Anthologies 101

THINK POETRY – Summer 2023

A Skills-Based Program for Teachers and Librarians

Who should take Think Poetry?

We know that teachers and librarians who incorporate poetry into the curriculum need guidance in presenting this genre and in moving from reading poetry to helping children write poetry. Plus, many retired teachers and librarians and teaching authors are active in education as mentors, consultants, and substitutes—and our goal here is to promote more guided poetry writing in schools.

We are offering the Think Poetry workshop to:

—current educators;

—retired teachers and librarians;

—teaching authors (poets who work with schools).

Poets who have joined us before will also be welcome to register for Think Poetry.

What will be covered in Think Poetry?

The tentative format is somewhat different from Anthologies 401 in that the poem assignments will be skills-based. Our focus is on motivating poem writing PLUS providing guidance in how to incorporate various poetry writing skills, such as alliteration and metaphor, as well as poem elements such as rhyming and free verse poetry. There will still be black + white photos to inspire everyone—it will still be an ekphrastic project, with the finished book resembling WHAT IS A FRIEND? and WHAT IS A FAMILY?—but all participants will be invited to write poems that fit specific skills prompts, for example:

—Poem #1: a poem using rhyme;

—Poem #2: a poem using repetition;

—Poem #3: a poem with a strong rhythm;

—Poem #4: a poem using stanzas or specific structures (alignment, acrostic, etc.);

—Poem #5: a poem using metaphor or simile;

—Poem #6: a poem using alliteration;

—Poem #7: a list poem

—Poem #8: a mask poem or poem of address (using personification or dialogue)

—Poem #9: a syllabic form (haiku, tanka, cinquain, etc.)

—Poem #10: a free verse poem (with and without punctuation and capitalization)

—a surprise bonus poem!

Examples and instructional videos will be provided for all these techniques and forms. Participants will choose from these options as they compose original poems and they will receive ongoing feedback on all their writing. Our goal is for each participant to write a total of five poems (or more, if desired).

When will Think Poetry happen?

Registration opens on May 1st, 2023.

We're structuring things so that Think Poetry has a "soft start" and "soft end" with flexible at-your-own-pace writing schedules. We understand that school calendars are variable and some teachers are still in school through mid-June while others are already starting the new school year in early August. If someone wants to write all of their poems in mid-June, they can do that. Or if they need to wait and write all of their poems in mid-July, they can do that instead. In order for us to produce a book that will be published in September, we need to select all of the poems for the book by early August.

Note: we strive to have one poem by each workshop participant in our Think Poetry book (title TBD), but having a poem in the book is not guaranteed.

Are you accepting poems for the Think Poetry anthology from poets who are not registered in the program?

We have gathered approximately 100 names of poets who would like to be invited as guest poets for our book. We have been honored to draw from this list for our past several books, including poets such as Naomi Shihab Nye, Jack Prelutsky, Margarita Engle, Nikki Grimes, Linda Sue Park, and dozens more as guest poets.

In addition, we always invite alums of our Anthologies 101 course to submit poems. In late July we will send an invitation to alumni of our previous anthology poets to submit poems for consideration for a handful of spots in the book. There may be a total of 4 alum poems chosen in early August by the Think Poetry participants.

How do we register?

Registration for Think Poetry will open on May 1 and we will begin sending the program materials (videos, poem examples, etc.) at the end of May. Participants will engage in self-paced study June 1-30 and will be receiving feedback on their writing June 15-July 15 with publication planned for the end of August.

Registration Fees

$499 (includes a class set of 25 copies of our proposed poetry anthology)

Or $299 for the course (without a class set of 25 copies of our proposed poetry anthology)

If you are interested in registering, please send an email to info@pomelobooks.com AND please copy both janet@janetwong.com AND svardell@gmail.com.

Note: Registration in our Anthologies 101 course ($89; a watch-on-your-own video) is strongly recommended to put us all “on the same page” but is not required.

Frequently Asked Questions

Please reach out to us at info@pomelobooks.com if you'd like to register for a workshop!

When will you offer Anthologies 101?

You can take it anytime it's convenient for you! We offer an "at-your-own-pace" webinar format for Antho 101 — instead of the previous format of live Zoom sessions. For more details, please email us at info@pomelobooks.com.

When will you offer Anthologies 201 and 401?

For the moment we are no longer offering Anthologies 201.

Our most recent Anthologies 401 workshop has just ended. The next one may be offered in Fall 2023 with self-directed exercises, email feedback on poems, and one live Zoom session. If it is offered, the cost will be $299.

What are the offerings in Anthologies 301?

Anthologies 301 is an "at-your-own-pace" webinar. You can watch videos on GRAPHICS (creating digital postcards and images for social media), VIDEOS (creating promotional videos), and SWAG (creating promotional items such as stickers). The cost is $99.

Do you record these sessions?

Anthologies 101 and 301 are "at-your-own-pace" webinars that you can watch at your convenience.

For Anthologies 401 and Think Poetry, recorded videos are offered only as part of the course (not offered separately).

schedule at-a-glance

For 2023

Antho 101 *

An hour-long video recording for you to watch on your own.

* If you want to register for Antho 401, you must have taken Antho 101 first

Cost: $89

Antho 301

Three video recordings for you to watch on your own.

Topics covered: creating graphics, videos, and swag (stickers, postcards, mugs, etc.)

Cost: $99

Our Recent Antho 401 - A Sample Schedule

A four-part course on publishing an anthology for ages 8 and up

See the Antho 401 books WHAT IS A FRIEND? (published in October 2022) and WHAT IS A FAMILY? (published in March 2023) for a better idea of the project.

Part 1: a self-study video (at your own pace): Jan-Feb 2023

Part 2: self-paced writing and feedback: Feb 2023

Part 3: experience in evaluating and choosing poems: Feb 2023

Part 4: optional live Zoom in March 2023

Cost: $299

THINK POETRY

A skills-based course to be held in Summer 2023 for current and retired educators with a focus on poetry skills. We'll produce an anthology similar to WHAT IS A FRIEND?

Email us at info@pomelobooks.com to sign up!

Providing pre-K — grade 12 teachers with poetry across the curriculum

Let's THINK POETRY!

A Publishing Workshop for Poets

Anthologies 101

Janet and Sylvia set the tone for a safe and welcoming environment. The live Zoom sessions felt like meeting up with friends.

A Follow-Up Workshop on Writing and Publishing Poetry

Antho 301 + 401

THINK POETRY – Summer 2023

Frequently Asked Questions

schedule at-a-glance

For 2023

It was a revelation to be part of their Anthologies 101 and 201 classes and to watch how they encourage and guide poets in the creative process.