Do y’all know about WRITE OUT???
The National Writing Project’s annual Write Out is a free two-week celebration of writing, making, and sharing inspired by the great outdoors. This year’s Write Out theme is Poetry, Prose and Parks! and will run from October 8-22, 2023, including the National Day on Writing on October 20.
In 2016, for the National Park Service Centennial, the Academy of American Poets commissioned fifty poets to write poems about a park in each of the fifty states. Find your state’s poem here.
Take a peek at the schedule of activities that begin October 8th. It is chock-ful of opportunities to get outside and get writing – writing prompts from rangers, classroom activites across grade levels, and past years’ themes with a goldmine of resources for any writer.
I couldn’t resist… here’s my own ekphrastic park poem. Note the date stamp! We traveled to Cooperstown and upstate NY 20 years ago. This is what happens when people from the desert experience a real autumn.
Playing in the Park
No swings. No slides. No monkey bars.
No climbing rope. No make-believe cars.
My favorite park has none of these.
But, boy-oh-boy, does it have leaves!
photo & poem ©2023, Patricia J. Franz
It’s #PoetryFriday!
Want to know more? Click here.
Jama is back and hosting our Poetry Friday round-up! Please visit her here and then get outside and enjoy everyone’s poetry posts!
Patricia Franz is a kidlit writer and published poet. She believes children, dogs, and sourdough have a lot to teach us about life, joy, and wonder. She has raised two boys, four dogs, and holds a master’s degree in Theology with a focus on children’s spirituality. Patricia, her husband, her Bernese Mountain dog, Bonny, and her sourdough starter split their time between the Arizona desert and the Sierra Nevada mountains. 
The state-by-state National Park poetry is mind-altering and inspirational.
Thanks for the link to Write Out. I’ll be exploring the ideas and sharing the link, too.
I love that “blast from the past” fall poem. Oh, for more kids to share those simple joys with their families!
I love the joy of the moment captured in your picture! The sentiment of your poem is much appreciated.
Thanks for the heads up about Write Out! Looks interesting. Love your joyous poem!!
Thanks for the picture of your leafy celebration & poem, Patricia. What a sweet memory! And thanks for the “Write Out!” link. I will be gone in the middle of it but hope I can find time to participate some of the time.
Love your poem, Patricia! The repetition of “No” is effective. Such joy, too!
What a fun ekphrastic poem, Patricia!
There is NOTHING better than playing in leaves! I was lucky to grow up with two big maples in our yard!
So much fun! Thanks for telling us about WRITE-OUT. 💕 your poem!
I love the joy in your photo and in your poem!
Patricia, thanks for this sweet reminder about the Write Out this year. That photo of you and your family is precious! As is the poem about enjoying the leaves, especially for you desert-dwellers! Thanks for the links; I enjoyed reading some of the state’s poems about parks.
Oh, so many memories of playing in the leaves — with my siblings, and with my kids. Leaf-raking parties always ended in a good jump-and-scatter. 😀
Patricia, I am glad that you also shared this post. I must have missed this one in September. I did smile when I saw the frolicking in the leaves. I adore fall and all the scattered leaves.
So many early childhood memories wrapped up in jumping in leaves! I’m sad I missed some of the webinars they were doing. I knew about them (I’m a member of the National Writing Project and keep up with our local chapter happenings), but I just couldn’t squeeze them in.
Patricia – that photo is amazing. It should be a poster! Thank you for sharing it – and your poem, which is an excellent accompaniment.