First off, I’m so excited to be sitting on this year’s Cybils Poetry Panel!
I’ve done this duty one other time and it was a delight.
I mean, really, how could it not be?
Reading this year’s best books of poems for children and then talking about them with smart, wise, thoughtful, funny, passionate poem readers?Win win win all over the place.

And speaking of the Cybils Poetry Panel, our fearless leader — Kelly R. Fineman — has a poem featured in a new anthology called Breaking Waves. It’s downloadable and all proceeds go toward oil spill relief in the Gulf Coast. Thank goodness for that. Kelly’s poem closes out the collection (of poems, stories, essays and the like) and is particularly potent (no wonder) because she does not shy away from vigorous language or strong form or big ideas. Go get the anthology and you’ll see what I mean.

And speaking of big ideas, book banning isn’t one. It’s a small, small, fearful idea. Banned Books Week is coming up soon, making it a darned good time to buy those books, talk to your children about them, and just generally kick up a bit of a fuss.

And speaking of kicking up a fuss, I recently finished reading Mark Salzman’s True Notebooks: A Writer’s Year at Juvenile Hall. I loved it almost as much (but not quite) as Sam Swope’s I Am a Pencil, and if you haven’t read either of them, do. Together they illustrate and validate the powerful one-two punch that is self expression and being heard, read and received. 

And speaking of being heard, read and received, I’m working my way happily back into blogsville these past few weeks — both as a reader and a writer and I sure do like it. Glad to have you all…

Namaste.