Happy Poetry Friday! Thank you for visiting the ridge! Be sure to stop by Kat's space HERE for more poetry delights this week. 

I don't generally make resolutions at the beginning of a new year, but I do make a point to reflect on my personal and professional life. My writing life has always helped me balance them both, so I'm happily reclaiming my writing life this year. It's time to prioritize my time and energy to those things that matter most. My family and the work that I do as an educator to serve children and others will always be top priority. My writing must be a high priority as well. Writing completes me. I am better for myself and others when I write often. 

So after reflecting on how I spend my time, I have decided to be more intentional about creating a space in my day to write.

1. Instead of plopping down on the couch to watch tv, I can read from one of the many books in my stack and jot down my favorite line. I can come back to it later as an invitation to write. 
2. Instead of checking Facebook during moments of wait time or boredom, I can step outside and check out all that nature has in store for me to write about! Wait time is write time.

I know it will be difficult at times, but I am determined to return to my writing life this year. I know that what I focus on, I'll get more of. Whatever your goals or priorities may be this year, I hope you also find your creative space to reach them.  

I have been thinking a lot about the reflection process lately, along with many of my teacher colleagues. It's a great topic to explore as a writer. One of my friends, Aaron Hogan, author of Shattering the Perfect Teacher Myth, has initiated a blog challenge over the next few weeks to write a reflection in response to a given prompt. I think it's a wonderful invitation to write, so I have decided to accept his challenge. If you would like to join in, I will be including his weekly prompt in this section of my blog or you can find the prompts on Twitter at #TeacherMyth. 

​This week, notice how you're using your time. Is there a space in your day to build in some time for reflection? 

Welcome Poetry Friday friends. Happy National Poetry Month! Today, our dear friend Amy is rounding up a wave of poetry offerings at her space, The Poem Farm. 

​This week, I couldn't help but write about the blue Passover moon after it put on quite a show for me last weekend. The moon did not disappoint and neither did the poets who had a hand in kicking off the 2018 Kidlitosphere Progressive Poem Challenge! I was so inspired by each line, that I decided I would write a draft of a found poem about the moon using at least one of the words from each of the lines of this year's Progressive Poem (in progress). Here are the words I selected from the first five lines to write my first found poem: nestled, dreams, blooming, stars, sweet, game. To see today's addition to the progressive poem click on Irene's space HERE. She's the sweet lady that welcomed me to join in the project this year, and I'm ever so grateful! I'll be adding my line to the poem on April 25th. Who knows...maybe my line will inspire other writers in a new way, too!

Writers often involve themselves in all sorts of projects. Participating in a poetry challenge with a group or creating your own poetry project can help keep your writing skills sharp. What are some of the projects you have participated in or maybe have considered starting? It's never too late to join in the excitement and joy that a poetry project can bring. It's a great way to explore new writing territories! So be brave, writers. Step up to the challenge and write!

Happy National Poetry Month! What an exciting week to join in the round-up of words and all things poetry! Irene is hosting the celebration at her space Live Your Poem. It's sure to be a splendid poetry party, so don't delay!

While every day is a day to honor the art of poetry, it's extra special to have thirty consecutive days devoted to the power of poetry. I look forward to this month all year long when everyone comes together to spread the poetry love.

Though I have not taken on a poetry project this month like many of my PF friends, I look forward to reading all that these magnificent poets will share! I plan on participating in my own way each day as well. So this week, I am looking back in my notebooks for notes or poems inspired by guest poets that I have had the privilege to hear speak over the years. The first notebook entry I found was from 2014 when the always amazing, Georgia Heard came to our school district to share. Here are a few of my notes from her workshop, along with a poetic entry it inspired. Happy #npm17!

​Poets:

• observe the world around us
• find poetry in the ordinary
• see beauty in the ugly
• are curious and filled with wonder
• love the meaning and sounds of words
• look at the world in a new way
• always look for poetry seeds
• see that you can look at anything and find a poem​​

​Poetry hides...
in the moon, the stars, the sun on my skin, the birds in the trees, the voices of my children, beneath the water and the soil-

no matter where I am, it lives in me, somewhere quiet, dark and deep, but still, always with me, always carried in my soul wherever I go...the seashell on the beach, each speck of sand between my toes, and the waves that crash upon the shore.    

This month, poetry will be celebrated by many. It's so fun to learn about all the projects that poets role out throughout the month. What are your favorite poetry projects?

One of the best things about National Poetry Month is that there are endless ways you can join in the fun. So even if you don't decide to do a project, there are still opportunities to share in the joy of poetry. There are some great websites that will give you tons of ideas. One of my favorites is poets.org. You can find more about the celebration along with ways to participate. Twitter is another go-to favorite of mine for finding poetry inspiration throughout the month. Just search for #npm17 and you'll be set! Will you participate this year? How so?

You can start right now if you like! Think about where poetry hides for you. Finish this sentence stem inspired by the poet Georgia Heard.
Poetry hides...

Today from the ridge, I am sharing a little poetry ditty on the doodlebug! Thanks for visiting today, and be sure to squiggle on over to Carol's space Beyond Literacy Link where she is hosting our round-up this week.

This week, I was invited to participate in a Poetry Challenge by the fourth grade writers in Mrs. Dungan's class. I was thrilled to accept the invitation to write! My task was to write a poem around a student chosen topic. I would be submitting my poem to the class, along with the student poets in the room who had chosen to accept the challenge. On Friday the poems would be read aloud and the poet with the most votes by the audience would be named the Poetry Challenge Champ of the week. I knew immediately, I was going to have some tough competition!  The topic that was chosen for the week was "animals." I definitely wanted to write a poem that was playful and funny. I thought about all the different animals I could write about. It was really hard to choose! I finally decided on an almost invisible  creature that has fascinated me ever since I was a little girl, the antlion or better known as, the doodlebug.   

I would like to thank Mrs. Dungan's fourth grade class for their kind invitation to write for their poetry challenge of the week! For more poetry challenge submissions from Mrs. Dungan's amazing poets click HERE.

Writers take on poetry challenges all the time. It is a great way to explore and experiment with language, form, and a variety of literary devices. Best of all, it's really fun! Taking on a challenge can really stretch your thinking and it can motivate you to get your creative juices flowing. Whenever you are faced with a poetry challenge, it can also be helpful to immerse yourself in mentor texts that you might lean on for guidance or inspiration. Since my poetry challenge topic was animals, I found this book of pocket poems about birds particularly helpful. I found a few poems that were very similar to the form that I was wanting to try out for my challenge. Through careful study of these mentor poems and by pushing myself to write in a craft I had never tried before, I was amazed at what I could create on the page. I encourage you, my friends, to consider accepting a poetry challenge or try assigning yourself a writing challenge. It's a great way to learn and grow as a writer.    

Here is one of the poems that I referred to as a mentor for my poem Hey, Doodlebug!

The Vulture
The Vulture eats between his meals,
And that's the reason why
He very, very rarely feels
As well as you and I.

His eye is dull, his head is bald,
His neck is growing thinner.
Oh! what a lesson for us all
To only eat at dinner!

​Hilaire Belloc