Poetry Friday Roundup: Word of the Year 2024 and New Adventures
Welcome to the Poetry Friday roundup for the week. For more information about Poetry Friday, click here.
For the roundup, post your link below.
2023 Year in Review
Earlier in the week, I posted my year roundup for 2023. You can read the full post here.
Word of the Year
Last week, I posted about my reflections of my 2023 word of the year: NOTICE.
My word of the year for 2024 is GROW.
In 2024, I want to:
- grow as a poet
- grow as a writer
- grow my skills as a photographer
- figure out ways to turn disappointment into growth
- stretch myself
- actually grow new things in my garden
- grow my polished manuscripts
- grow my publishing credits
- be a better writer in December 2024 than I am now
New Adventures in 2024
New Adventures in Poetry
Part of me growing as a poet has always been intentional study. For several years, I’ve been keeping lists of books that is a single poem as a picture book.
Some examples include:
- Dark on Light by Dianne White
- We are Branches by Joyce Sidman
- I am Made of Mountains by Alexandra Hinrichs
- The Power of Snow by Bob Raczka
- On a Flake-Flying Day by Buffy Silverman
In the past, I’ve looked at specific types of poems as picture books:
In 2023, I featured what I was reading each week–fiction, nonfiction, poetry, writing craft, etc. In 2024, for Poetry Friday, I’d like to feature a picture book that is also a poem. I’ll keep a round up here.
If you have any favorites–especially ones that are 2023 or 2024 publications, feel free to leave suggestions in the comments.
New Adventures in Books
Last year, I visited every public library branch in my county–23 branches in total. It just was luck that I visited 23 libraries in 2023.
This year for 24 in 2024, I want to do something a little different and a little more expensive.
I want to visit 24 independent bookstores! My rules for this are:
- At least one bookstore per month — I know this seems silly since there are 12 months, but I can see myself do 2-3 in one day, then skip a month. For example, I plan to visit several in NYC in February when I’m there.
- Used bookstores count — I love used bookstores, and they are almost always locally owned, so I plan to visit as many as I can find.
- Buy at least one book, but don’t overdo it. This could become expensive, so I’m hoping to just get one book per shop.
- Take a picture. I hope to take a picture of each bookstore and/or each book stack.
I have a note on my phone with a big list of bookstores in places I know I’ll be this year. I’m also really fortunate because I live within 2 hours of more than 24 indie bookstores!
Because I also have a novel coming out this fall, I hope that I can visit some of these bookstores as an author as well.
Haiku of the Week
sun peeks out
flowers open spent petals
sing in winter’s wind
Haiku & Photo © 2023 Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Photo Taken: December 21, 2023 at Green Spring Gardens
Haiku Written: December 29, 2023
Poem as Picture Book
by Neil Gaiman
Poetry Connections
- Found poetry (or at least crowdsourced)
- List poem
- Repetition
- Word choice (my favorite is “breath-ice”)
- Consonance and Alliteration
This book is crowdsourced. You know that Neil is the king of social media. He asked his followers their memories of being warm. Neil gave the poem as a gift to the UN Refugee Agency to raise money for those displaced by war and persecution. It’s illustrated by multiple illustrators. It’s 349 words long. A longish poem, but the words all need to be there.
Links:
- The Marginalian post and Neil reading the poem and the full text.
- Video animating the poem featuring Neil Gaiman
- Linda at Teacher Dance featured this book several weeks ago too
52 Comments
Tracey Kiff-Judson
Marcie, I would not be surprised if your word for 2024 were INTENTION. You have mastered focus and goal setting in a way that most of us will only dream of. I wish you success in achieving all of your goals, and I know that you will GROW this year! : )
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Oohh! Intention is a great word!
Robyn Hood Black
What Tracey said!
Thank you for sharing your own journey, and so many rich links for our own explorations too, Marcie.
I especially love your “figure out ways to turn disappointment into growth” and the lovely “spent petals” which still have beauty to offer. Also, love me some Neil Gaiman – I missed Linda’s post so appreciate the info here! Thank you for hosting, for helping others to GROW as you grow, and Happy 2024! (Oh – and used bookstores – YES!!)
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Thank you so much, Robyn!
Linda Mitchell
What a thoughtful, reflective, and joyous post! Thank you for all the ways you are a poet and give all of us a hand up and into poetry too. You teach me so much.
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Oh the feeling is mutual, Linda! I love learning from you!
Karen Edmisten
What Tracey and Robyn said. 😀 An inspiring post. Here’s to growth and new adventures!
I’m still figuring out my word for 2024, but I think I’m getting close. Thanks for hosting!
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Yes to new adventures!
Michelle Kogan
Thanks for this bountyful rich post Marcie! Wishing you and Grow many wonderful adventures this year–I look forward to reading about them, especially all your used book store visits and featured poem picture books! I”m looking forward to spending time with “What You Need to be Warm.” Gorgeous haiku and pic, and —Congrats on your forthcoming novel, how exciting!!! Thanks for hosting!
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Thank you so much, Michelle!
April Halprin Wayland
Marcie ~ WOWEE! Thank you for the wealth of info. I’m exhausted just reading your lists!
Grow is a great word. My word for the year is Laughing. I test-drove it for a few days before the new year and it wasn’t that I ended up laughing so much myself…but I noticed how much laughter was all around me–I just hadn’t been aware of it before. Laugher rinses my day!
April
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
“Laughter rinses my day” is line a poetry all by itself. 🙂 I love that Laughing is your word. What a joyful way to start the new year!
Matt Esenwine
Wow, kudos to you for your planned adventures – both literary and otherwise! It sounds like you’ve got a very satisfying year ahead. Loved the haiku, by the way! And if you don’t mind me mentioning, both my books “Flashlight Night” and “The Thing to Remember about Stargazing” were poems, as was Joyce Sidman’s “Before Morning.”
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Thank you for mentioning these books! Can’t wait to reread!
Rose Cappelli
You had me from the beginning, but especially with poems as picture books. That is definitely one of the areas I want to do more exploring in. I’ve had using a poem as a picture book as one of my writing goals last year and again this year. Thanks always for your inspiration, Marcie.
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Oh yes, let’s think about poems as picture books together! 🙂
Carol Labuzzetta
Wow! Marcie, I’m super impressed with your level of reflection, motivation, and dedication! I wish you the best with all of your endeavors, many of which I share for the coming year! I’m excited about your novel – what’s the target age? Thanks again for a such rich post to start Poetry Friday for 2024! Happy New Year to you!
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
My forthcoming novel is a young adult, historical fiction, novel-in-verse.
Sally Murphy
Marcie, I felt like just reading your post made ME grow, as your post unfurled like petals. Thank you for inspiring me to grow as a poet esepcially, and for hosting today.
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Sally, that is so kind! thank you!
Ruth
I’m having trouble getting Inlinkz to work — but here’s my post: https://thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com/2024/01/sjt-and-poetry-friday-and-olw-2024.html
Thanks for hosting! Happy New Year!
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Sorry about the glitch. I added it to the Inlinkz for you. 🙂
Ruth
Thank you!
Amy Ludwig VanDerwater
“sing in winter’s wind” is so lovely….
Your whole post is very inspiring, Marcie, and I wish you lots of joy with all of these adventures and growings.
That Neil Gaiman is just fabulous, isn’t he?
Thank you for hosting!
xo,
a.
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Oh, I could listen to Neil read the phone book, honestly. 🙂
Mary Lee
What a 2023 you created for yourself, and what a rich experience 2024 will be (except for the part about buying books at 24 different stores!! lol). I agree that INTENTION is your underlying theme, no matter what word you choose to highlight.
Thanks for hosting us! Happy New Year!
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Happy New Year! Yes, the 24 bookstores will be pricey, but I buy a lot of books anyway. I’m hoping I can get my gifts there too. 🙂
Margaret Simon
You have a lot of goals for this year. We have one indie bookstore in my small town. I did visit a small used bookstore on our trip to Dahlonega, GA. I bought 2 poetry books. I am reading a lot of poem picture books for the Lee Bennett Hopkins Award. I’d love to share the list with you. I always look forward to your photo-haiku. You are spot on with each word. I love “spent petals/sing”.
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Yes, I’d love to see your list of books for the Lee Bennett Hopkins Award, if you’re willing to share!
Tabatha
Hi Marcie! Your independent bookstore plan sounds excellent, so much fun! My son did that in NYC and had a fascinating time. I wonder if you will go to any that he went to? Good luck with your growth this year! I’m sure you will knock it out of the park. Thanks for hosting 🙂
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
I’ll be in NYC in February, so I do plan to go to several while I’m there. Right now, I’m definitely going to The Strand and Books of Wonder. I’ll see what else I can fit in.
Janice scully
Marcia, what a year you have had and what a next year you have planned! Congratulations on you book coming out. Your haiku and photos always inspire me. Will look for Gaiman’s book. Happy New Year!
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Happy New Year!
Heidi Mordhorst
Thank you, Marcie, for hosting, and for previewing your GROWing INTENTIONS for the year. I get fuddled up when I make resolutions or choose OLW and then fail or forget…so I try to approach things more lightly because, well, it turns out I have some issues with focus! I love your bookstore plan and that might be a good one for me–there are so many close by that I have not set foot in! Or wait, maybe I should read what I already have stacked up…
May 2024 open and sing for you!
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Oh, I should read the books that are stacked up already….
PATRICIA J FRANZ
So grateful to GROW with you in 2024, Marcie. You and your posts and your outings and your photos and your poetry – all are gift! Thank you for these and for hosting this week.
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Thank you, Patricia!
Buffy Silverman
Oh to have the organization and focus skills of Marcie! (Maybe in my next life I will GROW those skills…) I love that you include figuring out ways to turn disappointment into growth in your growing goals. And I love how you capture the sounds of spent petals: “sing in winter’s wind.” Also, thanks for including Flake-Flying Day in your poem picture book list! Wishing you a new year of growth.
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
The organization is a blessing and a curse! And I think so many of your books fit into the “poem as picture book” category. 🙂 Looking forward to revisiting them.
Laura Purdie Salas
Ditto to what Buffy said above! Thank you for always taking the time to share your journey, Marcie. After trying two very disappointing online poetry seminars (video courses), I’m setting myself up a very intentional professional development calendar for this year. What I need to do is make sure to make time for the reflecting–you’re always so good at that! Thanks for sharing your upcoming adventures and your reflections on the past year. xo
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Oh, I’d love to hear about your intentional professional development calendar. I do love reflecting. I think that it comes out of teaching in an IB elementary school where there was a lot of time spent reflecting. I now have very specific reflections I do weekly, quarterly, and yearly.
Linda
I always enjoy reading your reflections and plans for growing as a writer. Your goal to visit 24 independent bookstores sounds amazing. I’m sure you’ll find some treasures. Congratulations on you novel coming out this year! I can’t wait to read it. Also, I’m looking forward to your list of poems at picture books. I’ve read all of the ones you have listed here along with some others. I would love to read and study more of them. You are off to a great start for 2024!
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Thank you, Linda. I’m excited too!
Susan T.
The haiku and photo are beautiful, and I love all your other ideas and intentions, too. Very cool. “Grow” is a good centering word for the year. My word is “art.”
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Art is a fabulous word! I can’t wait to see what you create this year!
Molly Hogan
I love how reflective you are about where you’ve been and where you want to go, and also that you share your journeys so generously. There’s such power in that! These two items on your list of how to grow are at the top of my own unwritten, nebulous list: “figure out ways to turn disappointment into growth” and “stretch myself”. Your final picture is especially stunning. I so admire how you combine your poems and photos. Thanks for hosting today!
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Thank you for your kind words, Molly!
Sylvia Vardell
Happy new year, Marcie! I love all your energy and ambition! It’s always inspiring to follow you and your work. I am posting very little on my blog nowadays, but I am continuing with my “sneak peek” list– which is up now: https://poetryforchildren.blogspot.com/2024/01/sneak-peek-list-2024.html. Hope it’s useful! :-). (I’ve been remiss in not thanking you for the beautiful calendar you gifted me! Thanks so much! Your work– both in words and images– is so beautiful!)
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Thank you, Sylvia! And thank you for this list! I’m looking forward to reading as many of these books as I can this year!
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Carmela Martino
Hi Marcie,
Happy 2024! I’m late in reading this, but I love your word for the year. And what wonderful goals you have!
Regarding poems that are picture books, I just read A Poem Grows Inside You by Katey Howes. I love it! You may have seen it already, since it’s from 2022, but if you haven’t, I highly recommend it.
Marcie Flinchum Atkins
Oh yes! I got it when it first came out! It’s a beauty (as is all of Katey’s stuff).