year! Check out:

Margarita Engle's Soaring Earth: A Companion Memoir to Enchanted Air

Irene Latham's Meet Miss Fancy

Elizabeth Steinglass's Soccerverse: Poems about Soccer

B.J. Lee's There Was an Old Gator Who Swallowed a Moth

Don't Be So Hard on Yourself

Have you ever been slow to figure something out? It happens to everybody!

Today's Quote: Margaret Thatcher

Text:
You may have to fight a battle more than once to win it.
~ Margaret Thatcher

Brain Freeze

Everybody says the wrong thing sometimes. Even if you know a lot about something, you might forget the word you wanted to say. For instance:

It's always nice if you can laugh about it afterwards!

Today's Quote: Abraham Lincoln

Text:
I am not bound to win, I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live up to the light I have.
~ Abraham Lincoln

Today's Quote: Robert Louis Stevenson

Happy Valentine's Day!

Text:
You can give without loving, but you can never love without giving.
~ Robert Louis Stevenson

500 Reasons to Explore Poetry Anthologies

Sharing a review of IMPERFECT from the American Library Association's Booklist Online. The review is in a wonderful article by Sylvia Vardell called "Books and Authors: 500 Reasons to Explore Poetry Anthologies":

Professor Vardell says:

The poems and poets in these anthologies offer a range of poetic forms, subjects, and perspectives from which readers of all ages can take inspiration.

If you were to spend approximately $100 and order the poetry anthologies featured here, you would have access to 500 different poets who write for young people. 500! Who knew there were so many classic and contemporary poets to seek out and savor? The recent resurgence of the poetry anthology provides a valuable resource when it comes to celebrating diversity in literature. The editors of these current poetry collections have actively sought out many new poets, offering new perspectives on a variety of themes and topics. It’s also interesting to see the diverse forms that these anthologies can take: blending poetry, fiction, and nonfiction and providing cross-genre connections so important for teaching; maximizing the picture-book format with illustrations that can inspire each poet or provide a unifying theme for the poetry; or eschewing art and illustrations to focus on poetry exclusively.

Many of these outstanding new collections are the creations of new or small presses taking risks to reach poetry readers. And many new voices make their first appearance in a poetry collection or anthology. In sharing these poetry anthologies, we can provide opportunities to meet new writers, new poetic forms and styles, and new ways to approach themes and topics and perhaps inspire young readers to create their own collections of favorite poems.

Poetry for Older Readers

Imperfect: Poems about Mistakes: An Anthology for Middle Schoolers. Ed. by Tabatha Yeatts. 2018. History House, $11.99 (9780967915838). Gr. 5–8.

This slim volume, geared toward middle-graders, packs a lot of punch. Featuring 70 poems by 55 different poets, it includes many new poets, such as Linda Kulp Trout, Catherine Flynn, and Robert Schechter, alongside a handful of classic poets like Carl Sandburg, Kobayashi Issa, and Antonio Machado. There are even a selection of poems written by young people themselves (in sixth and seventh grade). The focus on making mistakes of all kinds is the “perfect” focus for an anthology aimed at tweens and teens, and the poets approach the topic from both serious and silly points of view. Extra resources at the back of the book offer helpful advice for the reader, including “Making Good Decisions: Brainstorming for Future You,” with very practical tips; “Apologizing Effectively,” with step-by-step guidance on making sincere apologies; and “Poem Forms You Can Try,” with options for poetry writing, including acrostic, diamante, double dactyl, and poems for two voices. Pithy quotes and minimal art are subtly placed throughout the poems, including the sketch of a crack (in the vase on the cover) on many pages, hinting at the “mending” of imperfection the Japanese call “kintsugi,” or “precious scars” or “golden repair,” a way to see the beauty in fixing what is broken. A lively blog dedicated to the book (MistakesAnthology.Blogspot.com) continues to offer insights and quotes, along with links to each of the poets with more poems to enjoy. Some of my favorite poems in this engaging collection include:

"Apology,” by Robert Schechter, with a multitude of synonyms for mistake;
“A Note from the Architect,” by Mary Lee Hahn, a spin on creating the Leaning Tower of Pisa;
“Sea Hunt,” by Steven K. Smith, a narrative poem about discovering one’s passion; and
“Stolen,” by Elizabeth Steinglass, a look at how shoplifting might make you feel.

Today's Quote: Proverbial Wisdom

Text:
Your friend will swallow your mistakes, your enemy will present them on a plate.
~ Arabian proverb

Today's Quote: Golda Meir

Text:
Make the most of yourself by fanning the tiny, inner sparks of possibility into flames of achievement.
~ Golda Meir