To celebrate the release of The Poetry of US edited by former U.S. Children's Poet Laureate J. Patrick Lewis, blogs across the web are featuring selected poems from The Poetry of US plus 8 chances to win a copy! Follow along on this road trip across the U.S. through poems and pictures!
Introduction
by J. Patrick Lewis, former U.S. Children's Poet Laureate and editor of The Poetry of US
Have you ever traveled across the United States but not in a car, bus, plane, or train? If you have, you know what it’s like to play a true “mind game.” Because your brain is the best and fastest vehicle to get you from Alaska to Florida, New Mexico to Maine, and everywhere in between. Well, it helps, of course, if you have the comfort of a chair and this book, The Poetry of Us, sitting squarely in your lap.
It’s true, you know, as the great poet Robert Frost once said, “All poetry begins with Geography.” Some people call such writing “the poetry of place.” I call it a ticket to ride, a road atlas of words, or perhaps a word atlas of roads. Here you will find the Chicago River on St. Patrick’s Day suddenly turned green, the Montana State Fair’s hog-calling contest, colorful Native American celebrations, Los Angeles traffic jams, the wealth of America as well as its inner city poverty and despair.
So open this book to find out about places you might know or places you’ve never been. You may even be encouraged to write a poem about your own hometown or somewhere that exists only on the map of your imagination.
Power to the People: Signs of Our Democracy
(A Found Poem)
I AM A MAN. I AM A MAN.
You Are on Stolen Land.
Your Backwards Views Are Older Than the Dinosaurs.
We Can’t Feed the Poor But We Can Fund a War.
Jim Crow Must Go.
End Segregated Rules. Put Prayer Back in Schools.
Stop the H8. The World Can’t Wait.
Don’t tread on me. Stop Police Brutality. We Demand Equality.
From Adam’s Rib to Women’s Lib.
Pro-Life. Women’s Choice.
Your Vote Is Your Voice.
No More! Outrage! Consumers Crave a Living Wage.
Occupy Wall Street. No More Pollution.
Government Is the Problem, Not the Solution.
Clenched fist. Peace sign. Flying dove.
We are America . Love and Let Love.
Activism is not a crime.
I’m tired of marching for what should already be mine.
-Carole Boston Weatherford
*****
Blog Tour Schedule:
November 26th — Chat with Vera
November 27th — Beach Bound Books
November 28th — Christy's Cozy Corners
November 29th — Bookhounds
November 30th — YA and Kids Books Central
December 3rd — Java John Z's
December 4th — Word Spelunking
December 5th — A Dream Within a Dream
November 27th — Beach Bound Books
November 28th — Christy's Cozy Corners
November 29th — Bookhounds
November 30th — YA and Kids Books Central
December 3rd — Java John Z's
December 4th — Word Spelunking
December 5th — A Dream Within a Dream
“...an expansive gathering, with dazzling visuals” - Kirkus
It's all about us! Join former U.S. Children's Poet Laureate J. Patrick Lewis on a lyrical journey through the United States to experience the wonders of America's people and places through 200+ inspiring poems and stunning photographs.
Celebrate the gift of language and the vibrant culture of the United States with this collection of classic and never-before-published poetry. Poems are arranged by region, from coast to coast, and among them you'll find works by Langston Hughes, Dorothy Parker, Robert Frost, Naomi Shihab Nye, Walt Whitman, and more. From the familiar to the surprising, subjects include people, places, landmarks, monuments, nature, and celebrations. Designed for sharing, but geared to younger readers, this beautifully illustrated treasury is a must-have for the whole family.
About the Author: J. PATRICK LEWIS is a former U.S. Children's Poet Laureate. He earned a B.A. at Saint Joseph's College, an M.A. at Indiana University, and a Ph.D. in economics at the Ohio State University. Lewis taught in the department of Business, Accounting and Economics at Otterbein College until 1998, when he became a full-time writer. He is the author of more than 50 books of poetry for children, including Spot the Plot: A Riddle Book of Book Riddles (2009, illustrated by Lynn Munsinger); New York Times Best Illustrated Book The Last Resort (2002); The Shoe Tree of Chagrin (2001) which won the Society of Children's Book Writers & Illustrators' Golden Kite Award; A Hippopotamusn't: And Other Animal Poems (1990); and he has collaborated with other poets on several collections.
His children's poetry has been widely anthologized, and his contributions to children's literature have been recognized with the 2011 Poetry Award from the National Council of Teachers of English and the Ohioana Awards' 2004 Alice Louise Wood Memorial Prize. His poetry for adults includes the collection Gulls Hold Up the Sky: Poems 1983-2010.
GIVEAWAY
- One (1) winner will receive a copy of The Poetry of Us
- US/Canada only
- Begins Nov. 26 and Ends December 10 at 12:01 a.m. EST
DISCLOSURE: I received a complimentary copy of the book as a token of appreciation for posting this prepared material about the book and author. Opinions are not mine but those of author and publicist. Giveaway copy is provided by publicist or publisher and sent directly to the winner by them. NOTE: I can not personally endorse some of the content of this book of poetry. While some is that which I can endorse, there is some which I find strident, divisive, and that which condones or applauds ill speaking either societal or grammatically. Simply not "Vera's style."
