Celebrating the Book Birthday of "The Thing To Remember About Stargazing"

Did you know that books have birthdays? It is not a party with cake and candle blowing but it is a splendid send-off into the world on the day the book is published. Come celebrate a wonder-filled children's book, THE THING TO REMEMBER ABOUT STARGAZING, by one of my talented children's book author and poet friends, Matt Forrest Esenwine. October 3, 2023 debuted the arrival of Matt's amazing book published by Tilbury House and illustrated by Sonia Maria Luce Possentini. Matt has a magical touch when writing and his newest book combines the wonder of the evening sky and the lure of "just being" still on a starlit night. 

Let's take a look at the book trailer premiere that gave the kidlit world a sneak peek into "this picture-book ode to stargazing with an underlying message of awe for the wonders of nature". 

Nature provides wonderers with so many awesome sights to see in this world. If you look closely at the front cover of Matt's book you notice the glow of the evening sky. Does this bring you back to your childhood? Did you once upon a time, trace the sky with your eyes and listen to the sounds of stillness? In a poetic way, Matt offers a voyage back into time or a new experience for those who cannot now see the amazing pictures glowing in the sky. 

The intro to the book reminds us that not only humans look to the sky at night. All creatures do."The stars look down on us all, and we all gaze upward. The night sky binds us together." This one line makes me reflect on a world at crossroads and how important it is to remember we all live on this great big planet. This book with its mindfulness theme offers a gentle new way to reflect in silence.

The illustrations enhance the magnitude of Matt's choice of words and the simplicity of his message for all. "The most important thing to remember about stargazing is...to do it."

After the end of this beautifully imagined book is an informational text, The Stars In Our Eyes, written once again from the poet's perspective. A new word for most children, asterisms, is introduced. "Images and patterns that we see within constellations are known as asterisms. Matt even adds a whimsical game to the act of stargazing. ...You can find your own asterisms in the night-sky-just connect a few dots (i.e.,stars) and come up with a name for the image you imagine. Perhaps you'll discover the Leaping Platypus, the Great Pickup Truck, or the Ancient Crazy-Haired Teacher."  

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I posed the following Questions for Matt to answer.

1. When you began your journey of writing this book, how long did the total process take?

The book took nearly 10 years from the time I wrote the original poem to the date it was published. In-between, it went from a poem titled "A Beginner's Guide to Stargazing" to a picture book manuscript titled, "The Thing to Remember About Stargazing" - and there was a lot of revision going on there, as well! You can learn more about the backstory here: https://writersrumpus.com/2023/10/06/the-thing-to-remember-about-stargazing-a-lesson-in-learning-to-rewrite-revise-recycle/. Within this thought lies the truth about writing. "Passion, Persistence, and Patience Counts!"

2. What is your process when creating a title for your books? 

As far as titles, half the time a title will come to me and I'll write the book around that, and half the time an idea will pop into in my head and I'll get the book halfway done before the title comes to me. But I like having a title as early in the process as possible, because it sort of keeps me on track, focused on the story/subject, almost like a compass pointing north. In the case of Stargazing, I had no choice but to change the title, so I used a line from the book as the title because it summed up the narrative very nicely.

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A piece of interesting information about Matt's successful career as a writer, poet, children's author: Matt is sending out StoryWalk(R) copies of his new book to two dozen libraries across the state of New Hampshire.

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As a certified Wonderopolis wonderologist, I am constantly wondering. Perhaps, classroom children would like to find out Why Do Stars Twinkle?  Find the response at Wonderopolis' Wonder of the Day #1818. 

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Thank you, Matt, for allowing me to enter your big universe of stargazing as I used to do as a child. Your book inspired me to write a small poem.

Within this book, I found a small poem

found

within this book

a universe of stars

a pathway to wonder

awe-struck, stilled moments

©CVarsalona, 2023

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Today is a happy day at Bridget Magee's blog post, wee words for wee ones. She is not only happy to be the Poetry Friday host but celebrate another year around the sun. Bridget has "decided to lean hard into happy because right now the world needs happy".

New Publication: Two Truths and a Fib Poetry Anthology

Truth be Told:

Bridget Magee, teacher, poet, author, editor, and publisher opened the door to a new kind of poetry anthology in January 2023. Her Two Truths and a Fib Poetry Anthology is an imaginative idea based on an ice breaker game, Two Truths and a Lie. In her introductory invitation to writers, Bridget said, "One goal of this anthology is to have an instrumental element as well as be a joyful celebration." 

Inside this unique anthology, there are 29 poets writing on 30 different subjects using 32 poetic formats. Each subject has two poems that are true and one that is a fib. Each writer's poems flow in such a way that it is difficult to decide where the fib lies but there is a Poet Fact Check in the back of the book for clarification.

To celebrate the writers of her new book, Bridget created a Fib-O-Rama to her wee words for wee ones on Facebook. It is a trailer type of teaser for each poet's work in the anthology. Each day, a new author is celebrated. I am honored to be one of the 29 poets included in the book. My poems on Kindergarten are based on a first-day-of-Kindergarten experience. While I took some ideas from my granddaughter's first days, the poems are universal to many children. 

Fib-O-Rama

I congratulate my Poetry Friday friends, Margaret Simon, Molly Hogan, Mary Lee Hahn, Heidi Mordhorst, Linda Baie, Linda Mitchell, Michelle Kogan, and Rose Cappelli, who are also Two Truths and a Fib authors.

Truth Poems and a Fib Poem

a seed of an idea took root over a year ago

grew

with

poetic

flair

grew

into

a

book

grew

over a year ago, a seed of an idea took root

©CV, 2023, skinny

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when you wish upon a star

imagination soars

seeds of spontaneity burst

an anthology

evolves from different poets

publisher edits and smiles

after publication

quiet reading time

thirty poems to savor

©CV, 2023, tricube poem

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all

poems

written

were added

to the collection

by the excited publisher

©CV, 2023,fibonacci poem

(Can you tell what is the fib in the above poem?)

It's Poetry Friday time. This week Molly Hogan is the host of the Roundup. You can view Molly's winter photos that inspired her poem. Click here.

Trilogy of Thought for 2023

This holiday season was full of activities, ups and downs, a good amount of decorating and baking, and constant motion. It brought joy, happiness, and even stress but it all was worthwhile. The family was together celebrating good news: a new little one will join the extended family this year. Change happens and in our family it brings a small blessing through the grace of God.

Now, in the midst of de-Christmasing the house, the idea of change seems very appealing. There is clarity to my thoughts. I have a new direction ushered in by my days of pondering on a new one word. Hopefully, my one little word will bring a slow-down pace and a mindful flow to the year. My thoughts are clear. 

You may enjoy reading the poems I created this week that lead up to the unveiling of my one word. Part 1 began with my slice of life, Thoughts for 2023. Part 2, Spiritual Journey - 2023 One Word Guide, unveiled my new word, Be. 

Today, I offer:

My 2023 Mantra: "Just Be" - In stillness and peace or strife, reflect on renewing my commitment to change behaviors that need transformation.

My Proposed Action: Prepare daily for change, renewal, and peace. Reflect on my collection of one words: 

openness, listen, believe, joy, hope, embrace, balance, begin, appreciate, and Be

winter stops to look

hovers over a stilled lake

New Year reflection

©CVarsalona, 2023

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Do you know that Bridget Magee, poet, teacher, and editor published a new poetry anthology, Two Truths and a Fib? She is honoring the poets who contributed their poems to her amazing endeavor each day in January. Check out the line-up of poets and their truths and fibs on her Wee Words for Wee Ones  Facebook page. I am grateful to Bridget for adding me to her Two Truths and a Fib-O-Rama. As soon as my copy of the book comes in the mail, I will review it and post my review on my blog. In the meantime, watch the trailer here.

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Finally, I am ready to join the Poetry Friday Round-up at Catherine Flynn's blog, Reading to the Core. It is serendipitous that Catherine has been talking about change with her writing group, The Inklings. I am excited to read each one of their poems on change and find more poetic goodness in the writings of many friends in the poet community. 

Remembering Summer with Digitals, a Poem Swap...

Do you remember the lazy-hazy-crazy days of summer? Do you wish that summer could always be here, especially now since the temperature dropped to thirty degrees?

Nat King Cole reminds us of frolicking summer days.

Pause and listen.

My last summer poem swap was sent by a poetry friend, Janet Fagal. She made summer reappear during Virginia's second summer season with her swap which was such a lovely surprise. She sent me Georgia Heard and Rebecca Kai Dotlich's gorgeous book, A Field Guide to the Heart, Poems of Love, Comfort & Hope. I will cherish this poetry book/journal because within its pages I will add memories and poems created.

Besides the book, Janet sent two beautiful photo cards, a mini-notebook to take on walks, a lovely blank card, a small star for my desk, and two of her poems.

What a fine swap. Thank you, Janet.

Janet does not know how my Mom and I loved to make zucchini bread.

Some of Janet's summer memories found at home in the above poem.

I send this postcard poem from Virginia to Janet, while thinking about the beauty of autumn in Central New York.

Autumn's Second Summer Days

second summer days

glitter in gold and linger

crunchy leaves scatter 

©CVarsalona, 2022, digitized photo, Virginia

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Talking about friends, I was delighted to write a book review about Matt Forrest Esenwine's new book, A Beginner's Guide to Being Human, and spread the news around social media.  

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Thank you, Poetry Friday friends, Linda Baie, Michelle Kogan, JoAnn Macken, 

Heidi Mordhorst, Laura Purdie Salas, Buffy Silverman, Jama Rattigan, for offering your artistic expressions,  alongside mine, at the Finding Fall 2022 Padlet. I hope others join in and add their artistic expression. The updated padlet is below.

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NEWS

November 3, 2022 marks the second professional development workshop sponsored by the Reading Specialists Council of Suffolk. I am preparing now for my keynote address, Inviting and Encouraging Students to Discover the Writer Within, which will air on Zoom. 

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Today is Poetry Friday. Bridget Magee, poetry friend, teacher, editor, and publisher is hosting the Roundup this week. She is also celebrating the 1st Year Anniversary of the  10.10 Poetry Anthology: Celebrating 10 in 10 Different Ways and is also the creator of Poetry Palooza which is being featured at Bridget's blog this month. I thank Bridget for spotlighting my poem, Celebrating Baby's Digits in the 10.10 Poetry Anthology on October 13, 2022. You can read what Bridget wrote and see another Smidgey photo op here.

Celebrating Poetic Writing

How often do poets and writers praise the writing of the masters and strive to use their voice and the magic of word play to bring verve to their own work? I am excited to share information about two poet friends who have exciting news.

Buffy Silverman's poetic book On a Gold-Blooming Day Finding Fall Treasures, made it's debut on September 6, 2020, National Read a Book Day. I recently found a special mailing from Lerner Publishing Group, a copy of Buffy's poetic book to publicize.

The hardbound book that will delight both children and adults is

a stunning one to display on a coffee table.

When reviewing Buffy's book, I fell in love with both the gorgeous nature photographs and the accompanying descriptive words, like a sun-dazzling day. Since I started decorating for the autumn season, I plan on leaving Buffy's book on display as a welcome-to-my-house treasure. When my little grandgirls come to visit, they will spot the book, take it in their hands, and be mesmerized by the beauty within each photographic page amidst a flow of poetic thought.

Hopefully, my grandgirls will lift their voices in celebration of Buffy's

pre-school to grade 3 book.

Another poet-teacher-publisher friend living in Switzerland, Bridget Magee is celebrating her one-year book anniversary of The 10*10 Poetry Anthology: Celebrating 10 in 10 Different Ways this October. Bridget single-handedly edited and compiled her first anthology of 87 poems. I am happy to say that I am one of the 10*10 writers celebrating alongside Bridget. 

Bridget writes that in the past year, her "humble wee words inaugural poetry anthology earned Five 5-star Amazon reviews and multiple bloggers have sung collective praises". I was particularly impressed by a wonderful review by Karla Wendlin of Poetry Studio.

Bridget Magee focuses on the number 10 through clever use of language, humor, and heartfelt sentiment. The 87 poems are dived into 10 sections, each with an introductory quote that sets up intention (nod to Bridget!) of the poems that follow (e.g., "The qualing of strength lined with tenderness is anunbeatable combination..." Maya Angelou).The 10 topics address vocabulary (tentative, tenacity, tension), common phrases (take ten, I wouldn't touch that with a ten-foot pole), and more. The poems, written by established as well as debut poets, reflect a wide variety of poetic styles. Brief biographical sketches of the poets are appended. Keep a copy of this book handy, as students will want to reread selections and read aloud their favorites, and possibly use poems as models for their own writing. The entire book might be an inspiration for a class writing project, celebrating a different number, such as "one" (e.g., one-sided, one-up, one of a kind, we're number one, one-hit wonder, etc.

Stay tuned to the month of October when Briget will put the spotlight on the 10*10 writers. Don't miss Bridget's wee words for wee words blog and business Facebook page. 

Below you find my poem that was written with my 2 1/2-year-old granddaughter Aurora in mind. I like to sing the poem to her instead of just reading it out loud. We laugh when I sing because I use gestures and movements to make Aurora giggle. Thank you, Bridget, for all the work you put into this wonderful poetry anthology. 

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Join me for the Poetry Friday Roundup hosted by my Australian poet friend/kidlit author, Kat Apel. Before reading the array of poetic goodness linked to Kat's blog, pause to read her post. She is sharing her successes and summer poem swaps (with beautiful haikus and nature poetry), along with her new books and presentations .

What Birthday Girl Knows

Excitement was in the air last Sunday. My little grandgirl turned two years old. Our family gathered at her house to decorate with a Frozen theme while the little sisters slept.  A jeweled princess crown and presents were laid out. A blue foil-streamer walkthrough was set up for the princesses' entrance to the party and a beautiful cake embellished with dripped icings on a raised, tiered cake platter awaited. Frosted silver sprinkles glistened around a blue sparkle castle. We were all excited to see our little granddaughter's expressions. 

The question of the day was, Does Aurora really understand what a two-year-old birthday means? Of course, my thoughts went straight to poetry and digital art.

What Does the Birthday Girl Know

How to

Make an entrance

With a gown of royal semblance.

Wear a crown, dance around.

Share a smile, not a frown.

Find her royal toddler seat.

Pray with grace; begin to eat.

Search for a birthday sweet.

Stick a finger in the treat.

Make a delicious mess.

On her face and fancy dress

Clean her hands and face with ease.

Open her gifts with expertise.

Respond to age-related questions.

"Two" with a number of finger suggestions.

©CV, 2022

If you look back at my September 2021 post you will see another poem for Aurora when we still thought of her as a baby. Now, she is the big girl.

I take a few more steps backward to share my latest published poem in my wonderful poet-publisher friend, Bridget Magee's newest anthology 10*10.

I appreciate the opportunity afforded to me by Bridget. The following poem was written with Aurora in mind. I like to sing it instead of just reading it to her. We laugh when I sing because I use gestures and movements to make Aurora giggle.

Today is the Poetry Friday Roundup at the community's poet-author and recently retired keeper of the schedule, Mary Lee Hahn. Mary Lee has a succulent poem about a pomegranate, one of my favorite holiday treats. Thanks, Mary Lee for sharing your poem, What the Pomegranate Knows, and for giving me a format for my own poem today. Did I mention that I appreciate this weekly roundup because I get to savor all the poetic posts?

I also appreciate Linda Mitchell's star logo and the beautiful winter poem swap that she sent me. It lit up my holiday. I will share her work after I send mine out.

Last Edition of Nurturing Our Summer Souls Gallery

Summer ended officially on September 22, 2021. As Chad and Jeremy sang in their 1964 Summer Song, "All good things must end someday-Autumn leaves must fall". The seasons cycle through the year. Summer full of fresh air, outdoor life, rest, and relaxation transitions into autumn with its brilliant leaves and sky. "Sit back and relax once again with the final edition of Nurturing Our Summer Souls Global Gallery of Artistic Expression. 

"Think of summer days again and dream..." Step into the "pura vida" lifestyle that Glenda Funk spoke about this month at her blog, Evolving English Educator. Do you remember enjoying a peaceful, simple, uncluttered lifestyle? Did you find time to rest, relax, and recoup your energy?

Enjoy the short YouTube video I created for Edition 4 of

Nurturing Our Summer Souls Gallery of Artistic Expressions

Even on a humid Virginia summer day, you can enjoy nature.

CV, 2021

You can paint and write poetry like Jessica Bigi and Michelle Kogan offer in their digital inspirations below.

You may enjoy the peace of the seashore or inland water bodies.

If you are hikers, campers, or travelers, gardeners,

the countryside, mountains, gardens, and beaches will help you "chill".

Devin Hartnett

Jackie Yun

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Many thanks to the Contributors of this 4th Edition of Nurturing Our Summer Souls Gallery 

Terje Akke

Jessica Bigi

Glenda Funk

Devin Hartnett

Michelle Kogan

Carol Varsalona

Jackie Yun

In memory of Barbara Van Iderstine, a friend, amazing gardener, and a past contributor to my galleries, I offer the beauty of the wisteria vine that thrived in her new locale.

I invite you to peruse the other editions of this summer gallery:

Introduction to Nurturing Our Summer Souls Gallery

Nurturing Our Summer Souls Gallery, Poetry Friday Edition

Nurturing Our Summer Souls Gallery, Section Three

May this gallery in its entirety bring you joy and a sense of serenity. 

You can visit other summer galleries that I have created since 2014 with the support of fellow poets, artists, photographers, musicians, family, friends, educators, and students.

Scroll through my blog, Beyond LiteracyLink for archived galleries.

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I turn my atTENtion now to Bridget Magee, the designer and editor of a new anthology for wee ones, 10*10 Poetry Anthology, Celebrating 10 in 10 Different Ways, who is also hosting the Poetry Friday Roundup. I am so excited that the poem I wrote based on interactions with my toddler granddaughter appears in Bridget's new anthology.