Skip to main content

Verse Novels Add Verve To Reading

VERSE NOVELS add VERVE to READING


I recently had the pleasure of listening to Sally Murphy talk at the ALEA (Australian Literacy Educators Association) National Conference in Adelaide about verse novels. During what was an unfortunately brief presentation, Sally spoke of her passion for both writing and reading this increasingly popular genre.


My growing list of verse novels


So, what is a verse novel?

·   A narrative told in verse

Verse novels are usually written in free verse, rather than rhyme

    They deal with diverse subject matter

They make use of line length variation


   They use white space to create emphasis and draw out words

   They use a range of poetic techniques

They vary in length

They employ rhythm

Frequently they appeal to inexperienced readers, particularly inexperienced boy readers

They also appeal to confident readers

They explore issues

They are accessible

The style of the writing creates an intimacy between narrator and reader


    Verse novels are part of the National Curriculum (Australia) making them a most relevant form of reading for students and teachers alike
·          

‘Poetry should be positioned as part of everyday life.’ 

 Sally Murphy

Comments

  1. Tara29 July 2016 at 23:07

    Yes to more verse novels! How lovely that you were able to see Sally present, too.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous29 July 2016 at 23:37

    Wonderful to have another Aussie in the Poetry Friday link-up, Allan. I missed the last two weeks - but I see (now) this isn't the first time you've joined. Good on your for jumping on board. And YAY for verse novel love! Thank-you for sharing your titles - and including mine in your suitcase. :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. mbhmaine30 July 2016 at 03:15

    I love books in verse and am planning on having a Books in Verse basket in my new 4th grade classroom! I can't wait and I'm already stocking up--just picked up Sharon Creech's "heartbeat" yesterday. Thanks for adding some titles to my list.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Jeannine Atkins30 July 2016 at 03:57

    Joining those who love seeing love for verse novels. Yay!

    ReplyDelete
  5. Margaret Simon30 July 2016 at 09:33

    I am a fan of verse novels. Thanks for the image because some of these are new to me.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Sally Murphy30 July 2016 at 12:16

    Oh wow! Thanks for the mention and for loving verse novels as much as I do.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Ruth30 July 2016 at 23:48

    A lot of my students are starting to enjoy these - they are generally a quick read. Thanks for sharing this!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Carol Varsalona31 July 2016 at 00:49

    Just getting started with this genre, Alan, and loving it. Thanks for sharing and for Sally's Quote: "Poetry should be positioned as part of everyday life."

    ReplyDelete
  9. Mary Lee1 August 2016 at 04:08

    I wish I could have gone to that session! I have a whole shelf of verse novels in my classroom!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Poetry Inspired by Images and Objects

There are many ways pictures and photographs can be conscripted to support the writing of poetry. Allow me to share a few ideas with you: Old photographs are a great source of inspiration. Cynthia Rylant explored this idea with great success in her book 'Something Permanent' where she employed the Depression era photographs of Walker Evans to add a new voice to the starkness to the lives of people experienced under extreme circumstances. I have used this strategy to spark many individual poems. In ' I Bet There's No Broccoli On The Moon,' I used a photo I had taken in 2004 while living in New York to inspire a poem. The poem was based on a story related by a friend who grew up in New York.  I regularly combined poetry and pictures in my writer's notebook, drawing on inspiration from the photograph and my personal memories. We can also utilize existing cartoons and illustrations to create ekphrastic poems. I frequently use the illustrations of Jim Pavlidis to co
20 comments
Read more

Opposite Poems

O pp o s ite P oem s In his book, ' How To Write Poetry,'  Paul Janeczko presents the idea of opposite poems. Paul suggests they could also be referred to as antonym poems. This is wordplay and it's fun to try. Here are some examples Paul provides to help us see very clearly how these short little poems work. I think the opposite of chair Is sitting down with nothing there What is the opposite of kind? A goat that butts you from behind Paul Janeczko You will  notice the poems are written in rhyming couplets. They can be extended so long as you remember to write in couplets. Paul shows us how this is done. What is the opposite of new? Stale gum that's hard to chew A hot-dog roll as hard as rock Or a soiled and smelly forgotten sock You might notice that some of Paul's opposite Poems begin with a question. The remainder of the poem answer the question posed. Opposite poems are a challenge, but it is a challenge worth trying. Not e
26 comments
Read more

Poetry Friday: The Safety Pin Poem

Poets not only write poetry, they also read poetry. In order to be able to write poetry, one must read it. Lots of poetry in fact...  I want to share a short little poem by Valerie Worth. I bought Valerie's book, 'All The Small Poems And Fourteen More,' while living and working in New York, some time back. It remains a personal favourite.  I love the way the poet shines a special light on everyday objects, transforming them into something unique and worthy of attention. Her close observations elevate her poems into the special category.  Each poem in the collection celebrates earthly wonders. From eggs to garbage, from potatoes to pockets, each object is given special attention in the form of short poems employing keen observations.  Valerie Worth demonstrates through her poems she totally understands the saying-'ideas exist in things.'  The poem I have chosen to share with you (one of my personal favourites) is titled, 'Safety Pin'. S af
23 comments
Read more