Mentor Text: 1986 from Music is History by Questlove Techniques: Writing about an image Changing opinions in writing Connecting memoir to something else Background – I love books about music. Memoirs, biographies and books that analyze music, any kind of music, even if I don’t really listen to it, just fascinate me. Last spring, I read […]
Mentor Text: untitled Olympic hockey poem by Richard Wagamese (arranged by Allan Hawco) Techniques: Editing Poetic Form Background – Is anyone else struggling to find the groove this year? I’m thankful that I have years of experience to draw on, and archives of lessons to tweak, to build new ideas upon. I’m using that this week […]
Mentor Text: an excerpt from Fairy Tale by Stephen King Techniques: Establishing voice Introduction Foreshadowing Background – One of the things I rediscovered during the pandemic was my love of the writing of Stephen King. The Kingcast podcast played a role in nudging me back his way. Listening to two fans and their guests analyze his […]
Mentor Text: One-Line Poems by Stuart Ross and Snow by Alice Burdick Techniques: Line breaks in poetry Background – For the first time in almost three years, we were able to make our annual trip to Nova Scotia. Though it’s a month full of fun and family, I still find time to read. I’ve got a […]
Mentor Text: ‘The Fence I Never Climbed, or, There Is a Parking Lot where Once I Broke My Arm’ by Neil Hilborn Techniques: Memoir Anaphora Titling Background – This school year, the third one under what I’ve taken to calling pandemic influenced learning, was tough. As it closed, I found myself sighing in relief. In a […]
Mentor Text: Pants: A Note by Brian Doyle Techniques: Playing with conventions Expressing a single idea Using footnotes Background – This spring, I found myself really reflecting on the fact that I use a lot of heavy pieces in the classroom. I think we all do – they do the heavy lifting for us. They’re rich […]
Mentor Text: ‘1944’ excerpted from Gone to the Woods by Gary Paulsen Techniques: Memoir Narrator’s Voice Background – Though I have read numerous reflections and reports on Gary Paulsen’s books, particularly the Hatchet series, I had yet to read any of his work until this spring. My love of memoir and habitual checking of the recent […]
Mentor Text: ‘Super Mario Kart‘ from The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green Techniques: Introduction Narrative Metaphor Review Background – How often do we set something aside, but never quite make it back to it? I tweeted, way back when I first read it, which was, admittedly, a while after it seemed like everyone else had, that […]
Mentor Text: Salvage by Hedgie Choi Techniques: Exploring the use of profanity Poetic form Building connections Background – I’m a recovering magazine addict. I’ve gone from snagging every magazine that slightly caught my eye, and subscribing to numerous publications to buying more selectively, and holding a single subscription. That preamble is just so I can talk […]
Mentor Text: Love by Alex Dimitrov Techniques: Editing and revising Using a seed line Background – I openly declare my great love of Best of the Year poetry collections. For a number of years, I’ve made a point of making sure I make my way through The Best American Poetry, and this year, I’ve added The […]
