Brevity Is the Soul of Wit

        "Brevity is the soul of wit." So said Polonius in Shakespeare's Hamlet. Of course, Polonius' advice to his son Laertes was anything but brief. But that doesn't negate the truth inherent in his words.
         Here are two brief poems I received for possible inclusion in my current project, an anthology of poems accompanied by photographs. The working title for this collection is Reflections.
         If you would like to learn more about  Reflections, please contact me at hankpix(at)gmail(dot)com.
        The first piece is by Cynthia Lee Katona, a retired professor of English and nationally known freelance photographer-writer. The author of several books, Katona is currently developing a collection of haiku for publication. Visit her website at www.photomerchant.com.

           The Identity Dilemma

                                                                Burka

                                                        Woman in Burka
                                                        Hands her license to a cop.
                                                        Does the picture match?

                       A Brief Poem about Hate

           The second poem is by Timothy San Pedro, a Ph.D candidate who works with student teachers at Arizona State University. As with the combination shown above, this photo-poem combination speaks for itself and is a powerful incentive that can lead to spirited discussion and different kinds of writing assignments.

                                              
                                                      The Mathematics of Hate

                                                      Hate,
                                                      When matched with more hate,
                                                      Does not cancel out.
                                                      It only doubles. 

A Word about Copyright

        Please feel free to use the words and images shown in this blog in your classroom, but note that they are protected under the copyright law and may not be used for any other purpose.

Use This Book To Inspire Writing in the Classroom

Hank Kellner's Write What You See (Cottonwood Press, 2009) is a collection of photographs and writing prompts designed to inspire your students. The book presents 99 black and white photographs accompanied by a wide variety of writing prompts. Kellner gives his own suggestions for using photography in the classroom and also shares ideas from real teachers across the country who have successfully used photography in the teaching of writing. Includes a CD-ROM. $24.95. Available from the publisher, at bookstores, at Amazon, and everywhere books are sold. Ask your school or public librarian to order it.