And the Winner Is!

The Poetry Contest Winner for the One and Only
"Build Myself a Winning Poem in Rochester, NY"

July Poetry Winner:

Corbett's Glen                                                                                                                                         


Gates McMahon (age: 13)                                                                                            

Penfield, NY

Corbett's Glen                                                                                   

The world is twisted, broken, and polluted above...
But, through the tunnel
nature remains.

Crystal clear water
and verdant green trees beckon.

Through the tunnel
Through the tunnel

Water cascades down craggy rocks
And the songs of birds harmonize with the bubbling creek.

Through the tunnel 
Through the tunnel

Wooded pathways lead the way
through nature's private world

Serenity and peace await…

Through the tunnel

(Joe’s Commentary)

You don't have to look very far for a winning poem. This Monthly Winner, Gates McMahon, wrote a poem for this site and the poetry contest: “Build Myself a Winning Poem in Rochester, NY.” Why did it win?

I picked "Corbett's Glen" as the winning poem because it gives me a feeling of peace and tranquility. I like all the word choices, especially "beckon," "craggy," "bubbling," and "crystal clear," and the alliteration in the poem such as "Water cascades down craggy rocks..." 

I was drawn right into the poem from the first verse on. And I did admit to the contest readers that I was partial to repetition. I do think that the repetition of "Through the tunnel" works in this poem. It encourages me to walk through the tunnel and see the beauty of the rippling water. We have a small pond in the back of our house, and this poem gives me a feeling of hope and home. The poem is well-done. I don't usually get excited about nature poems, but this one seemed to hit the mark. And it's definitely about the Rochester area with its own story to tell.

I hope you enjoyed it.

In the next three days I will add the three Honorable Mentions.

A special thanks goes to Debra Ross for inspiring this particular contest and covering it in her weekly newsletter and website at http://rochester.kidsoutandabout.com.

2010 Rochester Children's Book Festival

The 2010 Children’s Book Festival was a huge success, thanks to the organizers, volunteers, authors, illustrators, and the tremendous turnout—due  to the cold, wet weather on Saturday.  Children and adults were more than willing to meet authors and illustrators, get books signed by their favorite authors, and attend readings and workshops. It was priceless time spend inside.

I always have an excellent time at the festival. As a teen, I spent three baseball seasons in the Babe Ruth League, and I even made the All-Stars, but I never hit a homer over the fence. A friend of mine did who wasn’t as strong as I was. Right over the cyclone fence! When I am at the festival, if I look up at the right time and see the “jumbotron” with a large photo of me performing poetry, I feel as if I just hit a grandslam in the Babe Ruth League. It’s a small personal victory that brings me great pleasure. And I strive to inspire others with my poetry, and Monthly Poetry Contest for kids on my website.


Here's a more distant view of the screen on the far wall from the table I sat at...

Linda Sue Park Loves Poetry

Linda Sue Park was featured in the “Living” section of our Sunday newspaper, the “Democrat and Chronicle.” If you still have the paper, it’s worth saving. It’s interesting, informative, and very honest. What will you discover about her? Well, that of course depends on what you already know.

If you know very little about her, you should know that she was the winner of the 2002 Newbery Medal is Linda Sue Park for her book, A Single Shard, published by Clarion Books. Winning that award is like winning a Pulitzer Prize or an Academy Award. I put her in the same category as those winners: simply amazing people who are truly gifted.

A Single Shard is about life in a 12th-century Korean village where a twelve-year old boy, Tree-Ear, learns pottery and comes of age. I am not used to reading historic novels, but I enjoyed this thoroughly researched and lyrically written novel, full of suspense, hurdles, and fascinating imagery. It was a worthy choice for the Newbery Medal.

When I joined Rochester Area Children’s Writers and Illustrators, I met Linda Sue Park. She’s an active member of the group, and I wondered what she was really like. I had met other famous people like Jackie Robinson, Art Buckwald, Vincent Price, Bob Costas, Jean Fritz, Steven Kellogg, Buffalo Bob, and Hopalong Cassidy. (And I've written a poem about wanting to meet Charlie Rose that was featured during Poetry Month by poet Jayne Jaudon Ferrer on Your Daily Poem.) So, I hid my awe of her on first sight. It turns out that she is a highly professional writer and very helpful to the members of RACWI, and she loves poetry. Isn’t that how many prolific writers become interested in writing? I know Judy Blume did.

The first piece of writing Linda got published was a haiku in a children's magazine. At the time she was nine years old:
In the green forest 
A sparkling, bright blue pond hides. 
And animals drink. 
(Trailblazer magazine, Winter 1969)


She was paid a dollar for the poem. For Christmas, she gave the dollar to her father. Dad framed the check. Linda Sue Park has never outgrown her love for poetry. Even when she writes prose, it is very lyrical in nature.


In the newspaper, it says that Linda once met a boy named Daniel who read A Single Shard 62 times. 


Do I have a story like that?


I once saw a young lady circle all the tables at Rochester Children’s Book Festival for over an hour, and she could only buy one book. She bought Waiting to See the Principal and Other Poems. Now I write poetry with her in mind.


Check out Linda’s website at http://www.lindasuepark.com/.               

You won't be disappointed. It has a unique style, just like Linda Sue Park.