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9 Comedians, 8 Poets and a vacation from high-brow for National Poetry Month

April 20, 2013 by smartygirl Leave a Comment

Sometimes the general public assumes that creativity comes from an external mind-altering substance. Yes, it’s true that Byron, Coleridge, and Poe might have used opium recreationally. It seems appropriate to acknowledge this on 4/20.

Photo Credit: Flicker.com djwudi National Poetry Month Magnets

However, I would argue the greatest powder keg of feel-good chemicals come from drug-free laughter. What makes hot SmartyFellas laugh? See below.

Who says that observing National Poetry Month means deprivation from comedy and high-brow reading diet?  Tweeting and re-tweeting Issa, Basho, Hass, and Rumi for poetry month is fun for the first two weeks of April but esoteric references get old fast.

So this editing team decide to have fun and be difficult in honor of George Carlin’s memory.

After all, where would we be without people who make us laugh? Comedian Ryan Stout has pain + truth = comedy answer on Twitter.

Surviving a war, famine, natural disaster, abuse or terrorist attack might feel like a hollow victory if if laughter died but you lived. Right?

Photo Credit: LaughingSkullLounge Maria Bamford

Here are 9 Comedians  for age 21 and over recommended by various SmartyFellas for National Poetry Month:

1. Russel Peters
2. George Carlin
3. Mitch Hedberg
4. Maria Bamford
5. Fred Armisten
6. Louis C.K.
7. Gabriel Iglesias
8. Christopher Titus
9. Daniel Tosh

I believe the proverb that the shortest distance between two strangers is laughter. It’s the best of small talk to build rapport. Besides as SmartyGirls and SmartyFellas, life can be a b*tch. Am I right? Laugh a little even if so-and-so doesn’t think the sun shines out your a**.

Here are 8 Most Popular Poets recommended by Youth Librarians for Contemporary Schoolkids for National Poetry Month:

1. Jane Yolen
2. Jack Prelutsky
3. Douglas Florian
4. Langston Hughes
5. Walt Whitman
6. Lee Bennett Hopkins
7. Alice Schertle
8. James Stevenson

And, no, you are not a creeper if you are reading juvenile poetry and you don’t have children! Reminding yourself of what makes all ages laugh, keeps your mind agile. Don’t be a Grouchy Ladybug, treat yourself to one of the poetry bites above.

Photo Credit: Amazon.com James Stevenson National Poetry Month

Expect Flipboard-style graphics, on kids’ hardcover poetry books, like you’d find on your smartphones. Like a bull elephant, these illustrations make an impact. Do great pictures steal the spotlight of word-smithing genius? Let me ask you this, SmartyGirls and SmartyFellas: are you any less smart because you are attractive?

According to the Youth librarians, on the front line in 2013, kids are grabbing poetry books that look as delicious as picture books for the younger set. Think of this as a makeover of news sites for grownups to include larger pictures like a magazine format rather than tiled icons.

Photo Credit: Poetry in Magnets Cultural Partners

Jet-propelled poetry with staggering illustrations still count. Don’t feel guilty. Comment below.

Poems, Froot Loops and Dinosaurs: 3 Ways a Child and Caregiver Can Celebrate National Poetry Month

April 13, 2013 by smartygirl Leave a Comment

Happy National Poetry Month! Grownups, how would you like to participate in the #nationalpoetrymonth discussion on Twitter? Share what works and what doesn’t with your young poetry readers.

Photo Credit: Kids’ Stage via Pinterest Katie Milne-Feldt



Did you know the “beginning reader” and “early reader” books vary by publisher? This means that one pre-1st level book by one publishing house can be much more difficult than another pre-1st level book by another publisher. Just ask a youth librarian. I did last week at the beginning of National Poetry Month, April! 

Compare for yourself. Contrast Random House Kids with Chronicle Books.

Does that mean that caregivers must pick poems at random and just hope that the selected poem pleases a young reader? Nah.

Though taste is subjective, it’s possible to raise your success rate of finding poems that will win over the child. Poetry is not meant to be taken like an unpleasant but good-for-you vitamin. Instead, it is meant to be a joy and a fresh way to use words.


Here’s a set of Thought-starters:


Doug Macleod wrote “Ode to an Extinct Dinosaur”. His poem in an anthology called Dragons Dinosaurs Monster Poems collected by John Foster and Korky Paul.


1. Go for the easiest bridge. Does your young reader have an interest in dinosaurs? Look for poetry that bridges his/her interest.

Photo Credit: Scholastic Lesson Plans Bridges



2. Reward the reader for identifying one part of speech. Most kids like to be told they are right. Why not give him/her a sticker or a Froot Loop for every noun found? For instance, “Ode to an Extinct Dinosaur” has more than a handful of easy-to-spot persons, places or things in its two stanzas. This means that nouns such as nails, scales, jaws and claws can be worth a small prize!

Photo Credit: My Sister’s Suitcase Cereal Necklace



3. Switch roles. Once he/she feels a sense of accomplishment, why not have the young reader take the spotlight. The grown-up becomes the audience and listens while the child recites/reads. Poems like Shakespeare’s plays are meant to be spoken aloud. For a dinosaur poetry book, wouldn’t it be fitting to add sound effects?

Photo Credit: Amber of  Crazy Little Projects Dinosaur Costumes



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