For Readers: Spring into lyrical writing

Spring is here, and forester Ethan Tapper reminds us it’s magic we should pay attention to—from buds visibly growing to birds nesting. He’s one of several authors I’ve been lucky to hear in person (the others were Lily Brooks-Dalton and Bianco Stone). They all spoke about the urgency of making art and the power of language.

I’ve been taking a class with Cordelia Jensen through Boyds Mills, and it’s been wonderful to be a student again, learning the craft of writing novels in verse. Poetry connects us with what makes us human.

Here are two books that ponder the role of poetry in our lives, one for adults and one for young readers:

What We Can Know by Ian McEwan. A fascinating book from the perspective of an academic, Tom, in the year 2119 (after the Inundation). Tom is an expert on the poet Blundy and he’s determined to find Blundy’s lost poem, “A Corona for Vivien.” McEwan provides biting commentary on our times (the Derangement) and everything recorded, but it’s the love stories (one in the past and one in the present) and the question of what happened to the poem that kept me turning the pages.

Truth Is by Hannah Sawyerr. This National Book Award finalist and novel-in-verse is about Truth Bangura and her complex relationship with her mother, her absent father, abortion, poetry, friendship, love, and second chances. I loved it, from the poetry craft to the affirmation that her body is hers. Truth is figuring out who she wants in her life, from her best friend who opposes abortion to her father who didn’t reach out until she was 18 to her ex-boyfriend who still wants to be friends. Powerful.

My next book Stifled received two lovely blurbs from authors Elly Swartz and Lisa Moore Ramée. I am so grateful for such kind words from two accomplished authors. I hope you’ll read their books and preorder your copy of Stifled now!

If you live near Maryland, I’ll be at the Gaithersburg Book Festival on May 16. My noon workshop — Notice, Ask, Listen: Be a Reporter to Improve Your Stories — will be geared for young people but useful for all ages!

Happy reading,

Jen

PS: Are you curious about the subplot on book banning in Stifled? I chat about that on Jan Milsuvich’s blog, Writer-Reader-Teacher.