On Point

Poetry Friday: Get Well

2012-01-27T06:30:00.000-08:00

Poetry Friday was displaced last week by a tremendous snow and ice storm. But today, all is clear. It's good to be back!

On wide-ruled paper,

yellow arms stretch to heal my heart,

a sunny band-aid.

Lorie Ann Grover, 2012

Art by Elizabeth, Ellie, and Isla.

Poetry Friday: In the Gust

2012-01-13T10:40:00.000-08:00

In the Gust

Brittle leaves whirl down,

black birds take wing, flapping up,

rising through the fall.

haiku and art by Lorie Ann Grover, 2012

Poetry Friday: Light

2012-01-06T15:53:00.000-08:00

Light

You hold tight to watch

fireworks spark darkness when

you are my sparkler.

Lorie Ann Grover, 2012

Poetry Friday: College Transfer

2011-12-30T17:08:00.000-08:00

College Transfer

Holding tight before

letting go, and the wind sweeps

her far, far away.

Lorie Ann Grover, 2011

Poetry Friday: Sonnet 130, Alan Rickman

2011-12-23T06:00:00.000-08:00

Oh, thank you dear, Miss Erin, for sharing this with me. What a Christmas gift! Happy Poetry Friday, everyone!

(Thanks to discosherpa for the original post!)

Alan Rickman reads Shakespeare’s Sonnet 130

My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun;
Coral is far more red than her lips’ red;
If snow be white, why then her breasts are dun;
If hairs be wires, black wires grow on her head.
I have seen roses damask’d, red and white,
But no such roses see I in her cheeks;
And in some perfumes is there more delight
Than in the breath that from my mistress reeks.
I love to hear her speak, yet well I know
That music hath a far more pleasing sound;
I grant I never saw a goddess go;
My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:
And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare
As any she belied with false compare.

Poetry Friday: My Soul Lights

2011-12-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

your lips touch softly

and my soul lights with wonder

love's intersection

Lorie Ann Grover, 2011

Poetry Friday: Christmas Troll, Gift Tag

2011-12-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

Did you see the holiday e-poetry collection, Gift Tag? It was compiled by Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong. I'm so happy to be in this work with other poets who write for children. Each entry was motivated by an image. You might click and purchase the book for yourself and gift it to others for just $2.99. It's spot on for little ones and older readers. Gift Tag is full of holiday memories, thoughts, and wishes you'll want to read again and again. You will love it! As a teaser, here's my entry. Happy Poetry Friday!

Tucked Between Branches

A green puff swirls

Like angel hair

Golden eyeswink

Beside warmwhite lights

A round bellybulges

Like a plumpornament

My Christmastree troll

Curls a smile

And reaches outto me

Lorie Ann Grover, 2011

Gift Tag
compiled by Sylvia Vardell and Janet Wong
poetrytagtime.com

Poetry Friday: Christie Taylor Waldron

2011-12-02T15:38:00.001-08:00

Christie Taylor Waldron

Cradled safely in

the palm of her Maker's hand

content in His hold

Lorie Ann Grover, 2011

You can read my friend's blog here. You should.

Poetry Friday: Meeting Kermit the Frog

2011-11-25T17:14:00.001-08:00

Face to face I know

it's not easy being green,

but look at our smiles!

Lorie Ann Grover, 2011

Poetry Friday: Jack Frost

2011-11-18T08:34:00.001-08:00

Jack Frost

Encrusted in snow,

I still smile and catch your grin

on this frosty morn.

Poetry Friday: Like a Pear

2011-11-11T12:32:00.001-08:00

Like a Pear

Perched and leaning

toward the brilliance of the

new season's gold touch

Charmed by Chris Van Allsburg

2011-11-09T14:39:00.000-08:00

What a wonderful time with Chris Van Allsburg! He's such a dear. Readergirlz divas Martha, Dia, Justina, and I met at The Bookstore Bar in Seattle and talked all things Harris Burdick. Imagine 13 authors writing short stories to drawings you created 25 years prior: M.T. Anderson, Stephen King, Kate Dicamillo, and our own Cory Doctorow included.

Based on the picture book the Mysteries of Harris Burdick, The Chronicles of Harris Burdick elaborates on the beloved illustrations so mysteriously left behind by Harris long ago.

Personally, Sherman Alexis' short story startled me most. Where did it come from, Sherman? Shivery brilliance!

Chatting with Chris, we learned that the imagery has never looked better. The darks and lights are deeper and more vibrant due to the paper in this edition.

We wish Chris the best as he continues his tour. Safe travels and joy in your new studio, Chris. May the light be glorious as you work on your next book. We'll be waiting!

Oh, and be sure to check out the story writing contest at Chris' blog!

The Chronicles of Harris Burdick
by Chris Van Allsburg and 13 contributors
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Trade, 2011

Poetry Friday: In the Other's Shoes

2011-11-04T07:00:00.000-07:00

Kicked off, we stop and

talk of where we've walked till now

before we go on.

Lorie Ann Grover, 2011

Poetry Friday: On my Skull

2011-10-28T09:20:00.000-07:00

Creeping across my

mind, mortality tip taps,

and I still can smile.

Lorie Ann Grover, 2011

Poetry Friday: "A Fond Farewell" by Christie Waldron

2011-10-21T10:13:00.000-07:00

In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month and my dear friend Christie, I'm reposting her poem she wrote the night before her bilateral mastectomy.

A Fond Farewell

At twelve you embarrassed me. I wanted to wish you away.

(I had grown up with brothers, after all, and wanted to go shirtless forever!)

But that was before.

Before I knew how fun it was to actually fill a bikini top. :-)

Before I knew how fun it was to bra shop. (NOT!)

Before I knew that when a woman sets out to lose weight, it usually starts with the boobs.

Before I was married.

Before I knew what it meant to be blessed with a body part that could actually sustain life.

Before I knew that someday I'd lose you.

And so, on this mastectomy eve, I will say "Thank You."
Thank you for appearing out of nowhere that summer before 6th grade.
Thank you for holding up my strapless wedding dress.

Thank you for faithfully producing life-sustaining, fat-roly-thigh nourishment to my three precious babies.

Thank you for pointing the way all these years. (Hahaha, I crack me up!))

Most recently, thank you for showing me what gravity actually looks like.

Thank you.
Though you never defined me, you did accent me.

I will miss you.

Poetry Friday: p*tag

2011-10-21T07:00:00.000-07:00

Love, love, love this poetic post by Janet and Sylvia that Cynthia Leitich Smith was kind enough to post. Here it is again from her site. Happy Poetry Friday, everyone!

By Sylvia Vardell and Janet S. Wong
Photos by Sylvia Vardell

Who did we make P*TAG for?

P*TAG is for a girl who, like Marilyn Singer, sees a pier and hears "Sitting on the Dock of the Bay";

Or for a boy like Betsy Franco’s Ovid, who might drive on the beach some night thinking about a girl with piercings;

for Allan Wolf, who burps up kittens;

for Naomi Shihab Nye, who says:

What if, instead of war,

we shared our buckets

of wind and worry?

P*TAG is for you if you are tired of aunts and uncles forever asking what you want to be when you grow up (David L. Harrison);

and for you if you can look at a crowd and see “spirits...being extracted from their bodies” (Lorie Ann Grover).

What are your wishes? Heidi Mordhorst asks: “What if there were a Come-True Tree somewhere?”

Do you have secrets?

Random Buddhist manifestos.

Tattoo designs.

Erotic poetry.

(Tracie Vaughn Zimmer has mystery in her blood.)

P*TAG wants you to fall in love with a guitar player. (Kathi Appelt)

And:

If some night you walk down a street

so deep inside a chorus of sad voices

that you cannot--simply can’t--look up,

and it all seems impossible,

. . .

Take another step,

a slow step, another,

another,

and another.

(Helen Frost)

Play along with p*tag:

http://teenpoetrytagtime.blogspot.com

Read more about it:

www.PoetryTagTime.com

Buy it here:

Nook version: http://bit.ly/ncGiqo

Kindle version:http://amzn.to/nNsWPs

(also in the iTunes store)

Poetry Friday: Double Life

2011-10-14T08:17:00.000-07:00

Double Life

Rising in darkness,

my soul glows inside today

lit blue by others.

Lorie Ann Grover, 2011

To Be Heard: Best Documentary of the Year, NYT

2011-10-13T11:23:00.000-07:00

So much to say about this documentary To Be Heard. Justina Chen and I were privileged to be asked to screen the film and offer comments awhile back. It was a blast and very much like critiquing a novel. We felt at home with the producers and other guests as we dissected and discussed the early work.

The film was completed and eventually, we were guests at the Seattle Film Festival where the documentary ended up sweeping the awards. As the above poster shows, it's done the same in many cities. Here I am with Pearl, one of the three featured poets in the documentary. She's a resilient powerhouse!

And now The New York Time s just named To Be Heard the best documentary of the year!

"Ultimately, though, the intimacy of the portraiture is so raw that it transcends sociology. These students — Anthony Pittman, Pearl Quick and Karina Sanchez — are three of the most authentic and complex young adults you’ll find in any film this year. And each is a genuinely great writer: technically accomplished and emotionally overwhelming. They aren’t just the subjects of “To Be Heard.” They’re its stars."

To Be Heard will be playing in New York City from 10/12 through 10/18 at the IFC theater and in Beverly Hills from 11/4 through 11/10 at the Laemmle Music Hall theater. If you are nearby, GO!

Courageous Creativity: Joy in the Midst of Trial

2011-10-10T07:00:00.000-07:00

I was graciously invited to contribute to Flying Chickadee's zine, Courageous Creativity, in the month of October. In their words:

"Through this zine we present stories of courage and creativity sourced from people like you and me, living, working, being courageously creative and changing themselves and others in our community. Our writers come from diverse backgrounds and all walks of life - they are small business owners, state employees, corporate CEOs, non-profit founders and volunteers, professionals, scientists, sociologists, artists, activists, mothers and fathers, and friends."

The editor was kind to inquire about readergirlz and my personal life. My essay is entitled "Joy in the Midst of Trial." Take a look! The entire zine is created with such beautiful quality. Here is their Facebook page, as well. I know you will be uplifted by these "transcultural stories of courage, creativity and change!"

Poetry Friday: Unmasked

2011-10-07T09:59:00.000-07:00

Unmasked

Maybe this mask is

not a skin I put on but

a revelation.

Lorie Ann Grover, 2011

Poetry Friday: Talk Less

2011-09-30T11:13:00.000-07:00

After a September of Silence due to a rheumatoid and Sjogren's flare, I passed this sign outside the Papaya Living store in Ashland, Oregon. Talk less. How appropriate.

Happy Poetry Friday!

Oh, and this is the image I wish I could have taken home from the store. Yep.

Poetry Friday: Joy Glows

2011-09-23T21:28:00.000-07:00

Sweet joy glows as it

weaves through interlaced friendships,

glistening our now.

Lorie Ann Grover, 2011

You Are My Only: Beth Kephart

2011-09-20T20:48:00.000-07:00

Can we take a moment to thank Egmont for publishing another Beth Kephart exquisite novel? Thank you, Egmont!

You Are My Only will be released October 25th, and I encourage you then to find Beth's newest book. In this realistic fiction novel, you'll breath despair along with several suppressed characters. You'll turn pages and yearn for them each to find hope. One story tells of a young mother's loss of her baby, while the second winds a tale of a teen sequestered from society. How the works intertwine is brilliant. From beginning to end, images and movements echo and resonate back and forth between the stories. At the reveal, I actually stopped reading, stunned by the moment of truth.

As always, I was mesmerized by Beth's rich writing. Even in the smallest detail:

"There is a bird making a tree branch heavy, her gray belly bottom like the high back of the sun."

"Outside the wind sneaks up under the loose skirt of the roof tiles..."

Nesting in the story are sweet truths of life that you can grapple with and then possibly hold.

"Tragedy and blessing," Miss Cloris says. "Sometimes they're the same one thing."

"What do you suppose any of us, Sophie, wish to be remembered for? For the things that tried to stop us or the ways we carried on?"

I'm still thinking over the latter. I'm challenged to find the truth that I would ultimately hold.

You Are My Only is current, relevant, and gracefully written with gripping realism. There is no shrinking back. Thank you, Beth, for staying truly dedicated to the fine art of writing.

You Are My Only
by Beth Kephart
EgmontUSA

Poetry Friday: Skeletal White Thoughts

2011-09-16T07:30:00.000-07:00

snagged on thick veins

flower's skeletal white thoughts

my life in novels

Lorie Ann Grover, 2011

The Rheumatoid Factor: Shhhhhh

2011-09-10T15:59:00.000-07:00

Wow, I haven't posted about Rheumatoid Arthritis in 2011, apparently. I recall aiming to post tidbits on making travel easier. I did a lot of flying at the turn of the year, and I did figure out a few tricks. Hm. Next, maybe?

Right now I'm having a flare in my cricoarytenoid joint. It's the little joint in the larynx that can inflame and affect 30% of RA patients. Ta da! That means if we cross paths in person, I'll be hardly speaking. And that is what I find interesting.

Who are we with little or no words? What can we contribute to a social setting without adding to the flow of discussion? How is our family affected when we can't speak up or assist in discourse? So many questions spring from this experience.

I can say it's been invaluable to quiet down and listen. It's helpful to have to consider whether something really needs to be said. (You weigh it if pain may follow. Ha!)

I've loved watching others step up and help out, maybe engaging beyond what they would have if I was enabling connections. I see my husband telling stories, my daughters chatting on the phone with my friends, and my bestie teasing everyone with what I'm supposedly saying. Don't believe a word she says, by the way.

I'm up for the testing on my b-day, to be certain there are no other complications, and then finding a new normalcy if this continues. In the meantime, take a moment to be thankful for the ability to chat. It is a gift for certain. But then, take a moment to listen as well. :~) Especially if you are a doctor.

Photo Friday: Fighting Through Life

2011-09-09T08:24:00.000-07:00

Fighting through Life by lorieanngrover on Polyvore.com

Dinner en Blanc, Seattle, 2011

2011-09-07T12:43:00.000-07:00

Imagine, a secret dinner invitation, details to follow. Cooking a few exquisite dishes. Dressing head to toe in white. Heading to Seattle and having the final destination texted to you at the last moment.

Imagine arriving at a public park with 250 other guests you didn't know were invited, all dressed in white, as well.You meet the lead host and hostess as they welcome everyone. Tables, linens, crystal, and china are arranged. Candles and luminarias are lit. The wandering accordion player and a band fill the pink air with music as the sun sets over the city.

This was the first annual Dinner en Blanc.The Puget Sound Business Journal called it an "Elegant flash mob." Our affair September 5th, 2011, was a tribute to the Parisian tradition.

photo by Martha Brockenbrough

Thanks to Justina Chen, Dave and I were invited to enjoy a table among the sea of white. We were joined by Martha Brockenbrough and her husband Adam, and Justina's dear friend, Derek. It was a magical night, a life memory.

photo by Martha Brockenbrough

Justina and Derek

There was intimacy within our little table, while we had a sense of community being part of the expansive whole. The following photos: Justina, Martha, our table, the view to the south, and to the west.

Photo from Art and Lair

Here is my love of 26 years, Dave Grover, and then the secret location, Gas Works Park. Yes, it was a location in the Heath Ledger and Julia Stiles movie, 10 Things I Hate About You!

The night concluded with sparklers galore! The event hopes to grow to 1,000 participants in the years to come. A flash mob of grace and beauty. Here's to 2012!

Poetry Friday: Grasping Future

2011-09-02T09:18:00.000-07:00

A glance over the

shoulder, but the future curls

its glowing fingers.

Lorie Ann Grover, 2011

Graduation Announcement: Emily Kay Grover!

2011-08-30T09:46:00.000-07:00

Photo Friday: If You're a Bird

2011-08-26T09:49:00.001-07:00

If You're a Bird by lorieanngrover on Polyvore.com

Poetry Friday: Plastered Conversations

2011-08-19T10:05:00.000-07:00

silenced, two chat

behind stiff gauze and plaster

masked thoughts trapped

Lorie Ann Grover, 2011

Always, Snape

2011-08-12T21:08:00.001-07:00

Always, Snape by lorieanngrover on Polyvore.com

Poetry Friday: Yesterday's Summer

2011-08-12T08:59:00.000-07:00

We link arms to hold

summer in place, weaving like

a daisy chain wish.

Lorie Ann Grover, 2011

Poetry Friday: Testimony

2011-08-05T10:17:00.000-07:00

dim, cornered thoughts

doubts slashed by assurance

windowed nature

by Lorie Ann Grover, 2011

Poetry Friday: Wallflower

2011-07-29T07:30:00.000-07:00

forlorn, forgotten,

dampened fur, hope leashed,

wallflower's lost dance

Lorie Ann Grover, 2011

I'm back...:~)

Photo Friday: On Top of the World

2011-07-22T08:00:00.000-07:00

No haiku this week for Poetry Friday, but here's a photo from the top of Crystal Mountain. I'm still away writing. See you next week!

Retreating to the hills!

2011-07-18T11:51:00.000-07:00

And I'm off for a week of writing with Dia Calhoun at her family's orchard in the Methow Valley. There will be furious plotting and typing, much laughter, gazing at the Milky Way, listening to the coyotes call from one hill to the other, careful stepping around rattlesnakes, and a wary eye open for cougars. Which have been on the property twice in 30 years. Still. Twice!

Here's to friends, creating, and creation!

Poetry Friday: Clawed Valley

2011-07-15T08:51:00.000-07:00

The great cat stretched,

clawed herself from slumber,

and slipped from sight.

Lorie Ann Grover, 2011

Poetry Friday: The Painting Palm

2011-07-08T09:32:00.000-07:00

The Painting Palm

Like a paintbrush tipped

in green, the wind paints the sky

with sweeping strokes.

Lorie Ann Grover, 2011

Poetry Friday: Collaged Color

2011-07-01T11:08:00.000-07:00

Resonating joy,

collaged color pastes your

essence in my heart.

Lorie Ann Grover, 2011

A Dedication!

2011-06-27T11:26:00.000-07:00

My longtime critique partner and fellow cofounder of readertotz dedicated her Who was Jim Henson book to meeeeeee! I do heart all things Jim, and I always have a Sesame Street video linked on totz, so this is sweet!

I loved the text and learned much. How cool to see providence unfold in Jim's life to create a body of work that touches so many. Thank you, Joan! I am honored. :~)

I have to say, I do love my last name...

Poetry Friday: Don't Push a Poppy

2011-06-24T09:30:00.000-07:00

Push my button and

these orange petals will flare wide,

blasting my shrill thoughts.

Lorie Ann Grover, 2011

Poetry Friday: Winged Wish

2011-06-17T07:30:00.000-07:00

On the curl of your thought

my wish reads the beat of yours

and wings to grant it.

Lorie Ann Grover, 2011

Photo Friday: Ellen Elizabeth Grover

2011-06-11T06:47:00.000-07:00

Happy graduation from high school with your Associate of Arts degree, Ellen! Woot!

Poetry Friday: Saturated

2011-06-03T07:00:00.000-07:00

photo by Emily Kay Grover

Globes plump yellow as

membranes palm celestial

light, quivering veins.

Lorie Ann Grover, 2011

Poetry Friday: Green Eyes

2011-05-27T08:12:00.000-07:00

Green eyes perk open

while fluttering orange lashes

reach to stroke my cheek.

Lorie Ann Grover, 2011

Poetry Friday: Bleeding Heart

2011-05-20T07:32:00.000-07:00

photo: Lorie Ann Grover

Heart dangling on a

thin branch, shivering, twitching

by your slightest move.

Lorie Ann Grover, 2011

Poetry Friday: Silenced Tongues

2011-05-13T23:12:00.000-07:00

Silenced Tongues

Too many words in

my journal, so I shred them

into silent strips.

Lorie Ann Grover, 2011

What d'ya think? Black Swan

2011-05-11T10:18:00.000-07:00

Because I was a former member of the Miami Ballet Company, I had so many friends ask what I thought of the movie Black Swan. It kept coming up continually in conversation. At the same time, my daughter was warning me not to watch it due to what she had heard of the imagery and suspense.

The movie kept niggling me, and so I watched, mostly to see how they filmed a ballet movie with a lead who had only studied a year, no matter how rigorously. I say wholeheartedly, that Natalie Portman's acting and dedication deserved the acclaim she received. That aside, I have to say the movie was a huge disappointment to me on several levels.

* This ballet movie was basically shot from the chest up. I understand wanting to be close to the dancer, to feel as if the viewer is on stage, but this is a ballet movie. The decision was an obvious solution to cover lack of technical dance skill.

* The work claimed to be a representation of the ballet world. While I appreciated the realism of how the art taxes the body, it is not part of the culture for ballet masters to molest their dancers in order to better role depictions.

* I found the plot shallow, as a mirror of Swan Lake, while I was essentially watching an adult version of Tangled.

* The graphic sex scenes reminded me Halle Berry's performance and award for Monster's Ball. I don't find the overtly explicit content necessary for either plot line, and the result is that those scenes become too dominant in the pacing. I can only hope that Oscar attention is not brought to these films because of the scenes. It would belittle both the actors and viewers.

* I never experienced the terror intended and actually laughed when Nina's legs were transformed.

Positively, I thought the sound effects helped propel the story. I found the mother to be the most engaging, layered character.

At the conclusion, I felt like I had watched an episode of Dancing with the Stars instead of So You Think You Can Dance, despite Natalie's fierce dedication and work. Ballet can't be mastered in a year. My gut reaction was to reach for The Turning Point. There is a ballet movie built on a solid plot, with exquisite performance, and without contrivance.

Australian Teen Reader Reviews: Hold Me Tight

2011-05-11T08:42:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Young Adult Reader Reviews, Australia for posting these awesome critiques from teens. Here are a couple snippets. Thanks, mates!

"Hold Me Tight was an extremely powerful novel...The text was really descriptive and told many feelings...I would give it a rating of 9 out of 10."

Matthew, age 11, Canberra, Australia

"Hold Me Tight got my emotions going on a roller coaster ride. It has a lot of meaning and is very powerful. I really connected with Hold Me Tight...Hold Me Tight is a great book that will get your emotions flowing and you will never want to put it down until you’re finished."

Madi, Year 9, Canberra, Australia

Poetry Friday: Chronic Illness: Paper Gown

2011-05-06T07:32:00.000-07:00

Paper Gown

by Lorie Ann Grover, 2011

RheumatologistUrologistGynecologist
PodiatristGastroenterologistEndocrinologist
steth-e-scope-ologist
xray, utrasound, catscan
height, weight, wait
rubber, paper, steel
pick, poke, prod
count, click, compile
stab, suck, siphon
mumble, scribble, grumble
slice, suture, stitch
conjecture, culture, call
consult, advise, strategize
define, prescribe, confine
swallow, hope, pray
xray, catscan, mammogram:
stalking cells
of me
in this earthly dance.

Poetry Friday: Blurred Reality

2011-04-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

Blurred behind the dart

of a dashing memory

from my slipped childhood

Lorie Ann Grover, 2011

Photo Friday: Love is in the Air

2011-04-22T08:20:00.001-07:00

Lorie Ann Grover, 2011

Poetry Friday: Grown

2011-04-15T08:16:00.000-07:00

With a look past me,
she's long gone in an instant,
the child I nurtured.

Lorie Ann Grover, 2011

I Rocked the Drop!

2011-04-14T15:53:00.000-07:00

So, I just Rocked the Drop for Support Teen Lit Day! I dropped Ellen, Maureen, Siobhan, and Samantha. They are all awaiting to be found and loved at Pierce College.

It's hard for me to drop! Does that happen to anyone else? I have to use an accomplice. Is it because I am shy? It was easier to drop books I didn't author, I noticed.

Another year, another drop. Cheers!

Rock the Drop on Thursday!

2011-04-11T08:58:00.000-07:00

I'm so happy that this facet is becoming the annual celebration for Support Teen Literature Day! Be sure to drop a book in your community on Thursday! Here's to YA lit and Crissa-Jean's video!

I Rock The Drop from crissachappell on Vimeo.

Photo Friday: In Her Own Way

2011-04-08T08:42:00.000-07:00

In Her Own Way by Lorie Ann Grover on Polyvore.com

Poetry Friday: Plastic Salad Forks

2011-04-01T07:00:00.000-07:00

My daughter, Ellen Elizabeth Grover, wrote this poem to be performed. I think the strength is still evident when you read it though. Happy Poetry Friday!

plastic salad forks

You girls

who collect boy's

firefly hearts

in glass boutique jars.

Who peer through

chic magnifying glasses

which focus the sun of your

fluttering eyelashes

to see how bright your latest addition will burn.

This poem is not for you.

That's right, you girls

of the long black cotton legs

of the soft plaid shirt-dresses

of the beautiful

beautiful

untamed curls.

This poem is not for you.

You girls

of the scented hair, steaming from the iron

of the green tea frappucino glued to your bronzed hand

with the spine currently arched just so

for the poor poor boy in the front front row.

This poem is not for you.

This poem is for that boy

(in the front, front row)

who wants to save his first kiss

for someone really special

who rolls the sleeves of his crisp white dress shirt

right up to the elbows

who looks at himself in the mirror and thinks

"maybe I'll ask her today." This is for you.

This is for you.

This is for the boy

who isn't too afraid he likes chick flicks.

This is also for the boy who is.

This is for the boy

who lives for the sound of rain

who doesn't look when the brunette in front of him with the beige, low cut top leans over to pick up

what she may or may not have intentionally dropped

who finds he can't decide whether the most beautiful place on a girl is the peach-skin fuzz on her toes, or if it's where the line of her neck disappears behind her ear

who knows the most beautiful thing a girl can do

is pray.

This is for you.

This is for the boy

who watches Heath Ledger on the bleachers

in 10 Things I Hate About You

and thinks "Yeah,

I could do that."

This is for the boy

who yes, sings, and yes, dances

and also for the boy who can't yet

but thinks it'd be cool to try.

This is for the boy

who isn't afraid to use words

like "indubitably" and "proverbially"

who can't wait to use words

like "cherish" and "adore"

and who employs the word "cute"

out of the context of some girl's butt.

This is for the boy

who doesn't swear

who loves Shakespeare, the Bible, Tennyson,

who doesn't friend some random girl on facebook just because her profile picture is hot.

This is for the boy

who wakes up each morning

hugs his mom

and prays to become a better person for her

before grasping the handle of his front door and stepping out into the downpour

into the drenching onslaught of what we girls have in store for them.

Don't let those shoulder blades rust in the rain.

This is for you.

So you girls

who twirl these boys around

your dainty plastic salad forks?

Who giggle as you sizzle them under the heat

of your high high heels?

Shame on you.

Shame on me.

Shame on us.

And boys?

This one's for you.

Ellen Elizabeth Grover, copyright 2011

Polyvore: Totoro Captured My Heart

2011-03-31T18:28:00.000-07:00

Totoro Captured My Heart by Lorie Ann Grover on Polyvore.com

Polyvore: You Look Nice Today

2011-03-27T20:26:00.000-07:00

Poetry Friday: Why Did You Homeschool?

2011-03-25T13:16:00.000-07:00

Why Did You Homeschool?

by Lorie Ann Grover, 2011

Why did you homeschool,

you ask,

with casual curiosity,

rankled judgment,

pouting pity,

or genuine fascination for the odd.

I say,

I wanted that moment

when my child sounded out

her first words

with wonder.

I wanted to witness

the awakening

rushing over her eyes,

pouring from her round, full lips

sound, sound, sounding out

story.

I wanted to see

for myself

her first passions

of octopi, Pompeii, the joy of reason, and

the giggle of rhyme.

I wanted to grasp

the gift

of my child’s awakening awe.

I took the treasure,

held it, knew it, felt it, breathed it

beside her.

I schooled my daughter

for joy.

Poetry Friday: Mexican Doll, haiku

2011-03-19T08:42:00.000-07:00

Black dot eyes halt me

in the busy market swirl,

embroidering smiles.

Lorie Ann Grover, 2011

Poetry Friday: Dolphin

2011-03-11T08:13:00.000-08:00

With a tail flip, you

came to me, grinning, nodding.

Mirrored joy zinged us.

Lorie Ann Grover, 2011

Poetry Friday: Bon Voyage

2011-03-04T07:00:00.000-08:00

I'm out at sea, and

this poetry flows like the

waves beneath our ship.

Lorie Ann Grover, 2011

Photos soon. Adios!

Poppy Pagoda

2011-02-26T01:31:00.001-08:00

Poppy Pagoda by Lorie Ann Grover

Poetry Friday: Blue Shadows

2011-02-25T22:20:00.000-08:00

Caught in crystal flakes

stacked one atop the other,

trees bulge blue shadows.

Lorie Ann Grover, 2011

Poetry Friday: Circles of Sisterhood

2011-02-18T07:00:00.000-08:00

Caught in the circles

of sisterhood, wondering

the other's viewpoint.

Lorie Ann Grover, 2011

Rare Jewel: Chapter Two

2011-02-16T18:02:00.000-08:00

I have the notes for Chapter Two, "The Mystery of Contentment." I found these concepts invaluable. Woot! These will sound odd to many, but remember I am a Calvinist. :~)

A. The Christian will be content but always unsatisfied until he is ultimately in God's presence.
B. A Christian comes to contentment by subtraction. Bring your desires down to your possessions. Shrink your heart to what you have.
C. Meditate on the weight of your sin.
D. Metamorphose the afflictions into light. Find the benefit inside of the circumstance.
E. Do the work of the present circumstances faithfully. In this, serve the counsels of God.
F. Melt your will into God's will. This is a higher act than merely submitting.
G. Purge your lusts and bitter humours.

Onward!

Words of Encouragement

2011-02-14T07:00:00.000-08:00

Sometimes the Underground Forest between publishing sales is dark and twisty. And then, around a tight corner, you find the light of words from kind hearts.

The awarded, amazing poet Nikki Grimes picked up Loose Threads recently and said:
"Read Loose Threads in one sitting. Could not put it down. Wow." I say, "Wow."

And then I received fan email from a thirteen year old who had begun ballet after reading On Pointe...twenty times! She had just finished her twenty-first reading when she wrote me. At the close of the letter where the perfect words: "...keep writing! Thank you so much and I will be reading On Pointe many more times."

These are words to light my way. One step and then the next.

Poetry Friday: Hug a Tall Person Day!

2011-02-11T10:41:00.000-08:00

Hug a Tall Person

Day is here, looming above

waiting for your squeeze.

I'm waiting, everyone! xox

The Rare Jewel of Christian Contentment: Chapter One

2011-02-08T18:18:00.000-08:00

I don't often bring my theology straightforwardly to my blog, but I'm reading this amazing work by Jeremiah Burroughs from 1648, and I thought it would be helpful for me to consolidate my notes from my journal to my blog. If it is of benefit to anyone else, I am thankful. I know many in the children's lit industry are not of this persuasion, so maybe you will pass this by. And that is okay.

Contentment is a blessed thing, and I seek it. So here is Chapter 1, largely in the paraphrased words of Burroughs.

"I have learned in whatsoever state I am therewith to be content. Philippians 4:11

Contentment is a great art, a spiritual mystery, and it is to be learned. In a sense, it is only attributed to God who shares it in Christ according to each person's measure. It is to be able to say: I have a right to the covenant and an interest in Christ, therefore I am content.

Definition:
Contentment is the sweet, inward, quiet, gracious, frame of spirit which freely submits to and delights in God's wise disposal in every condition.

Note:
1. You will still sense affliction.
2. You may in a submissive way complain to God.
3. You may grieve.
4. You may communicate the sad condition to your friends.
5. You may use lawful means to seek relief from the circumstances.
6. You will still exhibit quick and lively service to God
7. You will be active in sanctifying God's name in the affliction,
8. You will readily come to peace.
9. You will willingly, and freely submit, knowing the affliction is good because the hand of God is good.
10. You will look up to God, not at the means of the affliction.
11. You will submit no matter the affliction, no matter how long it lasts, or how many instances arrive.

Contentment is not:
1. a murmuring and repining
2. a vexing and fretting
3. a tumultuous spirit which can't think, act, or complete duties
4. a consuming distraction from Christ
5. a sinking discouragement
6. a welcoming of sinful shirks and shifts to find relief
7. a natural quietness of personality
8. a sturdy resolution
9. a natural reasoning

Contentment is to be satisfied in your judgment, the will submitting, and the thoughts and affections in order. It is a good mood, a constant temper of quietness. It is to be able to say: "Through God's mercy, mine is a good condition, despite being grievous and sore."

"Godliness creates an even disposition." Tom Lyon

Poetry Friday: Andrea Gibson-Blue Blanket

2011-02-04T07:00:00.000-08:00

My daughter found and shared Andrea with me. Do you know her? Be prepared to be blown away...

Photo Friday: Upward!

2011-01-27T14:28:00.001-08:00

Just a little early, but I'm headed out of town. Happy Photo Friday!

Upward! by Lorie Ann Grover on Polyvore.com

Stolen but not Lost

2011-01-23T18:49:00.000-08:00

While reuniting with my father after 15 years apart, his home was broken into and my computer was stolen. To steal a writer's computer is to take a bit of her heart, I find.

Of course the online backup was just beginning and the theft occurred before the full download. *sigh* I've lost photos aside from those I uploaded to Facebook. I'm thankful to have them!

Now I'm remembering more fully what I have lost. I'll need to input all those receipts for taxes again. I'll need to scan all my board book submissions. And it goes on.

I'm also thankful we didn't walk in on the armed gunmen. Only fifteen minutes separated us.

It was my Sunday School class of five year olds who asked to pray for the "Bad Men" to have clean hearts and be sorry for what they have done. I love my class. They remind me of what is important. That they do.

Poetry Friday: Lost

2011-01-13T21:09:00.000-08:00

Lost

One photo can stop

the world and show you missed

everything there was.

Lorie Ann Grover, 2011

Photo Friday: Things Change

2011-01-08T09:35:00.001-08:00

Lorie Ann Grover, 2011

Photo Friday: Happy New Year, Steampunk Style

2010-12-30T17:59:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year, Steampunk Style by Lorie Ann Grover on Polyvore.com

I'm a few hours early, but here you go. HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Photo Friday: Holiday Cheer!

2010-12-24T08:56:00.001-08:00

Poetry Friday: Red-Hearted Winter

2010-12-17T09:40:00.000-08:00

Red-Hearted Winter

In these dark, windblown

days, Hawaii is a rich

red heart in my own.

Lorie Ann Grover, 2010

New Love

2010-12-13T12:01:00.001-08:00

New Love by Lorie Ann Grover on Polyvore.com

Poetry Friday: My Year in Status

2010-12-10T09:34:00.000-08:00

I'm so happy someone thought to create this application! Here's a free verse of my year in Facebook statuses. Sweet!

Falling in Love

2010-12-08T16:12:00.001-08:00

Falling in Love by Lorie Ann Grover on Polyvore.com

Poetry Friday: Nancy Pearl

2010-12-03T09:30:00.000-08:00

Nancy Pearl is our

super hero, brandishing

books to marvel hearts.

Lorie Ann Grover, 2010

Nancy really is. We heart her as much as she hearts books. Marvel. :~)

A Novel Gift: rgz and First Book Partner!

2010-11-30T16:47:00.000-08:00

BREAKING NEWS! readergirlz and First Book are partnering to give away more than 125,000 brand-new books to low-income teen readers.

They’re great books, too, donated by generous publishers. Among the three dozen choices are P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast’s HOUSE OF NIGHT series and Alyson Noël’s SHADOWLAND.

We need your help getting the word out about the A Novel Gift campaign. Right now! Right now! As in, now!

Let's get organizations serving these teens registered with First Book so they can be matched with inventory during the holidays.

Here’s what we need you to do:

Post to Facebook and tweet your beak off about these books using the hashtag #novelgift.

Here’s a tinyurl link to their registration page:http://tinyurl.com/2a5mwpj.

Or you can link to this blog post:http://readergirlz.blogspot.com/2010/11/novel-gift-over-125000-free-books-to.html

Then, get in touch with every group you can think of that works with young adults–schools, after-school programs, church youth groups, community centers, etc.—and let them know that these books are available now.

The five-minute online registration these groups can use is here:
http://booksforkids.firstbook.org/register/.

First Book is also eager to answer questions, either by email to help@firstbook.org, or by phone at 866-READ-NOW or 866-732-3669.

If you participate, drop us a note at readergirlz@gmail.com to be included in our blog roll of thanks to run December 31.

Be a part of A Novel Gift! OK, go! And thanks, sincerely, from First Book and the readergirlz teams.

Today I'm Sad

2010-11-29T11:57:00.001-08:00

Today I'm Sad by Lorie Ann Grover on Polyvore.com

Photo Friday: Finding Beauty

2010-11-26T11:44:00.000-08:00

Finding Beauty by Lorie Ann Grover on Polyvore.com

Do You Fear?

2010-11-23T20:55:00.001-08:00

Do You Fear? by Lorie Ann Grover on Polyvore.com

Smelling Books

2010-11-20T20:33:00.001-08:00

Smelling Books by Lorie Ann Grover on Polyvore.com

Poetry Friday: Be Warned

2010-11-19T10:30:00.000-08:00

I heart my Polyvore, but I felt the haiku urge today. Here goes:

Be Warned

You see me through a

slick and colorful bubble.

I am no Glinda.

Lorie Ann Grover, 2010

Say It Again: Lack of Regard for YA

2010-11-18T09:40:00.000-08:00

"The lack of regard for YA fiction in the mainstream isn't an altogether bad thing. There's something to be said for living in a disreputable, ghettoized bohemia."
Cory Doctorow

Questions from Readers: Time Management

2010-11-17T11:56:00.000-08:00

In case anyone else, besides the inquiring journalist, is remotely interested in my personal time management, I've added this info to my Questions from Readers Blog Page. It's just the way I roll. If it's any help to you...yay!

Here are my answers for the curious.

I do not write during the same hours every day. I write according to project deadlines or creative interest. Whatever is shouting the loudest receives my attention for the amount of time available. Still having one child at home, when I write fluctuates around her ever changing schedule. I used to homeschool two daughters, and then writing was tucked into all the spare bits of time.

My schedule is always too fluid to maintain specific, consistent writing hours. The needs of readergirlz fluctuates, and the nonprofit can take much of my time. Also, I need time to play and refill the well. Having strict writing time feels too constrained. That said, almost all my free time is given over to writing and reading. That can be anywhere from 7 am to 11 pm.

I start the day with a mental list of what I'll probably achieve. I keep an open hand with my expectations, however.

I personally might have a 40 hour work week for project managing readergirlz. That is the case in transitions or during special literacy projects. Writing then falls into the other available hours. If readergirlz is sustaining from the other 30 volunteers, I might devote 2 hours to it, readertotz, social media sites, and my own blog. I might write or draw for 6 hours, and then maybe read for 2 hours.

I do take writing retreats several times a year where I work on my novels exclusively, for 8-10 hours a day, for 4-6 days. I do not have internet access at those times.

Regarding tracking, if they are online projects, I leave the email exchanges in my inbox until the project is complete. I use my journal for tracking creative projects I need to develop or refine. These are generated from chatting with my agent. When projects are completed and sent to my agent, I record them in an Excel file. Longer term online projects and future novel ideas I keep in Window's One Note documents.

That is the story of that.

Our House

2010-11-15T15:50:00.001-08:00

Our House by Lorie Ann Grover on Polyvore.com

Photo Friday: Observe Life

2010-11-11T22:34:00.001-08:00

Observe Life by Lorie Ann Grover on Polyvore.com

Say It Again: Ellie and Birthdays

2010-11-11T10:03:00.000-08:00

Lorie Ann: When is your birthday?
Ellie, age 5: I don't know. It's like seventy yards away.

Vale of Memory

2010-11-08T10:50:00.001-08:00

Vale of Memory by Lorie Ann Grover on Polyvore.com

"Dance becomes physical free verse."

2010-11-05T10:16:00.000-07:00

I received a request for an interview from a teen in the Netherlands. Rachel van Eck wanted to examine On Pointe for her IB Diploma Extended Essay. She asked me engaging questions which you can read in my former post. She has now completed the work, and I am honored she looked so closely at my novel. I was given permission to share a few excerpts here.

Rachel begins the work with this question:

‘How does the author Lorie Ann Grover portray dance movements in the novel ‘On Pointe’ through the characters by means of style and structure?’ The process of this research was done by stylistically analyzing the novel to find how the movements were being portrayed and if they really did make the reader picture and feel the movements being described. Lorie Ann Grover did this with her special way of writing this novel.

Rachel goes on to show how literary devices convey breath, pacing, sound, and movement. It was fun to see these specific examples as many were intuitive during the writing.

Here is an example of an excerpt from On Pointe and Rachel's analysis:

We piqué turn across the floor.

Snapping our heads,

We spot

one speck

on the wall

we are moving toward.

The room blurs,

but the spot

is in focus.

Everyone moves

across the floor

toward their spot.

Just like the ‘Grand Battements’ this spinning movement is shown by the short sentences. This phrase emphasizes the spotting of the swift, repeated spinning movement. Not only does this passage mention spotting very often in just a small time, it is made up of short sentences. This indicates the movement that when the character is looking at the spot, one bit of the sentence is thought of, and then the character does another spin, with having the sentence cut off as a result, but when she’s back to her spotting she has time to think of another part of the sentence, and so it continues.

Rachel's paper concludes with this passage:

Dance movements might be hard to describe with just single words, however, through the use of free verse, anaphora, dance terminology, figurative language, sound techniques, diction, and imagery, this can be elaborated to the point that the reader is able to picture, feel, or even hear what the movements are like. Lorie Ann Grover does this “so that a reader unfamiliar with ballet could still gain an impression/feeling of that particular movement.” (Grover),,,,as if it is choreography on paper....In this novel Dance becomes physical free verse.

Thank you, Rachel! I greatly appreciate your analytical thoughts, kind words, and time. Here's to your own dance and writing. Brava!

Photo Friday: I am a Woman Who Runs With Wolves

2010-11-05T06:00:00.000-07:00

I'm reading Clarissa Pinkola Estes' classic Women Who Run With the Wolves, Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype. It's an excellent source that challenges you to care for your inner self, to nurture that creative spirit. Not a follower of Jungian psychology, I can still glean insights and lessons from the piece. It's also fueling my work in progress. So here's my image to depict the content of Women Who Run With the Wolves. Happy Photo Friday!

We are All Odd

2010-11-03T10:05:00.001-07:00

We are All Odd by Lorie Ann Grover on Polyvore.com

You are My Beautiful

2010-11-01T08:17:00.001-07:00

You are My Beautiful by Lorie Ann Grover on Polyvore.com

Happy Reformation Sunday!

2010-10-31T18:40:00.000-07:00

Shout out to Martin Luther and his 95 Theses! Huzzah!