Another Writing Lesson from the Undead

Teaching at the Young Authors Academy this week provided interesting (a purposefully vague word open to interpretation) experiences. Along with a supervisory role for parts of the camp, I taught two classes: “Building Better Stories” and “Tales and Villains.” Yes, teenagers do sign up to go to summer writing camp, and no, I did not come up with the titles of the classes. Each morning we started in true Writing Project format with a scribble where I was able to begin flexing my writing muscles again. It’s been a refreshing change from writing a dissertation. (Still recovering.) Several authors came to present and talk to the students about writing. We had a great lineup: J. Scott Savage, Chris Crowe, Tess Hilmo, Ann Dee Ellis, and Hannah L. Clark. Matthew Kirby also came for an evening chat with the campers. Each brought their expertise and among other things, validated my own writing practices as well as writing strategies I promote in my regular classroom. 

One of my many takeaways is a revision tool—one that Chris Crowe shared during his presentation about micro-revision, a topic I spend quite a bit of time on with my own students. I had seen most of his presentation before at various workshops, but this one was new.

He had the students first write a word-ku, a deviation of a haiku. It is still a three line poem, but instead of counting syllables, you write five words on the first line, seven on the second, and five on the third. Words instead of syllables. He instructed them about the traditional content of haiku: nature. However, when I wrote my example, I couldn’t shake my previous experience writing haiku with Chris and the rest of my Writing Project fellows, and I composed a word-ku of a decomposing nature: zombies. What else when working with Dr. Crowe?

(taken from https://authorselectric.blogspot.com/2016/03/
the-book-that-wasnt-written-by-zombies.html)

none escape this rotting curse,

this infestation that enslaves my mind when

I write haiku—the undead

The next step, a revision strategy, was to take the word-ku, and without changing the content, turning it into a traditional haiku. Syllables instead of words.

the infestation

enslaves my mind, zombifies

my thoughts, my haiku

By forcing one format into another, you really have to think about what it is you want to say. Rules are there to help. It helped me look to tighten up this scrap of writing as well as a few other pieces I worked on during the week. I could go on about different ways to implement this small exercise, its benefits, the buy-in from the students, but I fear the brain activity might attract the undead hordes roaming the campus. I’ll leave it to you to figure it out how to make word-ku work for you.

Making Good Use of "Wasted" Time

I've been trying to caption and re-caption this photo I took of a haiku I scrawled on a napkin during a keynote address at a conference I attended this weekend. The address regarded motivating students in literary practices. And although the speech wasn't all that interesting per se, you see that I was motivated to write a little something...and I drew a little, too. That said, I still can't come up with anything clever. It just covers many topics I had been pondering--the haiku, not the napkin. That was of the cheap, paper variety, and not very absorbent at that.

This Year's Batch

I guess I suppose I should post the latest zombie haiku to ooze forth from my pen, although it wasn't the best year for these. Even worse than last year.  Oh, well. I actually finished these up at a CUWP retreat at Daniel's Summit. Despite the poor haiku, I love CUWP activities like this retreat, the Walk and Writes (like the one earlier this month at beautiful Bridal Veil Falls). They actually "fill my cup," to borrow from Dewitt Jones, and they drive me to finish my dissertation so I can spend more time writing about things I enjoy. Yes, I know that my dissertation is about the writing project, but that's another story. It's what I'll be doing instead of NaNoWriMo this year. Boo! Hiss! So, with that, here are three times seventeen syllables of undead poetry:

seventh period
need not fear the zombie attack
due to brain shortage

(It really was sad to try helping them write zombie haiku.)

unhealthy zombies
don't watch their cholesterol;
they feed with eyes closed

off-key zombies help
eliminate that crazy
song stuck in your head

(See, I told you it was a poor crop.)

...and one more from this weekend:

even zombies have
blood-sucking competition:
el chupacabras!

Shuffling through the National Day on Writing

The National Day on Writing has come and gone, and here at the end, I feel like a failure. Well, at least when it comes to trying something new, which is what I usually do this time of year. I though about doing something with this year's theme: writing you community, but it just didn't work for me today. Instead, I just introduced zombie poetry to this year's group. It was a different experience, though, as all my classes are ninth graders, and they've been around the annual SFJH Zombie Haiku Contest for three years. Usually I have an easy sell with 7th graders, but this time 'round it was more like reselling an idea to them that they had discarded two years ago. Most of them bought back in though.

Just a warning, I wasn't really feeling the undead flow today. However, I did eke out a few between all the empty brainwaves.

Here they are for your (dis)pleasure:

counting syllables

has left the zombie poet

without any brains

zombies volunteer

as tribute to get a spot

in the hunger games

cancer, like zombies,

eats your insides without

mercy or remorse

(for the girl who wanted to write kitty haiku instead of zombie haiku:)

munching on kittens

causes zombie snacker to
hack up excess hair

Hopefully I'll come up with something a tad more profound the next time I attempt to write.

Post-Valentine Poetry Contest

Recently, I entered a local poetry contest: Valentine Zombie Haiku. Some of you might also have entered Dr. Crowe's event. I haven't heard about the results, so I assume that I didn't win. However, I still want to share my entry.

one dozen long-stemmed
brains only cost zombie guy
an arm and a leg

Today I share this to start SFJH's second annual Valentine Poetry contest. This year the three categories include "serious" love poetry, vomitous valentines (so overly-sappy that it makes me want to puke), and (last year's most popular category) anti-valentine poetry.

So I issue my own challenge/contest to all who want to participate.

Submit your post-valentine poem  via the comment section on this blog or email (joeaveragewriter@gmail.com) and we'll have some sort of a prize. For those who might be concerned about dual submissions with the school contest, my students judge the school contest, and I'll judge this one. You can use the same poem if you wish. And before you ask, it does not have to include zombies either!

Let's set the deadline for Friday, February 28th (2014). Good luck. Go ahead. Try to make me barf!

I gotta go. My inbox is currently being inundated with bad valentine poetry. Better grab a bucket before I dive in.

It's That Time of Year Again!

Time for zombie haiku.  To kick off SFJH's 4th annual zombie haiku contest, I have penned ten new zombie haiku for your reading pleasure/disgust.  Please feel free to try your hand at this undead tradition by dropping a limb, I mean a line or three in the comments.

“let’s give her a hand”—

zombie’s attempt to find a

snack for his daughter

hand and foot in mouth

is a meal for young zombies

not another plague

watching The Walking

Dead reminds zombies of old

fam’ly videos

rude teenage rebel

learned painful lesson; she told

zombie, “Just bite me.”

zombie kids always

fight over the human prize

hiding in the box

philosophers turned

zombie are often tempted

to split their own skulls

refrigerated

remains are never as good

as fresh flesh served raw

intestinal tug-

of-war ends when zombies hit

the end of the line

when sunbathing near

zombies, be careful or else

more than skin might peel

the hunger games are

undeniably zombie’s

favorite pastime

Cherry Blossoms

I'm taking a break from supervising 7th graders in the computer lab, writing a research proposal, and watching Butler finish off Bucknell to write a few lines (literally) about cherry blossoms.  My friend and colleague Rillene posted an open invitation from NPR to submit a haiku about cherry blossoms.

I recall from when I lived in Japan the second time (December of '85 through December of '88), one of the main roads of the eastern side of the base was lined on both sides with cherry trees.  When you faced west, the pale pink springtime blossoms framed Mt. Fuji--just like a postcard.  I have written about these soft blossoms before...mostly in haiku...so I felt like I should crank out another...just for fun.  It's not my best work, but I needed a diversion for a few moments.

pink flurries bring hope

despite Winter’s frigid reign

of gray oppression

Whatever your experience with cherry blossoms, or any other promise of spring, I challenge you to write a short haiku and post it in the comments below.  Share your snapshot with the rest of cyberspace.  Maybe you should also post on the NPR Facebook page, too.  They accept submissions until the 22nd.