Welcome to

RhyPiBoMo 2015 Day 10

Kristen Remenar

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Today’s guest blogger is a librarian, a national speaker on literacy, an author and is married to a well-known and very talented illustrator. She has all her literary bases covered! I have been virtual friends with her for a long time and hopefully someday soon we will connect in person as we only live one state apart. I am so excited about her debut rhyming picture book, GROUNDHOG’S DILEMMA, coming out in December.

It is my pleasure to introduce

Kristen Remenar.

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Alliteration Adds Allure!

by Kristen Remenar

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Why do we say “Roses are red, violets are blue, sugar is sweet and so are you?” Apples are red. Honey is sweet, and so is candy, but substituting these words into the poem, even though the syllables fit, doesn’t work as well. The alliteration of “roses are red” and “sugar is sweet” adds something interesting to the rhyme. The rule “always avoid alliteration” does not apply to poetry for children. Playful alliteration and repetition of certain sounds can add another level of delight to a rhyming book. Study these masters to see how it’s done:

from Go, Go, Grapes! A Fruit Chant by April Pulley Sayre:

“Pineapple. Pomegranate.
Take your pick.
Yell for yumminess:
Kiwis – quick!”

from Chicken Soup with Rice: A Book of Months by Maurice Sendak:

“In January
it’s so nice
while slipping
on the sliding ice
to sip hot chicken soup
with rice.
Sipping once
sipping twice
sipping chicken soup
with rice.”

from The Piggy in the Puddle by Charlotte Pomerantz:

“See the piggy,
See the puddle,
See the muddy little puddle.
See the piggy in the middle
Of the muddy little puddle.
See her dawdle, see her diddle
In the muddy, muddy middle.
See her waddle, plump and little,
In the very merry middle.”

from Bubble Trouble by Margaret Mahy:

“Little Mabel blew a bubble, and it cause a lot of trouble…
Such a lot of bubble trouble in a bibble-bobble way.
For it broke away from Mabel as it bobbed across the table,
where it bobbled over Baby, and it wafted him away.”

from Bubble Gum, Bubble Gum by Lisa Wheeler:
“Bubble gum,
bubble gum,
Chewy-gooey bubble gum,
Icky-sticky bubble gum
Melting in the road.
Along comes a toad…
A fine, fat toad,
A fine, fat, wild
-SPLAT!-
wart-backed toad.”

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About: Kristen

Kristen Remenar is a children’s librarian, author, teacher, and a national speaker on literacy for the Bureau of Education & Research. Her first picture book, GROUNDHOG’S DILEMMA, will be published by Charlesbridge in December 2015, and is illustrated by Matt Faulkner, award-winning author/illustrator and dearly loved husband of Kristen Remenar. The FaulkneRemenars live in Michigan.

Kristen’s Website

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Pre-Order it here!

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RhyPiBoMo 2015 Optional Writing Prompt: 10

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This is NOT part of the pledge. It is an option for a writing exercise for those interested. You will not publically share this as part of RhyPiBoMo but may keep a journal of your writing this month for your own review.

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Today’s writing prompt is to write a mushy, rhyming, love poem with as much alliteration as you can muster!

Alliteration is a poetic technique in which a number of words, having the same first consonant sound and occur close together. Be silly with it and give an exaggerated effort to make this more fun!

For example:

When I sit and softly swoon

I gaze up gawking, like a goon.

I sing “sweet nothings” passion tune

to my gleaming Mr. Marigold Moon…he’ll blossom here real soon!

© 2015 Angie Karcher

Silly fun but you get the idea!

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Maya Angelou Webinar Poetry Contest

(Only for those who attended the webinar last Saturday night.)

Those who attended the Maya Angelou celebration webinar last week were invite to submit a poem about civil rights today. Jackie Wellington generously offered to donate a copy of Maya Angelou’s POETRY FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

After much deliberation our esteemed judges Pam Courtney, Natalie Davis Miller and Charles Waters determined

the winner is…

Dawn Young

Congratulations Dawn!

Here is Dawn’s poem and two others written for the contest

by Ann Magee and Bev Langill.

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If everyone just understood…

By Dawn Young

It blows my mind, it bothers me

when I see things I often see.

Ruthless people acting cruel,

forsaking our most golden rule.

Sprouting hate with roots in race,

blooming doom that buds disgrace.

Ignorance, so cold and callous

molding blind and mindless malice.

Have a heart. Before you start

to slice and dice and tear apart

someone with a different view,

Think…How’d you like that done to you?

If everyone just understood,

how that feels then no one would

do these things I often see,

these things that really bother me.

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Revolution of LOVE Needed

by Bev Langill

War, intolerance, hate,

Boko Haram, Al Shabaab, Feguson, Indiana ,

Killing, raping, beheading, bombing

Forcing their religion, their beliefs

On people different from them,

Whether by religion, colour or sexual orientation.

Yet, no one is better than anyone else

No one has the right to push their own agenda.

Love thy neighbour as themselves

What a radical belief

As powerful now as 2000 years ago

A message repeated in all major religions

Love over hate.

A revolution is needed

Not of war, but of LOVE

Not of killing, but of embracing

Creating a world where all thrive and are loved and accepted.

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NAMES AND NUMBERS

a civil rights poem

By Ann Magee

Did Michael Brown know 100 years before his Mama gave him his name,

Judge Ferguson placed blame on Mr. Plessy for his blackness?

We knew.

Did Michael Brown know 58 years later, another black man named Brown stood tall,

anchored to the ground like an ancient apple tree so his daughter could gather

the fruit of knowledge?

We knew.

Did Michael Brown know 60 years later he would graduate high school,

and 8 days later he’d be shot 12 times at 12 o’clock noon,

90 seconds after he encountered police in Ferguson, Missouri?

We didn’t know either.

But we should have.

How many train cars, water fountains, chairs at the café counter,

blocks walked to school, seats on the bus, and steps marched in protest

do we need to count?

How many times will we let history repeat itself?

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Thank you

to all our judges for your time and support of RhyPiBoMo 2015!

Thanks also to all who came to the webinar to celebrate a great woman and to those who sent in poems for the contest. It was an impromptu opportunity and had a short turnover time but I appreciate your thoughtful words. Maybe, you can use your poem in a way that will do good in the world…Maya would like that!

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Golden Quill Poetry Contest

The Golden Quill Poetry Contest will accept entries STARTING April 13th and the deadline is April 25th midnight Central Time.

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PLEASE make sure you read the contest rules and follow them exactly. Unfortunately, due to the number of poems we will receive, a poem will be disqualified if it does not follow the guidelines exactly. This is only fair to those who did follow the rules and is good practice for us as writers because editors expect those guidelines to be followed to the letter.

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Contest Rules:

First and Last name included in the body of the email at the top left

Email address included in the body of the email at the top left

Phone number – top left

Space down 5 spaces

The Theme is: Freedom

Title of poem – centered with no by line or name here

8 line limit

Must be a rhyming poem

You will be judged on clever title, rhyme scheme, rhythm, scansion, perfect rhyming words, internal rhyme, alliteration, consonance, assonance, onomatopoeia, and clever ending.

Submit poems to

Angiekarcherrpbm@gmail.com

by April 25th midnight central time

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Official RhyPiBoMo 2015 Registration ended on April 8th.

If you are not officially registered you will not be able to participate in the Golden Quill Poetry Contest, in Rhyming Critique Groups or will not be eligible for daily prizes.

To see if you registered in time go to the Master Registration List on the drop down menu under the RhyPiBoMo Blog tab above.

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Please comment below. You MUST add your FIRST and LAST names

to be eligible for today’s prize!