Poet Elizabeth Steinglass Offers Middle School Workshop

4/13/2017

Lowell parent and poet Elizabeth Steinglass shared her talent with Middle School students during a workshop on Wednesday. Organized by Middle School Librarian Melissa Hill, the workshop provided a chance for students to experiment with poetry outside of the classroom in recognition of National Poetry Month. "She's amazing, a really disciplined writer," says Melissa. This opportunity for our students was one-of-a-kind, and the workshop was a positive experience for the students who attended. “I’ve never actually written a poem—I showed my teacher, and she put it on her wall,” one student said. "I really want to know more about how Liz became a writer and about why she writes," said another. And, an 8th grader who missed the workshop because of an appointment exclaimed, "You HAVE to tell me if she's coming again!"

Here, in her own words, Liz talks about her love of poetry and how to enjoy poetry with children:

I have always loved words, and I have always processed my experiences by putting them into words. I think in images and moments more than stories. Thus, I'm a poet. I think of myself as a children's poet. I prefer writing about topics for kids in a kid-friendly way. I think in many ways I'm still a kid on the inside. I find wonder in the same things many kids do. I stop to follow ants on the sidewalk, and I walk in the gutter so I can crunch autumn leaves. I love pinwheels and pumpkins and dandelion seeds. I think of reading poetry as an experience, not a puzzle to solve, or something to figure out.

I think parents and kids should read poetry together…They should share what they like about a poem, what draws them to it, where they find the pleasure, perhaps in a sound or a word or a surprise or a way of looking at something or a connection they have with the poem. They can also share the parts that stump them or puzzle them. They can mull them over, turn them over in their minds, the way you might turn over an interesting shell, but there's no need to feel frustrated that you haven't found the right answer because there is no right answer. You don't have to like every poem or every kind of poem to like poetry. Keep searching until you find a poem you do like and start there.

Looking for the perfect poetry book for Middle School students? Contact Melissa Hill mhill@lowellschool.org for suggestions available in the Berkeley Library.

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Poet Elizabeth Steinglass Offers Middle School Workshop