Robyn Hood Black - children's author, poet, artist

 

 

 

She was a poet

 

     sticks and stones

 

point blank

 

     may break my bones

 

and a mother -  

  airbag drenched in blood;

  stuffed animals, hanging limp from the glove box

 

     but words

 

"domestic terrorism..."

  "violently, willfully, and viciously ran over the ICE Officer..."

 

     can never hurt me

 

             She is dead.

 

---

Robyn Hood Black

 

-----

 Ruth has the Roundup today at there is no such thing as a godforsaken town, featuring a poet from these parts who is a dear friend of dear friends of ours, and whom I've had the pleasure of meeting - J. Drew Lanham. Thanks for hosting, Ruth.

 

Greetings, Poetry Lovers! I hope you are finding joy in this holiday season, even as the world has plenty of turmoil.

 

I found a poem in the December, 1907, issue of LITTLE FOLKS magazine (S. E. Cassino Co., Salem, Mass.) to share. It's by Carolyn S. Bailey and features a small mouse with a big heart.

 

   The Kind Little Mouse

 

     by Carolyn S. Bailey

 

OH, one little Stocking was mended and whole,

   And hung by the fire with care,

And one full of holes on the nursery floor,

   Too ragged and worn to wear:

And no one was awake in all the house

But one little, still little, kind little Mouse!

 

Then down through the flue did Santa Claus come,

   All ashes and chimney-stuff,

To fill the whole Stocking a-bursting with toys

   Till he thought he'd filled it enough:

And the kind little Mouse said he didn't believe

There was any so fat that Christmas Eve!

 

Then Santa drove on, and the fire buned low,

   And lower, till by and by  

The poor little Stocking that had no toys

   Sat up and was like to cry:

But nobody heard it in all the house

Save that one little, still little, kind wee mouse!

 

"It isn't my fault I'm worn out," it said;

   "And the holes are but small -- oh, dear,

To think that to-night it is Christmas Eve,

  And I'm sitting empty here!"

Then the Mouse stopped nibbling his Christmas cheese:

"Don't cry, little Stocking," he said; "don't, please!"

 

Then that small little, kind little Mouse, he crept

   In the empty stocking's toe:

Oh, he gave himself -- it was all that he had --

  He could do no more, you know!

Such a kind little, good little, dear little Mouse,

That Christmas Eve in the lonely old house!

 

 

For more goodness and warmth, visit our multi-talented Michelle who is offering light and an amazing art exhibit this week along with the Roundup.  Thank you, Michelle!  We can all use all the light we can get.  Happy Hanukkah to those celebrating this week, and Merry Christmas to those celebrating next week.  And, Happy Winter Solstice on Sunday!  We will be in Georgia celebrating our second baby grand's first birthday this weekend.  Time does fly. And selfless love, like that of the wee mouse in this poem, is timeless -- and perfectly on point for Christmas, seems to me.

Happy Poetry Friday!  Just tossing up a quick wave this week; the artsyletters elves still have me hoppin' here in the holiday home stretch!  (Thanks for all your support this year, they say.) :0) Enjoy Linda's holiday song/poem mash-up, and all the great posts, over at A Word Edgewise this week.  Thanks for hosting the Roundup, Linda! 

 

Greetings, Poetry Lovers! Heartfelt thanks to Jama (& bears Basil and Cornelius, and all those Paddingtons....) , at Jama's Alphabet Soup, for including artsyletters in her "nine cool things on a tuesday" post this week. Jama has been a supporter and cheerer-on-er of my artsy endeavors since the beginning, more than a decade ago.  As she is for so many!  Thank you, Jama. 

 

If you're not familiar with Jama's famous roundups, enjoy!  I already clicked on links in this one for some holiday shopping myself. 

 

Speaking of Jama, did you catch her post in October about dust? Yep, dust.  From the post and the lively comments, I learned that many people are far better housekeepers than I.  And that there are also several folks who manage to put off dusting perhaps as often as I. 

 

Housekeeping has not been happening this week, as I've been covered up in Etsy orders (and dust) for the past few weeks! 

 

Seems my folks in Florida, Nita and Jack (who married in 1980, a few months before I set off for Furman University at 17), have contemplated dust this week.  My mom has always been a more conscientious housekeeper than yours truly.  

 

In a text this week she said, "...I commented that all I can see in this house is dust," and that became a poem prompt for Jack ("Poppy" to the Fam).

 

Here goes:

 

Where there's dust...

there's us...

Don't stand still.

 

by Jack Morgan

 

He thought the chuckle might help me with filling all these orders!  He was right.  

 

This season is supposed to be a time of preparing, clearing, waiting, and stillness (think "Silent Night"), but I'll make a New Year's Resolution to do better next year.  ;0) Not much dust collecting on me of late.

 

With the drop in temps this week and the flurries just over the state line here, I'll offer one last thought of dust, winter-themed.

 

Dust of Snow

Robert Frost

(1874 –1963)

The way a crow
Shook down on me
The dust of snow
From a hemlock tree

 

Has given my heart
A change of mood
And saved some part
Of a day I had rued.

Here's to your snow falling softly, if you have snow, and to all your dust being fairy dust! 

 

Go Live Your Poem with the lovely Irene, who kindly has our Roundup this week, wonderful poetry, and a submission opportunity in a short window of time this weekend.... 

Happy Almost-Thanksgiving! Sending all the good vibes and then some to you and yours.  Extra hugs to those who are missing special folks this year.  I'm very grateful for our Poetry Friday community.  

 

The artsyletters elves have me burning the midnight oil this week (and we'll be happily covered up with kiddos next week, in addition to the craziness of Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend on Etsy).  Be sure to visit the lovely and talented Janice at Salt City Verse this week, and the oh-so-smart & talented Buffy Silverman next week, for Poetry Friday Roundups. Thank you all for your creativity and generosity week after week! xo

 

Greetings, Poetry Lovers! In a few weeks, on the 16th of December, Jane Austen fans will have something to celebrate – the 250th anniversary of her birth in Hampshire, England.  (Those of us in the U.S. can revel in her delicious words and wit before turning our attention to the 250th birthday of our nation, just around the corner. But, I digress. Though I do want to make sure you know "The American Revolution" by Ken Burns premiers Sunday evening on PBS, with episodes each night next week!)

 

Of course, Austen is best known for her novels:  Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, Northanger Abbey, and Persuasion. Which is your favorite?  I'm not alone in my devotion to Pride and Prejudice. (I find it astonishing that she first drafted this work, originally called First Impressions, when she was just 21. I think I still have a college essay for my British novel class about mirrors and such, titled, "Reflections on – and in – Pride and Prejudice.")

 

The Austens loved poetry, too.  Jane had one beloved sister, Cassandra, and six(!) brothers. 

Jane even wrote some poetry herself, many pieces humorous.  She appreciated the poetry of Sir Walter Scott and William Cowper.

 

At the Jane Austen House website – which you must visit if you're still reading this, and especially if, like me, you haven't yet made it to Chawton – you'll find wonderful details about Jane's life and works.  In fact, this weekend is the last for an exhibit, "The Poetry Bookcase," a "specially created installation" bringing together "poems that Jane Austen and her family knew and loved." On October 6, 2022, for National Poetry Day across The Pond, poet and Creative Engagement Officer Ellora Sutton offered a short feature on Jane Austen and poetry here.

 

I love that Sutton included a poem by Jane's mother, the elder Cassandra Austen - a response to a family competition to write as many rhymes for "rose" as possible.

 

My work being done, I look'd through the windows,
And with pleasure beheld all the bucks and the does,
The cows and the bullocks, the wethers and ewes.
To the library each morning the family goes,
So I went with the rest though I felt rather froze.
My flesh is much warmer, my blood freer flows,
When I work in the garden with rakes and with hoes.

 

Delightful!

 

Jane does reference poetry in her novels, of course.  Don't you love this exchange between Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy, also in the piece?

 

"I wonder who first discovered the efficacy of poetry in driving away love!"
"I have been used to consider poetry as the food of love," said Darcy.
"Of a fine, stout, healthy love it may. Everything nourishes what is strong already. But if it be only a slight, thin sort of inclination, I am convinced that one good sonnet will starve it entirely away."

 

(I can't read that passage without hearing the voices of Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen from the Joe Wright 2005 adaptation. And, yes, I took myself to an actual theater when it came to a local venue for the 20th anniversary earlier this year.)

 

The Jane Austen House has offered a lovely podcast his year, A Jane Austen Year.  It's the accompaniment to a book of the same name you can learn about at the site. "A Jane Austen Year is a mindful, soothing and uplifting podcast that transports you to Jane Austen's House in Chawton… Each month, join us on a seasonal journey through Jane Austen's novels, the story of her life and the world she lived in."  I love that the narrators are people who staff the house/museum, and original music and sounds were recorded on the premises.  You can sample the first episode at the link.

 

But wait – there's more! The Jane Austen House's annual lecture is next Thursday, November 20, and we're all invited – on YouTube, anyway.  Salley Vickers will present "The Difficult Miss Austen" and discuss "some of the more subversive and socially critical elements in Jane Austen's novels, as well as the dangers and difficulties that women experienced…."   Note that the 8 p.m. time on the website translates into hours earlier in the states, 3 p.m. for those of us on Eastern Standard Time. Here's the link.

 

Just a couple-few more things I've treated myself to this year:  Lucy Worsley's 2017 Jane Austen at Home: A Biography, and also

Rebecca Romney's Jane Austen's Bookshelf: A Rare Book Collector's Quest to Find the Women Writers Who Shaped a Legend  (February 2025), which I haven't read yet.

 

I did purchase a used copy of Miss Austen by Gill Hornby (2021) because I wanted to read it before watching the PBS series which debuted this year.  It's a fictional story told from sister Cassandra's perspective. You can still find the series on PBS (available on Passport) and Amazon Prime Video, as well as another outlet or two.

 

Finally, you might have noticed above that I felt the call to commemorate Jane's birthday with a new item in my shop, an ornament made with an original sketch of the author. There is only one portrait of Jane's face in existence, a loose pencil sketch by her sister, Cassandra, made around 1810. (Cassandra had made an earlier rendering of Jane in blue dress and bonnet, but her face wasn't visible.) Decades later, their nephew commissioned an engraving based on the facial sketch, which itself was based on a watercolor interpretation of the sketch by James Andrews.  This engraving is the image most of us are probably familiar with, and it appears on the ten-pound bank note. There are various thoughts and opinions on all of this by scholars, of course – I'll let you find those rabbit holes if interested. (Here's one.) And here is London's National Portrait Gallery page with Cassandra's sketch.

 

For my ornament, I brewed some proper English tea, put on some classical music, and made my own little sketch with colored pencils, some gouache, and a touch of pen and ink. It's far from perfect, but Cassandra's wasn't either!  I printed the image on high-quality Moab paper with Epson pigment ink and set the image under a glass cabochon. It hangs in a brass/alloy setting with a gold-plated pewter book charm adorning the top and has a vintage yellow ribbon. (Austen referenced shades of yellow a few times in her works.)

Cheers to you, Jane!

 

Lace up those walking boots and head over toThe Apples in My Orchard, where the lovely Carol has our Roundup this week.  

Just a wave and a howdy this week - the artsyletters elves have me working lots of overtime! Hoping to share a little festive artsyletters fun next week.  Today, be sure to head over to the Poetry Friday Roundup, hosted by our amazing and oh-so-talented Laura Purdie Salas.  Thanks, Laura! 

 

Greetings, Poetry Lovers! HAPPY HALLOWEEN! I hope you have just the right amount of spooky fun this weekend. 

 

I found myself heavy with the weight of the real horrors in the news this week - a huge hurricane bearing down on Caribbean islands, threats to the cease-fire in the Middle East and continued killings in Ukraine, the threat of food assistance disappearing for needy folks here against a backdrop of a future golden ballroom (and a demolished White House wing) - and though I had much to do after traveling, I decided to have some fun with my dog, Rookie, a two-year-old Keeshond.  Mainly because I needed a humor break myself.  

 

And though it appears the détectives français might be closing in on the real thieves, for Halloween, I conjured up a poem to go with the picture I took a couple of days ago. 

 

  C'était moi

 

by Robyn Hood Black

 

I could not help myself, you know - 

I smelled the wealth.  I heard the jangle.

 

I saw the glinty, sparkly glow - 

from royal crown to baubled bangle.

 

With floofy fluff and padded paws,

I shadowed into the Louvre 

 

to add those gaudy, gleaming gems

to my stash, my cache, my oeuvre. 

 

(My breed is Dutch - counts not for much; I can parlez-vous.)

 

Humans made a ladder clatter - who saw a gray chien?

You might call me a wicked boy,

but my stealth is très bien.

 

 

Make your getaway over to the marvelous world of multi-talented Jone Rush MacCulloch for this week's mwah-ha-haa Poetry Friday Roundup.  Thanks, Jone!

 

Greetings, Poetry Lovers!  Thanks to Heidi Bee Roemer today, we have something for the youngest young readers, older young readers, young adults and the young at heart.

 

Hot off the press this week from Highlights Press is Heidi's latest book, SILLY PUPPIES - Baby's First Giggles, a delightful rhyming board book sure to be a hit with little dog lovers, like my own two baby grands.  I can't wait to share it with them!  It's a fun, bed-time themed romp through puppy mischief. Photos are from Getty Images and the charming line art is by Jana Curll.

 

Goodnight, Sun.

Hello, Moon.

 

Is it bedtime?

Pretty soon!

 

But first, there's a bath to be had, a bedtime snack to be munched, and some (oops!) chewing to be done. Then, of course - a bedtime story and song. I am quite sure this little book will be met with a chorus of "Again!"s by our own wee ones. Click here for more info. 

 

You can learn more about Heidi and her books for kids (and other published writing - did you know she's sold nearly 500 poems?!) here at her website.  

 

But, wait - there's more!

 

Heidi is also the founder of Steam Powered Poetry for students and teachers!  She and her creative, accomplished team offer all kinds of poetry video and activity options in the realms of science, technology, engineering, art, and math.  And, their offerings are tailored to grade levels:  early education (& "wee steamers"!), primary, middle grade, and intermediate. The mission statement begins, "Across the curriculum, 'S.T.E.A.M. Powered Poetry Videos for Pk-8' promotes poetry in the classroom using multiple methods and strategies."

 

Steam Powered Poetry's annual poetry video contest runs from October through April.  Know any creative junior high, high school, college, or grad students who are video-savvy?  Here's how they can participate; registration for this year opened a couple of weeks ago.  

 

Students may enter individually, or teachers can register their classes. Then participants can download the Poetry Packet with 40 STEAM poems. Each video creator then chooses a poem and makes a one-minute video for grade school students.  Entries are due by Thursday, April 30, 2026.

 

The 40 poems are by "e-STEAM-ed poets," and I'm thrilled to be one of those myself this year.  (Heidi Mordhorst is in the mix this year, too - Hi, Heidi!)

 

You can learn more about the contest here - Share the link! :0)

 

The infographic above, made by Heidi, features my poem in the packet.

 

 

Collage Camouflage

 

by Robyn Hood Black

 

Inks and paints hide on the shelf.

Blank paper lies in wait.

I think I will surprise myself.

Hey, Fingers – let's create!

 

I play around with clippings,

designing as I go.

I drizzle inky drippings

and let wild colors flow.

 

Orange pops right next to blue;

a focal point takes shape.

My hands sport every sticky hue,

arranging washi tape.

 

I stencil, stamp, stroke, and streak

with paintbrush, pen, and brayer –

a playful game of hide-and-seek

pressed into every layer.

 

 

©Robyn Hood Black, but freely available, of course, to STEAM Powered Poetry folks!

 

As many of you have also discovered over the years, mixed media art is a rabbit hole of wonderfulness from which one might never escape. Don't bother sending down a rope; I'm pretty happy down here with fingertips constantly inked. In fact, I've been immersed in gel plate printing this month, especially in a two-week online frenzy of workshops with lifetime access to the videos - The Gel Printers Summit put on by artist Drew Steinbrecher.  (You can actually still "sign up" for access to this year's videos through Oct. 19, or maybe make a note on your calendar for next October.)  I even found a Poetry Friday friend in the private Facebook group, Tricia Stohr-Hunt - Hi, Tricia! :0)

 

Speaking of Poetry Friday friends, whether brand new or old-timers, be sure to enjoy all the wonderful posts rounded up here this week by the lovely Sarah Grace Tuttle. 

 

Thanks for coming by.  I'll be away on the road next week but back via Halloween broom on the 31st! Mwah ha ha....

 

Greetings, Poetry Lovers!  As mentioned last week, we were off to the National Storytelling Festival in Jonesborough, Tennessee, last weekend.  Our second time, and it was fabulous - even more so because our son and daughter-in-law were able to join us for two nights. 

 

Driving in from I-26 on the curvy road 81, next to the Nolichucky River, Helene's wrath was still evident in places.  A few scenes of gutted buildings and wrecked vehicles, and debris piles, spoke to the reach of such a hellacious storm that went through our area and then ravaged Asheville and the whole region with floods one year ago.  (Asheville and Jonesborough are just over an hour apart.)

 

Last year about this time, I had planned on sharing a new rhyming picture book by the oh-so-accomplished and prolific Joy Jordan-Lake, All the Little Animals.  Like my hubby and daughter and myself, Joy is a Furman alum! (Go, Paladins!) My planned post got thwarted by Helene, and the weeks playing catch-up afterwards, and then our second grandbaby arrived in December, and then our son and his beloved got married in the spring, and then, and then, and then!  And now, it's a year later.  I at least want to give a shout-out to this beautiful book, and to two others, hot off the press, by special folks.  It's not too early to be thinking about holiday presents, after all!  These three books would make perfect gifts for dear little ones, or for dear big ones (such as yourself!) if you love fine children's books.

 

All the Little Animals is "A Bedtime Book from A-Z," illustrated by Jane Chapman and published by Tommy Nelson (Thomas Nelson).  Inspired by Joy's great-grandmother, Anne Elizabeth Hopson Wood, the animals in this volume are the perfect companions for bedtime. Of course I love that it's an abecadarian bedtime book, and the stars are animals, and it's written in comfortable rhyme.

 

All the little animals under the sun,

in the wild, and in every zoo

 

are yawning and nuzzling and snuggling and huddling,

getting ready for sleep, just like you!

 

What's the bedtime routine for baby cassowaries?  And what animal name starts with 'X'? Find Joy's book to find out!  I've enjoyed reading this book with our three-year-old wee grand-laddie, and he enjoyed it, too! I look forward to his helping to "read" it to Baby Sissy when she's a tad older. 

 

Now, two more picture book shout-outs!  These are not rhyming, but they both brim with poetic elements, and I think you'll love them.

 

While we were in Jonesborough, one of our favorite sessions featured the one-and-only Carmen Agra Deedy.  Carmen is a gem, and she's been a force in the storytelling world for decades, as well as in the kidlit world. I've had the honor of meeting her at writer events years ago, and when she came to visit our school in Georgia back in the day, I drove her around and tried to make sure she and her wonderful dog at the time, George (I think I have that name right!), had what they needed between sessions. 

 

Carmen's new picture book is The Peanut Man, illustrated by the wonderful Raúl Colón and published by Margaret Quinlan Books (Peachtree).  The book is marvelous, and Carmen's presentation at the festival was like an extended version.  My eyes were not dry at the end. If you've never heard Carmen tell a story, get on the Google! This book is a beautiful, funny, and touching tale of Camen's refugee experience as a very young child.  Lucky for us in the states, she ended up in Decatur, Georgia, as a little girl. 

 

When the book's young girl asks her mother why they have to leave Cuba, her mother answers, "Because your gentle father is a man with opinions.  And in our country, that can be dangerous." So many themes in this book - friendship (of an unlikely and endearing sort), courage, and baseball!  You'll have to read it for yourself. 

 

And so hot off the press the cover is still warm, Cat Nap by author-illustrator Brian Lies is a feat of creative vision and artistic execution.  Plus, it's a fun story for kids!  I got to know Brian because for more than a decade, I presented with other authors as part of Cobb County Literacy Week in north Georgia, and Brian was the original speaker and is still the special guest each year.  His book, The Rough Patch, won a Caldecott Honor and is one I gave to my doctor-hubby to share through his death, dying and grief work.  It's an amazing book. 

 

Cat Nap (Greenwillow Books/HarperCollins) is just plain brilliant.  I feel honored that I heard about it early in the process of Brian's artistic adventures that brought it to life.  A lively kitten, modeled after Brian's own Russian Blue-Siamese mix, awakens from his nap to follow a mouse. A mouse that jumps into a Metropolitan Museum of Art poster.  We follow this kitten following this mouse in and out of actual works of art, and in and out of time periods.  I don't want to give away all the fun, but please know that to pull off this book, Brian produced art in ways both familiar and unfamiliar to him - heroglyphics carving, medeival manuscript illumination, gilding, woodcarving, sculpture, and more.  

 

No AI here, folks.  As Brian explains in the backmatter, "It would have been easy to create the illustrations in this book on a computer - to take a photo of an original artwork and edit Kitten in digitally.  It was a greater challenge, and a lot more fun, to see if I could actually make pieces of art that looked like the originals in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and blend Kitten's headlong pursuit of the mouse into them." (Overachieve much?) ;0)  I love that he invites young readers to try their own hands at making. Bravo!

 

P.S. - If you like wombats, be sure to check out Wombat, Come In, written by Carmen and illustrated by Brian!

 

To learn more about these authors and illustrators, click here:  Joy Jordan-Lake, Jane Chapman, Carmen Agra Deedy, Raúl Colón, and Brian Lies. 

 

Thanks for visiting - wishing you restful nights to the rhythms of Nature, the comfort of home and memories of home, and the taste of awe served up by art, wonder, and imagination.

 

Be sure to catch all the Poetry Friday offerings at TeacherDance, where our lovely, talented, and generous Linda has the Roundup!