storyfires

Welcome to my new followers (Thanks again, Alyosha)! If you haven't yet entered April's blog drawing, you have two more days to win free books. Go here for contest rules and to see the books I'm giving away. Today is National Poem-in-Your-Pocket Day , which means you carry around your favorite poem all day and inflict it upon everyone you meet. Which is what I intend to do here. I had a hard time choosing. Something modern and obscure? Something famous that everyone was forced to read and hated in school? Something funny and accessible? I don't have a single favorite. I chose this, just because I love it so much. And because it was Earth Day last week. And because it's Spring. And because Hopkins really is my favorite poet. I love the sounds. I love the images. It knocks me off my feet. God's Grandeur by Gerard Manley Hopkins The world is charged with the grandeur of God.    It will flame out, like shining from shook foil;    It gathers to a greatn

I almost let the month slip away without giving away free books . I like books. I also like giving books away. Especially really fine books, with good stories and beautiful sentences. I try not to give away crappy books on my blog. I try not to give away books I didn't enjoy myself. They aren't always hot sellers. They are always books I have read, books I know you'll like, if you love words as much as I do. This month's picks: 1. Smiles to Go , by Jerry Spinelli, who's one of my favorite authors. 2. Savvy , Ingrid Law, which I've offered before and nobody has snatched up yet, strangely. Probably because they don't know how great it is. (Newbery winner, folks!) 3. The Chronicles of Chrestomanci, Vol. I , by Diana Wynne Jones. This is actually two books in one. It's also my new favorite fantasy series for kids. If you haven't discovered Jones yet, you must. Neil Gaiman is a fan, too. He says Jones is "...always per

The blog response to National Poetry month has been a little tepid, to say the least. I don't blame you. Why read poetry if you aren't in school and (most of all) aren't being forced? Sigh. Because it's my blog and I like it. You only have to suffer through five more days and then National Poetry Month will be over. I've decided to post a poem a day for this last week of Na-Po-Mo, just to torture you, culminating in Poem-in-Your-Pocket Day, where you carry your favorite poem around with you all day and force other people to listen to it, like it or not. Ha! But even if you're not a poetry-lover like me, I think you'll like today's poem, which is by Aaron Belz from Lovely, Raspberry , published by Persea Books. It was sent to me by poets.org as a daily poem to share with others, so I assume it's ok to share here. If not, my apologies. The Love - Hat Relationship by Aaron Belz I have been thinking about the love - hat relationship . It