You can read my post here. Just so you know, pretty soon all of our new content will be over at A(nother) Year of Reading. But no worries. All of the archives will remain here ..read more

 Three tries, three very different poems. life was art no order perplexing harmonies I was left feeling dizzy the thing was I had imagined something not  as  unpredictable and bumpy the poetry is timeless who questions this? no one How much is "enough time?" We hope for enough time, knowing there is never enough time. Except, maybe, in poems -- in writing them and reading them,  far inside them where we lose account of minutes.  Except, maybe, in photographs,  where time sleeps but doesn't close its eyes. Back in 2012, I subscribed for a year ..read more

  image via Unsplash Now That Juneteenth is a National Holiday We pause in honor of Liberty, Hope, and Resiliency. We pause with clear-eyed acknowledgement of slavery's role in building the economic foundation of our country We pause to consider a better way forward for our not always glorious national history We must not co-opt this celebration with white commercialism We must not let this celebration undermine the right to protest We must not allow this celebration to eliminate the ongoing work of justice ©Mary Lee Hahn, 2021 (draft) As I read through different ver ..read more

Texts for this Text Set have been posted daily on Instagram.  Follow @TextSets there to get daily updates!   Summer is a great time to catch up on reading new books. I always use this time to think about which new books might be must-haves for the classroom. This week I'm sharing some new middle grade novels that might make good read alouds, great choices for book clubs and great additions to classroom libraries. These are some of my favorite new middle grade must-reads! Starfish by Lisa Fipps Quintessence by Jess Redman When You Trap a Tiger by Tae Keller The Sea in Winter b ..read more

Learning Arabic is more than just driving on the left in England. It's driving on the left with no cognates on the map, an alphabet consisting of small bits of flowering vine, and luckily a lay-by where you abandon the car and the map taking a path instead walking like a botanist, field guide in hand, poring over every blossom, every curving leaf, breathless when you begin to find meaning in this brand new ancient world. ©Mary Lee Hahn, 2021 Yes, I'm learning Arabic with the DuoLingo app. Why? Because it's beautiful, it's hard, and my friend speaks it.  I didn't think this would ..read more

It's that time again. Six months have passed since last we queued up to host the Poetry Friday roundups. If you'd like to host a roundup between July and December 2021, leave your choice(s) of date(s) in the comments. I'll update regularly to make it easier to see which dates have been claimed. What is the Poetry Friday roundup? A gathering of links to posts featuring original or shared poems, or reviews of poetry books. A carnival of poetry posts. Here is an explanation that Rene LaTulippe shared on her blog, No Water River, and here is an article Susan Thomsen wrote for the Poe ..read more

  Hair Twins by Raakhee Mirchandani illustrated by Holly Hatam Little, Brown and Company, 2021 review copy provided by the publisher (thanks!) FIRST THE PICTURE BOOK From the author's note: "This story is a window into my family and our tradition, one that started over five hundred years ago in Punjab and that we are proud to maintain and make our own here in America." This is also a story about love -- the love of a father and daughter that centers around hair and culture, ancient traditions and insider jokes ("hair cheers" and "hip cheers"). For readers looking in through the window ..read more

  image via Unsplash Ways to Reappear In the dawn Down a path Through tall pines Come to With a grin In a flash Down to earth In a spotlight In a shadow Without a plan Without speaking On your porch On your threshold In the garden In the pool In a library In the corner In the background Come out On a limb At a moment's notice In envelopes In secret Without words Without a doubt Seeking identity Through dense fog Down this path In the dawn ©Mary Lee Hahn, 2021  after Ways to Disappear by Camille Rankine "Ways to Disappear" was the Poem a Day from Poets.org on Wednesday ..read more

Texts for this Text Set have been posted daily on Instagram.  Follow @TextSets there to get daily updates!    This week, I'll be sharing some professional books I am excited to dig into this summer. It's been such a great year for professional books and I am looking forward to time in the summer to really spend time with some of the newest professional books I've discovered. Summer is such a great time to relax, refresh and renew our teaching energy.  Professional books always help me with that and summer is my favorite time to dig into these.  I read En Comuni ..read more

Dear Poetry Friday Peeps, I feel like there has been a wrinkle in time, and I am right back where I was last week.  A week ago, I had completed a rigorous day-by-day to-do list that culminated in packing for a weekend away at a Casting for Recovery alumni reunion. On Thursday evening, I ignored Franki's "How are you feeling?" text and crashed. I will finish my Poetry Friday post in the morning, I told myself.  But you all had other plans for Friday, didn't you? ? ? There are no words to describe what the gift of your words means to me. I've said "Gobsmacked" on more than on ..read more