We continue our 50 States of Generosity series with a focus on Wisconsin and its state fruit: the cranberry. Plus poetry!
Teacher Stories—My First Villanelle (Thank You, How to Write a Form Poem!)
So much is changing—has changed—in this world. Rebecca D. Martin finds a deep leaving-truth in her first villanelle and her first experience as a teacher.
Grammar for a Full Life Book Club: On Becoming Less Possessive
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Was Tolkien Influenced Only by the Middle Ages? Holly Ordway Says No
In “Tolkien’s Modern Reading,” Holly Ordway persuasively argues that the literary influences on J.R.R. Tolkien were broad and diverse.
Poetry Prompt: Name Poems
What stories does your name hold, and how do they shape who you are and how you live? Join Callie Feyen for a name poems prompt.
Children’s Book Club: ‘Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe’
For pride month we read Benjamin Alire Sáenz’s “Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe.” Join our YA Children’s Book Club.
Home is Where the School Is—A Pandemic’s Eye View of Homeschooling Vs Virtual Learning
An exploration of homeschooling vs virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Includes interviews with 15 parents, students, and educators!
Poet Laura: Brain Fog, Fatigue and the Fireflies
As our worlds begin to reopen, the brain fog, fatigue, and discomfort can linger. Our Poet Laura, Laura Boggess, helps us reemerge with the fireflies.
Grammar for a Full Life Book Club: Chilling Out on the Grammar Rules
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Poets and Poems: Angela Alaimo O’Donnell and “Love in the Time of Coronavirus”
“Love in the Time of Coronavirus” by Angela Alaimo O’Donnell is the poet’s journal of the pandemic year and its change and upheaval.
The Joyful Partnership of Poetry & Memoir: Part 2—Community Room
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Poetry Prompt: Peonies on How To Open Up
Join author Callie Feyen as she explores what it means to open ourselves up in this world. Just like the peonies.
Reading Generously: ‘Death Wins A Goldfish’
As we begin to leave our pandemic cocoons, we’re contemplating the meaning of life while reading generously ‘Death Wins a Goldfish.’
Clarisse McClellan, The Karate Kid, and (Finally) Reading Fahrenheit 451
Tania Runyan reflects on The Karate Kid and writes a letter to Clarisse McClellan from Fahrenheit 451.
Grammar for a Full Life Book Club: A Passive Voice
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Forgotten Classics: “Cane” by Jean Toomer
“Cane” by Jean Toomer is considered a modernist classic, compared favorably and critically to the works of William Faulkner.
Poetry Prompt: Giving and Receiving with Creative Nonfiction
Join author Callie Feyen as she explores ways of giving and receiving with creative nonfiction as a guide.
By Heart: ‘Motherload’ + Li-Young Lee Challenge
For this month’s By Heart, we learn a poem about motherhood by Kate Baer, called “Motherload.”
On Writing and Living in the World: Coming Back To Life
As the world begins to reopen, Callie Feyen explores the ways we protect ourselves, and the ways we can begin coming back to life.
Poets and Poems: Loren Broaddus and “Joe DiMaggio Moves Like Liquid Light”
“Joe DiMaggio Moves Like Liquid Light” by Loren Broaddus is a collection of poems about baseball, but, like baseball, it’s about a lot more.