Marilyn Singer

Spotlight on Marilyn Singer on Today’s Little Ditty

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Marilyn Singer is an award-winning author of over 100 fiction and nonfiction books for children and young adults, including poetry, picture books, and novels. She writes to satisfy her wide-ranging interests and has been recognized extensively for her work in multiple genres.  In 2015, Marilyn joined a prestigious group of children’s poets as the latest recipient of the NCTE Excellence in Poetry for Children Award.  Here, she describes her response to the news of receiving that distinguished award:

It’s the one award I really, really hoped to win someday. Poetry is and always has been my favorite thing to write. I feel deeply honored by the award—and by the company I’m in, which includes many of my favorite poets.

Language Arts, Volume 93, Number 1, September 2015, © 2015 NCTE 

Read the article here.

Interview with Poet Marilyn Singer on Poetry Tea Time

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Welcome to our first Poetry Teatime Podcast!

I was honored to interview Marilyn Singer, award-winning poet and author. Marilyn and I met for the interview long distance—she, in her home in Brooklyn, and me, Julie, in a library in Cincinnati.

Unfortunately the library failed us, a bit. The Internet connection was variable throughout and you will notice that in the recording. Stay with it, though. The content is fabulous (delightful) and the sound improves. You will hear the cooing of her doves in the background at times, too. Enjoy!

Also, be sure to explore Marilyn’s wonderful books of poetry, including Mirror Mirror and its sequel Follow Follow! (affiliate links)

Listen to the podcast here.

 

Echo Echo: Reverso Poems about Greek Myths

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(excerpt)

An Age of Marvelous Myths

Ancient Greece:

An age of marvelous myths,

gone, but not forgotten.

Heroes that rise and fall.

Deep winter’s hardship,

summer’s harvest.

Gods who bring about

chaos and order.

Echoes,

fragrant flowers,

spiders,

gold,

stone.

People turned to

these curious stories.

How else to explain

such wonders

when the world was young?

***

When the world was young,

such wonders!

How else to explain

these curious stories:

people turned to

stone,

gold,

spiders,

fragrant flowers,

echoes.

Chaos and order.

Gods who bring about

summer’s harvest,

deep winter’s hardship.

Heroes that rise and fall,

gone, but not forgotten.

An age of marvelous myths:

Ancient Greece.

Celebrating Marilyn Singer: A Poet of Many Interests

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Marilyn Singer is the 2015 winner of the NCTE Excellence in Poetry for Children Award, joining a distinguished group of poets that NCTE has recognized since 1977.  She has published over 100 books for children and young adults in different genres, including 30 poetry collections (with several more in progress or forthcoming in 2016).  Her work tackles a wide variety of topics— US presidents, animals, astronomy, meteorology, celebrations— and poetic formats— triolets, cinquains, villanelles, and sonnets.  She even created her own poetic format, the reverso.  Her work has won numerous awards and has been placed on many notable book lists.  We were fortunate to interview her and hear about her writing quirks (e.g. printing her poems on yellow legal pads), her creative process (writing anywhere— coffee shops, parks, doctors’ offices, the subway), and her evolution as a writer.  We invite you to learn more about Marilyn Singer, a fascinating and talented poet who is always learning and growing in her craft.

 

Click here to read this article, by Nancy L. Hadaway and Terrell Young, from Language Arts.

 

Tallulah’s Tap Shoes

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Tallulah's Tap Shoes

(excerpt)

Tallulah was excited about going to dance camp.  She would get to take ballet every day.

There was just one problem–she would also have to take tap, and she was not looking forward to that.  She’d been taking ballet for a while now and knew a lot of steps, but in tap, she’d be a very beginning beginner.

“I can’t wait to take tap,” said her little brother, Beckett.  “I want to dance clickety-clack-clickety-clack.”  He shuffled his feet.

Tallulah sniffed, “I’m a ballet girl.  I don’t clickety-clack.”

There were lots of ballet students at camp.

The beginners were in the front.  The dancers who’d been studying a little longer were in the rear.  The beginners pointed their feet in a tendu, then slid to the side in a glissade.

The teacher told Beckett that he didn’t have to slide so much, and she told a girl with shiny black hair to slide more.

I learned that last year, Tallulah thought.

Her group got to practice a tombé to a pas de bourrée to a glissade.  She did it perfectly.

“That was lovely, Lulu!” said the teacher, a tiny, gray-haired woman with a nice smile.

“Thank you,” Tallulah replied.  She didn’t bother to correct her.  She figured she would know her name soon enough.

“Wasn’t that great?” Tallulah said to the black-haired girl as they changed clothes.

“Great? I don’t think so,” the girl replied.  “I don’t know why we have to take ballet.  It’s so…stiff.  Tap dancing is so much cooler.”

Tallulah’s eyebrows shot up.  “Stiff?  Ballet is…elegant!” She pirouetted gracefully around the floor.

But when she finished, the girl was gone.

 

I’m Gonna Climb A Mountain In My Patent Leather Shoes

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I'm Gonna Climb a Mountain in My Patent Leather Shoes

(excerpt)

Today we’re going camping.

Can’t wait till we get there!

I’m thrilled about the things we’ll do…

…and what I’m gonna wear!

I’m gonna climb a mountain in my patent leather shoes.

I’m looking in my closet–so many things to choose.

“Please hurry, Sadie,” says my mom.  “We’ve got no time to lose.”

“I’m gonna climb a mountain in my patent leather shoes.”

Rutherford B., Who Was He?

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(excerpt)

Who were these men

who had what it took

to be commander in chief of all the armed forces,

to suggest what to do with our country’s resources?

 

Who were these men?

Not just names in a book:

the ones who stood firm or preferred compromise,

the ones of great stature (though not always size),

the ones we’ve forgotten, the ones we still prize.

 

Who were these presidents?

Who were these guys?

Tallulah’s Nutcracker

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(excerpt)

There was only one Christmas present that Tallulah really wanted.  When the phone rang, she was sure her wish had come true–and she was right.

“They picked me!” she shouted.  “I’m going to be a mouse in The Nutcracker.  Lots of kids tried out, but they picked ME!”

“I thought you wanted to be the Sugar Plum Fairy.  You said you didn’t want to be a mouse, ever,” said her brother, Beckett.  He loved being a mouse.

 “That was in our dance school.”  Tallulah sniffed.  “This is a real Nutcracker for a real ballet company in a real theater.”

“Can I come see it?”

“Of course you can!  Lots of people will come!”  Tallulah exclaimed.  “And everybody will get to see ME dance!”

In ballet class, all the students congratulated Tallulah.

“What wonderful news!” said her teacher, giving her a hug.  “It’s a great honor!”

“I know it is,” Tallulah agreed, doing chaîné turns around the room.

That day, she worked extra hard.  She turned out her hips and feet in a fabulous fifth position and rose on her toes in a splendid sous-su.

Then she jumped to one foot in a graceful sissonne.  Ballet class is fun, she thought, but being in a real ballet is Big Time.  Maybe I’ll be on TV!  Tallulah could hardly wait.