Category Archives: Poetry

Happy National Poetry Month

April is National Poetry Month, and there are lots of ways to celebrate. You can: Write a poem every day with NaPoWriMo. Daily prompts and encouragement are provided! Read a poem every day on Poets.org. Watch young people perform slam poetry from Brave New Voices Festival on YouTube. Explore the organizations that love poetry: CantoContinue reading “Happy National Poetry Month”

The Poet’s Role in Social Justice

In Houston, poet laureates were in the news two weeks in a row. First, Mayor Sylvester Turner announced the opening of the application process to become the 5th Houston Poet Laureate. I cheered, but some complained. Then 22-year-old Amanda Gorman, the first National Youth Poet Laureate, stole the show at the Presidential Inauguration, perhaps evenContinue reading “The Poet’s Role in Social Justice”

School, Joy & Revolution: Takeaways from my Time at WITS

I retired from my leadership position at Writers in the Schools (WITS) in September, and the editors of Teachers & Writers Magazine invited me to write an essay about what I learned. When I became the Executive Director in the late 90s, the most talked-about book in our library was Wishes, Lies, and Dreams byContinue reading “School, Joy & Revolution: Takeaways from my Time at WITS”