If you’re anything like me, you are or have been intimidated by one or the other, or maybe even both: understanding poetry and using makerspaces. On Saturday, a panel of presenters–all picture book writers, poets, and educators–encouraged a room full of public librarians and school library teachers to work with lyrical picture books, novels in verse, and exploratory word play activities in their spaces to foster community connection through (drumroll, please!) poetry.
If we think of makerspaces as collaborative, physical workspaces where people come together to create and learn through hands-on experiences, some of us picture a dedicated room full of technical tools and equipment. An innovation center, my library calls it. But what about low-tech or no-tech makerspaces? The panelists encouraged us to be flexible when we think about our spaces and to implement poetry programming beyond National Poetry Month, celebrated in April.
(Images taken by A. Rogers wandering the Library Marketplace and at Poetry as Makerspace: Making Poetry Visible in Your Library Year-Round.)
Presenter Megan Litwin told us that poetry can be and is playful and fun. Yes, poetry may follow certain structures and convention, but we don’t need to follow these rules. So let’s think about youth programs where we can show and teach poetry as word play.
Suggested activities include creating a word collection using labels and sticking them to LEGO blocks, then stacking blocks of words to make meaning. Or make your word collection by writing on popsicle sticks and then arrange them in a specific order. Using these fun and accessible materials, you can build poems word by word. Neither activity requires a physical, dedicated space full of the latest technology. Find a corner of your library or classroom and create!
We were asked to think about what kinds of things you can make. I jotted down a list and then thought, why not turn it into my first poem?
What kinds of things can you make?
Always, a connection
Sometimes, a friend
When you need it, believe
No time to worry about
A mess
Alicia Rogers (she/her/hers) is the Tween Services Librarian at Worcester Public Library–the library’s first! She hosts programs and builds collections for children ages eight to twelve in the children’s center and provides reference and reader’s advisory service in the library’s teen room to ease patrons’ transition between the spaces. Through her work, she strives to build community among the tween patrons who are craving some independence. Alicia is a member of ALSC and the Notable Children’s Book Committee and reviews for Booklist, The Horn Book, Library Journal, and School Library Journal. She loves books of all kinds (can you tell?), so is most looking forward to meeting and hearing from authors at the conference.
Please note that as a guest post, the views expressed here do not represent the official position of ALA or ALSC.
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The post No Tech? No Problem: Poetry as Makerspace #alaac25 appeared first on ALSC Blog.
If you’re anything like me, you are or have been intimidated by one or the other, or maybe even both: understanding poetry and using makerspaces. On Saturday, a panel of presenters–all picture book writers, poets, and educators–encouraged a room full of public librarians and school library teachers to work with lyrical picture books, novels in verse, and exploratory word play activities in their spaces to foster community connection through (drumroll, please!) poetry. If we think of makerspaces as collaborative, physical workspaces where people come together to create and learn through hands-on experiences, some of us picture a dedicated room full of technical tools and equipment. An innovation center, my library calls it. But what about low-tech or no-tech makerspaces? The panelists encouraged us to be flexible when we think about our spaces and to implement poetry programming beyond National Poetry Month, celebrated in April. (Images taken by A. Rogers wandering…
The post No Tech? No Problem: Poetry as Makerspace #alaac25 appeared first on ALSC Blog. Read More
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