Amy Ludwig VanDerwater is a wonderful person. I can say this because I spent a weekend with her many years ago at a poetry workshop run by the Highlights Foundation. In 2012 our poems were united under one cover when we each had a poem included in the collection Nasty Bugs, published by Dial. Amy, a writing teacher, loves poetry, spending time outdoors, family, and making things. Her collection of nature poems, Forest Has a Song, was a Golden Kite Honor book and won the Cybils Poetry Award.
I know you love poetry! What do you like best about it?
I love the way great poets plant and tend each word with care. I like poetry’s power and brevity and the way one can find a poem to match every emotion and experience. Reading poems helps me never feel alone. Writing poems, on the other hand, allows me to braid my feelings and observations with a variety of literary techniques; I adore the puzzle of rhyme and meter.
FOREST HAS A SONG was clearly written by someone who loves nature. What was your primary inspiration for writing the poetry in this collection?
We live way out in the country, south of Buffalo, NY, and our family spends lots of time out in the woods. My husband Mark, a science teacher, teaches us about the plants and beasts, and this book simply mirrors out the wonder I feel again and again, each time we hike together. When I visit schools and share puffballs and owl calls with students, I feel my wonder ripple outward and hope that children and parents and teachers will make joyful plans to poke around in nature.
I hope so too! It seems that most of us spend too much time inside these days. Do you have advice for teachers and parents who want to share more poetry with their children?
Please just do. Share what you love! Tuck poems into the nooks and pockets of each day. Poems are small; they fit into the folds of our hearts. Offer children poetry that spans the range of human experience, from sadness to delight. This is how children will know that poems can be friends and that they, too, can find poems to match their moods and worlds.
Amen! One way parents and teachers can share poetry easily and freely is by visiting your blog, The Poem Farm. Can you tell us a little about that?
I began The Poem Farm blog in April 2010, as a place to write a poem each day for National Poetry Month of that year. I did indeed write a poem each day of April 2010 and liked doing itso well that I continued writing a poem and mini lesson each day for 365 days, from April 2010 – April 2011. This is how The Poem Farm established itself, and I continue to share poetry, lessons, and children’s poems regularly in my corner of the Internet. This month (April 2014) finds me in the middle of a project I call THRIFT STORE LIVE, a series of 30 poems each about an object I’ve found in a real thrift store. The Poem Farm blog is a place for me to experiment with writing and to connect with children, families, and teachers.
And you live on a real farm! I’m sure this gives you lots of inspiration for The Poem Farm. What is that like?
We actually call our home Heart Rock Farm, but it is also really The Poem Farm in 3-D. We live in an old farmhouse on 24 acres in Western New York, and we’re usually growing something (latest – gooseberries), making something (latest – butter lambs), or caring for something (latest – newish bunnies). It’s a heavenly spot with four real seasons, and we feel very grateful to have lived here for the last ten years.
Okay, now I want to come visit! Just for fun, can you finish these sentences?
Two of my favorite poets are Naomi Shihab Nye and David McCord.
Two of the best poetry books to share with children are ANOTHER JAR OF TINY STARS: POEMS BY MORE NCTE AWARD WINNING POETS, edited by Beatrice E. Cullinan and Deborah Wooten – and KNOCK AT A STAR: A CHILD’S INTRODUCTION TO POETRY edited by X.J. Kennedy and Dorothy M. Kennedy.
When I write poetry, I usually do not how I will begin. I write my way into a poem.
I read poetry daily because I hope it will help me become a better person and a stronger writer.
My favorite writing tools are black pens, unlined notebooks, and quiet.
One tip I have for aspiring poets is read the kind of writing you hope to write. Let the words of favorite poems become part of you. Learn from others, and listen to the whisperings of your own spirit.
Thank you for your inspirational answers Amy!