I live in a poem...
Grand Park sponsored a Bookfest on March 28th 2015 in beautiful Downtown Los Angeles. There were a variety of vendors: Los Angeles Public Library, 826LA, Corner Stone Theatre Company, Red Hen Press, and most importantly Chiwan Choi and Writ Large Press who hired Reading Is Poetry to do book making. We were located near the Main stage where we had the privilege and absolute pleasure of listening to and meeting the Poet Laureate of Los Angeles Luis Rodriguez and Youth Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman.
Good thing we could listen while we worked because there was no rest in the sunlight for the weary Reading Is Poetry crew, A. K. and Kristi Toney. We were busy little book makers folding paper bags, cutting, pasting, and all the while remembering, practicing, and sharing the Anonymous Child Learning Poem:
I live in a poem
Every line is a window
When I speak you see many things
If you look closely,
You might find me inside
This was the verse slid into the pocket of every scrapbook. That little poem was the beginning for teaching every one how to read and write through poetry. The poem might be called Anonymous Child Learning Poem, but there were more adults at our tables looking for their inner-child while children were in line waiting for a turn.
Our table was a non-stop, can’t wait for someone to leave so you can participate booth. The impact of interest in poetry by scrapbook making influenced everyone to become engaged with self-esteem, self-efficacy, and more importantly self-expression. We even had a few who wrote several Haikus because they were happy they had learned how.
It was an amazing day. As the out lay of the day surpassed, it was beautiful to be amongst the authors and literati organizations.
We are humbled for the opportunity to share what we do with the denizens of Los Angeles. We give thanks to Chiwan Choi and Writ Large Press for recognizing skill and dedication and as always we are forever grateful to Christina Johnson and June Dlugatch for the donated scrapbook material.
