Greeting, Poetry Fridayers! We have so many very organized, very inspired people in our community, and I've had the good fortune and the pleasure of participating in many of their anthology projects over the years. The latest is Bridget Magee's TWO TRUTHS AND A FIB POETRY ANTHOLOGY: A Poetic Introduction to 30 Subjects with a Twist.
I'm joined in this volume by many of you who are reading, and isn't it fun to see the wide range of subjects we addressed in our sets of 3 poems? And of course, the Fib poem form was created by a former frequent Poetry Friday friend, Greg Pincus (hey, Greg, we miss you!).
The poets in the book have addressed quite a few animals, from opossums to owl (with quite a lot of minibeasts included), places from flower gardens to libraries, and people from Vermeer to Greta Thunberg, mine.
I'll admit that as a diehard truth-teller myself I struggled a bit with writing a fib about a real true person, but in my Fib about Greta I enjoyed quoting the naysayers who tried to convince us that one youthful, extraordinary voice could wield no power. And of course Greta herself has said that if she were not a person with Asperger's Syndrome, she "would have been stuck in this social game everyone else seems so infatuated with,” instead of telling hard truths about how much wealthy nations will need to give up to significantly cut carbon emissions. (Read the really interesting article linked above on neurodiversity and social activism.)
To read the other TRUE poem about Greta, plus groups of 3 poems about bubbles (Margaret Simon), snakes (Molly Hogan), and kindergarten (Carol Varsalona) and many more, you'll have to get your hands on a copy of this cool anthology. And you'll learn fun facts (and fibs) about all the poets along the way!
Thank you, Bridget, for gathering us together in this way! Our host on this Friday the 13th is Susan Thomsen of Chicken Spaghetti, and we thank her for gathering us in the other way!
I enjoyed reading your poems about Greta, Heidi. Thanks for sharing them here. I'm also very proud to be part of this book with so many wonderful Poetry Friday friends.This is truly a very welcoming, inspirational, and encouraging community.
ReplyDeleteOh, the contrast between your two poems! It's a good thing "Greta saw what we didn't want to see," and I'm glad your fib is not true, no matter what the naysayers tell us.
ReplyDeleteSo interesting: Greta herself has said that if she were not a person with Asperger's Syndrome, she "would have been stuck in this social game everyone else seems so infatuated with,” instead of telling hard truths. I'm mulling that over! Congrats on inclusion in the anthology!
ReplyDeleteCongrats on publication! This anthology looks really fun, and I hope to read it soon. Remember when Greg's Fibonacci poems made the New York Times? That was a hoot.
ReplyDeleteO, give me more of Speak-Truth-to-Power GT's Truths. Congrats! to all those collected together, especially you & your poem goodness & for spreading the word.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations, Heidi, & for following your climate work even in this anthology. I guess the naysayers are now up at arms about gas stoves - gotta laugh before we cry - fowl!
ReplyDeleteYou for me hooked, Heidi! I'll order a copy! Thanks! As an environmental educator, I know we are not supposed to tell people what to think or do but I wish we all would be more solution oriented instead of just pointing out the problems. Thanks, however, for the awareness you create!
ReplyDeleteYes! It's hard for me to play this game--the fibs are hard to come up with. Maybe we need some more fib practice? I love how you are a climate poet.
ReplyDeleteI LOVE these. Okay, I give in. Just ordered a copy :>)
ReplyDeleteI'm looking forward to reading all the poems. All these sneak peaks are so tantalizing. I love what you did with the fib poem and quoting the naysayers.
ReplyDeleteI need to dig in and read the entire anthology! Shame on me for letting it sit on the end table this long!!!
ReplyDeleteKeep on speaking out, Heidi - one word - or three poems - at a time! Cannot wait to read the rest of them!
ReplyDeleteHeidi, this weekend's events (one-year-old birthday party and a crazy virus) interrupted my relax-time reading PF blogs. I am grateful to you for mentioning me in your blog. I have not had time to really explore Bridget's book yet but thanks for alerting me to your poems. I love that you wrote about a topic dear to your heart. The fib poem is filled with naysayer comments but we know that Greta is an amazing young spokesperson. May you continue your journey as an environmentalist.
ReplyDeleteHeidi, I love how you created your Fib poem and your use of the word "ire" in Truth #1. I haven't had time to dig into my copy yet, but I'm enjoying all the sneak peeks. There's such an amazing range within this anthology!
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