Things Left Unsaid by Stephanie Hemphill

Hemphill, Stephanie. 2005. Things left unsaid : a novel in poems. New York: Hyperion. ISBN 9780786818501

In her debut novel, Hemphill tells the story of high-school junior Sarah, a model student and daughter, who begins to question her life and decisions.  When she is befriended by Robin, a rebellious classmate, Sarah is drawn to the danger and dark glamour of a new life so unlike her old one.  In the end, Robin's self-destructive lifestyle helps Sarah to realize the danger of blindly following, and she must begin to find her own identity.

The novel is told entirely in titled, free verse poems.  Many can stand alone with interest and meaning outside the context of the novel.  Sarah, as the speaker of all the poems, is honest and vulnerable in depicting her confusion and questioning of life.  The poems contain some narrative elements and dialogue, but many are simply descriptive of Sarah's actions and reactions to the events going on around her.  The language is vivid and descriptive, and the poems convey a strong rhythm.

Teens, especially girls, will be drawn to the clear writing and events and emotions depicted in the novel.  The characters are realistic and representative of several teenage archetypes.  The themes of identity, peer pressure, and friendship are especially relevant to teen audiences.  Hemphill does not shy away from sensitive topics, addressing eating disorders, suicide, alcoholism, and abusive parents with honesty and understanding.

This book was awarded the 2006 Myra Cohn Livingston Award for Excellence in Poetry by the Children's Literature Council of Southern California.

Feature poem:

Under This Skin

I itch,

not pathologically,

but like I'll feel great relief

if I untie my wool scarf

and let my neck bathe

in sunlight.

I'm ready to take

something off

shed the heavy layers.

In the novel, this poem describes Sarah coming out of a time of worry and depression after the attempted suicide of her friend.  She is coming to terms with her own sense of self and getting ready to start living her life on her own terms.  It is a pivotal point in the plot where readers see Sarah start to take control of her life.

With or without the context of the novel, this poems is evocative of throwing off old ways or feelings that weigh down or hold back.  The imagery lends itself to self-expression and new freedom.  This poem would be an excellent introduction to getting students to engage in personal or creative writing such as poetry.  Every year my library holds a teen poetry performance competition, and we try to share poems with them that will inspire them to find or write poems that express their emotions and that also inspire them to speak, read, or recite.  This would be an excellent poem to use an example or inspiration for that purpose.

Blue Lipstick: Concrete Poems by John Grandits

Grandits, John. 2007. Blue lipstick: concrete poems. New York: Clarion Books. ISBN 9780618568604

Concrete poems use the shape of the words and lines to convey meaning.  In Blue Lipstick, John Grandits revisits the characters from his earlier book Technically It's Not My Fault as well as the concrete poetry style to tell the story of fifteen-year-old Jessie.  The title poem on the book's cover introduces us to the cast of characters:  Jessie, her parents, her little brother Robert, and best friend Lisa.  We also get a glimpse into Jessie's personality as a girl who likes to be different and take risks.  These relationships and traits are further explored in the rest of the poems in the volume.  

Many of the meanings or themes are enhanced by the forms of the poems themselves, and the visual impact of the poems are as striking as the honest portrayal of teenage life.  Jessie, as the speaker of all the poems, is articulate and creative using figurative language and strong images to convey a wide range of emotions.

The wide range of topics with varying levels of seriousness and angst depict a realistic and relatable portrait of a teenage girl who is by turns angst-ridden, insecure, and insightful.  In her quest to be an individual, Jessie reveals that she is just like everyone else.  Teen readers, especially girls, will relate to the emotions and situations in the poems, and adult readers will also find themselves drawn to the collection.

The poems can mostly stand alone but are enhanced by the unified collection which is arranged in a rough chronology with some poems making references back to previous ones.  The relationships between Jessie and her parents and brother can especially be seen to develop across several poems.  The volume is book-ended by two versions of a poem called "The Wall" that describes the people who are on Jessie's side versus those who are on the opposing side of the wall.  The second version of this poem acknowledges that some people, once considered enemies, have come to Jessie's side of the wall.  

In this collection, Grandits uses his design background to give the poems shape and additional meaning.  The book received a starred review from School Library Journal as well a appearing on SLJ's Best Books of the Year list.  It is an ALA Notable Book and an ALA Quick Pick for Young Adults.  It won a Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Honor Award.

Featured poem: 

(The poem is written on black lines surrounding blocks of color in the manner of the art described in the painting.  There are no line breaks in the poem because of its design.)

Mondrian

Dad and I went to the Art Institute.

There was a show of work by Mondrian, and the guy totally rocks!

He did these paintings with just boxes and lines,

and he only used black and yellow and blue and red. 

I mean, he didn't mix his colors at all.

It was so simple and so elegant. 

I said, "I wish I could do that when I grow up--

make ultra-cool radical art."

Dad said, "It's not easy 

to be creative." 

And I thought to myself, "You wouldn't believe how creative

I have to be just to get through the day."

He said, "It's tough being an artist.

You've got to struggle for years.

People often misunderstand your work.

You've got to be thick-skinned because critics can be cruel.

You don't have any money.  And in many ways,

you're really alone."

And I said,

"It sounds like high school."

This poem would be a fun introduction into the art of Piet Mondrian.  After sharing the poem, students could explore his work through the Museum of Modern Art website (http://www.moma.org/collection/artist.php?artist_id=4057).  In an art class, students could also be encouraged to create their own paintings or art pieces showing the influence of Cubism.

Aside from the art connection, the comparison of an artist's life to that of a high school student could lead to a discussion of other occupations or life situations that might also correlate to aspects of teenage life.

The President's Stuck in the Bathtub: Poems about the Presidents by Susan Katz

Katz, Susan. 2012. The president's stuck in the bathtub: poems about the presidents. Ill. by Robert Neubecker. Boston: Clarion Books. ISBN 9780547182216

In forty-three poems, each President of the United States is acknowledged and celebrated for some distinct aspect of his life or presidency.  Although Grover Cleveland is counted as two Presidents because of his nonconsecutive term, he only gets one poem here.  Katz focuses on the more whimsical and lighthearted stories and characteristics of the nation's leaders and provides a few sentences accompanying each poem that give more information on the poem's topic.  The simple cartoonish illustrations by Neubecker add to the humor and playfulness of the poems.

Nearly all of the poems contain some sort of rhyme and occasional approximate rhyme.  Unusual word choices and figurative language also add to the impact of the poems.  One poem particularly that describes Warren G. Harding's alliterative oratory employs impressive alliteration very effectively.  Lincoln's poem, about his trademark stovepipe hat, is a concrete poem with the text set in the shape of the hat.

Many of the poems are narratives describing a particular event.  As this style of poetry has been found to be popular with students, this feature will make the overall book more appealing to young readers.  The variety of topics from Presidential nicknames, pets, and physical oddities to the more noteworthy achievements grants readers a glimpse into the lives of men who have played a fascinating part in American history.  The poems are informative in presenting an overall picture of the lives of the Presidents but also underline the humanity of the larger-than-life characters, allowing readers to find common ground with these famous men.

The poems are presented in chronological order by President, and Katz has maintained a consistent tone throughout, informing, sparking interest, and amusing through vivid and engaging language and careful selection of topics.  All the poems are new and original to this collection.  Each poem and accompanying facts and illustration get their own page or spread.  The table of contents provides access points by poem name as well as by President, and the book ends with a list of additional information about the Presidents including birth and death dates, a quotation, nickname, and one distinctive fact.

Featured poem:

Overdue Mail (Zachary Taylor, 1849-50)

The Whigs have nominated you

for president,

the letter sent

to Zachary Taylor said.

but the Whigs

mailed it

                  postage due.

Taylor didn't want to spend

ten cents,

so he refused that mail,

dispatched it

back to the dead

letter office.

                  There it sat.

After waiting 

for quite some time,

the Whigs decided to invest

a dime

for a second letter,

postage paid.

                  That worked better.

Taylor happily agreed

and led the Whigs

to victory,

the only man in either camp

who won

the presidency

                  by a stamp.

Before or after reading the poem, I might discuss methods of long distance communication with students:  phone calls, text messages, video chat, email, snail mail, etc. and how the avenues available today were not always accessible.  As so much communication is done through more immediate electronic means, the idea of sending a letter and waiting for a response may be new or unusual to students.

This poem could easily fit into a lesson about the historical time period of Taylor's life or the method of mail delivery in 19th century America, but I would probably use it in a writing lesson as a jumping off point to have students write their own letters to the President, a fun way to learn about the form and parts of a letter, addressing an envelope, and most importantly, not forgetting the stamp.