In Last Child in the Woods, Richard Louv makes the case for the importance of interaction with nature on our physical and emotional well-being.
Wall Poems: Poetry Prompt
Settled in the crevices of brick and mortar, there are poems. Written on walls in Europe and here in the States, poetry lives and breathes in cities and villages. Join us and learn a little about wall poems and where you can find some. You can even write your own wall poem.
How To Dress Like a Reading Diva—And Read ‘The Sleepy Little Alphabet’
Some self-doubt in the shoe department leads to a surprising reflection on how to teach reading with The Sleepy Little Alphabet—and love it.
Committing Prufrock: 10 Reasons to Say Yes to Memorizing Poetry
Why would someone take a dare to commit The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufock to memory? Sandra Heska King has 10 great reasons to say yes to a poetry dare.
Audubon’s Birds and the Habits of Nature Writing
John James Audubon’s meticulous and detailed approach to studying birds can inspire not only the nature writer but anyone wishing to write more vividly.
Animate: Wall Poetry Prompt
This week’s poetry prompt asks you to imagine yourself as a division of space— a wall. Join us, animate yourself into the geometry of a wall, and create poetry.
Reading in the Wild: April’s Pages
“Reading in the Wild” identifies 5 main characteristics of ‘wild readers’—the people most likely to embrace literacy for life. Are you a wild reader? Do you want to be? Let’s make it happen.
Tea Quest: Tupelo Honey Tea Loft, Millvale, Pa.
Laura Brown’s tea quest takes her to Tupelo Honey Teas Cafe and a selection of Pittsburgh-specific tea blends especially for Yinzers n’at.
Book Club Announcement: Last Child in the Woods
Join us for our upcoming book club on Richard Louv’s Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder.
The Veil: Poetry Prompt
Join us as we explore the poem “Lift Not the Painted Veil Which Those Who Live” by Percy Bysshe Shelley. Think of a response to his message and write it as a poem.
Thank You Notes: Toys
Thank You Notes is a monthly prompt that focuses on expressing our thanks to a particular person, place, or thing—in poems, paragraphs, or pictures. This month, we’re crafting thank-you’s to Toys.
10 Surprising Ways to Help a Child Learn to Read
Helping a child learn to read doesn’t require jumping from an airplane. Donna Falcone says you can start with the simple act of play—and other surprising ways.
Animal Limericks: Poetry Prompt
If you’re running low on limerick ideas, then look no further than the always enchanting animal kingdom. Come write with about your pets (or the circus) with us!
Reckless in the Library With Sight Word Baseball
Reading teacher Callie Feyen has been curious if recklessness can be used to learn, or, perhaps more radically, if recklessness is in fact needed to learn. Watch out, then, for baseball in the library!
Tea Quest: Green Tea at Arnold’s Tea House, Pittsburgh, Pa.
Laura Lynn Brown’s tea quest in Pittsburgh continues, with a stop at Arnold’s Tea House to sample Dragonwell green tea.
The Wild Swans: The Patience of Water
We wrap up our group reading of The Wild Swans by Jackie Morris, considering the patience of water and things to which we will give long years of our lives.
Family Limericks: Poetry Prompt
While we are often audience to the peculiarities or bizarre habits of the relatives, an opportunity to write a limerick about them might only come once in a lifetime. Here’s your chance.
5 Ways to Jazz it With Jewels (and Roses) for National Poetry Month
Why should National Poetry Month be oh-so-predictable? Here are 5 sparkling ways to add a little shine to April.
The Wild Swans: I Did Love to Fly
This month we’re reading The Wild Swans by Jackie Morris together. Join us for a conversation about wishes and curses and, of course, swans (and maybe write a poem to the fairy tale).
The Irreverent Limerick: Poetry Prompt
From its boisterous beginnings, the poetic form of the limerick lends itself to all kinds of unseemly possibility. Here’s your opportunity to be just a little undignified and write an irreverent limerick. Join us!