Writing Simple Poems is a resource book that shows teachers how to use poetry writing to teach grammar and writing conventions. Appropriate for any age or fluency level, the book can be used by ESL, foreign language, or bilingual teachers as an adjunct to their writing program. Regular classroom teachers will find it useful for language arts. The first part of the book focuses on methodology and offers suggestions for ways to integrate poetry writing with the curriculum. The second part of the book contains twenty-five easy-to-follow lesson plans, each with poetry models and sample poems written by students of various ages and linguistic backgrounds. The third part of the book offers an index of teaching points and a glossary of grammar terms.

An exploration of the burgeoning field of Anglophone Asian diaspora poetry, this book draws on the thematic concerns of Hong Kong, Asian-American and British Asian poets from the wider Chinese or East Asian diasporic culture to offer a transnational understanding of the complex notions of home, displacement and race in a globalised world. Located within current discourse surrounding Asian poetry, postcolonial and migrant writing, and bridging the fields of literary and cultural criticism with author interviews, this book provides close readings on established and emerging Chinese diasporic poets' work by incorporating the writers' own reflections on their craft through interviews with some of those featured. In doing so, Jennifer Wong explores the usefulness and limitations of existing labels and categories in reading the works of selected poets from specific racial, socio-cultural, linguistic environments and gender backgrounds, including Bei Dao, Li-Young Lee, Marilyn Chin, Hannah Lowe and Sarah Howe, Nina Mingya Powles and Mary Jean Chan. Incorporating scholarship from both the East and the West, Wong demonstrates how these poets' experimentation with poetic language and forms serve to challenge the changing notions of homeland, family, history and identity, offering new evaluations of contemporary diasporic voices.

This volume demonstrates how the social and instructional worlds that children inhabit influence their poetry writing and performances. Drawing on rich vignettes of students from different racial, ethnic and linguistic backgrounds, it describes and analyzes the work of eight to ten-year-old U.S. students involved in a month-long poetry unit. Children Writing Poems outlines the value of a ‘poetic-functional’ approach to help children convey a poem’s meaning and mood, and expresses the need for educators to scaffold children’s oral readings and performances over time.

What are the connections between cattle branding and Christian salvation, between livestock castration and square dancing, between rustling and the making of spurs and horsehair bridles in prison, between children's coloring books and cowboy poetry as it is practiced today? The Cowboy usesliterary, historical, folkloric, and pop cultural sources to document ways in which cowboys address religion, gender, economics, and literature. Arguing that cowboys are defined by the work they do, Allmendinger sets out in each chapter to investigate one form of labor (such as branding, castration,or rustling) that cowboys perform in their "work culture." He then looks at early oral poems that cowboys recited around campfires, on trail drives, at roundups, and at home in their bunkhouses, and at later poems, histories and autobiographies written by cowboys--most of which have never beforebeen studied by scholars. He discovers that these texts not only deal with work but with larger concerns, including art, morality, spirituality, and male sexuality. In addition to spotlighting little-known texts, art, and archival sources, The Cowboy examines the works of Twain, Steinbeck, Cather,Norris, Dana, McMurtry, and others, and features more than 60 historic photographs, many of which have not been published until now.

Crafting Poems demystifies the genre through diverse examples, clear instruction, and emphases on practice, enjoyment, and developing a distinct voice. By connecting reading with writing and balancing discipline with self-expression and improvisation, Crafting Poems gives aspiring poets a flexible and powerful toolbox with which to build their work.

An innovative introduction to writing poetry designed for studentsof creative writing and budding poets alike. Challenges the reader’s sense of what is possible in apoem. Traces the history and highlights the potential ofpoetry. Focuses on the fundamental principles of poetic construction,such as: Who is speaking? Who are they speaking to? Why does theirspeaking take this form? Considers both experimental and mainstream approaches tocontemporary poetry. Consists of fourteen chapters, making it suitable for use overone semester. Encourages readers to experiment with their poetry.

This compact guide shares how to master the art of “reader-friendly poetry”-- writing that reaches beyond confession, shrugs off literary fashion, and bypasses the esoteric and avant-garde, to put the reader first. With more than 50 rules of thumb, writers learn to select, expand, rearrange, and edit raw inspiration into poems that are clear and engaging, that touch emotions, mind, and senses. Numerous writing exercises provide lots of practice in these techniques. The book also includes pointers on finding inspiration, as well as on submitting work for publication. The advice has been honed through Susan Ioannou’s many years as a widely published Canadian poet, creative writing teacher, and literary editor.