Poem a Day

Inspired by my interview with Kim Newton Fusco www.kimberlynewtonfusco.com, I have committed to writing a poem a day for a month. If I succeed, I may even go longer. (Jane Yolen http://janeyolen.com/ has been writing a poem a day for over a year!) Why? I hope to learn how to put words together in an effective way. I hope to learn how to capture the emotion of a moment. I hope to learn how to truly see. I'm using Cindy Rogers' book, Word Magic for Writers to guide me through a Greek welter of rhetorical techniques--alliteration and onomatopeoia, polysyndeton and asyndeton, anaphora and epistrophe. So far, none of these poems has been fit for publication. But I'm exercising my writing muscles, building verbal strength and flexibility. If anyone of you has made a similar commitment, I'd love to hear from you. I'd also like to know of other books to help me hone my poetic skills. And just a reminder, Greg Fishbone http://gfishbone.com/ will be dropping by on October 28 to talk about his latest book, Galaxy Games: The Challenges. I'm also delighted to announce that Padma Venkatraman http://www.padmasbooks.com has agreed to come and discuss her latest title, Island's End. I'll have a date for that visit soon.