Category Archives: poetry

Salt inside the words: Helen Frost on writing for children

Posted on Aug 30, 2019 by

A few weeks ago, Fort Wayne author Helen Frost led a children’s lit workshop at the Allen County Public Library, where she offered advice on historical research, “writing the other,” and not stressing too much about the children’s publishing industry. … Continue reading →

Posted in author focus, family, historical, poetry, writing | 3 Comments

“Spring has come again already” – Lithuanian poetry through the ages

Posted on Apr 10, 2018 by

My Lithuanian Year continues as I delve into more of the Baltic nation’s literary history.  For National Poetry Month, I’ve decided to research five of Lithuania’s best-known poets, from the nineteenth century to the present.  From the age of the … Continue reading →

Posted in folklore/fairy tales, LGBTQIA, Lithuania, poetry, romantic, Scholarly Musings | Tagged , | 5 Comments

Ghastly stories for the biggest scare-seekers

Posted on Oct 19, 2017 by

Do you keep a night light on on Halloween, just in case?  Do thoughts of the undead keep you unrested?  Or are you all about the vampire bats and the plague-haunted castles and the vengeful murder victims come back to … Continue reading →

Posted in comics, Halloween, nonfiction, poetry, short stories, spooky | 7 Comments

Poisoned apples, twisted tales, and mer-lore

Posted on Mar 18, 2016 by

  Yep, it’s time for more re-worked fairy tale collections, including another Windling/Datlow book!  Hey, I’ll keep reviewing them as long as I keep finding ’em 🙂 Christine Heppermann. Poisoned Apples: Poems for You, My Pretty. New York: Greenwillow Books, 2014. This … Continue reading →

Posted in fantasy, favorites, folklore/fairy tales, mermaids, poetry, selkies, short stories, spooky | 7 Comments

Nursery Rhyme Redux

Posted on Aug 15, 2014 by

Three years ago, before Fairy Tale Comics, there appeared in the folklore-themed-comicsphere… What I love about this collection is that the illustrators treat the rhymes like little stories, following the original words but interpreting them in different ways.  It’s “not a parody … Continue reading →

Posted in comics, folklore/fairy tales, picture books, poetry | 1 Comment

2013 Hall o’ Faves

Posted on Dec 15, 2013 by

Edit 01-06-14:  Cannot. Believe. I left out the Sherlock Holmes stories (Vol. 2 of the Barnes & Noble ed.; I read Vol. 1 in 2012). Cannot. Believe it. (Shut up, Naruto.) Edit:  Oops! Missed one. Sorry ’bout that, October Daye … Continue reading →

Posted in fantasy, folklore/fairy tales, graphic-novels, humor, picture books, poetry, spooky, year-end review | 1 Comment

Swaying in my hammock

Posted on Jul 7, 2013 by

For this month’s Exchange, Book Bloggers International asks:  What’s your favorite reading spot? Is it a comfy chair?  A sweet sofa?  A reading nook by a window?  A place in the park?  A coffee shop?  Your bed?  Your deck or … Continue reading →

Posted in challenges, poetry | 2 Comments

Of Tattlesnakes and Tubaboons, Clocktopi and Spatuloons…a belated poetry-related post

Posted on Jun 20, 2013 by

It’s time for another episode of “While Wandering Through the Library the Other Day…” So… I was wandering through the library the other day, when I saw this: An intriguing title, pretty cover art, and the promise of more poetic … Continue reading →

Posted in humor, picture books, poetry | Leave a comment

“Ten miške, kur eglės ošią…”

Posted on Feb 20, 2013 by

Inspired by Jean of Howling Frog Books, whose January posts focused on lesser-known children’s titles from (mostly) outside the U.S., I thought I’d share a few of the classic Lithuanian stories I grew up with. . . . . . … Continue reading →

Posted in Classic Juv/YA fantasy, folklore/fairy tales, humor, Lithuania, nostalgic, poetry | 5 Comments

“The heart of it not in the chosen—the act itself the main, the quadriennial choosing”

Posted on Nov 6, 2012 by

For the Tea with Transcendentalists challenge (I know it’s not an official event anymore, I don’t think, but I’m still going to do a post or two this month just for fun), I offer the following Whitmanian sentiment on Election Day. … Continue reading →

Posted in challenges, poetry | Leave a comment