Poetry Friday: “Schoolapalooza” turns 1-year-old!

On December 18, 2025 By Matt Forrest EsenwineIn poetry14 Comments

Things have been so busy lately, between NCTE, book festivals, and the holidays, that I just realized I missed the one-year-mark for a fun anthology from the folks at Bushel & Peck!

Schoolapalooza: A Silly Alphabet of 26 Schooltime Poems (Moonshower, 2024) – one of several anthologies I was part of last year – arrived Dec. 3, 2024, and I was thrilled not only to have a poem included, but to see my name on the cover!

I’ve previously shared my contribution, a poem entitled “Irony,” as well as “Thesaurus Storm,” a poem by my friend Rebecca Kai Dotlich. So today I thought I’d share a poem from another friend, Irene Latham, who know a thing or two about anthologies herself. I love its simplicity and aLLiteration:

*^{Image © 2024 Moonshower/Bushel & Peck, all rights reserved}*

I am as big a supporter of local indie bookstores as anyone, but I would be remiss if I didn’t let you know that Amazon is offering this book at a nearly 30% discount for a limited time – so if you haven’t picked up a copy yet and are considering doing so, now might be the time to do it!

Also, in case you didn’t know it, this Sunday is National Flashlight Day – which corresponds each year with the winter solstice, of course (the shortest day of the year). And if you’re wracking your brain trying to figure out what children’s book might be the perfect accompaniment for this fantastic holiday, I know of one.

Well, I need to get baking my Christmas cookies! If you know me, you know I bake nearly 800 of them each year – so I will bid you farewell for this year. Have a wonderful holiday season (Christmas, Solstice, Kwanzaa, Festivus – whatever you celebrate) and I’ll look forward to seeing you in 2026!

Michelel Kogan is hosting today’s Poetry Friday roundup with Peace and Light at More Art 4 All, so be sure to stop by and say hi.

(If we’ve not yet connected on Instagram, please find me! I’d love to keep in touch. From new releases to blog posts to poetry and more, Instagram is a great way to learn more about your interests, and to connect with the folks who interest you.)

I am booking school visits for 2025-26!

I love chatting with students about creativity, poetry, the writing process, dinsoaurs, and lots of other things! So if you think you might be interested in having me visit your school – either in-person or virtually – check out all the presentations I offer below, then email me at Matt (at) MattForrest (dot) com!

I love chatting with elementary and middle school classes about writing: why poetry is fun to read and write, the importance of revision, and how imagination and creativity can lead to fantastic careers! My presentations are tailored to fit the needs of the classes and students’ ages. One day I might be sharing details of how a picture book like Flashlight Night (Astra Young Readers, 2017) was created; the next, I’ll be showing students rainbow-colored bacteria, discussing dinosaur breath, or crafting origami sea turtles!

Student presentations include:

The Making of a Picture Book
How a Child Saved a Book
“Once Upon Another Time”
The Most Important Thing about Writing Poetry
“I Am Today”
“A Beginner’s Guide to Being Human”
“Everybody Counts: Counting to 10 in Twelve Languages”
“A Universe of Rainbows!”

Adult presentations include:

The Making of a Picture Book
The Most Important Thing about Writing Poetry
Free Yourself with Free Verse
Tight Language, Loose Narratives: Crafting a Non-Traditional Picture Book
The Journey of a Children’s Author

Learn more at MattForrest.com!

=====================================================

Order PERSONALLY-SIGNED copies of my books
from my local independent bookstore!

=====================================================

I’m also on BOOKSHOP:

And I’m very happy to be part of the BOOKROO family, too!

=====================================================

Ordering personalized signed copies online? Oh, yes, you can!

You can purchase personally-signed copies of Flashlight Night, (Astra Young Readers, 2017), Don’t Ask a Dinosaur (Pow! Kids Books, 2018), and nearly EVERY book or anthology I’ve been part of!

Click here to view all my books and to order!

Just click the cover of whichever book you want and send a comment to the good folks at MainStreet BookEnds in Warner, NH requesting my signature and to whom I should make it out. (alternatively, you can log onto my website and do the same thing) They’ll contact me, I’ll stop by and sign it, and then they’ll ship it! (Plus, you’ll be supporting your local bookseller – and won’t that make you feel good?)

======================================================

Did you like this post? Find something interesting elsewhere in this blog? I really won’t mind at all if you feel compelled to share it with your friends and followers!

To keep abreast of all my posts, please consider subscribing via the links up there on the right! (I usually only post once or twice a week – usually Tues. and Fri. – so you won’t be inundated with emails every day) . Also feel free to visit my voiceover website HERE, and you can also follow me via Twitter , Facebook, Instagram, and SoundCloud

Poetry Friday: NCTE award recipient Charles R. Smith, Jr.

On December 12, 2025December 12, 2025 By Matt Forrest EsenwineIn poetry12 Comments

Every year, the annual NCTE Convention is such a monumental experience that it takes me several weeks to process everything I experienced. Which is why I’m sharing one more aspect of the weekend today!

Last week I posted a retrospective of the weekend, including my A Universe of Rainbows: Multicolored Poems for a Multicolored World (Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2025) being selected as an NCTE Notable Poetry Book and the “Frost-y” responses that my panel partners and I wrote as a challenge to each other, which we shared during our presentation.

This week, I wanted to spotlight another award-winner.

Charles R. Smith, Jr. received the NCTE Award for Excellence in Poetry for Children – and what a multi-talented fellow he is!

With multiple children’s books to his name, he is not only an accomplished writer but a photographer, fitness trainer, and even an “American Ninja Warrior” contestant.

Combining these interests, Charles has carved out a unique niche for himself, bringing his love of reading, wordplay, and athletics to young people everywhere:

If you take another look at the graphic above, you’ll notice another award Charles received this year at NCTE – his newest book, Black Diamond Kings, was selected as an NCTE Notable Poetry Book!

The book is a pairing of history, sports, and poetry, spotlighting twelve of the Negro leagues’ biggest stars with exciting, engaging language, back matter, and thoughtful, artistic illustrations from Adrian Brandon.

Today’s Poetry Friday roundup is at A Word Edgewise, where Linda is hosting the festivities with a mash-up of a Mary Oliver poem with a popular Christmas song – you’ll have to check it out!

I am booking school visits for 2025-26!

Student presentations include:

The Making of a Picture Book
How a Child Saved a Book
“Once Upon Another Time”
The Most Important Thing about Writing Poetry
“I Am Today”
“A Beginner’s Guide to Being Human”
“Everybody Counts: Counting to 10 in Twelve Languages”
“A Universe of Rainbows!”

Adult presentations include:

The Making of a Picture Book
The Most Important Thing about Writing Poetry
Free Yourself with Free Verse
Tight Language, Loose Narratives: Crafting a Non-Traditional Picture Book
The Journey of a Children’s Author

Learn more at MattForrest.com!

=====================================================

Order PERSONALLY-SIGNED copies of my books
from my local independent bookstore!

=====================================================

I’m also on BOOKSHOP:

And I’m very happy to be part of the BOOKROO family, too!

=====================================================

Ordering personalized signed copies online? Oh, yes, you can!

Click here to view all my books and to order!

======================================================

Did you like this post? Find something interesting elsewhere in this blog? I really won’t mind at all if you feel compelled to share it with your friends and followers!

Poetry Friday: Back from NCTE with Frost-y poetry – and an award!

On December 4, 2025December 5, 2025 By Matt Forrest EsenwineIn poetry20 Comments

Well, this was a surprise:

Look at that beautiful little cover, nestled in-between so many incredible books of poetry!

I am so, so grateful to the NCTE award committee for selecting A Universe of Rainbows: Multicolored Poems for a Multicolored World (Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2025) as an NCTE Notable Poetry Book. To have something like this recognized as being outstanding among others gives me hope that I can continue writing and sharing even more poetry with the world.

Although it’s my name on the cover, the award really goes out to all the contributors – each who helped make the book what it is in their own, unique way – as well as my editor, Kathleen Merz, and the entire Eerdmans family. Moreover, illustrator Jamey Christoph’s uber-saturated watercolors brilliantly capture the beauty of the amazing subjects within the book; my gratitude to him for his hard work, superb talent, and genuine friendship. He’s a good guy.

NCTE 2025: A quick retrospective in photos

So many friends – so little time!

I can’t possibly tag each and every person in this gallery, but if you see yorself, I hope you’ll leave a comment and say hi.

Now then – today’s poems! (Yes, there’s more than one!)

As I mentioned two Fridays ago (my first day of NCTE), I was part of a panel presentation on free verse with poets Georgia Heard and Allan Wolf, and Poetry Friday friend Carol Varsalona. One of the suggestions we offered in helping students understand free verse and have some fun with it was to take a well-known poem and re-write it as free verse. We thought it was a creative way for students to play with words and free themselves – literally – from the constraints of formal rhyming verse.

So we each took up the challenge ourselves, and shared our responses during our presentation! To read Frost’s original, check out my previous post)

First up, Allan’s response:

These Woods Are Owned

These woods are owned
by a man in the village.
And so, he won’t wonder
why I’ve stopped in the dark,
far from any farmhouse,
which elicits an inquisitive knicker
from the road-weary pony
who has carried me here in the cold.

What’s madness to a horse
is simple beauty to a human.
To our right, the lake frozen over.
To our left, the snow-covered trees.

I linger to drink in the warmth of my own wonder.
At last, I spur us toward my hungry horse’s hay
which waits, with my ticking, many miles ahead.
The frozen lake and snowy wood, ablaze, inside my head.

Allan felt this speaker is perhaps a bit more articulate than Frost’s speaker, choosing particular words like “inquisitive knicker” to not only create internal rhyme, but provide insight into the type of character speaking.

Next, we have Georgia Heard’s response:

*^{Georgia, Carol, Allan, and I – looking like we’re ready to drop our new album.}*

How to Write a Free verse Poem

Taste a word
let it melt on your tongue
like a single snowflake.
No fences here.
No promises to keep.
Only the sound
of your own words
falling
softly
onto the page.

Georgia admits her poem has a bit of an ‘Eve Merriam vibe,’ as she puts it, as she had included Merriam’s “How to Eat a Poem” in her portion of our presentation. But as we explained to the educators in the audience, a poem will tell you how to write it, if you pay attention.

Heard’s poem was not a strict re-telling of Frost’s, but more of her own poem inspired by Frost and Merriam together. But that was the poem she was inspired to write, so that’s what she did!

Speaking of paying attention to your muse, here’s my response to the challenge:

Watching Woods

Whose woods these are, he knows. He knows.
My house is in the village, though.
He seems to think I will not mind
him stopping midst the evening snow.

The fool presumes I’m mad – or blind –
completely unaware, resigned
to die within wallpapered halls,
this tomb in which I’m now confined.

My buckskin Morgans’ empty stalls,
old rough-hewn fences, stone-built walls
are memories I strive to keep.
Outside, an empty pasture sprawls

beyond my gaze so dark and deep.
The path is long; the hummock, steep.
On nights like this I long for sleep.
Oh, how I long, I long for sleep.

Hmmm….doesn’t really sound like a free verse poem now, does it?

But that’s my point about paying attention to the poem! I was given a challenge to write a free verse poem based on “Stopping by Woods,” yet the poem I was immediately inspired to write was a syllable-for-syllable, rhyme-for-rhyme narrative told from the POV of the owner of the woods.

*^{Irene Latham and I invited all poetry lovers to come hang out at our Poetry Peeps gathering Fri. night!}*

He’s a bit of a surly fellow, too, not too amused to know Frost’s speaker is traipsing through his fields.

You’ll notice I maintain Frost’s meter and chain rhyme scheme (AABA, BBCB, CCDC, etc.) as well as the integrity of the poem – using phrases and imagery familiar with the original. Definitely not free verse, but definitely a poem that wanted to be written! Responding to a poetry prompt is not like a typical academic assignment where you are graded on how closely you follow ‘the rules’, but rather how well you follow your muse.

I would share Carol’s response, but I know she’s planning on posting it on her own blog one of these days – so I’ll let her showcase her poem in due time.

Speaking of free verse (and speaking of Irene!), you’ll find today’s Poetry Friday roundup at Irene Latham’s Live Your Poem, where she’s sharing a poem from Barbara Crooker as well as an original poem inspired by Crooker’s title. (And whaddaya know – we have a poetry prompt now, too!)

I am booking school visits for 2025-26!

Student presentations include:

The Making of a Picture Book
How a Child Saved a Book
“Once Upon Another Time”
The Most Important Thing about Writing Poetry
“I Am Today”
“A Beginner’s Guide to Being Human”
“Everybody Counts: Counting to 10 in Twelve Languages”
“A Universe of Rainbows!”

Adult presentations include:

The Making of a Picture Book
The Most Important Thing about Writing Poetry
Free Yourself with Free Verse
Tight Language, Loose Narratives: Crafting a Non-Traditional Picture Book
The Journey of a Children’s Author

Learn more at MattForrest.com!

=====================================================

Order PERSONALLY-SIGNED copies of my books
from my local independent bookstore!

=====================================================

I’m also on BOOKSHOP:

And I’m very happy to be part of the BOOKROO family, too!

=====================================================

Ordering personalized signed copies online? Oh, yes, you can!

Click here to view all my books and to order!

======================================================

Did you like this post? Find something interesting elsewhere in this blog? I really won’t mind at all if you feel compelled to share it with your friends and followers!

Poetry Friday: Gearing up for #NCTE2025 with…Robert Frost?

On November 20, 2025 By Matt Forrest EsenwineIn poetry17 Comments

By the time you read this, I’ll likely be flying overhead – on my way to Denver, CO for this weekend’s National Council of Teachers of English annual convention!

I’m going to be super-busy, too, if this graphic is any indication. I’ll be participating in a panel presentation with poets Georgia Heard and Allan Wolf, and Poetry Friday friend Carol Varsalona on Sat., Nov. 22 :

FREE YOUR STUDENTS (AND YOURSELF) WITH FREE VERSE:

How does one “dream boldly?” By creating stories and poetry that are authentic and unique! Often when we think of reading/teaching poetry, we think of the classic poetic devices: rhyme, meter, syllables. Remove those elements, however, and students are free to write whatever they want, however they want. We’ll reveal the freedom that comes from free verse!

*^{NCTE poetry fans: Stop by whenever you’d like, and say HI!}*

Also on Sat., I’ll be signing copies of A Universe of Rainbows: Multicolored Poems for a Multicolored World (Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2025) at Eerdmans’ booth #931 at 11:30am and later at the Classroom Library Company booth #1016 at 3:30pm!

So…why am I sharing a Robert Frost poem today, and how does this have anything to do with NCTE? Well, when Georgia, Allan, Carol, and I first discussed the plans for our presentation, we thought it might be interesting (and fun!) to show attendees how a classic rhyming poem could be altered into free verse.

Not that we wanted to try to outdo the esteemed Frost, but simply to give educators a creative idea for students to play with words and free themselves – literally – from the constraints of formal poetry. So we each took up the challenge, and will share our responses during our presentation!

(If you can’t make it to the convention, no worries – I’ll share the poems here in a forthcoming post!)

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening

Whose woods these are I think I know.
His house is in the village though;
He will not see me stopping here
To watch his woods fill up with snow.

My little horse must think it queer
To stop without a farmhouse near
Between the woods and frozen lake
The darkest evening of the year.

He gives his harness bells a shake
To ask if there is some mistake.
The only other sound’s the sweep
Of easy wind and downy flake.

The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.

– Robert Frost, 1923

Why not try it yourself? Read over the poem and then see if you can re-write it in free verse, losing the rhyme, setting aside the meter, altering line lengths – or even completely re-writing it and changing the POV! If you do, be sure to email it to me and I’ll share it here.

Oh, and if you’ve never enjoyed Randall Thompson’s Frostiana, now’s your chance to do so!

(By the way, I don’t know what’s going on with WordPress’ algorithms, but almost no one saw my post from last week, where I recapped my weekend as the PA announcer for our local fair. If you have a minute, I hope you’ll check it out!)

Well, either I’ll see you in Denver, or I’ll see you back here next week! Today’s Poetry Friday roundup is hosted by Janice at Salt City Verse, where she is spotlighting fellow New Englander Rajani LaRocca, physician and author extraordinaire!

I am booking school visits for 2025-26!

I love chatting with elementary and middle school classes about writing: why poetry is fun to read and write, the importance of revision, and how imagination and creativity can lead to fantastic careers! My presentations are tailored to fit the needs of the classes and students’ ages. One day I might be sharing details of how a picture book like Flashlight Night (Astra Young Readers, 2017) was created; the next, I’ll be discussing dinosaur breath or crafting origami sea turtles!

Student presentations include:

The Making of a Picture Book
How a Child Saved a Book
“Once Upon Another Time”
The Most Important Thing about Writing Poetry
“I Am Today”
“A Beginner’s Guide to Being Human”
“Everybody Counts: Counting to 10 in Twelve Languages”

Adult presentations include:

The Making of a Picture Book
The Most Important Thing about Writing Poetry
Free Yourself with Free Verse
Tight Language, Loose Narratives: Crafting a Non-Traditional Picture Book
The Journey of a Children’s Author

Learn more at MattForrest.com!

=====================================================

Order PERSONALLY-SIGNED copies of my books
from my local independent bookstore!

=====================================================

=====================================================

I’m also on BOOKSHOP:

And I’m very happy to be part of the BOOKROO family, too!

=====================================================

Ordering personalized signed copies online? Oh, yes, you can!

Click here to view all my books and to order!

======================================================

Did you like this post? Find something interesting elsewhere in this blog? I really won’t mind at all if you feel compelled to share it with your friends and followers!

Poetry Friday: Biker-dude Swifties and hot-shot derby drivers: What I learned at the State Fair, Part XII

On November 13, 2025 By Matt Forrest EsenwineIn poetry8 Comments

I just realized that we are a mere two weeks away from Thanksgiving here in the U.S., and only six weeks from Christmas!

Good grief, where does the time go??

I had meant to share my annual recap of the state fair by now, but with all the book festivals and events taking place this fall, it somehow got completely past me. (It apparently got completely past me last year – because I somehow never even posted about it in 2024) So I’m making sure I take care of that now!

As you may know, I’ve worked at the local state fair as the PA announcer for the past 15 years. If you need to know where the bathrooms are or the time of the next cattle pull, I’m your guy.

And as has been tradition here at the ol’ Triple R, I try to share some of my experiences, insights, and surprises. In previous posts I’ve written about water-powered jet packs, the benefits of chainmail socks, and why environmentalists hate truck pulls. This year was no less enlightening:

1.) Never judge a book by its cover. On one of the first days, I glimpsed a fellow walk past me covered in tattoos and leather. Scruffy beard. Wallet on a chain. If you saw him, you’d assume biker dude. And maybe he was. But his Taylor Swift concert T-shirt really threw me.

2.) Giant pumpkins are always one of the biggest draws. Even in a year adversely affected by an exceptionally dry summer, resulting in smaller-than-usual gourds, folks still can’t wait to see what the local farmers accomplished.

3.) It’s extremely satisfying watching a hot shot get taken down a notch. At the beginning of the demolition derbies, drivers come out onto the track and park along a concrete wall, so that all the particpants are in a line prior to the start. One night, a driver decided to show everyone how cool he was by zooming in as fast as he could, careening through the dirt and mud, nearly losing control, and eventually stalling in the middle of the track. Tried and tried and tried to start it; nothing. Laughter ensued.

Finally, he got it going and drove toward the concrete wall – and hit it so hard he stalled again. More laughter.

And when the countdown ended and all the cars pulled out of their spots to begin the derby…he stayed there. Parked. Unable to move because his vehicle refused to start. His team, not laughing. I wonder if he’ll do that again.

4.) After the first candy apple was invented, it would be another 50 years before someone came up with the caramel apple:

5.) It’s interesting how some couples look like they belong together, while others are shockingly different. Many of the couples I saw were very obviously couples: if the woman looked like she had just finished a fashion shoot for Glamour, the guy would often look like he’d just stepped out of GQ.

However, there were exceptions. One couple that caught my attention appeared to be polar opposites: she was giving off Allure vibes, sporting full makeup and a tight dress, while he was more of a Field & Stream, camo jeans kind of dude. To each his own, right?

6.) Garden tractor racing is a thing. Officially known as lawn mower racing, this sport is not only a ‘thing’ – it’s an organized thing, with associations all across the country. And it’s more exciting than you might expect; depending on the class, these guys can get up to 60 miles per hour!

7.) I’m faster than a speeding locomotive. Ok, well, “speeding” might be a bit of an exaggeration. (“Locomotive” is probably a stretch, too)

The Northeast Kingdom Express offered train rides to and from opposite gates at the fair, and as I was walking to the administration office it approached me – and I left it in the dust. I’m just that fast.

Next up: I’ll attempt to outrun a bullet and then leap a tall building in a single bound. Wish me luck.

8.) The fair a great place to find humor where you least suspect.

I couldn’t help but wonder what this word ending in “ious” used to be. It couldn’t have been “delicious” – othewise, why cover it up? Some of my guesses included “suspicious,” “tedious,” “nefarious,” “insidious,” and “amphibious.” My favorite? “Impervious.” Try inserting your own and see what you think!

I hope you enjoyed this little retrospective! For today’s poem, I’m dusting off a little fair food poem I posted about 4 years ago while – coincidentally – working at the fair!

“…then again, maybe I should go back for some pizza”

I love the fair, but most of all, the food is hard to beat –
it’s barely 2pm, and yet I’ve had so much to eat!
I started with a burger, had a corn dog and some fries,
and then hot buttered popcorn in a box of massive size.

I feasted on the fried dough, ate a funnel cake or three,
and downed as many deep-fried foods as there could ever be.
Of course I needed ice cream, so I stopped to have a scoop;
I even scarfed a giant, cheesy bread bowl full of soup!

Ate cotton candy, caramel apples, schnitzel on a stick.
I polished off a pulled pork sub entirely too quick.
I’ve eaten all the sausage my poor stomach will allow;
so really, all I want –
is just a garden salad now…

Today’s Poetry Friday roundup is being hosted by Carol Labuzzetta at her blog The Apples in My Orchard!

Speaking of fall fairs and festivals…

If you’re in the New England area, I hope you’ll join me and 60 other children’s authors and illustrators at the 2nd annual Newton (MA) Children’s Book Festival this Sun.! This free event is a wonderful opportunity to purchase books for all the young people on your holiday list.

Going to NCTE 2025??

I’ll be participating in a panel presentation with Georgia Heard, Allan Wolf, and Poetry Friday friend Carol Varsalona on Sat., Nov. 22 from 1:15pm – 2:30pm in Room 705!

FREE YOUR STUDENTS (AND YOURSELF) WITH FREE VERSE:

Also on Sat., I’ll be signing copies of A Universe of Rainbows: Multicolored Poems for a Multicolored World (Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2025) at Eerdmans’ booth #931 at 11:30am and at the Classroom Library Company booth #1016 at 3:30pm!

I am booking school visits for 2025-26!

I love chatting with elementary and middle school classes about writing: why poetry is fun to read and write, the importance of revision, and how imagination and creativity can lead to fantastic careers! My presentations are tailored to fit the needs of the classes and students’ ages. One day I might be sharing details of how a picture book like Flashlight Night (Astra Young Readers, 2017) was created; the next, I’ll be discussing dinosaur breath or crafting origami sea turtles!

Student presentations include:

The Making of a Picture Book
How a Child Saved a Book
“Once Upon Another Time”
The Most Important Thing about Writing Poetry
“I Am Today”
“A Beginner’s Guide to Being Human”
“Everybody Counts: Counting to 10 in Twelve Languages”

Adult presentations include:

The Making of a Picture Book
The Most Important Thing about Writing Poetry
Free Yourself with Free Verse
Tight Language, Loose Narratives: Crafting a Non-Traditional Picture Book
The Journey of a Children’s Author

Learn more at MattForrest.com!

=====================================================

Order PERSONALLY-SIGNED copies of my books
from my local independent bookstore!

=====================================================

=====================================================

I’m also on BOOKSHOP:

And I’m very happy to be part of the BOOKROO family, too!

=====================================================

Ordering personalized signed copies online? Oh, yes, you can!

Click here to view all my books and to order!

======================================================

Did you like this post? Find something interesting elsewhere in this blog? I really won’t mind at all if you feel compelled to share it with your friends and followers!

Poetry Friday: “Late Autumn Fire,” sharing a poem I wouldn’t normally share

On November 6, 2025November 6, 2025 By Matt Forrest EsenwineIn poetry14 Comments

You probably realize this already, but I’ll say it anyway: not everything an author or poet writes is meant for (or worthy of) mass consumption.

There have been plenty of stories, poems, essays, and random lines written over the years by numerous folks, both famous and unknown, that likely will never see the light of day. Some of this is by accident – where the project just doesn’t turn out the way the creator had hoped and is scrapped – but some things are written with no intention of ever being shared. (Anyone with a diary knows this truth.)

In my case, I often write poems not for publishing purposes or any sort of higher purpose, but simply to practice, to hone my skills. To stay sharp, as it were.

Today’s offering is one of them.

As I was wondering yesterday what to share for my Poetry Friday post, I decided to use my go-to for inspiration: my phone’s camera roll! I scanned through the pics quickly and noticed a photo I’d taken a few nights ago while my wife were enjoying a few moments outside by the fire.

I looked at the flames, at the darkness, at the mutual feeling of comfort we both shared (especially since this was this first fire we’ve enjoyed all year due to an exceptionally dry summer), and wondered how to combine the images with the emotions. In 15 minutes, I’d written this:

“Late Autumn Fire”

The shorter the day,
the longer the night;
the greater the darkness,
the lesser the light.

The brighter the glow,
the warmer our hearts.
The sooner we kindle,
the sooner flames start.

No, it’s not an award-winning poem. No, it’s not anything outstanding or ground-breaking. And no, very likely not worthy of publishing. I’m not even sure “lesser the light” is even grammatical! But I did manage to put together a rhyming, metrical, and visually emotional (if that’s a term) poem in only 15 minutes. (Right now some of you are thinking, “it reads like a 15-minute poem, too, pal”.)

This was simply an exercise to see if I could construct something reasonably interesting, at least, in a short amount of time – not because I’m trying to win a Fastest Poem Award but because I wanted to try to draw upon my skills as quickly as I could. I wanted to see how easily those skills could be accessed. Muscles have memory and so does your brain, and the more synapses you can get doing what you want, the better prepared you’ll be for those big projects down the road that you DO plan on publishing and sharing with the world!

So don’t dismiss simple practice poems like this one – they keep the brain sharp and the skills readily available.

Oh, and by the way, if you’re in the New England area, I hope you’ll join me and 60 other children’s authors and illustrators at the 2nd annual Newton (MA) Children’s Book Festival on Sun., Nov. 16! This free event is a wonderful opportunity to purchase books for all the young people on your holiday list – and getting books personally-signed is extra-special.

My friend Laura Purdie Salas is hosting today’s Poetry Friday roundup at her blog Poems for Teachers with more news about her brand-new book, Flurry, Float, and Fly!

Going to NCTE 2025??

I’ll be participating in a panel presentation with Georgia Heard, Allan Wolf, and Poetry Friday friend Carol Varsalona on Sat., Nov. 22 from 1:15pm – 2:30pm in Room 705!

FREE YOUR STUDENTS (AND YOURSELF) WITH FREE VERSE: How does one “dream boldly?” By creating stories and poetry that are authentic and unique! Often when we think of reading/teaching poetry, we think of the classic poetic devices: rhyme, meter, syllables. Remove those elements, however, and students are free to write whatever they want, however they want. We’ll reveal the freedom that comes from free verse!

Also on Sat., I’ll be signing copies of A Universe of Rainbows: Multicolored Poems for a Multicolored World (Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2025) at Eerdmans’ booth #931 at 11:30am and at the Classroom Library Company booth #1016 at 3:30pm!

I am booking school visits for 2025-26!

I love chatting with elementary and middle school classes about writing: why poetry is fun to read and write, the importance of revision, and how imagination and creativity can lead to fantastic careers! My presentations are tailored to fit the needs of the classes and students’ ages. One day I might be sharing details of how a picture book like Flashlight Night (Astra Young Readers, 2017) was created; the next, I’ll be discussing dinosaur breath or crafting origami sea turtles!

Student presentations include:

The Making of a Picture Book
How a Child Saved a Book
“Once Upon Another Time”
The Most Important Thing about Writing Poetry
“I Am Today”
“A Beginner’s Guide to Being Human”
“Everybody Counts: Counting to 10 in Twelve Languages”

Adult presentations include:

The Making of a Picture Book
The Most Important Thing about Writing Poetry
Free Yourself with Free Verse
Tight Language, Loose Narratives: Crafting a Non-Traditional Picture Book
The Journey of a Children’s Author

Learn more at MattForrest.com!

=====================================================

Order PERSONALLY-SIGNED copies of my books
from my local independent bookstore!

=====================================================

=====================================================

I’m also on BOOKSHOP:

And I’m very happy to be part of the BOOKROO family, too!

=====================================================

Ordering personalized signed copies online? Oh, yes, you can!

Click here to view all my books and to order!

======================================================

Did you like this post? Find something interesting elsewhere in this blog? I really won’t mind at all if you feel compelled to share it with your friends and followers!

Poetry Friday: First school visit of the year yields more student poetry!

On October 23, 2025October 24, 2025 By Matt Forrest EsenwineIn poetry14 Comments

I love surprising students.

When schools invite me to visit, I often share the behind-the-scenes journeys of my books or unusual aspects like illustrations or STEM elements. These receive great reactions, when kids discover so many things about the creative process – and the world – they didn’t know.

But when a school requests a poetry workshop, kids are even more surprised – at how fun poetry can be!

I was invited recently to a school in Vermont to present a poetry workshop, and after sharing some of my favorite poems, why I love poetry in general, and all the myriad forms of poetry that exist, I had the students join together to create a crowd-sourced poem using my tied-and-true MBOE. (The Most Boring Object Ever)

As you may know from previous posts here, like THIS one and THAT one, I have the students offer up one particular object they think is boring and unworthy of a poem – and then we get busy!

In the case of the Vermont visit, a student suggested a fidget cube, also known as an infinity cube.

An infinity cube is a set of 8 connected cubes that can be folded into different shapes, and I thought this young girl’s suggestion would be perfect because it offered so many possibilities when brainstorming ideas for our poem!

So just like I always do, I asked students to describe it: what did it look like, feel like, sound like? What else could it be, if it wasn’t a fidget cube? What might it be if it was 100 times bigger or 100 times smaller?

And I tried my best to jot all the words and phrases down as fast as I could on their dry erase board!

You can see some of the students’ offerings in the photo – but honestly, if I’d had more space, I’d have included more. In fact, I had to erase some of the words in order to make room for the poem we created!

Utilizing some of the words and phrases I felt might work together, we came up with this original (first) version:

infinite puzzle
colors fold upon themselves
magnet in my hands

(this was quite ironic, as we’d discussed haiku earlier in the class, and I had just told them they needn’t worry about the classic 5-7-5 syllable rule!)

The real fun in writing these sorts of poems, though, is taking the phrases and imagery that had been brainstormed and then changing the poem to suit our own personal style. Here are a few suggestions I offered, to show them how juxtaposing words can create multiple poems from just one exercise:

magnetic puzzle
folds upon itself
the color of infinity

magnetic colors
fold into infinity
satisfying puzzle

colors of the cube
fold into a puzzle
in my hands
a little infinity

I then suggested they could use some of their ideas as a title, and quickly put this together to show them what I meant:

“The Color of Infinity”

Rectangle folds
into its cube children –
each small part
of a larger whole,
satisfying the puzzle.

I told them, once a young poet brainstorms their ideas and writes down whatever comes to their mind, they’re off and running! The poem might end up being about what they were planning – but it could be a poem about something else, entirely!

Someone might have seen the words “colors”, “cube,” and “puzzle,” and then been inspired to write a poem about rainbows, ice, or math problems! It doesn’t matter what the subject is or even how good the poem is – what matters is the act of thinking/imagining/connecting, and then writing down the words.

If you’d be interested in having me visit your school – either for a poetry workshop or book presentations – I hope you’ll email me at matt(at)mattforrest(dot)com and we can put some plans together!

Oh, and by the way, I spent this past week wearing all those cool new shirts Hardaddy.com sent me, and posted an Instagram reel to thank them. My son even joined in! From Heat Miser and Snow Miser to the Headless Horseman and Godzilla, these are some bright, funky, and wild shirts – so if you have time to check out the reel, be sure to hang on til the end! (I think you’ll get a chuckle)

Patricia Franz has today’s Poetry Friday Roundup at her blog Reverie, and is embracing autumn and the National Writing Project WRITE OUT’s theme, “Awaken the Senses!”

I am booking school visits for 2025-26!

I love chatting with elementary and middle school classes about writing: why poetry is fun to read and write, the importance of revision, and how imagination and creativity can lead to fantastic careers! My presentations are tailored to fit the needs of the classes and students’ ages. One day I might be sharing details of how a picture book like Flashlight Night (Astra Young Readers, 2017) was created; the next, I’ll be discussing dinosaur breath or crafting origami sea turtles!

Student presentations include:

The Making of a Picture Book
How a Child Saved a Book
“Once Upon Another Time”
The Most Important Thing about Writing Poetry
“I Am Today”
“A Beginner’s Guide to Being Human”
“Everybody Counts: Counting to 10 in Twelve Languages”

Adult presentations include:

The Making of a Picture Book
The Most Important Thing about Writing Poetry
Free Yourself with Free Verse
Tight Language, Loose Narratives: Crafting a Non-Traditional Picture Book
The Journey of a Children’s Author

Learn more at MattForrest.com!

=====================================================

Order PERSONALLY-SIGNED copies of my books
from my local independent bookstore!

=====================================================

=====================================================

I’m also on BOOKSHOP:

And I’m very happy to be part of the BOOKROO family, too!

=====================================================

Ordering personalized signed copies online? Oh, yes, you can!

Click here to view all my books and to order!

======================================================

Did you like this post? Find something interesting elsewhere in this blog? I really won’t mind at all if you feel compelled to share it with your friends and followers!

Poetry Friday: National Pasta Day needs something cheesy

On October 16, 2025October 16, 2025 By Matt Forrest EsenwineIn poetry18 Comments

There are few things more comforting than a nice, warm serving of pasta – whether it’s a plate of angel hair carbonara, a thick slab of lasagna filled with roicotta and bolognese, or elbow macaroni swimming in five different cheeses.

And today, we get to celebrate!

I discovered earlier this week that today is National Pasta Day – and I immediately knew what I had to do.

So I’ve dusted off one of my favorite poems (which I initially wrote for National Mac ‘n Cheese Day, July 14) and am sharing it here once again! Yes, I’ve posted it a couple of times in the years since I first wrote it – but like I said, it’s a favorite of mine and I simply couldn’t share a more apropos poem for today.

I have a busy few days here: I attended a book signing at our local indie bookstore last weekend, I’m visiting a school in Newport, NH today, and I’ll be selling books at Beech Hill Farm in Hopkinton, NH Sat. afternoon! And you can be assured I’ll be wearing one of my wild, eye-catching shirts from Hardaddy.com.

I mention them because everywhere I go, people comment how much they love my shirts – and about a month ago, I publicly thanked the company on Instagram for heling me look good.

Well, they saw the post and offered to send me a bunch of shirts for FREE, if I’d be willing to share them with my followers!

I said, SURE!

So yesterday I posted a short unboxing video (well, unbagging, that is) of the shirts Hardaddy.com sent, and you have to see them to believe them! Wild graphics, cool colors, and even the Headless Horseman – it’s a hefty package they sent me, and I hope you’ll take just a couple of minutes to check it out.

(And I’m not getting paid for this, by the way – I’m just sharing these because the shirts are so flippin’ awesome!)

Today’s Poetry Friday Roundup is at Sarah Grace Tuttle’s little home on the web, where she’s featuring an original poem about a hitchhiking phoenix!

I am booking school visits for 2025-26!

I love chatting with elementary and middle school classes about writing: why poetry is fun to read and write, the importance of revision, and how imagination and creativity can lead to fantastic careers! My presentations are tailored to fit the needs of the classes and students’ ages. One day I might be sharing details of how a picture book like Flashlight Night (Astra Young Readers, 2017) was created; the next, I’ll be discussing dinosaur breath or crafting origami sea turtles!

Student presentations include:

The Making of a Picture Book
How a Child Saved a Book
“Once Upon Another Time”
The Most Important Thing about Writing Poetry
“I Am Today”
“A Beginner’s Guide to Being Human”
“Everybody Counts: Counting to 10 in Twelve Languages”

Adult presentations include:

The Making of a Picture Book
The Most Important Thing about Writing Poetry
Free Yourself with Free Verse
Tight Language, Loose Narratives: Crafting a Non-Traditional Picture Book
The Journey of a Children’s Author

Learn more at MattForrest.com!

=====================================================

Order PERSONALLY-SIGNED copies of my books
from my local independent bookstore!

=====================================================

=====================================================

I’m also on BOOKSHOP:

And I’m very happy to be part of the BOOKROO family, too!

=====================================================

Ordering personalized signed copies online? Oh, yes, you can!

Click here to view all my books and to order!

======================================================

Did you like this post? Find something interesting elsewhere in this blog? I really won’t mind at all if you feel compelled to share it with your friends and followers!

Poetry Friday: Celebrating two more 1-year Book Birthdays!

On October 9, 2025 By Matt Forrest EsenwineIn poetry18 Comments

Last Friday at the o’ Triple-R we celebrated the 6-month book birthday of my debut poetry anthology, A Universe of Rainbows: Multicolored Poems for a Multicolored World (Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2025), which was published April 1.

Today, we celebrate two MORE birthdays!

As I was looking over the calendar last week, I realized that my board book Tractor Dance (Susan Schadt Press, 2024) and my friends Charles Waters and Irene Latham’s poetry anthology The Mistakes that Made Us (Carolrhoda Books, 2024) both officially arrived in the world the first week of October last year!

In its first year, it has sold nearly 1500 copies – which, for a board book published by a small press, makes it a solid success. This was evidenced by the fact that at the Chappaqua Book Festival last month, the first three books I sold were copies of Tractor Dance (to three different people), and it was the one book that was a complete sell-out!

This simple little rhyming story about a tractor that decides to have a hoedown once the farmer goes to sleep includes music, dancing, animals, and a whole lot of farm equipment.

Keep in mind, you can order my books pretty much anywhere, but if you would like them personally-signed, be sure to order them through our local indie bookstore. Just indicate to whom you’d like me to sign the book at the bottom of the ordering page; tthe owner will message me, I’ll walk down and sign your copy, and we can usually get them in the mail within 24-36 hours.

(Try THAT, Amazon!)

The other book that came out within days of Tractor Dance was The Mistakes that Made Us, a collection of 20 autobiographical poems about the mistakes, foibles, and embarrassing moments that we encountered as children. (And in a first for me, we were all depicted on the cover!)

It was the first “Charles and Irene” anthology to which I’ve contributed, so I was very honored to be part of it.

Since I’ve previously shared a video of my poem from the book, today I thought I’d share the contribution by a mutual friend of ours, Allan Wolf:

*^{Image ©2024 Carolrhoda Books, all rights reserved}*

Speaking of Allan, he and I will join poet Georgia Heard and educator Carol Varsalona at NCTE 2025 this November!

On Sat., Nov. 22, we’ll be hosting a panel presentation, “Free Your Students (and Yourself!) with Free Verse“, in which we’ll discuss how removing traditional poetic devices like rhyme and meter can help encourage students to let their minds wander and get the words inside them out, on paper.

^{To learn more about our presentation, click the graphic, then search the page for “free verse”}

By freeing yourself of these poetic boundaries, a world of possibilities opens up! Writing poetry is a wonderful way for all of us to organize our thoughts, sort out feelings and emotions, and just play with words – so we hope our presentation will fuel a joy of poetic creation.

If you are planning to go to NCTE, I hope you’ll track me down and say hi – I’d love to meet you! One simple way is to join Irene and me – and a host of other poetically-minded folks – for our annual Poetry Peeps Meet-up that Fri. night at the hotel right across the street from the convention center.

It’s a very low-key, informal sort of thing, so no need to feel the pressure of showing up “on time” – we’ll just be hanging out for a couple of hours, chatting, drinking, snacking, and looking forward to seeing you!

*^{Stop by at 7, stop by at 8:45, stop by whenever you’d like!}*

Linda Baie at Teacher Dance is hosting the Poetry Friday Roundup with a poem inspired by a set of Charles Dickens’ novels recently brought to her volunteer-run bookshop – so stop by and check that out, along with all of today’s links!

(If we’ve not yet connected on Instagram, please find me! I’d love to keep in touch.)

I am booking school visits for 2025-26!

I love chatting with elementary and middle school classes about writing: why poetry is fun to read and write, the importance of revision, and how imagination and creativity can lead to fantastic careers! My presentations are tailored to fit the needs of the classes and students’ ages. One day I might be sharing details of how a picture book like Flashlight Night (Astra Young Readers, 2017) was created; the next, I’ll be discussing dinosaur breath or crafting origami sea turtles!

Student presentations include:

The Making of a Picture Book
How a Child Saved a Book
“Once Upon Another Time”
The Most Important Thing about Writing Poetry
“I Am Today”
“A Beginner’s Guide to Being Human”
“Everybody Counts: Counting to 10 in Twelve Languages”

Adult presentations include:

The Making of a Picture Book
The Most Important Thing about Writing Poetry
Free Yourself with Free Verse
Tight Language, Loose Narratives: Crafting a Non-Traditional Picture Book
The Journey of a Children’s Author

Learn more at MattForrest.com!

=====================================================

Order PERSONALLY-SIGNED copies of my books
from my local independent bookstore!

=====================================================

=====================================================

I’m also on BOOKSHOP:

And I’m very happy to be part of the BOOKROO family, too!

=====================================================

Ordering personalized signed copies online? Oh, yes, you can!

Click here to view all my books and to order!

======================================================

Did you like this post? Find something interesting elsewhere in this blog? I really won’t mind at all if you feel compelled to share it with your friends and followers!

Poetry Friday: Celebrating 6 months of ‘Rainbows,’ Chappaqua, the NH Book Festival, AND the PF Roundup! (Whew!)

On October 2, 2025October 4, 2025 By Matt Forrest EsenwineIn poetry47 Comments

Excuse for a moment while I try to wrap my head around the fact that I just realized this is my 743rd blog post.

Say, what??

When I began this blog in the summer of 2012, I was just trying to get my name out there and show folks what I did, and share a few words of wisdom. (Very few, truth be told)

And now here I am 13 years later, approaching the 800 mark – yikes! If you haven’t yet, I hope you’ll check out post #742 from last week, when I showcased two incredibe poems from two neurodivergent poets.

I’m still playing catch-up from having attended the Chappaqua Children’s Book Festival for the very first time this weekend – with emails to write, calls to make, and manuscripts to submit – but I still can’t help but think of what fun it was, and all the folks I got to meet and friends I caught up with.

Kaz Windness, Jane Yolen, Andrew Hackett, Antwan Eady, Josh Funk, Mia Wenjen, Beth Ferry, Valerie Bolling, Rex Ogle – the list goes on and on! Many of us plan to reconnect at NCTE this Nov., too, which will be nice.

Although nearly all my books were available at Chappaqua, the one in the spotlight was my debut poetry anthology, A Universe of Rainbows: Multicolored Poems for a Multicolored World (Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2025). We sold a lot of copies, too!

We are now at the 6-month mark of the book’s publication, so I thought I’d share a couple of poems I hadn’t posted here before. “The Lament of the Fruit Farmer” and “Rainbows in a Cage” were written by my friends Charles Waters and Marilyn Singer, respectively, and their spread is a perfect example of serendipity:

*^{Image © 2025 Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, all rights reserved; click to enlarge}*

I had to be judicious in choosing subjects for the book, as I didn’t want two fish poems (like the rainbow trout and rainbowfish) and couldn’t include all the rainbow-like phenomena in the sky (such as rainbow clouds). But these two birds had very different stories.

One, the Gouldian finch, was in such high demand for home cages that it was nearly captured out of existence; the Rainbow Lorikeet, on the other hand, is hated by farmers because it can decimate their fruit crops. So we have two supremely beautiful birds that generate opposite reactions.

I knew I had to include them both!

What I didn’t count on was both poets using the exact same poetic form. Neither Charles nor Marilyn knew what the other was writing, yet they both chose the triolet – a classic, centuries-old French form that utilizes a strict rhythm and rhyme scheme with specific repeating lines. Two different poets writing two different poems about two different birds – and yet the structure is identical! I wish I’d thought of that, ha!

The 2nd Annual NH Book Festival begins today, and I’m thrilled to be a part of it!

Author Tui Sutherland presents the Children’s Keynote this morning, Walter Mosley presents the Opening Keynote this evening, and then tomorrow (Sat.) there is a full slate of events including a panel discussion about children’s books with me, David Elliott, Aaron Becker, and Cheryl Willis Hudson, moderated by my friend and fellow author (and festival organizer) Emilie Burack. A book signing will immediately follow. Get more details HERE!

And since it’s Poetry Friday. be sure to leave your links in the comments and I’ll round them up old-school style throughout the day. Thanks for stopping by!

(If we’ve not yet connected on Instagram, please find me! I’d love to keep in touch.)

Poetry Friday Roundup:

At Poems for Teachers, Laura Purdie Salas shares a page from her forthcoming poetic picture book, Flurry, Float, and Fly! The Story of a Snowstorm.
Jama Rattigan has a review of my friend and Once Upon Another Time co-author Charles Ghigna’s new poetry picture book, Sweet Dreams: Moon Poems for Bedtime at Alphabet Soup.
Ruth at There is no such thing as a God-forsaken town is celebrating Birdtober with an original chickadee poem.
Alan J. Wright is focused on wild animals at his blog, Poetry Pizzazz.
At More Art 4 All, Michelle Kogan is featuring a feminist art show she took part in as well as political poetic commentary.
Heidi Mordhorst is in England right now, but offers an original poem inspired by St. Giles Cathedral – in Scotland! – at My Juicy Little Universe.
Marci Flinchum Atkins has had a busy september and shares a roundup of news and events.
Linda Mitchell responds to the Inklings’ challenge of writing a poem based on a photo in multiple ways, at A Word Edgewise.
At Nix the Comfort Zone, Molly Hogan also shares her response to the Inklings’ challenge.
Taking a cue from Joyce Sidman’s new Dear Acorn (Love, Oak) poetry collection, Mary Lee Hahn at A(nother) Year of Reading responds to the Inklings challenge with her own poetic letter!
At Reading to the Core, Catherine Flynn’s response includes a dragonfly and Queen Anne’s Lace.
Amy Ludwig VanDerwater has written her very first tritina – a shorter version of a sestina – and shares that at The Poem Farm.
Emily Dickinson and Vinent Van Gogh – an item? That’s what Irene Latham imagines in her new historical fiction novel, Some Starry Night! She shares the news at Live Your Poem.
Margaret Simon at Reflections on the Teche offers a recipe for friendship, inspired by a similar poem by Georgia Heard.
Patricia Franz has been travelling and presents a poem inspired by her visit to Lithuania.
Tabatha Yeatts has “sunshine power” on her mind at The Opposite of Indifference.
Robyn Hood Black leaves a little “twinkle” at Life on the Deckle Edge as she heads off to the International Storytelling Festival in TN.
Jone Rush MacCulluch shares a draft poem inspired by T.S. Eliot’s concept of “objective correlative.” If you don’t know what that is, head over to her blog now!
At Chicken Spaghetti (the blog with the most fun name, ever) Susan Thomsen is celebrating the season with a list poem about a recent September walk.
Last but not least, Carol Varsalona teaches us that “compassion moves hearts” at Beyond Literacy Link.

I am booking school visits for 2025-26!

I love chatting with elementary and middle school classes about writing: why poetry is fun to read and write, the importance of revision, and how imagination and creativity can lead to fantastic careers! My presentations are tailored to fit the needs of the classes and students’ ages. One day I might be sharing details of how a picture book like Flashlight Night (Astra Young Readers, 2017) was created; the next, I’ll be discussing dinosaur breath or crafting origami sea turtles!

Student presentations include:

The Making of a Picture Book
How a Child Saved a Book
“Once Upon Another Time”
The Most Important Thing about Writing Poetry
“I Am Today”
“A Beginner’s Guide to Being Human”
“Everybody Counts: Counting to 10 in Twelve Languages”

Adult presentations include:

The Making of a Picture Book
The Most Important Thing about Writing Poetry
Free Yourself with Free Verse
Tight Language, Loose Narratives: Crafting a Non-Traditional Picture Book
The Journey of a Children’s Author

Learn more at MattForrest.com!

=====================================================

Order PERSONALLY-SIGNED copies of my books
from my local independent bookstore!

=====================================================

=====================================================

I’m also on BOOKSHOP:

And I’m very happy to be part of the BOOKROO family, too!

=====================================================

Ordering personalized signed copies online? Oh, yes, you can!

Click here to view all my books and to order!

======================================================

Did you like this post? Find something interesting elsewhere in this blog? I really won’t mind at all if you feel compelled to share it with your friends and followers!