My Novel in Verse releases next week!
Plus ten poetic forms I use in the story and a drawing of "streetwise weeds"
Hi friends,
As I am writing this, I am in recovery. Not from an illness or an injury, but from having had two toddlers in my house over the weekend. Well, Thursday morning through Saturday afternoon.
It was tremendously fun and exhausting, and now it’s Sunday night and I’m still trying to figure out what the heck else is going on in my life right now.
Oh, right. My book is releasing next week!
No, I didn’t really forget that. But I haven’t been able to think about it much for the past few days either. Except for sharing a few Star Wars-themed Mari in the Margins promo posts over on the platform formerly known as Twitter on May the Fourth (thank you to hubby for reminding me—I would have been annoyed with myself for having missed it).
So, yes, my middle grade novel in verse (and doodles) releases next week! And did you know that I’m giving away free art to the first 100 people to preorder the book from the publisher? If you are among the first 100 to preorder Mari in the Margins, you will receive an original postcard sized “Mari sketch” with your order. Like this one:
Why an owl? Well, you’ll have to read the book to find out!
You can also preorder the Kindle edition here.
Here’s the Mari in the Margins book trailer, in case you missed it:
Poetic Forms Featured in the Book
Because Mari in the Margins is a novel in verse, I thought I’d write a little bit about the poetic forms I used in writing the book. Many novels in verse are written in free verse, and that is the case for much of Mari’s story. But Mari in the Margins includes ten different poetic forms throughout the book. In some instances, it’s because Mari is writing poetry as creative writing assignments, and in others it’s because I just like to mix things up a bit. So, if you read the book, you’ll find these forms of poetry:
Haiku
Free verse
Limerick
List
Riddle
Rhyming couplets
Dialogue (a conversation between two or more voices)
Concrete/shape
Prose poem (a poem that looks like prose, but utilizes poetic techniques and license)
Acrostic
Some examples (from the book and not):
Haiku (from the book)
Post-bedtime quiet. Mom sits reading on the couch. Approach with caution.
Limerick (NOT from the book)
There once was a boy, Billy Potter, Whose ice cream cone teetered and tottered. He moved much too quick When he gave it a lick! He needed an ice cream cone spotter.
Dialogue (from the book)
Saturday errands. I grumble. I groan. Can't I stay home just this once all alone? How about this? You and Suzie could stay. UGH. Never mind. She'd torment me all day! Abuelo is here. He'd help out if you... No. Forget that I asked. Okay, then. Let's go.
As you probably noticed, this dialogue poem is in rhyme. I’ve not seen very many novels in verse that utilize rhyming poems, but I couldn’t resist including them in this story, and not just when Mari is required to write something in rhyme for class. Because rhyme is important in Mari’s growth as a poet, it seemed fitting to write some of the narrative poems in rhyme. Plus, they’re so much fun to write!
Prose poem (NOT from the book):
Morning Appointment Going to the dentist is best first thing in the morning because it’s the worst part of your day. Hurray! You get to wake up, shake up, break your fast real fast and head out the door with a stomach full of cheerios and butterflies. The lies on repeat in your mind aren’t designed to bring calm to the chaos, but chaos to the calm. And they won’t quiet down, won’t shut up, won’t give up, even as you wring your sweaty hands on your lap, the gap of your open mouth vulnerable to hygienist’s whims.
I hope you enjoyed this sampling of the types of poems featured in Mari in the Margins. With the variety of poetic styles featured in the book, it’s sure to keep readers engaged in the story, and maybe open their minds to a world of poetic storytelling!
Your book sounds wonderful! Congratulations! As one who writes for younger children in a variety of poetic forms, I applaud what you are doing and look forward to reading the book.
Hope you are recovered. G-d made kids scrumptious but forgot to give grandparents an excess supply of adrenals.
Congrats on the release!