Friday, September 09, 2011

Lecture @ Mt. San Jacinto: 9/15

I'll be presenting a lecture on poetry and children's literature to the students of Mt. San Jacinto Community College on Thursday, September 15th at 7 PM. I look forward to speaking with all of you!


Tentatively titled, "Beyond Mother Goose," we're looking at the journey of poetry to tell the stories of different societies and cultures around the world. A very special thanks to Professor Raymond Rogers for inviting me!

During this presentation, we'll examine how children's poems often reflect the values of different cultures, the role of language, and how those poems work their way into a person's lifetime, in addition to their impact on modern idiom, contemporary literature and media. What gives them longevity? How should a society appreciate them? And where are we headed with contemporary children's poetry?


As a class, we'll touch on the work of well-known poets such as Shel Silverstein and Theodore Geisel, T.S. Eliot, Shuntaro Tanikawa, Gary Soto, Ogden Nash, Nikki Grimes and of course, Lewis Carroll and his Jabberwocky:


I look forward to seeing all of you in class!

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