NPM ’26 ♦ Sing On, O Mighty Pen
In 2007, my friend Sarah and I saw artist, author, puppet maker, and all-round personified avatar of art Yuyi Morales in San Francisco. (It was at Alma Flor Ada’s Reading the World conference, a single day event put on by the International & Multicultural Education Department of the University of San Francisco from about 1998 – 2009. It was life-changing, and I don’t say that lightly. That year we also heard from the glorious Ashley Bryan of blessed memory, and the incisive and intimidating Jane Yolen). During her talk, Artista Morales spoke about creation as an act of faith, and how her act takes belief in herself, persistence and determination. On a handout with some of her drawings, she shared her prayers to Señor Tlalocan, the Aztec god of rain, lightning, and fertility who “makes things sprout.” Her hope and determination that her creativity and her art would flourish have stuck with me, all these years later. And so I think of Sra. Yuyi today this month as I write my “O, mighty pen” project. Because, even if I feel like an imposter as a poet, my pen is mighty, and with it, my creativity has – and will – sprout.
Of course, I feel like even more of an imposter as an artist.
…and yet, I’m lifting my mighty colored pencils this month and taking on one more challenge. In 2023 as part of his classroom visits to schools, poet and illustrator Grant Snider put up a Substack called How To Make Poetry Comics. He reposted it last year, and I was intrigued. It is brilliant in its simplicity – and very direct about what poetry comics are, and are not to him. I’ve seen Grant Snider’s work and followed his Instagram for quite a while now, and I really like how he takes concepts and mulls them over in such a small space, so… thoughtfully and lyrically. Looking at his work, I’ve felt like four small squares – or three small panels – are surely not too much to fill, even for a person with a visual-spatial difficulty… right?
So, that’s this year’s project. Poetry + Art. Poetry Comics. Words and doodles.
Despite Grant Snider’s instructions, sometimes my art will be illustrating my poems instead of the other way around, but other times, I’m going to try and let the form direct the focus. To begin with, I’ll take it easy on myself, and just share a few of the tricube and haiku poems that strike me during the incredibly busy (!!!!) Easter weekend ahead, but later I’ll make sure and use all of his prompts – Four Senses, Here & Now, Horizontal/Diagonal/Vertical Movement, Zooming In/Zooming Out, Poem + Comic, Haiku – and then as I get braver, I’ll see where my pens and pencils take me from there…
O, Mighty Pen, don’t fail me now.
As always Jama-j has the full National Poetry Month in Kidlit rounded up here.