Benefits:
Students will read three poems by Erik DeLapp;be engaged in National Poetry Month (April); use critical reading skills and in-text support to discuss the form of the poems; compose their own non-traditional poems; have the option to submit their writing to YARN. [...]

Poetry is my dessert. When I crave a little something, a nibble, a sweet treat, I read poetry.  If the novel I just read was too salty, I’ll cleanse my palette with something light or humorous—Ogden Nash or Dorothy Parker. When I’ve completed a rigorous task, I’ll indulge myself with a few minutes of Mark [...]

Letters Between Ex-Lovers

–Dear ex-boyfriend, you are looking pale and weak. You don’t look nearly as good as when we were together. My friend agrees. I said to her, he doesn’t look as good as when he and I dated, does he? She said, oh no, oh boy, oh geez. Don’t take this the wrong way. Just take care of yourself [...]

photo © 2007 Michael Bertulat | more info (via: Wylio) One of my few talents in writing is the ability to create amazing cliffhangers. I can start a story with a strong main character, a sarcastic, humorous tone, and a mostly cliche plot. However, after two and a half pages, it stops. The story dies [...]

Actually–my title is sort of incorrect. Revision just makes me mad. Think about it. You work your butt off writing and writing. You finish a story. You feel good about it. Then, you have a moment when you realize that it’s not quite perfect…it could get better. Much better. (Perhaps you’ve already sent it somewhere [...]

Benefits:

Students will…read and discuss several blogs by YARN editors; compare and contrast blogs with regard to their purpose, tone, rhetorical strategies, and address of audience; compose their own blog, using what they have learned; become more active blog readers [...]

Note to teachers: This originally appeared as a blog post by our Poetry Editor, Colleen Oakley, and we immediately saw its potential for teachers.  It’s not a formal lesson plan, but the ideas in it will help teachers design short writing exercises in the lead-up to a bigger assignment.   Thanks, Colleen, for all this [...]

I’m a complete sucker for a good how-to book. I’ve been teaching writing for over 15 years now, and I have a den full of writing books, one for every genre, every writer’s block, every day of the week. Yet, lately, I’ve been coming up short. I’ve been browsing my bookshelves for writing exercises that [...]