Pick My Brain
Open to everyone for the first time!
Hi, Friend.
First, some gratitude: Thank you for bearing with me through the madness of this season. I haven’t been in this space as much as I would like to be, between releasing Dear Writer, going on book tour, working on my next two books (The People’s Project and A Suit or a Suitcase), single parenting through the beautiful chaos of spring soccer season, and just doing my best to balance my work life with my personal life.
Whew.
I’ve been spread too thin, honestly, but in the best way; all of these are things I relish doing and am privileged to get to do, but they also take time away from writing this newsletter. I’m sorry for that. I hope you’ll enjoy everything I’ve been working so hard at, when I can finally share it all with you!
If you’ve been a Dear Lifer for some time, you know that these “ask me (almost) anything” posts have been for supporting subscribers only. This time, as a thank-you for your patience with me during this busy time, and also a thank-you for all of the inspiration this space and community have given me for Dear Writer, I’m opening this post up to everyone.
As I’ve said before, the Q&A portion at the end of a reading or craft talk is often my favorite part of an event. My book tour for Dear Writer only confirmed this for me, as the conversations we had—both during the event itself and at the signing table afterwards—were thought-provoking and invigorating. I left those spaces buoyed and inspired, with new ideas to carry into my own writing and teaching.
As a reminder, I also want to reassure everyone that most of For Dear Life will always be free and accessible to all, and sharable with anyone, because that’s important to me. Some things will live behind a paywall, because, well, writing is how I support my family. Writing is work! Let’s honor it by reminding ourselves of that.
You can submit a question in the comments, and I’ll respond in upcoming posts. Need some writing advice? I’m here for it. Curious about something? Don’t be shy.
Thank you for supporting my work and making For Dear Life possible. It means a whole lot.
Now let’s talk!
Maggie
Dear Maggie,
I don’t have a question. I have a thank you. Thank you for sharing your heart. For publishing your words. Last week my college sophomore son called. He told me he had to memorize a poem, was presenting it to his poetry class (a class he wasn’t thrilled to take) and wanted to practice with me. “It’s called Good Bones mom”. I quietly smiled. Listened. And when he finished said “Maggie Smith right?” He couldn’t believe I knew it. It was a beautiful moment of connection. Your words. A bridge between us. Grateful.
Dear Ms. Smith,
Every year when I prepare to teach my fifth graders poetry, I feel a bit overwhelmed. My main goal is to help them fall in love with poetry. I have a handful of my favorite poems (both past and present) I read with them. I do want them to be able to understand how to analyze a bit for rhyme scheme, meter, theme, literary elements, etc. But I never want that to dominate my instruction because I really want my students to read a ton of poems to start to develop their own tastes.
If you were designing a poetry Masterclass for kids, what would you teach? Which poems would be essential to read and understand? How would you balance introducing poetry with interpreting poetry?
Thanks!