NCTE24 is happening and I am beyond FOMO, friends;
I simply am missing out,
and it was my choice; I made my bed and now
I am lying in it, the same bed as always,
not an enormous one in a hotel in Boston,
perhaps with a good friend across the room,
painting amid the white sheets.
I'm here in my wee house
watching Bluesky blow up
with announcements of
panels and keynotes
signing and meetups
while Google Photos helpfully encourages me
to "revisit the moment,"
and I do, and I remember I chose this
instead of wincing at the cost, wondering what to pack,
getting to the airport, navigating the convention site,
and tolerating the overload of .... delight!
I will take delight in your delight, friends who attend,
from the comfort of my own home, and,
preparing in leisurely fashion
for the holiday of gratitude I will give gratitude for the many years I did attend, how I learned to decide that I could go as teacher or as poet but probably not as both in that compacted weekend of four days; for the many people I met, "famous" and not famous, doing the sacred work of passing the word; grat-itude for the conversations, for the simple immersion in the practice of literature, and maybe,
just maybe, I will reconsider my idea that NCTE
does not hold enough for me anymore and
plan to go next year after all because
this MO is FOrkin' painful!
******************
WHISPERshout Magazine has been on a little hiatus while I worked out some kinks in my attitude (sooo many kinks in my attitude, friends; discernment is not for sissies, as they say), but the Editorial We is BACK! Please enjoy work by kids ages 4-12 in this November issue full of
tiny ENORMOUS poems.
Thanking Ruth at There is no such thing as a God-forsaken town for hosting us today--she always brings warm wisdom and a worldly view to our community.
Oh I feel this. I love your banner. I always wish I could attend.
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness! All of the feelings, yes! I've got them, but at least I am going to see Molly! I am focusing on that now. My students tell me I'm popular when I talk about authors that I "know." And my "memories" on my phone are blowing up with all the rock star authors I've taken pictures with. I need to remember to send you some poems. My students are rocking them these days. I've just submitted a bundle to Rattle because Linda Baie reminded me to. This is a great community, even when it's only virtual.
ReplyDeleteThis is Heidi-classic poetry. I love how honest you are while artfully bringing in word play in a poem. You make ME miss NCTE and I've never been. What a way to capture a feeling that's yours but invites us into it. This is why you are one of my favorite poets.
ReplyDeleteI've never been to NCTE, so I don't even really know what I'm missing, but still, every year, I feel like I'm missing out. Your poem captures so much of that whole dreaded FOMO thing. I really enjoyed diving into this issue of WhisperShout and plan on sharing it with my students. You're an inspiration!
ReplyDeleteOh Heidi! You took the words right out of my mouth. I always loved my time at NCTE and even attended for a few years after I retired while I was still presenting. But lately I've felt too removed from it and I'm not sure why - there are still wonderful friends to hang with, new ideas to learn, new opportunities to write and enjoy the love of writing. You've inspired me to embrace with gratitude all my NCTE memories. Who knows - maybe I'll see you there next year!
ReplyDeleteOh, this is so good, Heidi. I've never been to NCTE, but you capture the chaos and delight of a conference, and the FOMO of missing a beloved one, perfectly.
ReplyDeleteLove this! Thanks for writing it and sharing
ReplyDeleteIs FOMO allowed if I've never been (am I even allowed to attend -- I'm not a teacher nor librarian --and am a banana-poet according to Tabatha's share this week)? I would just want to go mingle and be ga-ga over the folks who are passionate about putting literature and language into kids' lives. So so cool!
ReplyDeleteI second Patricia's question about FOMO and NCTE! As a teacher (non-formal), lover of books and words, but not a librarian, and a poet, I think I would love to go. Thanks for sharing your FOMO - it seems many of us have it too!
ReplyDelete