What Is the Name for a Group of Poets?

Alice is a delightful poet, and I participate in the critique group she mentions here. I hope you enjoy reading this whimsical poem as much as I did.

alice13wordwalk

What Is the Name for a Group of Poets?

a poem by Alice Jane-Marie Massa

A colony of beavers

must know something

about colons and semicolons.

A sleuth of bears

hibernates to envision

the highs and lows of detective stories.

A kaleidoscope of butterflies

flutters around fictional fantasies.

But, what do we call

a group of poets?

A murder of crows

sounds appropriate for

a group of mystery writers.

A flight of doves

must develop

many creative ideas.

A convocation of eagles

must ease into

historical fiction.

A cast of falcons

must focus on

TV scripts and stage dramas.

A stand of pink flamingos

perches upright and ready

to present

behind any podium.

Perhaps, you can think of what to call

a group of poets.

A cackle of hyenas

have to turn to comedy.

A troop of kangaroos

can write military history.

A leap of leopards

jumps into a variety

View original post 722 more words

The rails of the printed page

In celebration of National Library Week, here’s a post from Washington’s poet laureate. What do you remember about your local public library when you were growing up? How has it changed since then? Do you think public libraries are important? I hope so.

Washington State Poet Laureate

This week libraries across the country are celebrating National Library Week. We all have read, or heard, stories of how libraries have literary saved people’s lives. Those lives were perhaps mired in difficulty and libraries offered a way to engage with new ideas, imagine possibilities and experience lives different than their own.

Growing up in El Salvador I did not have any public libraries. I knew there was a National Library in San Salvador, the capital. There were probably libraries in larger towns, but they were not easily accessible nor part of the collective consciousness. My father and mother, both teachers, were avid readers so I was lucky to have many books at home. They showered me with books they thought useful for me to read. They signed me up for a Book-of-the-Month Club through which I read Jules Verne, Mark Twain, Juan Ramón Jímenez, and many of the Western…

View original post 414 more words

Triggers

This blogger makes some interesting points about gun control. If you think assault rifles should be included in our Second Amendment right to bear arms, remember the tragic school shooting in Florida last month, and think again. This is why I marched in West Palm Beach yesterday.

Storyshucker

We remain stunned by the unbelievably brutal attack on innocent high school students in Parkland, Florida. Who knows why the individual, obviously disturbed, felt compelled to do such a violent thing thereby ending seventeen lives and damaging so many more. Hindsight cannot help too much now.

The trigger has been pulled and there is no going back.

In the wake of the horror, debate rekindled over gun control and the meaning of twenty-seven little words. They have been dissected countless times but the conclusion has remained largely the same. Gun advocates cling to that decision because parts of the Second Amendment provide quite a sturdy position from which to take a stand.

But so do parts of the First. Enter the students.

Regardless of one’s political leanings, the organization and determination of the kids at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School must be admired. Their collective response in speaking out was…

View original post 380 more words

Easy Guide for Writing a Pi Poem

When Alice posted this a couple of weeks ago, I hoped to have time to write a pi poem and post it here today, but as you can see, that didn’t happen, so here’s Alice’s poem with instructions on how to write in this poetic form. If you’re a poet, I triple dog dare you to give this a try. Good luck, and happy Pi Day.

alice13wordwalk

Easy Guide for Writing a Pi Poem for Spring

On this eve of meteorological spring–March 1, 2018–I am sharing with you another pi poem.  Of all the pieces which I have posted since January 19, 2013, my blog posts about pi poems are at the top of the list for the most views on my WORDWALK blogsite.  Thus, to help some students and other hobby writers, I am including an easy guide for writing a pi poem of 32 lines, along with a sample pi poem; however, by following the numerals of the mathematical pi, you may write your pi poem of lesser or more poetic lines.  You need only count the syllables per line to coincide with the numerals of the mathematical pi (as noted below).  The rhyme scheme, or lack thereof, is totally your choice.  Nevertheless, be certain to add as many poetic touches as are appropriate for…

View original post 393 more words

AUTHORS, THEY’RE ONLY HUMAN PRESENTS BOOK EXCERPT FROM: Walking by Inner Vision: Stories & Poems © 2017 by Lynda McKinney Lambert

I reviewed Lynda’s book last year when it first came out. Now here’s an excerpt along with purchasing information.

Campbells World

Good morning campbellsworld visitors.
This morning during my search through the many folders filled with terrifically talented submissions for my Authors They’re Only Human column, I came across something that touched me so deeply I had to share it here with you.
I hope, that it does for you what it did for me.
Of late, I’ve been feeling rather discouraged. I’ve run into obstacle after obstacle and have been ready to curl into a puppy ball and give up.
Then, I found the following offering and once again I’ve found my ability to keep putting one foot in front of the other.
All of us, no matter who we are, or what we do have struggles. The trick is to keep going no matter how hard it gets.
In the following, Author Lynda Lambert gives us a very personal look into what must have been a time of pure…

View original post 1,770 more words

HOSPICE A BEGINNING: By Author Phyllis Campbell

I’m so thankful my late husband was never diagnosed with a terminal illness, but thanks to Phyllis’s article, it’s good to know what hospice could have done to help if the need arose. You also might want to check out Phyllis’s books.

Campbells World

Good morning campbellsworld visitors.
This morning Author Phyllis Campbell gives us just a bit more personal glimpse into her world, and helps us understand better about what I’m coming to learn is quite an important service.
We first get to know Phyllis in her biographical book: Friendships In the Dark, but while that book did do a most excellent job at letting us see into her private world, I believe this article takes us much deeper into what must’ve been a hard, and at times horrifying journey.
Author Phyllis Campbell has written many awesome books since the hard days of long ago which are written of here, and I hope you’ll take a look at all she has to offer after you’ve read this heart-felt offering below.
Thanks to you Phyllis for sending this writing to me so that I might share it with my readers.
It is my wish…

View original post 1,013 more words

Writing And Music

Have you ever thought of a piece of music that would go well with a scene or poem you’ve written?

Writer's Treasure Chest

In my January Newsletter, right at the end, I added a link to a YouTube video. It leads to the ‘Waltz of Flowers’, composed by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, an amazing, wonderful and heart touching piece of music in my opinion.

(Just in case: You can listen to the music here)

But where do I go with this post? I had been considering writing about all the music I listened to while writing – but that’s not the case today.

First of all: I write my first drafts by hand – always. After I finish them, I type them into my computer. During writing, I never listen to music. It distracts me. But during typing in I do.

Today I want something different. While typing and listening to this amazing waltz I re-read and corrected a fighting scene in my book, and I asked myself: if this would be turned…

View original post 247 more words