Take time out of your day for a poetry break

“If Home Is”

If home is water,
Then it flows down a waterfall
And eventually brushes past coral lying along the ocean floor

If home is a snail,
Then it slithers down a sandy beach,
Leaving a silky streak of slime
That the sun dries up slowly

If home is a game,
Then it ends far too soon
Yet the sensation it leaves lingers

If home is a person,
Then he or she has no face, only shadows
Or perhaps the face is hidden behind a mask

If home is a smell,
Then it is always changing, whispering
Sometimes fiercely, other times softly

If home is a question,
Then it asks only of value and importance

If home is an answer,
Then it is the simplest and the most complex ever thought of

If home is a memory,
Then it remains vivid and clear,
Even at the end of your days

If home is anticipation,
Then it is like watching dough rise in an oven
Maybe it will be a batch of cookies or a loaf of bread
Almost perfect, with just a small area slightly overcooked

If home is dependable,
Then it is the foundation that which holds everything up

If home is love,
Then it is as true as anything ever was,
Though no one said it was always easy

If home is a secret,
Then it is the most important one

If home is a monster,
Then it screams and it hides

If home is pain,
Then it’s a sweeter pain
Than any other

If I gave home a description,
It would be:

Perfection at its worst,
Imperfection at its absolute best

-Mariel A.
poet, Loft student, high school sophmore

Be a part of Figment’s web panel tonight!

Never heard of Figment? You’ve gotta check it out – it’s a valuable resource for writers, readers, and anyone who loves YA fiction.

FIGMENT WEB PANEL: Forget English Class! What I Really Want to Do is Write
Does Writing in School Prepare Students for Careers as Writers?

A provocative title for what we’re guessing will be a frank, compelling, entertaining conversation.

This Thursday, December 8 at 7 p.m. ET, we’ll be hosting our first live web panel. Four of our favorite YA authors— Lauren McLaughlin ( Scored), David Levithan( Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist), Scott Westerfeld ( Uglies), and Robin Wasserman ( the Cold Awakening series)—will be joining the thousands of young writers on Figment to discuss the connections between writing in school and careers in creative writing.

Among the topics to be covered: Does perfecting the art of the 5-paragraph analytical essay make you a better creative writer? How important are things like grammar, spelling, and syntax for a fiction stylist? Do test scores or grades in high school English class reflect your chances for creative success later on? And what’s the one thing that successful, professional authors wish teenagers knew about writing?

Save the date,spread the word, and be sure to join us here: http://blog.figment.com/forget-english-class-author-panel/

Hey Writers – Check out this opportunity for summer 2012!

The Juniper Institute for Young Writers is an extraordinary nine-day creative writing program for students who are finishing their sophomore, junior, or senior years of high school. Hosted by the University of Massachusetts MFA Program for Poets and Writers, the Institute offers participants a unique opportunity: intensive workshops in fiction and poetry, craft sessions and studio courses designed especially for young writers, as well as unparalleled exposure to world-renowned authors through readings and Q&As.

For more info go to www.umass.edu/juniperyoungwriters. Now start writing!

Awesome books of 2011! A list by Rachel Bongart: Loft student, blogger, writer

I think a great struggle for a writer is reading, because I find it hard to read and write at the same time. Especially if the author’s voice is similar to mine–or the plot or a character, etc. And I work at a bookstore, where reading and reviewing books is necessary, so writing for me has been…set very low on the list…unfortunately. But there is an upside to all this, of course–the books! So, so, sooo many good books! Below I’ll share with you some of my favorites of 2011 so far.

Read about them all at Rachel’s cool blog: http://www.rachelbongart.com/?p=122