Alliterative Haiku by Calvin

Perhaps it's an indication of deep levels of immaturity, but I (truly, madly, deeply) love Calvin and Hobbes. Calvin is such a perfect combination of endearing and annoying, and a little too smart and imaginative to have an easy life ahead of him.

I have never been able to pick a favorite strip, but I am partial to the snowmen series. I found this page where the comics inspired some real-life snowman mayhem based on Calvin's outdoor antics. Hilarious.

What could be better than homicidal snowmen and snow shark attacks? Well, how about this Calvin and Hobbes haiku that shows some love to the letter t. What's not to love about a meeting of the minds that includes Calvin, haiku, and alliteration? Enjoy.

Sarah Kay and an inspiring TED Talk on spoken word poetry

I'm busily stockpiling resources to enrich my teaching once I'm back in the classroom again. This TED Talk by Sarah Kay starts with her poem "B." The poem itself is marvelous and very much what I try to pass on to my students. She goes on to talk about her empowering early experiences at New York City's Bowery Poetry Club and her work with Project V.O.I.C.E. She ends with the performance of another poem, "Hiroshima." Inspiring!

RIP Jamey Rodemeyer

Yet another gay teenager has taken his own life after being mercilessly bullied by classmates. We all know that being a teenager is difficult. How many of us can imagine how much more difficult it is to be an LGBT teenager, isolated and at the mercy of the cruel and ignorant?

In many ways, Jamey was lucky. His parents loved him and he could rely on his close friends to accept and care for him. He wasn't completely alone and marginalized as are so many teens coming to terms with their sexual identities. Nonetheless, he is dead.

The fact is, we are born the way we are born. Why should someone have to suffer and die because of who they love? I believe that the world needs more love, whatever form that love takes. I dare you to look into Jamey Rodemeyer's face and listen to his words of love and encouragement in his "It Gets Better" video and to remain unmoved.

Jamey Rodemeyer

Here are some links for more information and support:

GLSEN
It Gets Better Project
The Trevor Project

For Those With Vaginas

As the economy stagnates, the GOP continues its assault on women's heath. The GOP-controlled House refuses to even bring the jobs bill up for debate because it is too busy proposing legislation that will make it legal for hospitals to refuse to perform abortions.

Of course, this goes hand in hand with ridiculously ineffective abstinence-only sex education and attempts to restrict access to birth control. It is my personal opinion that sometimes abortions are necessary and that women, along with their families and their doctors, should have the freedom to choose for themselves. Abortion is a personal, moral decision, not a legal one. If you don't believe in abortion, DON'T HAVE ONE! Rather than spending so much time and energy on sneaky ways to make abortions unavailable, perhaps we should focus that energy on educating people who are (or will be) sexually active to make informed decisions about their personal health and safety. While it's true that the only way to be 100% safe from unplanned pregnancy and STI's is to not engage in sexual activity, that is just not a realistic solution for a large majority of people. If so many Catholic priests can't keep it in their pants, what hope is there for your average horny teenager?

I'm including a couple of videos that address this issue and have inspired me to get involved in some political activism to advocate for women's sexual health. The first video is from the Rachel Maddow Show and features several congresswomen and men speaking out against the GOP's attack on women. The second video is from Second City and is a satirical response to GOP plans to cut funding for Planned Parenthood. "Vagina havers: Does your sexual partner support vaginas? If not, tell him how he can go get f@*ked. Alone."

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Angry Management by Chris Crutcher, challenged in South Carolina

I just ran across a story about the most recent attempt to ban a book written by one of my favorite YA authors, Chris Crutcher.

The challenge to Angry Management comes from a parent in South Carolina, who, after reading 24 pages, decided that the book was unfit for his 14 year old son (and every child in the Kershaw County School District) because of "language." The parent, Douglas Berry, used Facebook to harangue the district's superintendent to remove the book from the summer reading list, as well as from the district's library shelves. The book seems to have been removed, perhaps pending a resolution, and then replaced once a committee was able to meet and discuss the challenge. It bothers me that that the district, at least initially, caved in so willingly and put the needs of one vocal complainer above the needs of everyone else.

As much as I do not agree with Mr. Berry, we live in a country where he has every right to not like this book, read this book, or buy this book. The school's summer reading list had at least 39 other books for his son to choose from. Surely, at least one of those would have been appropriate summer reading. He also is well within his rights to forbid his son from reading this book. Although I suspect that his son, along with many people who had never heard of Angry Management or Chris Crutcher before, has already read it, if only to find out what all of the fuss is about. It's certainly been moved to the top of my TBR pile.

The following is an excerpt from the letter that Chris Crutcher wrote to the students of Kershaw County in response to the challenge:

"Listen, if you pick up a copy of Angry Management and read the first twenty-four pages, as Douglas Berry says he did, and you don’t like it, put it down. The right to read also includes the right not to read. But remember it’s your right, not anyone else’s. If your education doesn’t challenge you, doesn’t take you out of your comfort zone and even scare you a little, you are being cheated."

So here's my suggestion. Go buy or borrow a copy of this book, read it, and start a conversation. Challenge ignorance and think for yourself.

Lucy's New Blog

Apparently, my cat is blogging now, too. I suppose there are worse things she could be doing when I'm not looking.

Turning Classic Literature into Artwork

Now a thousand words (and more) can MAKE a picture. Postertext.com uses the words from classic literature to create posters that represent each book. So far, choices are limited, but what a great idea!

Now Wuthering Heights (and other books) can grace your walls. Check out the link to see all of the available posters:

Wuthering Heights poster | Book posters for reading enthusiasts - Postertext