Prufrock Press to Publish Unique Poetry-Photo Combination

Scheduled for publication early next year, Reflect & Write: 200 Poems and Photographs to Inspire Writing is a unique combination of poetry and photos that is sure to be a welcome addition to every English teacher's collection.
      This upcoming  anthology contains works created by twenty-six high school and junior high school students, twenty-three teachers, and twelve other writers nationwide.
      In addition to the poems and photos, Reflect & Write contains a Foreword by Joe Milner, Ph.D., Professor of English Education, Wake Forest University; an Introduction; “Twelve Ways To Inspire Students;”  “Thirteen Themes to Explore;” and a listing of twenty Internet resources of interest to students and teachers. What’s more, many of the poem/photo combinations present “Inspiration” or “Challenge” prompts, significant quotations, and keywords designed to inspire writing.

          Although the official publication date of this outstanding publication isn't until February 1, 2013, I'm sure it will be available for sale some time before then. I'll  publish that information as soon as it becomes available, but if you'd like me to inform you personally, please send me your e-mail address by entering it into the Comments section of this blog with the words Reflect and Write.
            For more information visit www.prufrock.com/reflect-and-write-p1752.aspx
           

Another Excellent Publication from Prufrock Press

       Write What You See: 99 Photos To Inspire Writing by Hank Kellner is now marketed by Prufrock Press. Please visit http://www.prufrock.com/productdetails.cfm?PC=1641 now to order this fine book. This thought-provoking collection contains intriguing photographs and a wide variety of inventive writing prompts to motivate students to write better compositions. Thousands of teachers have used this unique publication to help inspire their students.     

      Written by a veteran of the Korean War and retired educator who has served as an English Department supervisor and adjunct associate professor of English at the community college level, Write What you See includes a CD-Rom and a special section telling how teachers nationwide use photos to inspire writing. 118 pages, 8 1/2 X 11, Softbound, ISBN 978-1-877673-83-2, Grades 7-12, $24.95

Copyright,  Hank Kellner, 2012

A New Collection of Poetry and Photographs

Prufrock Press To Publish Unique Collection of Poetry and Photos

Prufrock Press is known as "The Nation's Leading Resource for Special Needs, Gifted, and Advanced Learners." You can visit this fine publishing house at www.prufrock.com. Elizabeth Guy and I are proud to announce that Prufrock has selected our latest work, Reflect and Write: 270 Poems and Photographs to Inspire Writing, for publication in February, 2013.
       Here's what  Joe Milner, Ph.D., Director of English Education, Wake Forest University, wrote in his introduction to the work. "This arrangement of poignant poems, vital pictures, and compelling quotations from such literary giants as Voltaire, Wordsworth,  Smith, and others is so beautifully crafted that I hesitate to write an introduction to the work."
       Contributed by twenty-three students, twenty-three teachers, and thirteen other writers and photographers nationwide, Reflect and Write weds original poems to beautiful photographs that are sure to inspire not only spirited class discussion, but also interesting and exciting written works. What's more, significant quotations and keywords accompany each of the poems.
     

A Sample from Reflect and Write

"Only in quiet waters do things mirror themselves undisturbed. Only in a quiet mind is adequate perception of the world."
                                                                            -Hans Margolius

 

reflections on the water's surface

A pebble

seen through the water's eyes,

disfigured,

its image rippling.

A toss,

a silent splash.

Something so powerless,

small,

makes such a big impact.

Its image,

crafted on the water's surface, 

a movement in the still water,

shattering the cool surface of the shimmering lake.

You wave,

And your reflection waves back.

This person you see in the rippling water is

Distorted.

Changed.

                                -Sarah Marlin

 Keywords

 IMAGE, REFLECTIONS, DISTORTION, SHIMMER

     Sarah Marlin was a thirteen-year-old student in Tinmah Steinman's class at  Park Day School in Oakland, California when she wrote "reflections on the water's surface."

Another Excellent Publication from Prufrock Press

       Write What You See: 99 Photos To Inspire Writing by Hank Kellner is now marketed by Prufrock Press. Please visit http://www.prufrock.com/productdetails.cfm?PC=1641 now to order this fine book. This thought-provoking collection contains intriguing photographs and a wide variety of inventive writing prompts to motivate students to write better compositions. Thousands of teachers have used this unique publication to help inspire their students.     

      Written by a veteran of the Korean War and retired educator who has served as an English Department supervisor and adjunct associate professor of English at the community college level, Write What you See includes a CD-Rom and a special section telling how teachers nationwide use photos to inspire writing. 118 pages, 8 1/2 X 11, Softbound, ISBN 978-1-877673-83-2, Grades 7-12, $24.95

Copyright,  Hank Kellner, 2012

Use Images To Inspire Writing

There's probably no end to the number of ideas  you can inspire in your students by using signs as writing prompts, or triggers.
     For example, you can ask your students to respond to specific words found in signs similar to the two shown here.

     Ask your students what comes to mind when they think of the words caution, gates, walk, weapons, concealed, and/or prohibited. Then encourage your budding authors to use the ideas they generated as a basis for written compositions.
     Another interesting activity would be to combine several words to form  sentences that would serve as the opening lines of  written compositions. Students will enjoy writing conclusions to sentences like  "I knew that if I were to walk under the gates, I'd regret doing so. Even so, I..." or "Although he was carrying concealed weapons, John thought that he could get past the security point, but..."
        Of course, you can always download the images shown here to use in your classroom, but you can also ask the students to create their own images.
       In today's society almost everyone  has the ability to capture digital images of every description. Your students are no exception. And the best part is that they  can easily share these images with their peers, either in the classroom or on Facebook.
       Finally, if you've used photos to inspire writing, and if you'd like to share your ideas with others, I'd love to hear from you.
 

PRUFROCK PRESS AND WRITE WHAT YOU SEE 

      Published by Cottonwood Press in 2009, Write What You See: 99 Photos To Inspire Writing by Hank Kellner is now marketed by Prufrock Press. Please visit http://www.prufrock.com/productdetails.cfm?PC=1641 now to order this fine book. This thought-provoking collection contains photographs and a wide variety of inventive writing prompts to motivate students.

     Written by a veteran of the Korean War and retired educator who has served as an English Department supervisor and adjunct associate professor of English at the community college level, Write What you See includes a CD-Rom and a special section telling how teachers nationwide use photos to inspire writing. 118 pages, 8 1/2 X 11, Softbound, ISBN 978-1-877673-83-2, Grades 7-12, $24.95

Copyright 2012 by Hank Kellner

We Have a Winner!

It wasn't easy, but we were finally able to select the winner of our Great American Reflections Photo Contest. A student in Timnah Steinman's class at the Park Day School Oakland, California, thirteen-year-old Sarah Marlin walked off with the honors for her poem, "Reflections on the Water's Surface."

     Consisting of just twenty lines, the poem describes the image created when a pebble disturbs the surface of the water. "You wave," she writes, "and your reflection waves back./ The person you see in the water is/Distorted/Changed."

     We've amended the working title of our manuscript to reflect the title of Sarah's poem, and we've placed the poem on the first page of the work, which will be published by PRUFROCK PRESS.

     We won't be publishing Sarah's poem here until the book sees the light of day, but we have included the photo that accompanies it. Perhaps the photo will inspire your students to create their own works of poetry or prose.

Don't Be a Bully!

I don't think you'll ever find a sign identical to the one shown here. That's because after I photographed the "Do Not Enter" sign, I used  Arc Soft Photo Studio to add the words BULLYING ZONE to the image.

      I think that the possibilities for using this image to inspire writing in your classroom are almost limitless. That's because it's almost a sure thing that one or more of your students either is or has been harassed by a bully.

     Here's a suggestion. Download the photo and use it as a trigger to inspire your students to express their feelings about bullying in writing, either as  poetry or prose. Point out that their writings will be voluntary and anonymous, and that they may not use names in their compositions. You'll probably be surprised at some of the responses your receive. Obviously, you won't assign a grade for this activity.

PRUFROCK PRESS AND WRITE WHAT YOU SEE 

      Published by Cottonwood Press in 2009, Write What You See: 99 Photos To Inspire Writing by Hank Kellner is now marketed by Prufrock Press. Please visit http://www.prufrock.com/productdetails.cfm?PC=1641 now to order this fine book. This thought-provoking collection contains photographs and a wide variety of inventive writing prompts to motivate students.

     Written by a veteran of the Korean War and retired educator who has served as an English Department supervisor and adjunct associate professor of English at the community college level, Write What you See includes a CD-Rom and a special section telling how teachers nationwide use photos to inspire writing. 118 pages, 8 1/2 X 11, Softbound, ISBN 978-1-877673-83-2, Grades 7-12, $24.95

Copyright © 2012 Hank Kellner