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

Oct 22, 2020 8:43 PM EDT

Yes, the perfect haiku for this time, though my choices were very clear this time around. Best of luck!

- Kimberly Hutmacher

Oct 22, 2020 9:51 PM EDT

Robyn,
Love your pin and the haiku that underscores the need to vote, especially during this election. Great lines, "weight of ink/on paper.

- Carol Varsalona

Oct 22, 2020 11:50 PM EDT

Well, best wishes on those visits. So much learning to do during this time! And did you make that plaque? It's fabulous! As is the haiku. Congratulations for its publications. I'm hoping people have few decisions to make, however : ) Happy Weekend!

- Linda Baie

Oct 23, 2020 4:32 AM EDT

Your haiku says everything about the electoral process, Robyn. And sending you much luck and techno savvy vibes for your virtual school visits. : )

- Bridget Magee

Oct 23, 2020 8:13 AM EDT

Yes - there's so much weight!

- Ruth, thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com

Oct 23, 2020 8:21 AM EDT

--Hi, Kimberly - Thanks for coming over! I wrote that poem thinking about some decisions family members were making (contracts, etc.) but then it seemed to apply to voting, too - especially real-world ballots with circles filled in. I won't be laboring over national race decisions, but there are some local elections here with more than one qualified candidate. Kudos to folks willing to run, and to those running the polls!

--Thank you, Carol! And, actually, that's a little magnet with a vintage postage stamp from 1968. :0)

--I hear you, Linda - and thanks for all the kind words. I did make the little magnet - clicking the picture takes you to the listing in my Etsy shop because, well, I can't help myself. ;0)

--Hey there, Bridget! Thanks on all fronts. I'll take all the good vibes I can get! Enjoy your weekend in your beautiful surroundings.

--Hi, Ruth - it's a heavy year, for sure. Thanks for visiting!

- Robyn Hood Black

Oct 23, 2020 10:35 AM EDT

I love this haiku, Robyn! Thanks for sharing...

- Karen Eastlund

Oct 23, 2020 11:32 AM EDT

Thanks so much, Karen - glad you enjoyed! And Happy Anniversary - saw on FB that YOUR decisions are solid and long-lasting. :0)

- Robyn Hood Black

Oct 23, 2020 11:39 AM EDT

Love your Haiku, love that you are working with kids (even if it is virtually and I send you good luck.....hoping maybe I can get my home equipment running so I can Zoom from here....unlike last week at my son's where things worked so well....) wish I could be a fly on the proverbial screen!. Fall is thriving here and the leaves have lasted a long time this year on the trees. I always, always marvel and remind myself how lucky I am to get to enjoy these glorious changes and colors.

- Janet Clare F.

Oct 23, 2020 11:58 AM EDT

Perfect haiku -- I've already voted and just want the election to be over (with desired results of course). Your stamp magnet is wonderful too. Good luck with your virtual school visits next week!

- jama

Oct 23, 2020 6:35 PM EDT

It does seem that the ink weighs a lot this year. Good luck with your school visits. Sounds like it could be fun for everyone. .

- Janice Scully

Oct 23, 2020 7:39 PM EDT

---Janet, it was WONDERFUL getting to Zoom with you last week! Thanks for all the good wishes. We're all learning together, no? And your descriptions of the fall brilliance are gorgeous.

---Thanks on all accounts, Jama - and thank you for hosting us all this week! [I think over here, we'll be voting as a Fam on actual Election Day.]

--Glad you enjoyed, Janice - and "fun" is definitely what we're aiming for, with lots of poetry thrown in! :0)

- Robyn Hood Black

Oct 23, 2020 8:00 PM EDT

Your haiku is perfect for where we are. Good luck on your virtual school visit,Robyn. I've done a few of them and still need to learn more ways to keep kids engaged. I know you'll do great!

- Linda

Oct 23, 2020 9:55 PM EDT

--Oh, Thanks so much, Linda! And I'm sure your virtual visits are great! :o)

- Robyn Hood Black

Oct 24, 2020 9:24 PM EDT

Perfect timing indeed. Congrats on getting into Frogpond. It totally slipped me in July. Gearing up for November and submissions.

- Jone

Oct 25, 2020 7:56 AM EDT

Congrats on the publication, and good luck with your school visits! Your videos last spring were a great warmup. You'll be FABULOUS!

- Mary Lee

Oct 26, 2020 1:24 AM EDT

--Howdy, Jone - I definitely have not kept up as usual this year! I think Frogpond has been my only consistent submission each round, and I need to get back in the swing. But always happy to have my work in Frogpond. Will look for more of yours! :0)

--Aw, Mary Lee - what a confidence-boosting comment! Thanks so much. (& fingers crossed...) Have a wonderful week with your students!

- Robyn Hood Black

Aug 21, 2020 12:25 AM EDT

Congratulations on the publication, Robyn. The words made me smile & though I don't remember a brown thresher in my life at all, I loved mockingbirds when I grew up. Walking out & even listening to crows calms me down! Happy Friday!

- Linda Baie

Aug 21, 2020 12:27 AM EDT

I think I got the name of your special bird wrong- Yes, it's brown Thrasher! oops!

- Linda Baie

Aug 21, 2020 6:34 AM EDT

Robyn, this is wonderful! Thank you for teaching me something about brown thrashers...I will listen for their poetic song xo

- Tabatha

Aug 21, 2020 9:55 AM EDT

--Thanks, Linda - You might be right on the edge of their summer traveling, but they're happy in the Southeast year-round. [And, I'm sure they do some threshing while thrashing - they eat lots of different things!] ;0) PS - Crows are the best!

--Glad you enjoyed, Tabatha! Chirp!

- Robyn Hood Black

Aug 21, 2020 11:29 AM EDT

Robyn, solitary walks are great medicine from the hectic pace and rhetoric of quarantine life. Your poem is absolutely lovely. Congratulations on another beautiful haiku being shown to the world.

- Carol Varsalona

Aug 21, 2020 11:33 AM EDT

So fun that you recognize the bird songs. And rhyming couplets to listen for on your solitary walk.

- Ramona

Aug 21, 2020 1:00 PM EDT

--Hi, Carol - Thanks so much for that lovely comment! Here's to some respite during stressful times. :0)

--Thanks so much, Ramona - and thank you for hosting all of us!

- Robyn Hood Black

Aug 21, 2020 4:03 PM EDT

I love your haiku, and yes, birdsong is always a good medicine!

- Ruth, thereisnosuchthingasagodforsakentown.blogspot.com

Aug 21, 2020 4:24 PM EDT

Hooray! Another publication feather for your cap. Yes, that magazine cover is yummy. The colors are perfect. Haiku never fails to intrigue me and make me want to write.

- LINDA MITCHELL

Aug 21, 2020 4:55 PM EDT

--Thank you, Ruth - More birdsong; less tweeting!? ;0)

--Many thanks, Linda. Glad you enjoyed! Happy writing....

- Robyn Hood Black

Aug 21, 2020 6:33 PM EDT

Congrats on your publication! I love your haiku and its nod to the thrasher. Listening to and watching birds is sure solace. It's been the summer of the thrush here. I've thrilled to hear its song over and over again.

- Molly Hogan

Aug 21, 2020 8:17 PM EDT

Hi, Molly! Oh, I love "Summer of the Thrush"... sounds like the title of a wonderful book! :0) Thanks for perching over here for a few minutes.

- Robyn Hood Black

Aug 22, 2020 6:32 AM EDT

Birdsong is always good medicine! This week I have been mesmerized by the flights of goldfinches over the hayfields around my house. I wish I was better at matching birds to their songs. I love your haiku, especially "the rhyming couplets." Of course birdsong is poetry!

- Catherine Flynn

Aug 22, 2020 9:32 AM EDT

Congratulations on your haiku! I've been listening to birds much more then ever and we seem to have a number of cardinals around. They have a lovely cheerful sound.

- Janice Scully

Aug 22, 2020 9:54 AM EDT

---Amen, Catherine! Thanks for coming by. Me, too, re. the songs - I'm a novice but get excited when I can pick them out. Those bright goldfinches sound lovely - I can picture them and those haystacks; beautiful!

---Thank you, Janice. Oh, the cardinals.... they are among the first up chirping around here, and the last before sunset. They must nap somewhere in there! We've had tons of them this year and I love them. :0)

- Robyn Hood Black

Aug 23, 2020 1:14 AM EDT

Congrats on your poem in "Bottle Rockets" Robyn, nice haiku. Thank goodness for the birds, I think they're helping us all to stay centered.

- Michelle Kogan

Aug 23, 2020 8:48 PM EDT

Congratulations, Robyn! Lovely haiku, and well-deserving of publication.

- Matt Esenwine

Aug 23, 2020 10:22 PM EDT

---Hi, Michelle - Thank you, and yes re. the birds - we enjoyed the antics of a little female downy woodpecker this afternoon!

---Many thanks, Matt - & glad you enjoyed! :0)

- Robyn Hood Black

May 01, 2020 8:37 AM EDT

You are hilarious! Thank you for sharing that. My favorite part are your expressions in response to your bloopers. My best one was when I said wobby greenbean instead of wobbly greenbean!

- Liz Steinglass

May 01, 2020 9:27 AM EDT

Oh, Robyn, I now see that you took so much time & care with all your videos after seeing your bloopers. I loved them, too, the expressions, the trying, trying, trying to make it all work! This will be an April we'll all remember, I suppose, with sadness, but thank goodness for the laughter, too! Happy May!

- Linda Baie

May 01, 2020 9:40 AM EDT

--Glad you enjoyed, Liz - and thanks for hosting us all today! That green bean line was one of my favorites anyway, and now I love it even more, thinking about a "wobby" green bean - ha!

--Thanks, Linda! For a couple of movies, we lucked out the first time and I didn't have any bloopers or mishaps. But, that wasn't the norm.... ;0)

- Robyn Hood Black

May 01, 2020 12:20 PM EDT

I'm so glad you saved and compiled all that footage, Robyn! It makes me feel better about all the outtakes I have from making videos for my school. I use my dog Smidgey as my muse, but as you know, animals are not always cooperative when you want them to be. I'm still smitten with your sweet chihuahua. Thanks for the smiles. : )

- Bridget Magee

May 01, 2020 1:23 PM EDT

Thank you for sharing your videos, including your bloopers. Of course everyone has them and it was fun to see how gracefully you responded to them.

- janice.scully@gmail.com

May 01, 2020 1:33 PM EDT

What a lot of time and effort you put in to making your videos. Thanks for the bloopers. I just subscribed to your YouTube channel so that I can watch all of your videos in one sitting.

- Amy Merrill

May 01, 2020 1:36 PM EDT

Hahahaha--your expressions! What an ambitious Poetry Month project, Robyn! Also, I read your "I'll Wash, You Dry" poem yesterday. Fits this moment so perfectly. Lovely poem!

- Laura Purdie Salas

May 01, 2020 1:44 PM EDT

--Aw, thanks, Bridget. I'm sure your students are loving your videos! Rita sends Lowcountry love to Smidgey… :0)

--Thank you, Janice. I don't think I cussed during the making of them, though I can't promise I never do. But I guess I was on school behavior - ha!

--Thanks so much, Amy! Glad you enjoyed, and I appreciate the 'follow'! :0)

--Merci, Laura. And thanks for mentioning that poem - I was thinking I should probably do a recording of that for these shelter-at-home days we're in. So maybe I'll get the tripod back out... ;0)

- Robyn Hood Black

May 01, 2020 4:39 PM EDT

I love the blooper reels. After watching the polished versions where the readings all looked effortless, I now appreciate your work all the more! I thought I might like to try a poem video myself, but now I see the pitfalls. Can’t wait to check out the Progressive Poem.

- Joyce Ray

May 01, 2020 4:42 PM EDT

Ha! What's with all the traffic, though? I thought we're supposed to be sheltering in place. Seriously, though, look at the great video library you have to show for all those efforts! Weldone

- Michelle Heidenrich Barnes

May 01, 2020 5:50 PM EDT

Oh Robyn! And Liz & Margaret & Linda M. & ALL of you becoming movie stars:) This brightens my day, to hear your poems read by you. And as for the bloopers, my favorites are your sweet canine at the table, the hair blowin' in the wind, in the wind, in the wind, the naybors, the "wrong" chapbook & well, honestly, all the blooper reel. It took a lot of heart & time to make the true "takes" but also to compile the bloopers. Congrats on your April Poetry Month 2020 Movie-ganza. And how groovy to have a movie crew.

- Jan Annino

May 01, 2020 6:34 PM EDT

Your Blooper Reel is priceless, Robyn! Were those the same cyclists heading back? Like you, I'm looking forward to spending time with the many projects I didn't have time for in April. Thank you for sharing!

- Catherine Flynn

May 01, 2020 6:49 PM EDT

I would have a whopping blooper reel if I had saved all my outtakes from doing Morning Message screencastifies during this time of online teaching/learning!! I feel your pain!

- Mary Lee

May 01, 2020 7:56 PM EDT

--Oh, give it a go, Joyce! It's kind of fun after you try it. ;0) Bloopers and all. Thanks so much for watching these. :0)

--Thanks, Michelle. I KNOW - where are all these people going?! ;0) Actually, our side road goes straight to a rails-to-trails trail. And we have the EMS folks at the end of the road, too. Thanks for the kind words!!

--Thanks on all accounts, Jan, and I look forward to catching up on more videos by poetry buddies! And, ha! - movie crew. They were great and the price was right...;0)

--Hi, Catherine - Haha! We have lots of bikers going by. Glad you enjoyed me spinning my wheels in front of my phone camera - thanks!

--Oh, Mary Lee - "screencastifies" is too funny. I'm sure Morgan can relate, too. Happy continued online teaching adventures!

- Robyn Hood Black

May 01, 2020 8:31 PM EDT

Bloopers is what it's all about, right? I also have started over many times...your mash-up is so amusing! Thanks for sharing.

- Karen Eastlund

May 01, 2020 8:35 PM EDT

Thank you for the laugh out loud video. Your expression say it all! I love your sense of humor. xo

- Linda Kulp Trout

May 01, 2020 8:55 PM EDT

--I'll take the company, Karen - thanks so much, and Happy MAY!

--Glad you got a kick out of it, Linda. Definitely realized early on in this project that I needed to be able to laugh at myself! Hope you find lots to smile about this month. :0)

- Robyn Hood Black

May 02, 2020 7:37 AM EDT

Robyn, how fun! Your camera crew must have a wonderful sense of humor too. I love it. Thanks for including us in your bloopers. You did make it look pretty easy in the daily poem videos!

- Linda Mitchell

May 02, 2020 11:58 AM EDT

You mean you didn't get everything perfect the first time around?! :D Thanks for the blooper reel (what an ending). Needed to laugh. You are too adorable. Thanks for providing so much joy this month with your mini poem movies!!

- jama

May 02, 2020 12:30 PM EDT

--Thanks for joining in the fun, Linda - and glad you couldn't see all the snarls "hidden in the seams" of the real videos! ;0) Happy May - Tra La right back your way!

--Well, Jama, your comment makes my day. Glad you enjoyed, and please thank Mr. C. again for his support! ;0) Now I have some welcome catching up to do on other folks' blogs, like Alphabet Soup, which nourishes my soul like no other!

- Robyn Hood Black

May 02, 2020 10:28 PM EDT

this is terrific RObyn! I've loved your videos, but love the blooper real equally. I t looks like you had fun.

- Sally Murphy

May 02, 2020 11:48 PM EDT

Thanks so much, Sally it WAS fun to do, even if things didn't always go according to plan... ;0) Happy May!

- Robyn Hood Black

May 03, 2020 8:02 AM EDT

What a terrific family project! Now you have all those wonderful videos, plus a funny tribute to your mistakes :-)

- Tabatha

May 03, 2020 9:18 AM EDT

Brilliant bloopers, Robyn! I did so enjoy them. The wind and hair across the face in the beginning was my favorite. LOL! I, too, will be revisiting everyone's NPM work in May. That's the trouble with having your own project and teaching from home! Just not enough time in the month. Cheers!

- Christie Wyman

May 05, 2020 2:41 PM EDT

Woo hoo! You made it through a month of poems and learned to do something new with recording and sharing. I have been blown away by the generosity of people creating and sharing videos for teachers, children and parents. We've all had to learn new things these weeks.

- Kay Jernigan McGriff

May 05, 2020 4:00 PM EDT

--Thanks, Tabatha - kinda right up your alley, imperfection-appreciator that you are, no? Well, I appreciate your joining in the fun!

--Glad you got a chuckle, Christie - I do appreciate the breezes around here, but I didn't realize quite how prevalent they are until we tried shooting these little movies in different spots during the month - ha!

--Thanks, Kay - you said it. I don't know that I'd even heard of "Zoom" before April... My hat's off to ALL teachers on this National Teacher Day! (And, I decided just to plow forth with scant knowledge instead of waiting for the "perfect" time, which was not ever going to come around , anyway- ha! ) Glad you enjoyed.

- Robyn Hood Black

May 05, 2020 4:03 PM EDT

It seems I have to post another comment since your blog cut off the punchline of my last one and now I need to explain myself! I do know how to spell well done. I had an arrow pointing to it with the word "blooper". I guess your blog doesn't have a digital sense of humor. Poo.

- Michelle Heidenrich Barnes

May 05, 2020 4:09 PM EDT

--Hahahaha, Michelle - just so happens I'm wrangling with comments right now. My blog seems to be making its own unsolicited bloopers these days... ;0) I appreciate your humor whether the auto-techie-gremlins do or not - thanks!!

- Robyn Hood Black

Apr 29, 2020 9:11 AM EDT

O.M.G. Too much fun, Robyn! It's a good thing there are only a few days left this month because it's going to be pretty hard to outdo this little piece of video art. Still, you could try... maybe The Scream? ; )

- Michelle Heidenrich Barnes

Apr 29, 2020 8:41 PM EDT

Hahaha, Michelle - (wheels turning... --- naaa.) ;0) Who knows what I'd be posting if Poetry Month went into May, too! ;0) Thanks for your wonderful anthologies!

- Robyn Hood Black

Apr 20, 2020 9:25 AM EDT

Oh, Robyn, you're such a ruthless chomp-chewer! Keep up the good work with these awesome videos. And thanks for the smile this morning. :)

- Michelle Heidenrich Barnes

Apr 20, 2020 9:35 AM EDT

Glad you enjoyed, my mysterious Michelle... thanks for all the poetry deliciousness over at your 'plot'! :0)

- Robyn Hood Black

Apr 23, 2020 12:17 AM EDT

Charming reading Robyn, and enchanting staging… in a graveyard I think, eerie music… Smiling from your ending chew too, thanks!

- Michelle Kogan

Apr 23, 2020 1:01 AM EDT

Aw, thanks so much, Michelle! We recorded this in the cemetery of a 300-plus-year old church in the middle of town. It's a fascinating place, and we had to duck into a corner to not be in the way of a few folks meandering about. ;0)

- Robyn Hood Black