A Skyscraper Sandwich

Molly Wagener is a seventeen-year-old student at Lake Forest High School, Lake Forest, Illinois. Her teacher is Dr. Mara Dukats. Her poem,"Chicago Newcomer," is one of 134 poems and photographs submitted by students, teachers, and others for inclusion in our upcoming anthology, Reflections: A Collection of Poetry, Photos, and More. As shown below, a relevant quotation accompanies each entry. 
        It's easy to see how teachers can use Molly's poem and the accompanying photo by Wikimedia to inspire discussion and writing at many levels. Perhaps students will recall their own responses to urban scenes, either in poetry or prose.  Or they may choose to write about any of the unlimited ideas this poem-photo combination generates. Indeed, there is no end to the varied subjects it can inspire.     
  

"A skyscraper is a boast in glass and steel."  Mason Cooley

Chicago Newcomer
 

In a skyscraper sandwich 

on Michigan, 

I ogled at the framed in sky

pristine clear 

with scattered white weightlessness
vanishing 

above the glossy windows,

steel rooftops,

and cabs zipping

up and down the asphalt street.

             After many months of hard work, we've created a final draft of Reflections, which includes an Introduction by Joe Milner, Ph.D., Director of English Education at Wake Forest University. Now we're waiting for responses from publishers. If you've ever written for publication, you know that this can be a lengthy process. We'll keep you posted.

Write What You See and Prufrock Press

Published by Cottonwood Press in 2009, Write What You See: 99 Photos To Inspire Writing by Hank Kellner is now marketed by Prufrock Press, http://www.prufrock.com.  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

A High School Student Describes the Mature Years  

   

          William J. Small is Karen Topham's student at Lake Forest High School, Lake Bluff, Illinois. I matched his poem with one of my photos to create a page in my upcoming collection, Reflections: A Collection of Poems, Photos, and More. Then I added the quotation by Emily Bronte to help students generate ideas for their writing. Feel free to download this and other poems and photos in this blog for use in your classrooms.

          Small's poem is just one of more than 130 others included in Reflections along with carefully selected photos. The work includes not only poems and photos by students, but also contributions by teachers and other writer-photographers. You can see more samples at  www.starteaching.com. Click on "Latest Issue November."

"Every leaf speaks bliss to me./Fluttering from the autumn tree."  -Emily Bronte

Self-Identification in the Crinkling of Fall

 

The light glazes the treetops

                          A crisp crinkling ripple in my ear                                         

I splash in the wind,

I grasp for the aftertaste of the moment,

Left behind by the blink of my eye

Like a mossy rock it slips through my mind

Deeper and deeper away

In a crescendo it once again erupts

As I feel the light shivering of the grass,

Against my restful body

I spin along with the Earth

As it tells me all its secrets

                                               Of love, lost, and etc.                                                            

The only sounds trickle from a sparrow

Scatter from a squirrel

Tickle from a falling leaf

To create a stream of sounds

                                                                                   

Oh Fall!

Bring change and beauty, as I grow old!

And now as I bath in the angst of coming maturity

I pray to resemble the subtle whispery kisses of you.

                        -William J. Small

Poem Copyright © 2010 by William J. Small

Photo Copyright©2010 by Hank Kellner

Write What You See and Prufrock Press

Published by Cottonwood Press in 2009, Write What You See: 99 Photos To Inspire Writing by Hank Kellner is now marketed by Prufrock Press, http://www.prufrock.com.  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

A Poem about Trees

Julie Brown teaches English 11 AP, Journalism, Cinema Study, and Creative Writing at Bolingbrook High School, Bolingbrook, Illinois. I matched her untitled poem with one of my photos to create a page from my upcoming work, Reflections: A Collection of Poems, Photos, and More. I added the quotation that precedes the poem.

        This book is designed to inspire class discussion that leads to written compositions. Feel free to download  this combination for use in your classroom. By the way, you can click on the photo to enlarge it.

"I like trees because they seem to be more resigned to the way they have to live than other things do."                       Willa Cather

 

                                             every year, it's always the same

                                             the brown, rough statues stand tall

                                             feet firmly planted in the ground

                                             hoping to grow, reaching the sky

                                             just out of grasp

                                             then come the pesky green dots

                                             spots of color--until mid-spring

                                             then they are in full force

                                             waving, swinging, attracting attention

                                             the trees just sigh and stand

                                             by autumn, they've had enough

                                             they start to burn the leaves off

                                             slowly, one by one

                                             green to yellow to red to brown

                                             as they fall, the trees regret

                                             winter's here and they've lost their coats.

 

Photo Copyright © 2010 by Hank Kellner      

Poem Copyright © 2010 by Julie Brown

Write What You See and Prufrock Press

Published by Cottonwood Press in 2009, Write What You See: 99 Photos To Inspire Writing by Hank Kellner is now marketed by Prufrock Press, http://www.prufrock.com.  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

From Film Images to Digital Images

After using film to create photographs for more than forty years, I've finally gone digital. Yep! I  plunked down big bucks for a Leica M 9. Of course, it took me a while to adjust to the differences between film and digital images, but I finally got it right.
        Here's an example. I was strolling through town here in Winston-Salem, North Carolina on my way to my favorite coffee shop when I spotted the scene shown in the photo reproduced below. I shot just one frame. Later that day, it inspired Elizabeth Guy to write the accompanying poem.
        If you've been reading this blog regularly, you know where the poem and photo ended up. You're right! "The Blue Door" and its accompanying photo will appear in my upcoming collection of poems and photos submitted by students, teachers, and others nationwide.
        When it's published, Reflections will contain 122 poems, 22 haiku, 100+ black and white or color photos, and more. Here's a sample page from the manuscript. I added the quotation and Creative Concepts words to help motivate students in their class discussions and writing.


CREATIVE CONCEPTS: Unexpected, Mystery, Serenity, Secret

"Blue color is everlastingly appointed by the Diety to be a source of delight."   John Ruskin

The Blue Door

Right there
In the middle of the city
High above the alleyway
A blue door

A balcony haven
Bedecked in flowers
Beckoning the sun
A promise of warmth
Serenity
Behind that blue doorway
A cool and calm retreat
What secret pleasures
Linger there inside
Above the street

Behind
A multi-paned
Azure stained                                                            
Unexpected door                    
                   Elizabeth Guy    

Write What You See and Prufrock Press

Published by Cottonwood Press in 2009, Write What You See: 99 Photos To Inspire Writing by Hank Kellner is now marketed by Prufrock Press, http://www.prufrock.com.  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

A Powerful Photo-Poem Combination

      

        Mignon Self  created the poem shown below. When  not writing poems or creating artwork, this outstanding educator teaches art, grades 7-12, at the Round Rock Opportunity Center, Round Rock, Texas. 

       Together, Self's poem and the accompanying photograph can provide inspiration for classroom discussion that leads to the creation of imaginative written compositions. But that's not all. Considered separately, either the poem or the photo can inspire students to exchange ideas and express them in writing.

      Feel free to use this  poem and/or  photo in your classroom. You can copy and paste the poem, and you can right click on the photo to copy it. If you do so, I'd love to see the results for possible inclusion in Reflections.

    

"Peace comes from within. Do not seek it without." - Buddha

           Quiet Entities

When there are quiet times,  

Thoughts in between crowded spaces in my mind,

I think of the entities that bind the time in packages

Wrapped with colored twine.

Bubbles, spheres of rainbows floating in the air.

Laughter, sounds from happy children playing.

Butterflies, minimus drifting softly in the golden wind.

Violets, blooming vivid among the greenery lie.

Kisses, a touch of love from deep within.

Glances, eyes that sparkle to say, "I'm here!"

Wine, the soothing taste that tickles as it goes down.

Clean sheets, crisp rough smells of speckled drops of sun.

Stars, shooting through the evening skies.

Hands that hold the secrets of the brownie's past.

Sunlight drifting dots of dust giving life,

The entities of a crowded mind.

                                            Mignon Self  

Poem Copyright © 2010 by Mignon Self        Photo Copyright  2010 by Hank Kellner

         There's Still Room for More 

        At this writing, I've received poems and/or photos from thirteen students, eighteen teachers, and fourteen others for possible publication in Reflections. With a total of more than one hundred poems and almost as many photos, that just about completes the collection.

        Even so, there's always room for a few more entries before I end the project and intensify my search for a publisher. If you'd like to contribute work and haven't received the Guidelines for Submission, please contact me promptly at hankpix(at)yahoo(dot)com.

 

Write What You See

Although Cottonwood Press was acquired by Prufrock Press recently, Write What You See: 99 Photos to Inspire Writing is still in print. You'll find it at Prufrock Press's website, in bookstores, at Amazon, and at many other Internet sites. This thought-provoking collection of black-and-white photography is accompanied by a wide variety of writing prompts to motivate students. Includes A CD-ROM of all photos and writing prompts. Grades 7-12 $24.95.

        "This book will launch  a thousand essays. Never again will students complain, "I don't know what to write about."

                                  Derri Scarlett, English faculty, Bismarck State College

 

 

 

        

        To date I've received more than 100 poems for possible inclusion in my upcoming anthology, Reflections. Submitted by teachers, students, and others, these poems range from pithy haiku to eloquent odes. Here's a poem I received from eighteen-year-old Rose Scherlis, a student at Beacon High School, Newton, Massachusetts. Her teacher is Doug Holder.
        In addition to "Skateboarding," Rose submitted two other poems  titled "The Dog with No Name" and "The First Morning."
        If you would like to submit poems for consideration, please contact me at hankpix(at)yahoo(dot)com for guidelines. I welcome submissions from students, teachers, and others.
        By the way, Reflections isn't one of those buy-the-book-after-we-publish-it deals. Rather, it's an anthology designed to be used in the classroom. My goal is to provide a series of poems and photos that will serve as inspiration for class discussions and follow up writing activities.

Skateboarding

Sometimes I skate,
Glide, soar, weave, jump,
Duck under heavy, mournful branches
Decorated in fragile autumn leaves
Like so many brilliant orange faeries
Until I reach my destination:
An abandoned bridge to read under,
A coffee shop or candy shop,
Or just an empty lot to carve across.                                                                   
Sometimes I skate
As fast as I possibly can
Until the world blurs into a colorful blend
Of distractions, possibilities, ideas.
Until day turns to night and,
Sunsets sparkle across the horizon like
Vivid necklaces of pink and red.
Until I lose track of time,
Lose track of everything,
Lose track of myself.
Sometimes I skate.

Write What You See

Although Cottonwood Press was acquired by Prufrock Press recently, Write What You See: 99 Photos to Inspire Writing is still in print. You'll find it in bookstores, at Amazon, and at many other Internet sites. This thought-provoking collection of black-and-white photography is accompanied by a wide variety of writing prompts to motivate students. Includes A CD-ROM of all photos and writing prompts. Grades 7-12 $24.95.

        "This book will launch  a thousand essays. Never again will students complain, "I don't know what to write about."

                                  Derri Scarlett, English faculty, Bismarck State College

Poetry Is Alive and Well

      Judging by the many excellent submissions I've received for possible inclusion in my upcoming anthology, poetry is alive and well in the nation's classrooms.
      Here's an example by eighteen-year-old Kristen Dawn Wilson, a student at Allen County Scottsville High School, Scottsville, Kentucky. Kristen's teacher is Lisa Logsdon. The photograph is by Julia Stein, a recent graduate of Blake High School, Silver Spring, Maryland. Julia's teacher is Kerri Blankenship.

Destroying the Walls

I was trapped there.
Trapped in the nothingness.
Trapped behind the walls
that were built to guard my heart.
I was my own prisoner,
ignoring my own screams,
lost in a fictional land,
trapped in disillusioning dreams.
Last night I awoke
from the fire in my soul,
and each thought fed the flame.
The walls had to go.
With my bare hands.
with my healing heart,
with this new anger,
I tore those damn walls apart.
Now I feel.
Now I weep.
Now I scream.
Now I run.
Now I fly.
Now I escape,
ridding myself of both
sorrow and hate.

        At this writing I've received 103 submissions for possible inclusion in my upcoming anthology, Reflections. If you and/or your students would like to submit work, contact me at hankpix(at)yahoo(dot)com with the words Poetry Guidelines in the subject line of your e-mail. Please don't submit work without having read the guidelines. The deadline for submissions is 10/30/10.

Write What You See

Although my publishing house, Cottonwood Press, has been sold to Prufrock Press, the book is still available at www.amazon.com, elsewhere on the Internet, and in bookstores everywhere. What's more, you can ask your school or public librarian to order it for you.

        Write What You See is a collection of photographs and writing prompts for the classroom. The book presents 99 black and white photographs accompanied by a wide variety of writing prompts to motivate students. In the book I provide not only my own suggestions for using photography in the classroom, but also ideas from real teachers across the country who have used photography successfully to inspire writing. At just $24.95, Write What You See includes a CD-ROM. Order today!