Sports! Sports! Sports!


Book Description

A collection of poems celebrating the joy and anguish of baseball, basketball, football, ice hockey, soccer, skating, swimming, and running races.




The Poetry of Sport


Book Description




Erratic Fire, Erratic Passion


Book Description

Erratic Fire, Erratic Passion is a collection of found poems composed of the words of professional athletes. The content of post-game interviews and sports chatter is so often meaningless, if not insufferable, and yet there are athletes like Metta World Peace who transcend lame clichés and rote patter, who use language in surprising ways, who can be funny and shocking and insightful and alarmingly sincere — pure poetry. Muhammad Ali offered dazzling displays of lexical wizardry, and Allen Iverson’s infamous “practice” rant shifted the post-game press conference from the banal to the absurd. This book is a celebration of these rare and exceptional moments. Various poetic forms and line-breaks highlight — or, in the words of Deion Sanders, “deem to set a candor on” — the sophisticated, sublime, and surprising performances of language made by professional athletes.




The Trouble Ball: Poems


Book Description

“[An] important work . . . inspiring its readers to greater human connection and to keep fighting the good fight.”—The Rumpus In this new collection of poems, Martín Espada crosses the borderlands of epiphany and blasphemy: from a pilgrimage to the tomb of Frederick Douglass to an encounter with the swimming pool at a center of torture and execution in Chile, from the adolescent discovery of poet Omar Khayyám to the death of an "illegal" Mexican immigrant. from "The Trouble Ball" On my father's island, there were hurricanes and tuberculosis, dissidents in jail and baseball. The loudspeakers boomed: Satchel Paige pitching for the Brujos of Guayama. From the Negro Leagues he brought the gifts of Baltasar the King; from a bench on the plaza he told the secrets of a thousand pitches: The Trouble Ball, The Triple Curve, The Bat Dodger, The Midnight Creeper, The Slow Gin Fizz, The Thoughtful Stuff. Pancho Coímbre hit rainmakers for the Leones of Ponce; Satchel sat the outfielders in the grass to play poker, windmilled three pitches to the plate, and Pancho spun around three times. He couldn't hit The Trouble Ball.




Full Count


Book Description

The subject of a front-page New York Times article, Frank Messina takes the same seat at every New York Mets home game. His self proclaimed title as “The Mets Poet” is emblazoned across the back of his Mets jersey and printed on the season–ticket-holder plaque next to his seat. A collection of seventy-five of his poems that pay homage to his favorite team, Full Count is the ideal inspiration for any Mets fan, whether in those all-too-long, quiet stretches of life between games or for impassioned recitation in the bleachers or in front of the TV.




Poetry in Motion


Book Description

Poetry in Motion is an inspirational, insightful and in-depth collection of short poems that will be enjoyed by everyone, including: athletes, coaches and fans. The book offers a unique and creative look into the world of sports. The reader will get a glimpse into the preparation and mechanics of athletes and competition.




You Just Wait


Book Description

YOU JUST WAIT: A Poetry Friday Power Book features twelve PowerPacks that use creative activities to get tweens and teens (Grades 6-12) thinking, drawing, reading, and writing. Here's a story-in-poems about Paz, an Asian-Latina soccer star; Lucesita, her feisty movie-loving cousin; and Joe, an older brother with dreams of the NBA. Resources for readers (as well as teachers and book club leaders) include recommended book lists and websites, writing checklists, talking points and performance tips, and places to publish their own poetry. (An NCTE Poetry Notable)




Speculum


Book Description

In Speculum, Hannah Copley considers the difficult history of the female body. Mirroring the title object used for centuries by gynaecologists, the poems uncover the hidden lives behind scientific progress. From the enslaved women exploited in the name of invention to the anonymous residents of mother and baby homes, Copley navigates personal, historical and forgotten legacies with equal exactitude and tenderness. Speculum is not only important as a feminist text, but its poetry is immaculate; a virtuosic first collection.




The Poetry Friday Anthology


Book Description




I Hope I Don't Strike Out


Book Description

I Hope I Don’t Strike Out is the first major anthology of funny poems about sports. It was designed to motivate sports-loving boys and girls to read by focusing on the funny side of sports. It covers all major sports in which kids participate, including baseball, football, basketball, soccer, swimming, skiing, running, karate, golf, volleyball, and dodgeball. Kids will love poems that serve up “the inside scoop” on how catchers make batters take their eyes off the ball, how nervous batters hit fastballs they can’t even see, blood-curdling cheers that cause opponents to run home to their mommies, what to expect your first day at karate school, what not to pack for a ski trip, and how to score the winning goal in a kindergarten soccer game. In all, 22 of the funniest sports poems ever published by Lansky and his all-star team of Giggle Poets are sure to have kids laughing while they sit on the bench, waiting for a starter to foul out. iParenting Media Awards 2008 Excellent Product Winner: Poetry USABookNews.com 2008 FINALIST: Poetry: Anthologies Teachers’ Choice Awards (TCA) 2009 Teachers’ Choice Awards for the Family: Children’s Books WINNER in Learning Magazine Teachers’ Choice Awards for the Family: Children’s Books