Falling Hard: 100 Love Poems by Teenagers - Poetry, Drama, Film and Response

1.  Franco, Betsy (ed.).  Falling Hard: 100 Love Poems by Teenagers.  Cambridge, Massachusetts:  Candlewick Press, 2008.

2.  Overview.  Poems collected by Betsy Franco from teenagers - both male and female - populate the pages of this collection.  Falling between the ages of 13 though 18, these poems cover the many moods of love, from funny to solemn, from lighthearted to deadly serious, from playful to heart broken.

3.  Critical Analysis.  This volume of poetry surprised me.  Perhaps because I'm older, when I think of "love poem" I think of descriptive words like sweet, happy, even suggestive.  But these poems express lots of raw emotion, and they don't just hint about sex.  The language is explicit in many of them; apparently they portray what teenagers are thinking about when they think "love poem."  VOYA  stated it nicely in their review: "its pages reveal tortured, timeless poetry, yearning hearts, broken spirits, and emotions on overload. Brutally honest, achingly tender, these glimpses of love through poetry are erotic, sibilant, and sexy."  My how times have changed in the last two generations.

From a poetic standpoint, the poems are varied in style.  Some rhyme, while some don't.  Some have a rhythm, while some don't.  Some have obvious meaning, while some don't.  If teachers and librarians are interested in a book of poetry that will appeal to both boys and girls, this could be the one.  However, it should be recommended with caution.  This could be one of those books that brings backlash in a conservative community, so school staff need to be prepared to answer questions about its inclusion on a library shelf or suggested reading list.  This one could bring out the censors.

A review from Booklist says it this way:  "The teen poets in this lively anthology knock greeting-card clichés even as they celebrate their romance and their passion . . . . Some of the simplest lines say the most: “I want you less than I thought I did. / And I love you more than I ever knew.” From the pain of breakup and denial to affection and desire, the feelings in these poems will ring true to gay and straight teens alike." 

Many poems show sophistication using techniques such as allusions to literature - "I am Poe's Lenore . . . Fitzgerald's Zelda . . . Homer's Muse";  or entertainment - "I enjoyed the confusion in your eyes / At my Monroe-meets-Hepburn dress";  or art - "Like a van Gogh in a museum, / It's look but don't / Touch."  Parallel structure strikes a chord in lines like "It was good / then it wasn't / He was nice / then he wasn't / I was okay / then I wasn't / We both loved / then we didn't."

Betsy Franco is a noted author who at the time Falling Hard was released, had published more than 80 books, including three previous anthologies.  I do not doubt that this volume would be a hit with teenagers while some of the adults in their lives may not be quite so enthusiastic.

Zombie Haiku - Poetry, Drama, Film and Response

1.  Mecum, Ryan.  Zombie Haiku.  Cincinnati, Ohio:  HOW Books, 2008.

2.  Overview.  The world is being taken over by zombies.  Contained within the pages of this book is the journal filled with haiku poems written by a newly converted zombie.  The zombie loses his arm to Chris, the last known human in the area, and clutched in his hand is a journal.  Chris begins writing in the journal, explaining the situation, and then finishing up with one final chilling haiku of his own.

3.  Critical Analysis.  What an interesting combination of reactions this little book holds for this middle-aged adult reader!  The poems themselves are really quite amazing.  That a whole story could be told in haiku (3 lines of 5 syllables, 7 syllables, 5 syllables respectively) is pretty unbelievable.  At first, I found myself counting syllables.  I suppose that is the English teacher in me.  And yes, I did find a mistake or two where the syllables weren't quite right.  But by the time I reached a fourth of the way into the book, the syllable counting was gone and I was focused on the story being told.  Apparently zombies have voracious appetites for fresh meat (as in human flesh), so most of the book tells the tale of the zombie's quest for food.  And this is where the mixed reactions come in.  This book is classified as humor, and I did find myself laughing as I simultaneously cringed.  Lines such as this

I can remember

good food that Mom used to make.

I bet Mom tastes good.



border somewhat on distasteful, until a few stanzas later I found

I loved my momma.

I eat her with my mouth closed,

how she would want it.

Then it really got almost too gross in its descriptions for me.  But I can sure imagine some of my high school boys eating this up (pun intended!).  It is definitely clever.  And no English teacher is going to try to analyze the heck out of this one.

Some additional characteristics of this book which add to the interest include gross zombie photos that appear to be taken with a polaroid and taped into the book.  Blood is splattered on many of the pages as the zombie has the book open to write his poems while feasting.  Some of the poems are written directly on the journal pages while some are typed or written on scraps of paper and taped in.  Older readers will realize they must suspend what is even possible in a zombie world when they are asked to believe that a zombie could write such brilliant haiku, let alone type some stanzas (where does the typewriter come from given that the zombie is traveling around looking for his next meal?) while taking pictures. 

The funniest part of all was getting to the end and discovering that Ryan Mecum is/was a youth pastor for a Presbyterian church in Cincinnati.  Somehow, that made perfect sense.  (I've worked with quite a few youth pastors in my time and they are definitely a crazy bunch of guys). 

If you "hunger" for more zombie haiku, take a tour of the website which includes zombie haikus sent in by other writers (check out the one sent by Billy Collins) and Mecum's own haikus mimicking what famous authors would have said had they written zombie haikus.  Fun!
http://zombiehaiku.com/

Interestingly, criticism of this book from recognizable sources that I often quote (Booklist, School Library Journal, Publishers Weekly) are not to be found.  However, fans of everything zombie had plenty to say:

"Simply one of the best zombie reads of the year... If you have a taste for horror, this quirky little book is for you. But if you're a zombie fiend like myself, you should make it your single minded goal to seek out this book and digest then savor it." -- Mark. L Miller, Ain't It Cool News


"Ryan Mecum obviously knows his zombie films well, and his book tells a gory, violent story that will warm the veins of Romero fans." -- Rue Morgue Magazine

"A thoroughly unique and entertaining experience. Ryan Mecum has quite possibly found the only corner of entertainment not yet infected by the zombie plague--haiku--and made me wonder why it took this long, as the two seem to go together like zombies and brains. I highly recommend it to fans of all things zombie." -- Robert Kirkman, author of The Walking Dead and Marvel Zombies

"The most inventive zombie book in years!" -- David Wellington, author of Monster Island

Heart to Heart: New Poems Inspired by Twentieth-Century American Art - Poetry, Drama, Film and Response

1.  Greenberg, Jan (ed.).  Heart to Heart: New Poems Inspired by Twentieth-Century American Art.  New York:  Henry N. Abrams, 2001.

2.  Overview.  Heart to Heart is a book of poems and art.  The poems were written by well-know poets, many of whom write for "young readers" and were inspired by famous works of American art, from paintings to sculpture to photographs.  Printed in pairs with the work of art on one page and the poem on the facing page, both poetry and art come alive in this volume.

3.  Critical Analysis.  Poetry is seeing a revival among young people.  Given the efforts of such poets as Robert Pinsky and Billy Collins, both U.S. Poet Laureates who began projects to bring poetry into schools, more and more young people are being exposed to quality poetry that is modern and engaging in addition to the classics that have traditionally dominated the English classroom.  This book continues the move by bringing quality art and poetry together into one place.  Called "ekphrasis" which is writing that is based on a work of art, these poems began with the art which inspired the words.  The poems cover a wide range of tones including humorous, reflective, sad, and playful.  While some poems are more challenging than others,  I would venture to say that most middle and high school students would find poems they would admit they like.  The art helps to support the meaning found in the words, so readers who believe they do not like poetry may find that the art helps them to construct meaning from the words more easily.

Older students who learned to love the verses of Jack Prelutsky and Shel Silverstein in elementary school should be able to move to these more advanced poems with ease (assuming a misdirected English teacher doesn't use them for traditional analysis and explication, killing the joy of reading them before it has even had a chance to begin).  Perhaps because I'm an art museum junkie along with being a relatively recent convert to poetry, I label this volume as one of the best poetry books in my collection.  It will introduce students to both great artists - both visual and verbal. 

School Library Journal agrees.  "Each work of art is impeccably reproduced, the color and design are exceptional, and each poem is given room on the page to breathe. The art glows, the words reflect the images and create more light....If a picture book is defined as a marriage of word and art, then Heart to Heart is not only a wonderful poetry collection, but also a picture book of the highest quality."  The poems are grouped into four categories that are thoroughly explained in a well-written introduction by Greenberg:

• STORIES - poems that recall a memory or relate an anecdote
• VOICES - poems that assume the voice of the object or person depicted in the art
• IMPRESSIONS - poems that examine the elements of the artwork and present word pictures of what is contained there
• EXPRESSIONS - poems that explore aspects of the art and the artist

Other helpful features of this book include "Biographical Notes on Poets" and "Biographical Notes on Artists."  Each piece of art is captioned with the title of the work, the year and the medium.  Photographic credit for each art piece and poetry credits for each poem are printed at the end.

4.  Additional Resources

I created a book trailer for this book to be used during Teen Read Week.  This link should get you to the YouTube video.

Heart to Heart  Book Trailer
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twzZ4_llRJQ

readwritethink - a site created by the joint efforts of the International Reading Association and the National Council of Teachers of English have a lesson plan for high school students on ekphrasis that includes Heart to Heart.

readwritethink lesson plan
http://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/ekphrasis-using-inspire-poetry-1093.html?tab=1#tabs