Poetry Challenge #176-Hooray! Library Shelfie Day
Every fourth Wednesday in January, bookies, biblophiles, readers, library nerds, like us—OK us—celebrate Library Shelfie Day. They (we) take a picture of themselves (ourselves)—a selfie—in front of a shelf of books—making it a shelfie.
Pictures are taken at the library, bookstore, school, or home—anywhere there is a shelf of books—and posted to social media #LibraryShelfieDay #ShelfieDay #Shelfie. Check out this collection of NYPL Favorites & Shee for your shelf!
When it comes to celebrating, they stop a snapping shelfies but, that’s not how we click:
Poetry Challenge #176
Library Shelfie Day
In honor of Library Shelfie Day, this week’s prompt is to write a spine poem. Find books on your shelves and arrange them so that when you read the spines, each book creates a line in the poem. See if you can include at least 5 books.
Here’s Mine writing Shelfie
Set Your Timer for 7 Minutes
Spines Out! Start Writing
Don’t Think Too Much About it; Just do it!
My Shelfie—read it in the comments
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge more than 1742 days ago! We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you.
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Poetry Challenge #175-Say Cheese!
Today is National Cheese Lover’s Day—a perfect day to enjoy cheese all day long. Maybe some cream cheese on a bagel for breakfast, a nice slice of cheddar or swiss on your sandwich at lunch, and macaroni and cheese for dinner. MMMM!
But cheese is also one of the words most used by photographers trying to get their subjects to smile: “Say cheese,” they call before they click their camera.
Poetry Challenge #175
Say Cheeeeeese!
For today’s prompt, find a photo with one or more people in it. If you are in the picture, do you remember what you were thinking at that moment?
What about the others in the picture? What about the photographer? Were they thinking of where they’d rather be? Did they have something to say to someone else in the picture?
What were they wishing, hoping, wanting at that moment?
Write a poem with real or imagine thoughts for the people in the picture. Include the people outside the picture—the photographer, onlookers, passersby, a person receiving the photo.
Set Your Timer for 7 Minutes
Start Writing
Don’t Think Too Much About it; Just do it!
Remember to say CHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESE!
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge more than 1737 days ago! We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. (This is one of Cindy’s.) If you join us in the Challenge, let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments.
Click on Fishbowl link and sign up to receive email notifications from Kelly's blog (aka The Fishbowl): SUBSCRIBE TO THE FISHBOWL
MLK Day Poetry Challenge
Adding a world wide poetry prompt to our usual weekly challenge. Celebrate MLK Day by writing your own "I Dream A World" Poem. Honor Martin by working toward living it true.
MLK Day Poetry Challenge
Honor MLK By Describing How You Dream A World
From NPR:
As we celebrate the birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. on Monday, Morning Edition asks for you to write a poem that starts with the words "I dream a world.”
Write a poem that, like Hughes did, begins with the line: "I dream a world" and describe the change you hope for.
Your poem can rhyme like Hughes' poem, but it doesn't have to. It just has to dream us out of tribulation.
Share your poem through the form below, then Alexander will take lines from some of your pieces and create a community crowdsourced poem. Alexander and Martin will read it on air, and NPR will publish it online, where contributors will be credited.
CLICK HERE for more, including How To Submit Your Poem
Goldfish to Artist: Interview & Give Away: Noah Z Jones...About that Sweatband?
One Amazing Interview with Noah Z Jones, the artist/creator of our finny goldfish, yes…Norman!
Noah Z Jones: the Human, the Artist & Goldfish Imaginer, the Disposal:
NTG: Do you have a pet? If so, what kind and what’s its name?
NZG: We’ve got three pets. A hermit crab named Pineapple and two loafy guinea pigs, Hippo and Panda. Pineapple makes weird squeaky noises in the middle of the night and Hippo likes to take Panda’s lettuce when she’s not looking.
NTG: What is your favorite food?
NZJ: Tacos. Always tacos. From now until the end of time it’s tacos. And Fruity Pebbles. But mostly tacos.
NTG: If I’d had a bigger breakfast maybe I wouldn’t have been so nervous.”
NTG: Any food you would not eat—even for a million dollars?
NZJ: Look, I’m gonna be honest, I’m like a garbage disposal. I’ll try anything once.
NTG: What is your favorite thing to do when you are not working?
NZJ: Naps. Give me a couch, a nice pillow and twenty minutes to doze and I’m the happiest person on Earth.
Kelly & Noah finally met years after NOT NORMAN was published—they were guppies!
Then (When you were a kid):
NTG: What did you like to do best?
NZJ: Draw and read. That’s all I used to do. And watch Saturday morning cartoons.
NTG: What was your favorite subject in school?
NZJ: Art! I loved it. I knew I wanted to be an artist when I grew up from the time I was in second grade or so.
NTG: Did you have a best friend or pet? (If yes, what kind and what was his-her-its-their name?)
NZJ: My best friend was a kid named Jon Tarr. By the time he was in sixth grade Jon had cracked his skull five times, on accident of course. I was only there for two of the skull crackings. This is real. Hi Jon!
NTG: What was/is your favorite kid movie or TV show?
Norman One Amazing Goldfish sketches—the eyebrows have it!
NZJ: Movie would be a tie between MATILDA and BABE, they’re both SOO good. When I was a kid I loved THE INCREDIBLE HULK, I loved imagining turning green and smashing things.
ALL THINGS NORMAN:
NTG: How do you get me to show so much emotion? (And what’s with the sweatband?)
NZJ: It’s all in the eyebrows! Most of my drawings of characters start with the eyes and eyebrows. Some people say eyes are the window into a person’s soul, but I say it’s clearly the eyebrows. OF COURSE NORMAN NEEDS A SWEATBAND!! The little fish is always sweating up a storm.
NTG: Do you do all the illustrations on the computer? Or do you draw some by hand? How does that work? Can you describe your process a bit?
NZJ: The drawings for both Norman books were all done on the computer, I like being able to change things and move parts of my drawings around and it’s so much easier to do those things digitally. I have a special kind of screen that I can draw on with a digital pen, it’s pretty cool. Though I have to say I’m always keen on drawing in paper sketchbooks, that’s where most of my ideas start.
NTG: What was it like illustrating a sequel to NOT NORMAN?
NTZ: It was fun and a little harder than I thought it would be! The first NORMAN book came out FIFTEEN YEARS AGO and my adorable fish drawin’ skill shad gotten a little rusty!
NTG: Must have been hard to top that boy-peeking-through-the-fishbowl NOT NORMAN cover for the sequel—or was it? How many ways did you try? Can you show us some?
NTZ: It was a little tricky, the first sketch for the cover got rejected…I’m sending it along so you can get a behind the scenes peek at it!
NTG: Would you like to work on another Norman the Goldfish adventure?
NZJ: YES, YES A MILLION TIMES YES!! Let’s do the first book series with a HUNDRED THOUSAND sequels!!
Last question N to N: What does your letter Z stand for? (I’ll tell you about my T is if you share your Z.)
To see samples of Noah’s cartoons, animation, antics—and to find out what he’s really up to, google him—that’s what we did—cyber stalking. Here’s his bio: Noah Z Jones,
Glu-glu glu-glug And don’t forget: A GIVEAWAY!
One Amazing reader will win hot-off-the-press, a Copy of NORMAN’S ONE AMAZING GOLDFISH!!!!
To enter: Subscribe to the Fishbowl & Leave one comment below. A random winner will be selected on Jan 31st.
Glug Luck!
P.S. If you think you’re read this before, you may be correct. A sassy artist needs to be celebrated twice—leave 2 comments and you’ll be entered in the contest twice. Twice is nice!!!
Ask Norman: How Many Days?
Norman T. Goldfish answers letters from readers. Click on the link to read his reply.
Hey Kids! Did you know goldfish can a long time if they are cared for properly. The average is 15 years. But, they can’t stay long in a small fishbowl. They need room to swim. If you read Not Norman, you know his human moved Norman to an aquarium at the end. So, this is a really tough question.
Ready to read Norman’s answer? Scroll down . . .
Glug
Glug
Glug . . .
Do you have a question for Norman the Goldfish—about friends, school, pets, family, life in and outside the fishbowl? Send him a letter!
Poetry Challenge #174-Stick It To Me
Have you ever taking a bite of fruit only to come away with stick-on-label in your mouth? Tasty, right? Ugh! Fruit, electronics, elbows, signs…you name it, seems a sticker’s stuck to it—today especially—for annoying or not, today, Jan 13th has been designated National Sticker Day.
Along with being the officially recognized day to scrape off labels stuck on shoes, picture frames, do-dads, thing-a-ma-bobs and what-zits, National Sticker Day activities include:
Get some new stickers
Give some stickers away
Make your own stickers
To that, in celebration of the day, we’re adding this 7-Minute Challenge:
Poetry Challenge #174
Stick It to Me
For this challenge we’re paraphrasing Judy Carnes, the original “Sock it to Me” girl . Rather than racing around chanting Sock-it-to-Me-Sock-it-to-Me-Sock-it-to-Me until something bad happens as she did on the 60s Variety Show Laugh-in, race around collecting sticker slogans to create a Found Poem. (Chanting “Sticker-Me“ while collecting is optional)
Historically speaking, stickers have been pasted on produce as far back as 300 bc. Now everything—apples still included—has some sort of sticker plastered on it, so finding stickers should be easy. You might have a slew of stickers in your own space or bumper. If not… Field Trip Time! Check out passing cars, trucks, electronics, pinterest—or your neighbor’s fridge.
Snuck a Snap of the Kid’s Neighbor’s Fridge—Yours to use if you can read it.
To Create Found “Sticker” Poem:
First copy a variety of stickers onto a page. The stickers might have one word or a phrase.
Choose one sticker to be the title of your poem.
Now, arrange and rearrange the remaining sticker slogans into a Found Poem. For purposes of this prompt, try not to add extra words or letters to the poem, break phrases apart, or use only part of a slogan—even to help clarify meaning.
As you play with the words and phrases, pay attention to sounds, patterns, rhythm or meaning.
Set Your Timer for 7 Minutes
Start Writing
Don’t Think Too Much About it; Just stick to it until the timer dings!
And for more fun: “How to Make Stickers” at Skip to My Lou—a great DIY with Kids site!
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge more than 1730 days ago! We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. If you join us in the Challenge, let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments.
Click on Fishbowl link and sign up to receive email notifications from Kelly's blog (aka The Fishbowl): SUBSCRIBE TO THE FISHBOWL
Poetry Challenge #173-Cha-cha Chain of _____________
Cuddles are chains of sort. We link arm in arm, snuggle to snuggle, heart to heart when we cuddle. Which brings me to today, Jan 6, National Cuddle Up Day. The same way we cuddle up, thoughts jump, mingle and connect—cuddle— one to another to another.
In the same way letters cuddle up—cluster—to form words, and words linked together to form passages and worlds and images that bundle, group, cuddle up to create stories and poetry. Let’s try it:
Poetry Challenge #173
Cha-cha Chain of ______________________?
Fill in the blank with a noun: Chain of ____________.
With that at the title, write a Chain Poem. Chain poems have two known forms:
1. The last word or syllable of a line become the first word or syllable of the next line. You’ll need to extend the poem out at least five lines for the chain to be effective.
2. Or if you’re game for writing a long poem, the last line of each stanza becomes the first line of the next stanza.
Set Your Timer for 7 Minutes
Start Writing
Don’t Think Too Much About it; just do the Cuddle up!
Cha-Cha Chain Playlist:
About Cuddle Up Day: Holiday Insights : Cuddle Up Day, January 6
About Chain Poems: Chain verse at a glance : Poetry through the Ages (webexhibits.org)
Chain of Fools the best: sung by Aretha, danced by Travolta: Aretha Franklin | Chain Of Fools || John Travolta Dance || - Bing video
Cindy Faughnan and I began this 7-Minute Poetry Challenge about 1700 days ago! (with nary a miss!!!) We now take turns creating our own prompts to share with you. If you join us in the Challenge, let us know by posting the title, a note, or if you want, the whole poem in the comments.
Click on Fishbowl link and sign up to receive email notifications from Kelly's blog (aka The Fishbowl): SUBSCRIBE TO THE FISHBOWL
On Gardening Leave....Still? Again?
Happy 2021! As we fly…leap…creep into a new year, many of us (ME) are reflecting on where we’ve been, and what the heck we did—or didn’t do—these past nine months. A prompt from a blogger at OutwitTrade prompted me to revisit this post written just before we repatriated from Trinidad. The theme then: “Should we be worried? Or Happy?” is oddly, scarily, the same now, with vaccines on the way and CoVid Cases on the rise. So I’m reposting today. Lots to think about:
Is "Gardening Leave" the same as being "Put Out to Pasture"? If it is, should we be worried? Or happy?
Us back then!
Four years, three months ago, Curtis and I moved to Trinidad from Indonesia. Seven years before that we'd moved to Indonesia from Houston.
The day after April Fool's Day, loaded down with 6 suitcases, 2 carry-ons and lots of memories--especially of our dear Trini friends--Curtis and I boarded a plane bound for New York, and whatever comes after. . .
Why we were New York and not Houston or somewhere else Bound?
Several years ago, while my Creativity Group (or the GGs as we called ourselves) was working through The Passion Test, I came to the realization that I wanted-needed-a base, a home, a nest of our own.
So, we went searching for that nest and finally found one in a seaside village of Westhampton Beach on Long Island. It met all our requirements--the requirements of late mid-life: Withing 2 hours of an International Airport; good doctors, hospital, within walking/biking distance to all the necessities.
If you're wondering what "Renovation" means, this sums it up... sans the theatre/romance/fun subplot.
A better/worse/more realistic example...
Our Vene Mange "Mini Band" won 3rd place in Carnival 2016
We proceeded to make the nest our own
And then, little more ours . . .
Fast forward three years. . .
We knew this day would come. Curtis's Trinidad & Tobago Work Permit expired on March 31t. We'd been planning for it. Working toward it. We thought our builder was too...
This morning, as we were meeting with the electrician to decide where we should position the lights, outlets, switches, cables and wires needed to complete this reno, with detritus from our six suitcases & 4 carry-ons scattered throughout our crowded "nest" Curtis got the call we'd been expecting. As of today, Curtis is officially on "Gardening Leave," whatever that means...
Am I nervous? Excited? Scared? A little worries? Sure am!
Here's one thing I've learned these 4 years in Trinidad:
Trini hearts must beat with the rhythm of the steel pan. I'm sure of it when I see Trini's move and when I hear them speak. Sentences blend and bounce, ending with a upturn, a lilt. I try to recreate the accent but mine comes out sounding leprechaun.
Even courtesy greeting to passerbys dance. No quick, curt "Hi," or nod of the head. Joggers sweating and puffing their way up steep Lady Chancellor hill this past Saturday morning sang out, "Mornin' Mornin'" "G'day! G'day!" just as they had every other day. Morning greetings, regardless the age of the speaker, come twice.
Curious about the origin of this charming greeting custom, I'd looked it up when we first came to Trinidad. I recall something about how the custom stems from back when servants manners better be above reproach. (Although when I searched just now for that reference, I couldn't find it.)
I asked a Trini friend about the two-call greeting and she said she recalled her grandmother saying it was about not risking being considered rude. "Trinidad is a small community," she explained. "If you're not related to someone, you know someone who is. If it ever got back to our family that we hadn't been polite, hadn't greeted someone properly, we'd catch the devil. Better to say it twice and be sure to be heard."
Knowing this charming custom grew out of fear--fear of losing one's position or risking punishment--a "Better safe than sorry," mentality, should, I suppose, make me enjoy it less. On the contrary. I think there's something to this idea that if one has something important enough to say once, we should make sure it's heard. And if that means saying it twice, sing out!
So now, today, with Gardening Leave (and whatever it entails) about to begin, we're taking a cue from our Trini Friends: We're Ready! We're Ready!