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Weekend Pick for August 30, 2024

8/30/2024

Weekend Pick for August 30, 2024

I can't wait till September 2nd, the magic date, which is just three days away. Our readers and followers will be able to access the three books created by the Ethical ELA community under a nurturing guidance and editorship of Sarah J. Donovan.
Remember Words That Mend and 90 Ways of Community that were featured here on August 16 and 23? These two are followed by Just YA, a collection of short stories, essays, and poetry.

Just YA: Short Poems, Stories, & Essays edited by Sarah J. Donovan

Just YA: Short Poems, Stories, & Essays is a powerful collection of literature celebrating the diverse and dynamic experiences of contemporary youth. This open-access anthology features short texts that can be read in a single class period and are designed to spark deep conversations. Organized around themes of identity, love, place, justice, and the future, these works offer inclusive and affirming perspectives. With contributions from acclaimed young adult authors, flash fiction writers, and teacher-poets, Just YA provides educators with contemporary texts that resonate with and inspire today’s students. All content is freely available online, encouraging widespread access and use.

09.02.2024 to get the books for FREE online.
09.22.2024 to celebrate online with us 2pm CT.

I would encourage every teacher and every educator to join our celebration party via Zoom on September 22. Here is the link: https://okstate-edu.zoom.us/s/6028777200

You will find something helpful that you can immediately bring into the classroom.

As always, enjoy the weekend with a good book,
Leilya

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Weekend Pick for August 23, 2024

8/23/2024

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Weekend Pick for August 23, 2024

Last Friday, on behalf of the Ethical ELA community of educators and poets, I introduced you to the three forthcoming books Words That Mend, 90 Ways of Community, and Just YA edited by Sarah J. Donovan. I began with Words That Mend featuring the work of ten teachers and educators. Today, I will present the second book 90 Ways of Community. This one, too, is a free resource for educators, teachers, librarians, and parents that provides quick, accessible, and effective poetry writing exercises for secondary school students or the entire communities.

90 Ways of Community: Nurturing Safe & Inclusive Classrooms Writing One Poem at a Time edited by Sarah J. Donovan

90 Ways of Community is a practical guide to writing poetry in grades 6-12, full of sound advice, AUTHENTIC support, & beautiful poetry. Unlock the transformative power of poetry in your classroom with 90 Ways of Community. This indispensable resource guides teachers through a year-long journey of poetic engagement, fostering a safe and inclusive environment where every student feels valued and heard. Grounded in social emotional learning and trauma-informed pedagogy, the authors provide practical, adaptable lessons that seamlessly integrate poetry writing into any curriculum. Each chapter begins with a heartfelt "Dear Teacher" letter, offering context and support, while thematic clusters of prompts inspire creativity and connection. The book covers a wide range of topics, from celebrating individuality to extending community and healing through poetic expression. The authors draw on real classroom experiences and the collective wisdom of a community of teacher-poets. 90 Ways of Community is more than a collection of prompts—it's a roadmap to building a classroom culture where poetry becomes a vital tool for learning and growth. Join us in nurturing the hearts and minds of students, one poem at a time.

For now, you can read about the books on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/.../217310027-90-ways-of-community

Remember that all three of these books will be launched on September 2, 2024!
We will share the details about how to order these free resources online and for printing costs anywhere books are sold beginning with the launch day.
Mark your calendars:

09.02.2024 to get the books for FREE online.
09.22.2024 to celebrate online with us 2pm CT.

Here is the link to the Zoom party: https://okstate-edu.zoom.us/s/6028777200

Next Friday, I will talk about an exciting collection of short YA stories, essays, and poems. Look out for Just YA!

Enjoy the weekend with a good book,
Leilya

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Weekend Pick for August 16, 2024

8/16/2024

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Weekend Pick for August 16, 2024

Good Friday Morning, Book Friends!
For many of us, it is back-to-school time, and I thought I would share some exciting news with fellow teachers and educators. The books I am going to present for the next three weeks are invaluable for in-service teachers, librarians, and educators as they provide specific instructional activities and exercises for writing poetry and using YA short stories, essays, and poetry in K-12 and college classrooms.

On behalf of the Ethical ELA community of educators and poets, I am delighted to present three forthcoming books #wordsthatmend and #90waysofcommunity with an incredible cover by Owen Jowett, and #justya edited by Sarah J. Donovan.

All three of these books will be launched on September 2, 2024!
We will share the details about how to order these free resources online and for printing costs anywhere books are sold beginning with the launch day.
Mark your calendars:
- 09.02.2024 to get the books for FREE online.
- 09.22.2024 to celebrate online with us 2 p.m. CT.

Sarah J. Donovan

Today, I introduce the first one of the three books, Words That Mend: The Transformative Power of Writing Poetry for Teachers, Students, and Community Wellbeing. Edited by Sarah J. Donovan, it has nine other contributing authors: Susan Ahlbrand, Tamara Belco, Barb Edler, Wendy Everard, Kim Johnson, Jennifer Guyor Jowett,Denise Krebs, Leilya Pitre, and Margaret Simon.
A few words about the book's editor:
Sarah J. Donovan is a former junior high English language arts teacher of fifteen years and an Associate Professor of Secondary English Education at Oklahoma State University. She has edited two other collections of poetry: Rhyme & Rhythm: Poems for Student Athletes and Teacher-Poets Writing to Bridge the Distance.

Words That Mend edited by Sarah J. Donovan

"Words That Mend: The Transformative Power of Writing Poetry for Teachers, Students, and Community Wellbeing" is a compelling look at writing poetry as a powerful transformative agent to support teachers, their students, and community. Written by teachers for teachers, it explores the profound impact of poetry as a tool for healing and transformation. The authors candidly share their personal journeys of overcoming trauma, pain, and loss, highlighting how poetry has served as a vital step toward recovery and hope. These teachers’ warmth and love for teaching emphasize that processing traumatic or tragic events through poetry writing has become a step toward recovery and rediscovering hope at a time when the teaching profession most needs it. Through classroom experiences and community events, ten teacher poets illustrate how writing poetry within a supportive community nurtures emotional well-being not only for teachers but also for their students and families.

This book is designed to be practical and accessible, offering prompts, instructions, and spaces for sharing poetry, making it a valuable resource for teachers, librarians, educators, and parents. It emphasizes the importance of incorporating poetry into teaching practices to foster academic achievement and emotional resilience. What sets this book apart is its celebration of community and the belief that writing together can create meaningful connections where each party is welcomed, seen, and heard. The authors invite readers to engage with poetry not only as a personal endeavor but as a shared experience that enriches both the individual and the collective. Each chapter concludes with an invitation to write and share, reinforcing the book's core message of healing and connection through poetry.
For now, you can read about Words That Mend on Goodreads.

Stay tuned. Next week, I will talk more about #90waysofcommunity

Happy reading,
Leilya

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Weekend Pick for August 9, 2024

8/9/2024

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Weekend Pick for August 9, 2024

Are you looking for something to read?
Check out our weekly suggestions!
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Send them to browse through the picks for this or past years.
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For older picks click from 2019 click here.
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The Letter Q: Queer Writers’ Notes To Their Younger Selves
Edited by Sarah Mood and James Lecesne

Our guest contributor for this issue of Weekend Picks is Roy Edward Jackson, an assistant professor of education at Goshen College where he teaches an array of courses including literacy development and academic voice.

Roy Edward Jackson

For my last weekend pic this month I wanted to stay in the arena of creative nonfiction for YA readers. As we enter the beginning of Pride Month, and all the culture war narrative that have co-opted our celebrations of progress, I think of younger Queer adults and what a strange time to emerge into adulthood. While I love the it gets better campaign, I do have some fears about the overly optimistic tone of it. I prefer the nuance of understanding all human life has peaks and valleys. The Letter Q: Queer Writers’ Notes To Their Younger Selves is a fantastic collection of writers writing to their younger selves. This collection showcases the nuance I crave between realist and optimist.

Edited by Sarah Mood and James Lecesne, the collected letters, over sixty in all, are from a vast array of Queer writers of all genders, races and ages. From well-known, modern writers like Jacqueline Woodson, Malinda Lo and Brian Selznick to writers I read in the 1990s as a young, gay male like Armistead Maupin and Michael Cunningham there is both a profound individualism, as well as universalism in the letters. Readers will find each letter serves as a reminder that we are not alone in the unique experience of being Queer. Feelings of confusion, fear and rejection are indeed often felt by many of us in this process of coming to terms with who we are and coming out to our world. However, embedded in these letters are not just the negatives of the unique experience of being Queer. There is joy in the reflection encouraging their younger selves to find hope and community in the self-discovery of our Queer identities. There are strong ethos of encouragement and advice that readers will receive regardless of the fact the letters are written from the writer to their younger self.

Reading this collection I was immediately transported to my fifteen-year-old self-wishing I’d paused to soak in the exuberance of that time of my life. I read these letters as both a writer writing to their younger self, but also writing to me as a reader. And for a young adult reader who is of the age the recipient is of each letter, they will find even more connection. However, it isn’t just Queer kids that this book is for. It provides all students with a mirror and window. There are universals to the coming-of-age story that all young adult readers will nod in agreement that they too will have had that experience. However, while the mirror is there, the window to the world of how hard it can be to be Queer is key to gaining more allyship to our community, particularly when the political arena prefers to make us pawns in the culture wars they elate in creating.

The editors have curated amazing writers who wrote significant letters to, and about, themselves. Some in traditional form, others in graphic form. As a reader who loves graphic novels, reading the panels of comic art and text gave me inspiration as to how to present this activity with my young writers. There is a natural nostalgia to the human experience and for me, young adults experience this in manner unlike any other. The idea of a “my reminiscence” in the form of a letter to our younger self is novel, but to ask a young adult emerging into adulthood to engage in this exercise is an insight that they not only crave but may need. While this exercise is indeed meaningful to all students, to those who are pushed to the margins of society, it is part of our social emotional learning commitment as educators. To provide a sense of belonging for our students as well as increasing empathy for those who live with privilege.

The editors also provide a brief bio of each writer, and my hope is for many Queer writers and their works to be discovered by younger generations. The editors have also wisely included a note at the end about The Trevor Project. As we enter Pride month, one that sometimes, if ever, is allowed in our schools either by a calendar or by legislation, this book is one that filled me with nostalgia. More importantly, it filled me with hope.

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Weekend Pick for August 2, 2024

8/2/2024

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Weekend Pick for August 2, 2024

Welcome my friend and colleague, Susan James! Susan appears with suggestions here quite often throughout the year because reading is not just passion, but a huge part of her life. Dr. Susan Densmore-James is a professor at the University of West Florida. She is the Director of the Emerald Coast National Writing Project and is known as The Book Dealer due to her work with authors and our youth.

Keeping Pace by Laurie Morrison

“I think of the thing he told me his grandma said about those award plaques–that they teach kids that what we achieve is more important than who we are.”

Occasionally, I receive a book from a publishing house that completely wins my heart and gives me all the feels, and, more importantly, I know it will be a hot commodity amongst students in a classroom. Keeping Pace by Laurie Morrison is one of those gems of a book.

I am 100% sure that as a middle-grade or YA author, writing about loss would be a daunting challenge. How do adults write about something as complicated as loss in a manner relevant to a middle-grade student? If a book is irrelevant to our youth, it can be almost patronizing. We often forget this: our children and young adults deal with loss of all kinds, usually at a young age, so we must provide opportunities for students to read about and discuss important topics like loss. There is no better way to do so than by utilizing an engaging book. Teens are learning how to recognize their feelings and place those into words that can be understood by those around them. Well, Laurie Morrison found the secret formula for this: providing a story that contains a young female AND male, and add in a dash of the possibility for love, all the while gently easing readers into the topic of loss.

Laurie Morrison

Keeping Pace revolves around Grace, a young girl who strives to be the best. She grapples with the recent divorce of her parents, a situation that many young readers may find familiar. Seeking her father's attention, Grace sets her sights on becoming the Top Scholar of the 8th grade, a goal her father has always emphasized. Her older sister, Celia, also feels the strain of their father's expectations, adding to the household's pain after the sudden announcement of their parents’ divorce.

Spurred on by her father’s wish for Grace’s name to be displayed on the Scholar of the Year plaque, Grace seems to thrive on this competition despite it taking all of her energy. As the school year is quickly ending, it is apparent it will come down to either Grace or Jonah, her once-best friend turned arch-nemesis. Their daily sparring takes up much time and energy during the day, but what Grace finds completely confusing is why Jonah looks so stinking cute when she feels such hostility towards him. How can those two feelings be felt at the same time? This is a quandary that even plaques adults, and Morrison expertly addresses it.

Sadly, Jonah has endured another kind of loss: the death of his father. Morrison keeps the reader (even this adult reader) wanting to discover how this heart-felt narrative will end. Who will be the Top Scholar and have his or her name on that plaque? Will these two mend their now broken relationship? And speaking of things broken and lost, what about the mailbox that used to be Jonah’s and Grace’s place for their secret messages?

I applaud Laurie Morrison for taking on tough topics in a manner that will completely engage our youth, and I absolutely adore the wide range of authentic characters Laurie has created. The idea of youth living in a home with one parent allows for an extended family to be introduced in a distinctive way, teaching the reader about the uniqueness of us all in our challenges and successes and sending this message loud and clear: we are more than our successes. Additionally, this book is equal parts heart wrecking and heartwarming, which when added to the slow build of a romance is exactly what keeps our youth coming back for more!

Come back for more exciting reading suggestions!

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