Customer Reviews

Where I'm From (Writers' & Young Writers' Series #2)

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George Ella Lyon has been inspiring writers and teachers for years. Her writing exercises and her lyrical way of talking about writing keep her in demand as a workshop leader and speaker at schools. At last we have this book! I have used her exercises for years in my writing workshops, always with results that far exceed the writing that students have have done up to that point. Those same exercises have led me into writing poems I didn't know were waiting to be written. No one is better at evoking the voices of real people or helping a new writer really see what she is trying to get on paper than Lyon. The exercises in this book are wonderful, but a close reading of Lyon's poems is perhaps the most rewarding part of Where I'm From for writers and teachers alike. Highly recommended.

George Ella Lyon's, "Where I'm From," is a wonderful gem for giving teachers of young poets an accessible link to how a writer thinks, imagines, and prepares to write a poem. The collection is perfect for teachers that want to launch a new year with an opportunity for students to do some writing. The signature poem, "Where I'm From," can be used to model student writing that invites everyone to share something about themselves and begin the process of building community in the classroom. Ms. Lyons has a very down-to-earth way of expressing her encouragement to budding writers. There is a poet in all of us, and this book will help students find their writing "voice."

This book teaches about writing poetry and is suggestive of things teachers could do with their students.