Month: March 2023

#BlogchatterA2Z Theme Reveal: The Poet’s Alphabet

26 Secrets for Crafting Beautiful Poetry

Created by the Author using Canva

April is one of the months that I look forward to with eagerness as a poet & a writer. It’s a month of writing challenges like NaPoWriMo/GloPoWriMo and A to Z challenges. I have shared my previous experience with NaPoWriMo, here. Last year, I participated in the Blogchatter’s A2Z challenge crafting 26 intuitive poetries using heteronym characters and it was well received to be turned into an E-book. You can find a copy of the book, here.

I recently did #26days26poems on love in February, this year. So I thought, this time, I would refrain from writing poetry and instead, write bite-sized posts on 26 secrets for crafting beautiful poetry. The upcoming 26 posts will be corresponding to each letter of the English alphabet. Each of them will help you with actionable tips to craft/edit your poetry to perfection. These are the tips I have learnt and used in my works and most of them are answers to the questions that I am frequently asked for help with.

I will be updating here with the links to posts corresponding to each letter of the Poet’s Alphabet, for easy accessibility.

The Poet’s Alphabet

A: Avoid clichés and overused phrases

B: Brainstorm Ideas and Write Them Down as Soon as They Come To You

C: Choose Precise and Descriptive Words To Create Strong Imagery

D: Don’t Be Afraid to Experiment With Form and Structure

E: Embrace Vulnerability and Honesty in Your Writing

F: Focus On Creating a Strong Opening and Closing Line

G: Get Feedback From Other Poets or Writing Groups

H: Harness the Power of Metaphors and Similes

I: Invest Time in Reading and Studying Poetry

J: Juxtapose Unexpected Ideas or Images for Added Impact

K: Keep Your Writing Process Flexible

L: Let Your Emotions and Experiences Inspire Your Writing

M: Master the Art of Enjambment To Create Rhythm and Flow

N: Never Settle For Your First Draft – Always Revise and Improve

O: Observe the World Around You and Use Sensory Details To Bring It to Life in Your Poems

P: Play With Sound and Alliteration To Create Music in Your Poetry

Q: Question Everything – Don’t Be Afraid To Challenge Conventions

R: Read Your Poem Aloud

S: Show, Don’t Tell

T: Trust Your Instincts

U: Use Repetition for Emphasis

V: Visualize Your Poems

W: Write From Different Perspectives To Add Depth and Complexity

X: eXperiment With Punctuation To Create New Effects and Rhythms

Y: Yearn for Authenticity

Z: Zero in on the Details-Focus on the Small Moments That Make up a Larger Experience

I will be consciously keeping the content of these posts bite-sized so that you don’t find it overwhelming and help you make progress, one step at a step. Hope you find the posts useful, no matter wherever you are in your poetry writing journey. To make sure not to miss any of my posts, subscribe to my newsletter by filling out the form below:

This post is a part of the #BlogchatterA2Z 2023 challenge.

Sleepytime Tales with Coco Comma- Book Review

Sleepytime Tales with Coco Comma-Book Review

Book details

Title: Sleepytime Tales with Coco Comma

Author: Sonia Mehta

Illustrator: Sunayana Nair

Cover Design: Quadrum

Genre: Fiction

Recommended Age: 5+

Type: Paperback

Page Count: 78

Price: ₹250

Blurb

Coco Comma is an English language ace. She keeps interrupting and correcting the townsfolk’s English, annoying everyone. With her nose buried deep in a book, she often walks into objects and bangs into people and furniture. Along with her best friend Sunny, Coco creates ridiculous rhymes, alliterates impossible sentences, uses hilarious idioms, and even encounters a magical alphabet tree!

Book Review

We received this book as part of the Blogchatter’s Book Review Program and my 10-year-old just dived into the book and finished it in a matter of minutes. Here’s what my 10-year-old had to say about the book:

This delightful book follows the adventures of a young girl named Coco Comma, who shares my love for reading! While I am a fast reader, Coco is more interested in speaking proper English and correcting those who don’t. She’s confident in her abilities and considers herself the town’s English expert. However, her love for books sometimes causes her to bump into things and people.

This book is comprised of four engaging stories that explore the use of rhyming words, alliterations, and idioms. Each story presents these language tools in an entertaining and accessible way, making it easy for readers to learn and understand them.

The stories in this book take place in a charming town filled with unique characters such as the comical twins Tilly and Trixie, the quirky Mr Tuktuk, and the funny Mrs Tippytoe. The names of these characters are just as amusing as their personalities, making the book a joy to read.

Coco’s loyal best friend, Sunny, stands out in the book as he is always there to support Coco. My favourite part of the book is when Coco and Sunny catch a rhyming bug, and they spread the fun and excitement to everyone they meet.  It’s a fun and engaging read that I’m sure many young readers will enjoy.

The book’s illustrations, done by Sunayana Nair, are vivid, colourful, and comical, bringing the characters and town to life. The expressive illustrations perfectly capture the unique personalities of each character, and I especially loved the cleverly crafted facial expressions. Overall, the illustrations added an extra layer of enjoyment to an already delightful book.

In my opinion, this book is very relatable, especially for bookworms like myself. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good story and wants to learn more about the importance of proper language usage, rhyming words, alliterations and idioms with a dose of fun.

Here are a few points from my side:

  • This book brilliantly blends bewitching tales and beneficial knowledge, making it a beguiling read for budding brains.
  • The stories tenderly touch upon timeless truths without being tiresome or trite.
  • The author’s clever wordplay captivates children and doesn’t miss a beat.
  • The colourful illustrations are a cornucopia of creativity for curious kids.
  • The typesetting is top-notch and tailored to tiny tots taking their first steps in reading.

Did you notice what just happened? The book’s essence has rubbed off on my writing as well!

Wrap up words

Overall, this book strikes the perfect balance between entertainment and education. It would make a great addition to any language teacher’s suggested reading list, particularly for introducing children to idioms, alliteration, and rhyming words.

If there’s one suggestion I could make, it would be to lower the price of this 78-page illustrated chapter book, or offer it at a discounted rate for libraries and schools, so that more children can access this wonderful book.

Buy here

“This review is powered by Blogchatter’s Book Review Program

This Kind Of Child: The ‘Disability’ Story- Book Review

Designed by the Author using Canva

Book details

Title: This Kind Of Child: The ‘Disability’ Story

Author: K. Srilata

Genre: Non-fiction

Publisher: Westland Publications

Blurb

‘I am the mother of a child who did not fit the school system, a child who was disabled by it. She was a child who made “errors”, “mistakes” that the school system was unforgiving of. We were told by the principal of an alternative school that they could not possibly admit “this kind of child”. My daughter went from being a child to “this kind of child” in that one moment.’

When she started working on the book, it was Srilata’s daughter who was its protagonist. But soon, she realised that there was no way she could stop with her daughter’s story. With each step ahead (or back), she became acutely aware of the larger story of the things we frame as ‘disability’.

‘I have learnt that disability is profoundly political, that it is heartbreakingly social.’

In This Kind of Child Srilata brings together first-person accounts, interviews and short fiction which open up for us the experiential worlds of persons with disabilities and those who love them. The book offers a multi-perspectival understanding of the disability experience its emotional as well as imagined truth, both to the disabled themselves as well as to those closely associated with them.

‘1 have learnt that stories are always bigger than they seem at first—bigger, wider and deeper.’

At the heart of this book is inter-being and the question: What does it mean to love and accept yourself or someone else fully?

Book Review

“This Kind of Child: The ‘Disability’ Story” by K. Srilata is a book that weaves together various perspectives on the disability experience through the voices of individuals with disabilities, their caregivers, families, and institutions that work with people with disabilities. The format of the book is fluid, incorporating first-person accounts, interviews, and short stories, which aptly capture the diversity of the disability narrative that cannot be summarized by a “one size fits all” approach.

As I began reading this book, I was immediately impressed by the author’s conscious decision to include a “note on terms used” that highlights their preference for people-first language. This gave me confidence in the book’s authenticity. As I continued to the Preface, I empathised with the author. A few pages into the narrative, I, as someone living with an autoimmune condition, felt truly seen when the author mentioned the invisible disability that often comes with chronic illnesses. I couldn’t agree more with the author’s assertion that self-representation is crucial to shaping the disability narrative.

The book initially began as a manuscript that focused on capturing the learning difficulties of Srilata’s daughter, who was rejected by a school due to the lack of provisions for “this kind of child.” However, the book organically evolved into a format that incorporates multiple perspectives and facets of the disability story, making it a comprehensive and inclusive representation.

The book is divided into 7 sections, each of which reflects on various aspects of the disability experience. The first section discusses how schools and colleges often disable our youth, while the second highlights the need to move away from the “charity” model towards recognizing disability as a legitimate right. The third section explores the concept of “seeing” and what sighted individuals may overlook, while the fourth section delves into the often-invisible care work associated with disability and its gendered nature. The fifth section features narratives from siblings of individuals with disabilities, providing an additional perspective. The sixth section focuses on creating roadmaps and spaces for individuals with a disability, and the final section includes interleaved stories, all of which come together to provide a 360-degree view of the disability narrative.

Wrap up words

Whether it’s Srilata’s personal experiences as a caregiver, her daughter’s story in her own words, or the other first-person narratives and interviews featured in the book, each one allows the reader to see the disability experience through an empathetic lens, helping us to be less judgemental. Through these narratives, the book allows us to unlearn any preconceived notions we may have had and teaches us to approach disability and individuals with disabilities with an open, non-judgmental attitude. This ability to foster greater understanding and empathy is the true victory of this book.

Also, the beauty of the book lies in its open-ended stories, which serve as a metaphor for the possibility of change and growth over time, both as individuals and as a community. ‘This kind of child’ is certain to be an important part of history and has the potential to create history by initiating larger, kinder, and more inclusive conversations about the disability experience.

Whether abled or disabled, Srilata’s writing leaves readers with a compelling question to contemplate: what does it truly mean to live in our bodies and minds, and to navigate the world?

Buy here