Experiences with Poetry

the beach
her waves
beat for none
but herself

crash against
the sand
then pull back
into herself

– “beach” by Grace Katharine Schmidt

Yes, that’s right, I wrote that poem! As I discussed in my last blog post, I love not only reading poetry but writing it, too. And with everything that’s been going on in the world lately (see: COVID-19, my last year at Appalachian ending unexpectedly and preemptively, and the poetry units we were going to teach for one of my graduate classes effectively cancelled), I’ve found myself writing LOTS of poetry in my spare time!

The majority of my poetry writing since spring break has consisted of observational poetry: looking closely at the world around me, reflecting upon the small details, and using all my senses to capture their beauty. I’ve been trying to write more and more observational poetry because usually much of my writing is focused on within myself and the emotions I hold—and I’ve actually found that when I write observational poetry and find beauty in the world, I feel more myself and more at peace. I don’t know that I ever would’ve gotten into observational poetry if not for my wonderful professor Dr. Frye encouraging those of us in her class to experiment with it. And the timing for it is perfect: I find so much inspiration from springtime!

Due to classes being pushed online for the remainder of the semester, one of the projects for one of my graduate courses was cancelled, but I had been so excited about it beforehand that I asked my professor if I could do it anyway, and she said yes! So, I wrote a multimodal self-portrait anthology that combined poems I had written this semester, works by other poets that have inspired me, and drawings I’ve done. I’ve titled it Joy Screaming From Her Limbs and I am extremely proud of the work I’ve done for it. If you are interested in reading it, you can click here or download it below!

In addition to writing more poetry, I’ve also had the new experience of teaching poetry virtually through Zoom. I was really nervous to not only be teaching on a subject I’ve never taught on before, but also on a platform that I am not used to using; however, once I did it, it felt great to get to teach again!! The student I worked with—a little boy in 1st grade who I’ve been nannying since he was 2 years old—did such a great job and it was obvious how much he enjoyed getting to write poetry. I think it would be even better if we are able to continue our virtual learning together, so that we could improve and expand upon it more! If you’re interested in my Zoom teaching session with my best almost-7-year-old friend, please check out the video below!

What I love about teaching poetry is how accessible it is to all students, no matter their level of skill in literacy or their background. The short lines, the line breaks, and fewer words on the page make poetry less intimidating to a student who might be hesitant in literacy instruction, without “dumbing it down” or taking away value or meaning from the poem. I highly recommend taking a look at a video, embedded below, by Jason Reynolds about the power of poetry for students who are struggling or reluctant to read or write.

As National Poetry Month comes to an end, if you are interested in some resources for teaching, reading, or writing poetry, I have included some of my favorites below.

The Anderson Reading Clinic at Appalachian State University: Literacy Casts

The Poem Farm

Poetry for Children

No Water River: The Children’s Poetry Place

We Are Teachers: 38 Essential Poetry Books for Kids in Grades K-12

I would like to end this post with a poem:

Poetry

Thank you,
poetry,
for
never
giving up on me.

Thank you,
poetry,
for
your soft words
and
your loving smile.

Thank you,
poetry,
for
inviting me in
and holding me
close.