Mr. S. rocks

Last spring I attended a poetry workshop at the Highlights Foundation facility in Honesdale, PA led by David Harrison.  It was a great group of people which included an unassuming but very talented poet and special ed teacher from Phoenix, Ken Slesarik.(As you might imagine, I have particular respect for those who manage to teach full-time and write anything at all!)

Like many of us, Ken participated in the March Madness Poetry Tournament.  His first-round word was "thermal," and here's what he made of it...

Commander Thomas
by Ken Slesarik

I, Lieutenant Cornwall Thomas,
battle tested, make this promise;
although tantamount to treason
goin’ commando’s out of season,
so I’ll wear my thermal underwear,
concealing ample derrière
from botched cosmetic surgery
and Botox on the buttocks.

Funny, right?  But I'm not sure how middle-grade-friendly that is...so let's just test it out on Duncan, age 9.5.  Before showing him Ken's poem, I ask:  "Duncan, do you know what Botox is?"

Duncan:  Y-e-e-es...(*mischievous glint*) Well, there's BUTTOCKS (heh heh), which is your behind, and then there's BOTOX, which is a kind of plastic surgery for your face.  But I guess you could get BOTOX (heh heh heh) for your BUTTOCKS (heh heh heh), and then your butt would be less wrinkly and saggy.

Okay, then!  Perfectly middle-grade-friendly!

So, I was in Phoenix just last week and caught up with Ken, who was flying high, for very good reason.  He had just uploaded an e-book called Poetry Rocks, which both highlights his efforts to promote poetry at Esperanza Elementary School and raises funds for more poetry activities there.  Esperanza is a small Title I school, and thanks to Mr. S. now has its own Poetry Rocks Poetry Club for 3rd-6th graders.

Here's some of Ken's commentary on the project.

"In April of 2011, I came across an article by children’s author Janet Wong talking about the possibilities of e-book publishing in regards to children’s poetry. I was especially impressed by her enthusiasm for promoting the genre and it got me thinking about how I could promote poetry at my small, Title 1 school. After giving it some thought, I drafted a proposal for an after school poetry club to encourage students to write with the eventual goal of publishing an e-book. The profits from this fundraiser would be used to promote poetry in our school. My principal, Denise McGloughlin has been very supportive throughout this project and we hope to continue and refine the process in the next year(s)."

It's nothing fancy, the Esperanza Elementary poetry anthology (although the cover is certainly eye-catching), but it represents a phenomenal amount of work on Ken's part as well as a nice glimpse into the kind of poetry work that's going on, especially this month, in classrooms and schools all over the U.S.  Here are a couple of my favorites from the collection.

Horse Apples
by Hannah Jensen

Horse he likes the food
“mmm” he said.
He ate an apple big and crunchy.

Horse he likes the food
"yum” he said.
He ate a carrot big and crunchy.

Horse he likes the food
“gulp” he said.
He ate a third grader big and crunchy!

Flowers
by Nathan Bruun

Flowers on the ground
Flowers all around
Five daisies from me
Five roses from my brother
Five daffodils from my sister
A beautiful bouquet for mom to say
Happy Mother's Day!

David Harrison and Ken himself also contributed a poem, and if I'm not mistaken, a few other teachers as well.  (This could be Ken's greatest success--getting teachers to write along with their students!)  Ken's forte as a writer is his way with meter and rhyme (think Ogden Nash), and it shows up in some of the kids' work too:

Late!
by Kyra Larson

Ashley got out of bed,
she looked at the clock and said,
“Eee, I’m late! Oh dread!”
She rushed to school and her teacher said,
“Is that toothpaste on your head?”

To his credit, Ken included all the poems submitted, not just the "good" ones, giving even the least experienced readers and writers a chance to feel the thrill of publication and an incentive to continue their poetry explorations.  That means there are some clunkers, for sure, but they're charming clunkers and a regular part of the poetry landscape that we teachers and visiting authors inhabit.

I'm just so impressed by "Mr. S." and his energy and optimism, and I'm putting my money where my mouth is--I've downloaded Poetry Rocks not once but twice for use on different platforms.  I encourage you to buy your own copy and to support poetry at Esperanza too--in Ken's capable hands, your little $3.99 can add to a world of difference at one ready-to-rise school!

Poetry Friday is at Booktalking with Anastasia.  Spread the word!