Writing is a solitary craft. But we also need the spark and alchemy of sharing with and learning from others. I’m right in the middle of a three-week poetry forms class led by poet Georgia Heard. I am learning wonderful techniques that will elevate my writing, but I’m...
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A fun poetry form: the Reverso
On this Poetry Friday, I made my first attempt at writing a reverso. Poet Marilyn Singer developed this form. She has written three books of reverso poems! This is her definition of the form: “A reverso is a poem with two halves. In a reverso, the second half...
Poetry Friday- Christmas Eve Wishes
A friend recently sent me a photo that was a throwback to 2004… the year my poetry was first published in an anthology. She had asked me for a signed copy and I’d sent her one. Mistletoe Madness, published by Blooming Tree Press, was chock full of poems and...
Poetry Friday- School People
The pandemic has shifted so much of life off of its axis, and schools are no exception. All of the typical conventions of school life have shifted, and as a former preschool, kindergarten, and special needs teacher, I think about the loss of relationships that the...
Poetry Friday- A Celebration of Nursery Rhymes
At my local community college, I teach a course called “Poetry in the Early Childhood Classroom.” Teachers of young children gather over poetry books, in real life or via Zoom, and we talk about how to best use poetry in a lively early literacy curriculum. One of my...
Radio Round Table on Diversity and Children’s Books
It was a delight to be part of a (remote) round-table discussion this week on WCAI-FM (the Cape and Islands NPR station) about children's literature and diversity. On “The Point” program hosted by Mindy Todd, I was joined by an educator from the Mashpee Wampanoag...
Signing with a Literary Agent
A ray of light in a pretty dark time-- that’s how I am feeling about signing with literary agent Lori Steel at Raven Quill Literary Agency. When Lori and I talked on Zoom, I could tell she was excited about my work. She said one of my picture books gave her...
Does Your Child’s Bookshelf Reflect the World?
One of the best things about my recent article in the Cape Cod Times about Black Lives Matter and children’s books is that I’ve heard from parents and educators who are inspired about making mindful book choices for the children in their lives. One delightful spark...
3 Poems by Mary E. Cronin: Remembrance
Three of my poems are featured on the YARN online journal today! YARN (Young Adult Review Network) features short fiction, creative essays, poetry, and author interviews. My initial contact with YARN was entering their annual poetry contest last year. The theme was...
Writing with Friends
Happiness is a deep session of coffee shop writing, with a friend or two nearby.