Celebrating NCTE Award Poets Again

Congratulations, Steven Withrow and Kelly Fineman, our first winners of our free “Dear One” giveaway. (Please email me your preferred mailing address.) Two more lucky winners will be chosen from today's commenters. So weigh in on your favorite NCTE Award poets here. In the mean time, guess what?

At the NCTE conference, I picked up a copy of an ARC (advance reader copy) of a new poetry collection from Wordsong/Boyds Mills Press. It’s a new “expanded edition” of their unique collection of poems by the NCTE Excellence in Poetry Award winners, Another Jar of Tiny Stars. The first Jar of Tiny Stars appeared in 1996 and was a unique attempt to gather a handful of poems for each of the award winners up to that time. This new edition goes even further, including ALL the recipients, even Lee himself! In addition, there are 5 poems by each poet presented and those poems were chosen BY CHILDREN as their favorites—isn’t that fun? In addition, there is a sketch of each poet, a quote from him/her, and a short biographical sketch (and an index). It’s a one-stop spot to sample the best of the best—and I look forward to the publication of this tremendous resource (as soon as the rights are all finalized, I believe).

Meanwhile, here’s one of the featured poems in the book by Lee—his anthem, really—originally written for the bookmark produced for the annual National Children’s Book Week celebration hosted by the Children’s Book Council every year. It’s great to cheer with kids in two groups using alternating lines (antiphonally!). Enjoy!

Good books.
Good times.
Good stories.
Good rhymes.
Good beginnings.
Good ends.
Good people.
Good friends.
Good fiction.
Good facts.
Good adventures.
Good acts.
Good stories.
Good rhymes.
Good books.
Good times.

Posting (not poem) by Sylvia M. Vardell © 2009. All rights reserved.

Image credit: SV, Stephen Alcorn

Be thankful for our NCTE poets

Janet Wong (poet and project partner, pictured here at our Poetry Party with J. Patrick Lewis, Kristine O’Connell George, Elaine Magliaro and Rebecca Kai Dotlich) and I have a few extra copies of the special "festschrift" book of poetry in honor of Lee Bennett Hopkins winning the NCTE Excellence in Poetry Award. So... drumroll... we propose a mini-competition for giving away the last dozen copies. Here's the challenge:

In the COMMENTS area, list the name of a past NCTE Poetry Award winner whose work you are thankful for (and list a couple of favorite book or poem titles). [Look here, if you need help.] If you are thankful for more than one poet, enter multiple times! (No limit to your entries, but you can win only once.)

Two winners will be chosen AT RANDOM each day from now through the end of Thanksgiving weekend. I'll post daily from now through Sunday, so only comments each day will qualify for that day's giveaway. Clear?

To kick off our giveaway celebration, I'd like to share another Lee tribute poem. This offering is by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater whom I met at our wonderful Poetry Party. It's a quiet, thoughtful poem to honor Lee and his legacy. Thanks for sharing, Amy.

Private Party (for Lee)
by Amy Ludwig VanDerwater

In the Library of Congress
on a cold November night
poems tiptoed out of books
dressed up in black and white.

"Tonight we celebrate a man"
one poem raised a toast,
"to LBH, who makes us think
he loves us each the most.

He wrote us down for children
who've read us through the years.
Our words make families giggle
light dreams
dry lonely tears.

And so tonight
we thank you
our father
kind and clever
whose living breath
makes poems sing.

Through us
you'll live forever."

Posting (not poem) by Sylvia M. Vardell (c) 2009. All rights reserved.

Image credit: SV, Stephen Alcorn