Stacey L. Joy of California is our host today for the second day of the November Open Write at www.ethicalela.com.
She inspires us to write 4×4 poems as we think about the world today. Looming in technicolor living on my horizon this week is the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Convention in Boston, which begins Thursday and lasts through the weekend. Ada Limon, our US Poet Laureate, will be speaking on Sunday, and many others will be speaking throughout the convention – Kate McKinnon and Bryan Stephenson to name a couple. As I think about the world today, NCTE is what is foremost on my mind. There’s a different air there – where I breathe best around readers and writers, where something I can’t detect seems to flood my veins and bring joy. And to top it all off, I’ll be joining meet-ups with many of my writing group friends from Slice of Life and Ethicalela in person, even presenting with one of the groups on one of our books that just launched in September. If you’re at NCTE this year, you can find me in Room 210A of the Boston Convention Center on Thursday, November 21 at 11:30.
Hope to see you there!
A 4 x 4 poem structure follows these four rules:
- 4 syllables in each line
- 4 lines in each stanza
- 4 stanzas
- Refrain repeated four times in lines 1, 2, 3, 4 of stanzas 1, 2, 3, 4.
NCTE
where shall we go?
NCTE!
where will it be?
Massachusetts
where can we breathe?
NCTE!
what do we need?
NCTE!
who will we see?
Ada Limon!
where will she speak?
NCTE!
where would we dwell?
NCTE!
who steals our hearts?
NCTE!
Common Threads 
This is the first time in 10 years that I have missed NCTE. Breathe in a little for me. Jeff and I will be in Portland, ME soaking up time away from the stress in our lives.
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Margaret, I sent you a text. I missed last year and know the feeling of wanting to be there in all the rich learning. Sarah posted a lovely Instagram reminder for 3 things to do if you aren’t planning to go, and it’s simply beautiful! Sometimes hitting the pause button is a breath of fresh air all its own! What better way to spend time than with your soul mate in Maine?
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I wish I could be at NCTE and meet you, Kim! Just not in the cards this year. Thank you for the list poem prompt yesterday. It inspired a whole post:
https://wordancerblog.com/2024/11/17/showing-up/
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Joanne, your post is absolutely inspiring – forty six years of showing up is heroic! It may not seem so, but for all you’ve shown up for, you are a true hero! Bless you!
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