by Mary E. Cronin | Jan 30, 2026 | Cape Cod, Community connections, Poetry
When I lead a poetry workshop in an elementary classroom, I often read my poem “Firefighter Face,” and I share with students the steps I took to create this poem. “Firefighter Face” appears in the poetry anthology Amazing Faces (illustrated by Chris Soentpiet, from...
by Mary E. Cronin | Dec 12, 2025 | Cape Cod, Community connections, FDNY, Poetry, Teaching
So much has happened in the last few months, so here’s a recap! In June, I retired from full-time teaching. Yes, I miss my job as a Literacy Coach and my daily contact with students! But I love having more time for writing, and for… leading poetry workshops in local...
by Mary E. Cronin | Mar 21, 2025 | FDNY, Poetry
Writers often talk about the long road to publication. This is one of those stories, and it isn’t over yet! I started writing poems about firefighting after my father died in 2006. It was a grief project, a way to feel closer to him. And it helped. I was so proud of...
by Mary E. Cronin | Dec 22, 2023 | Poetry, Uncategorized
Last week I had the delight of leading a Poetry Friday lesson in a second-grade classroom. I used my poem “Skating with Dad,” featured on the wonderful poetry website Dirigible Balloon. After reading the chart together, we had fun using highlighter tape,...
by Mary E. Cronin | Nov 3, 2023 | Poetry
Inspired by the lively Poetry Friday community in the blog world, this year I decided to bring that magic into my work as a Literacy Coach in a K-3 school. Each Friday, I share a poem via email to our school community. Teachers can choose to share the poem on a...