Tag Archives: poetry

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Notable Date to Celebrate: September 25th is Shel Silverstein's birthday

You probably already know that at CMLE, we offer a service called “Notable Dates for your Noggin” which feature special holidays and birthdays of authors, as well as publications of well-known books. In an effort to help you get more from this service, we’ve decided to select one “Notable Date” each month to feature. We will include a few fun programming and activity ideas too, all for you to use!

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September 25th is Shel Silverstein’s birthday. Silverstein is well known for his children’s literature, poetry, and music. You can listen to him read his poem Backward Bill here, and even subscribe to the Shel Silverstein YouTube channel for more content.

If you are looking for some biographical information on Silverstein, check out this article from LibraryPoint.org which talks about his life and also gives some fast facts about the writer, including that he won a Grammy award in 1969 for A Boy Named Sue performed by Johnny Cash.

Love The Giving Tree? Celebrate by making some Giving Tree apple cupcakes!

Make math more fun with these poetry inspired activities.

Get creative and pick your favorite Shel Silverstein poem to draw some accompanying illustrations!

Want more Shel Silverstein activities or information? Check out this website for wallpapers, e-cards, and lesson plans.

 

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Looking for more fun holidays or days to celebrate? Check out our Notable Dates Page!

General, Public, School Media Specialist

Books for teen writers and poets

highlighted readingFollowing the month of April, which was National Poetry Month, we are coming up on summer! A time when teens may have more time available to read and write their own content. Looking for a way to encourage a teen writer or poet? Check out this booklist!

They feature several different categories, including one titled “Nonfiction: Writers on Writing” featuring familiar names like Stephan King and Stan Lee. Reading about the obstacles and challenges that faced famous writers may be just the encouragement a young writer needs.

Finally, for anyone struggling to encourage young readers to become interested in poetry, this may be the answer you need. You’ve probably heard of the musical Hamilton by now. The book Hamilton: The Revolution includes a behind-the-scenes look at the hip-hop musical about the life of Alexander Hamilton. The book also includes the hip-hop poetry of rapper and composer Lin-Manuel Miranda. Maybe putting poetry in a different context will make it more accessible and appealing to teens, and maybe even inspire them to write their own?

Happy writing!

Image credit: http://unsplash.com/(Jazmin Quaynor) licensed under CC0 1.0

 

 

Academic, Check this out:, General, Public, School Media Specialist

Dear Poet!

PoetSince 1996, poetry and poets have shared the spotlight during the nation-wide celebration of libraries in the month of April.  Poets.org provides a repository of poems, interesting facts and even additional resources to assist in the development of classroom curriculum for students, grades 7 -10.

Through April 30th, the Board of Chancellors from the Academy of American Poets is encouraging students to read poetry by participating in the Dear Poet Project. This program provides an opportunity for students to read published works by American poets and then write to the author to talk about their work.

This month highlight poetry and help broaden readership. Who know, maybe even embolden a future poet!

Academic, Check this out:, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

Local Poetry Reading!

Joyce Sutphen Minnesota Poet Laureate
Joyce Sutphen Minnesota Poet Laureate

Featured guest at the April Book Lovers Night is poet and author Joyce Sutphen.  In 2011, this St. Josephn native was named the second Minnesota Poet Laureate by Governor Mark Dayton.  Sutphen will be participating in a reading at 7:oo pm this Wednesday, April 3, 2013 at the College of Saint Benedict in Saint Joseph, Minnesota. This event is free and open to the public! Click here for more details.

Also note, Sutphen will be available for a book signing after her presentation. The CSB/SJU Bookstore will offer recommended books for sale at 20 percent off during the event. 

Academic, General, Public, School Media Specialist, Special

2013 Notable Adult Book List is Out!

SpeBookNotableListReference and User Services Association (RUSA) has announced its selections for the 2013 Notable Books List!  

Since 1944, the Notable Books Council has selected an annual list of 25 important books for the nation’s adult readers. This list includes fiction, nonfiction, and poetry books identified by RUSA members and readers’ advisory experts from around the country. Browse through the list to see which of these books you may want to buy or borrow for in your library.