My Poetry Friday contribution is a celebration of the 100th anniversary of the day poet John Ciardi was born--June 24, 1916. Ciardi did not live to see his 100th birthday, he died in 1986, so we're going celebrate for him!
Ciardi is one of those rare poets who wrote for both children and adults. This poem, "Thoughts on Looking into a Thicket," is definitely not a children's poem, although some children might find its gruesome truth--those who eat may also be eaten--attractive.
A few years ago, Renee LaTulippe and Lee Bennett Hopkins discussed Ciardi's children's poetry. You can view the discussion here.
At my library, we still have a copy of Ciardi's 1962 book, You Read to Me, I'll Read to You. It was illustrated by the incomparable Edward Gorey. Today, at the library's blog, Kurious Kitty, I'm sharing a poem from that collection. I tested out Inlinkz with Kurious Kitty--and it seems to be working fine.
Ha! I spoke too soon. It seems our Australian friends are having problems! So check the links here, too! Kathryn at Katswhiskers has gathered together a few poetry quotes and jokes. I especially like the tee-shirt one!
Sally Murphy, also, has poems and quotes! Is it something in the Australian winter air?
Here are the the rest of this week's posts:
Thanks for hosting, Diane! I took it as a sign that you were presiding over the party this week -- perfect time to get better in the swing of things. The chickens are fine. Thanks for asking.
ReplyDeleteI hope you'll take some time to relax and read this summer. I can recommend lots of recent adult books, mostly fiction, but at least one nonfiction that I found incredibly thought provoking.
DeleteThanks for hosting and putting up such a great book. I ordered a copy from my library. Buncha great stuff came up in the search, and I ordered that, too. Such fun.
ReplyDeleteCiardi was from the Boston area, and Gorey lived in Yarmouthport. (Have you been to the Edward Gorey House? It's fascinating.)
DeleteThanks for hosting, Diane:>) I have mixed feelings about Ciardi's work, though I haven't read nearly enough of it to sort out what speaks to me in it and what doesn't. Wow, what a voice! Perfect for Gorey illustrations, right? Though I wanted more pauses to take in the words and meaning.
ReplyDeleteI only know Mary Ann Hoberman's You Read to Me, I'll Read to You books. So is that an homage to Ciardi? Or just great minds thinking alike?
Happy Poetry Friday!
I'm not sure if it is or not. The Ciardi book has two sets of poems for two readers, so he was definitely an innovator! I found that Ciardi also recorded poems from You Read to Me, but it doesn't seem to be available. I think his voice might be off-putting to kids, though his poems are quite amusing.
DeleteI think I'm with Laura - and needed more pauses for greater understanding... Though I can see how that is also a big part of the performance of this poem. I love the discussion between Renee and Lee, and the snippets of poetry - and quotes - shared. Fascinating!
ReplyDeleteThank-you for hosting.
I seem to be having troubles with the InLinkz widget. I have the message; "This InLinkz widget is not allowed in this website. You can still view the linkup here" - and the 'here' is a link that just keeps taking the page back to the same error message. Is anyone else having this problem? Not only can I not post my link - but I can't see anyone else's, either. If it's working for all our American friends, I'm wondering if it's just an Australian-zone thing...?
DeleteOn the blog I'm sharing some poetry quotes and jokes that I discovered this week. https://katswhiskers.wordpress.com/2016/06/24/poetry-quotes-jokes
I'm sorry you had problems with InLinkz. I will add your link in a mini-round-up! Thanks for letting me know, it seemed like it was too good to be true!
DeleteThanks for hosting, Diane! I'll come back and read tomorrow! Hopefully this week I'll be able to get around to the roundup, too!
ReplyDeleteSee ya, when I see ya!
DeleteI had Ciardi's How Does A Poem Mean as a text book in college, Diane, & have several of his children's books. This poem you shared does seem to be for adults, at least older children. I think I need a visual of it, too, to try to understand all of it. Thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteDo you remember How Does a Poem Mean? I'm wondering if I should look for it?
DeleteDiane, when I first heard Ciardi's voice, I thought back to the Vincent Price shows for some strange reason. Maybe it is the same weaving of strange but interesting thoughts that made the connection for me. Then, I found a speech Ciardi gave at UCLA in 1965 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hOVBJFbVgYk) and found him to have a bit of humor. Thanks for hosting and adding another wonderful poet to my list of notables.
ReplyDeleteI mean to watch that UCLA speech, and I'm happy to hear he shows his humor!
DeleteThanks for your post - the poem is intriguing and will take time to digest. I had trouble with the Inlikz (got the same error message as Kat) but I do have a post today at: http://sallymurphy.com.au/?p=1878
ReplyDeleteYou and Kathryn get your own Round-Up above!
DeleteThanks for hosting. I'll have to investigate Ciardi now. I posted about Japanese poet Bokusui Wakayama at: http://hatbooks.blogspot.jp/2016/06/poetry-stone-bokusui-wakayama.html
ReplyDeleteThanks for visiting from Japan!
DeleteI keep saying I want to read more of Ciardi's work - so thanks for helping nudge me! (Thanks for hosting, as well!) Today, it's another trip back to 10th grade English class for me.
ReplyDeleteI think you'd like You Read to Me... with its rhyme and silly bits.
DeleteI didn't know Ciardi wrote poetry for adults. I found it helpful to read "Thoughts on Looking Into a Thicket" as I listened to him. Thanks for linking to Renee & Lee's terrific Spotlight, and thanks for hosting!
ReplyDeleteI think it would be easier to read along. His voice reminds me of the professorial drone I dreaded having to sit through at school.
DeleteThank you, Diane! Ciardi and Gorey were a good marriage, weren't they?? I look forward to going back to Renee & Lee's Spotlight. Wishing you a lovely summer, Diane. xo
ReplyDeleteHappy summer to you, too. I bet it's already stifling in your neck of the woods.
DeleteHi Diane! Thanks for hosting! Hope you have a great weekend.
ReplyDeleteHow can I not with all this cool poetry to jump into?
DeleteDiane,
ReplyDeleteThanks for hosting today. I just loved the sound of Ciardi's voice. Working with the Columbus Area Writing Project has given me the gift of time to write so I'm excited to be joining with an original poem today. Looking forward to falling the links to more wondrous words.
Cathy
I was moved by your poem today, Cathy.
DeleteThanks for hosting! Happy Friday, everyone!
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend, too!
DeleteThank you so much for hosting, Diane. I, too, want to read and listen to more John Ciardi after reading and listening to this post. This is so brutal and true and I want to go find the text now as well. Happy 100, John! xx
ReplyDeleteHis fame as a children's poet has virtually died away, which is too bad because his poetry seems to have a bit more weightiness to it than Silverstein's.
DeleteThanks for hosting, Diane, and for sharing the wonderful video about John Ciardi and his poetry. I loved listening to the discussion about his work and look forward to reading more of it.
ReplyDeleteThanks for stopping by!
Delete