Students-Publish at Poetic Power!

At poeticpower.com, students can submit their poems and get them published! Any grade K-12 can submit. August 16 is the upcoming deadline, so have your child start practicing! Throughout my blog, I have several different types of poems that give examples of what is out there in terms of poetry types. Check it out! You can also get on Poetic Power's website, and get the same information. If you click on the green "Teacher's Corner" tab in the upper right hand corner, you will be directed to a list of resources. Click on "Internet Poetry Resource," select a grade, then "type of poetry," and then you can scroll through the list of possible types of poems.

Getting published early on is a great way to get your child's foot in the door in the publishing world, and as a poetry judge, I would love to share some great tips that would help your child get published! Poetic Power is a company that offers just enough of a competitive edge to make a published student feel proud. Not everyone who submits gets published, but I have found a pattern in what makes a poem really great...or really dumb.

1. We can tell when a poem is submitted just to be submitted. "A dog and a frog sat on a log drinking eggnog" will NOT get published. Neither will, "My mom is dumb, my brother is mean, I love bacon and the color green." Ugh. I swear, if I ever come across another bacon poem, I think I will scream.

2. Poems do NOT need to rhyme. While many great poems I've read have rhymed, a really, really bad rhyme anywhere in the poem will make it so the poem is not published. An example of this is, "Kittens are soft, I love the way they lick my nose, they are so friendly, I think I'll take a doze." If it's not going to rhyme with anything, don't force a dumb one in there.

3. The best poems I have read are based off of true feelings or experiences. Some of my favorite ones are about the students' hobbies, such as basketball, ballet, reading, or even writing. Death of a loved one, a love poem, or even poetry about boredom are also great topics.

On the website poeticpower.com, you can check out the poem of the day in the top right hand corner for an idea, or you can click on the orange "winners" tab in the upper right hand corner to read past winning poems. All poems that are accepted will get published, with the opportunity to buy the book. (But make sure you send in your permission to printl!!) I really hope you can get your child motivated to submit a poem for this contest! There are 3 poetry contests each year. The deadlines are as follows:

Spring: August 11, 2013

Summer: August 12, 2012

Fall: December 6, 2012

Good luck!

Poetry Exercises

Remember how I want to try exercising my creativity? After reading hundreds of poems daily (and feeling very jealous that these kids have SUCH amazing talents), I have really wanted to try to write some of the things that they are writing. My job at Creative Communication has really been an eye-opener for me in several aspects.

First, the imagery these kids create just blow me away. My favorite one so far was one student who compared the sun to a ripe orange, squeezing out its sunlight. Seriously? How does someone come up with that? That is the most beautiful image I have ever read! I have started thinking of creative metaphors, though I have nowhere near the abilities these amazing students have. I'm hoping to develop this talent through hard work and dedication.

I've really wanted to find the different types of poems these students are submitting so that I can practice, and I found a list of them on the Poetic Power website. I've included the link on the right side of this blog entitled "Poetry exercises." There are many different types of poems. I plan to write a new poem daily...or at least weekly. If you click on the link, select the grade level. Next, under "Main Categories," select "Types of Poetry." A large list of different poetry types is offered, and after choosing your desired poem, you will be prompted to select a link. Choose "How to write..."

I really urge everyone with students in grades K-12 to practice writing poems, and submit them to the contest! There are 3 poetry contests yearly, and if the poem is written well enough, well, hello publication! Creative Communication does not publish every poem submitted, but it is easier than other agencies. I really wish I would have had this opportunity when I was a student. Getting a poem or essay published is an incredible opportunity for students to get their foot in the door to a future writing career!





Another way my eyes have been opened is the ability to push through pain. I have never been athletic. At all. My idea of running was just to the bathroom. Playing sports was never fun for me because not only did I lack self-confidence, but I hated the pain and exhaustion I felt when I ran too much. Now that I am 30 years old, I am almost embarrassed (although really surprised) that athletic people feel the same pain I felt! I always attributed my discomfort to disability. If only I had known that runners, swimmers, volleyball players, and everyone else who succeeded at sports also suffer burning pain in their muscles! The difference between them and me was their desire to persevere. They pushed past the pain and grew from it. I shirked from it. Feared it. I now am more willing to try new things because I know that I, too, can persevere!

My spirituality has also been affected by my job. I read these essays by students who express their faith in God, through daily prayer, trust, and love. I realized with shame that although I had always striven to keep close to God, the absolute chaos and exhaustion of motherhood had kept me from prayer, scripture study, and dedication.
My longing to get back to where I once was was sparked by these faithful students--regardless of their faith. I envied where they were in their lives, and longed to have that relationship with God that they enjoyed. Happiness comes from this, and nothing can replace it.

Being a poetry/essay judge has been the best thing for me. Not only does it give me the needed break from the insanity of home, but it has given me a drive to improve myself in many aspects of my life. Writing is inspiring. It not only benefits the writer, but the reader's eyes become open to knowledge they never could have dreamed. Writing is art, writing is expression, writing is power.