Reviews two instructional resources which encourage the use of poetry in the elementary classroom as a unique genre with its own purposes and value. Uses the six criteria (explained in earlier columns) to detail how the resources were selected. (MG)

Luci Tapahonso, Navajo poet and storyteller, discusses the influences on her work: the environment and landscape of the Southwest, Navajo spiritual and family values, and the equal status of women in Navajo society. (SV)

Profiles J. Patrick Lewis, a college professor and a writer of children's literature. (RS)

Provides a list of 61 children's books including recently published nursery rhymes, songs, and verse games, book-length poems, themed poetry collections, collections of one author's work, and anthologies of several poets' work. Offers a bibliography of 27 new alphabet and 16 counting books. (MG)

Describes an informal class for teenaged writers on sonnets. Shows that the young writers, after reading some actual sonnets, can work with this 14-line poetic form. Illustrates with examples of the sonnets written by the participants. (PA)

Noted poet and anthologist Naomi Shihab Nye discusses her books of poetry for young people and her work with students to help them find their own poetic voices. Nye's poetry anthologies are appropriate for elementary, middle-school, and high-school students. Fundamental themes are crossing boundaries and making connections to help young readers…

This article examines the role of intergenerational relationships in the lives of experienced poets and writers ("soldiers") and emerging poets and writers in what the author terms Participatory Literacy Communities (PLCs). Drawing from Wenger's (1998) concept of communities of practice, the author uses data from two examples of PLCs--Black…

Tomas Rivera, the son of migrant farmworkers, became a secondary school teacher, university professor, university administrator, and finally Chancellor of the University of California, Riverside (UCR). He published two novels in Spanish and numerous short stories, poems, and essays in Spanish and English. His and his family's experiences as…

It is general knowledge that John Milton, when he came to Cambridge, chose not to proceed into the official ministry of the church, but to dedicate his life instead to the calling of literature. If, indeed, Milton rejected the official ministry of the church, after completing the education leading to it, choosing to teach through poetry rather…

This collection of some of the critical works of a lauded contemporary poet, Kenneth Koch, gathers together poems, articles and interviews which are about poetry--Koch's critical work has mainly taken the form of poems about poetry (including parodies) and books about teaching the writing of poetry to schoolchildren. Focused on the practical…

Intended to help the staff of institutional libraries develop or expand their collections of poetry materials, this bibliography offers lists of poetry works covering a broad range of poets, styles, and time periods. The first part of the bibliography provides a list of criteria used for selecting the titles cited, a list of sources used for…

In this paper William Stafford's varied descriptions and occasional judgments as to what it means to write a poem are gathered by prospecting through his essays, published lectures, and transcribed interviews. The paper describes Stafford's perspective on (1) the powerful language of poetry; (2) finding each poem's unique form; (3) practicing the…

Twenty-six poetic forms are discussed in this paper, with suggested activities for teaching these patterns to students in grades kindergarten through grade twelve. The forms that are discussed include the couplet, quatrain, triplet, limerick, free verse, haiku, cinquain, sijo, septolet, diamante, acrostic, sonnet, parody, dramatic monologue, and…

The selected readings listed in this annotated bibliography are suggested as an introduction to the varied arts and crafts created from prehistoric to modern times by Native American peoples of the United States. The publications are organized by culture area to encompass major media practiced by Native American artists and craftsmen of these…