Julie: While at IRA, now ILA, last year, I stumbled upon a presentation you were giving in the exhibit hall with Mary Jo Fresch. I was drawn in with the wit, whimsy, rhythm, and rhyme you utilized to teach phonics and phonemic awareness through poetry. I even got to take home the Learning Through Poetry “Rimes” book. I use it with my college students to model effective ways of teaching phonics and phonemic awareness. I love the way the books are designed to support teachers and students with activities centered around grade level appropriate poetry. The books are so user friendly--complete with digital resources! Tell us about the writing relationship you have with Mary Jo and how that makes this series a must-have for teachers of early literacy.
David: Working with Dr. Mary Jo Fresch is such a treat! One of her professional strengths is the field of phonemic development. We’ve published five books together (the Learning Through Poetry series) and are working on a new one now. Our publisher (Shell Education) flew us to their California headquarters and rented a sound studio so we could record all 96 of the poems I wrote for the project. I’m happy you like the poems, Julie. Each one began with a single sound (phoneme) and my job was to develop a poem that would hold children’s interest while reinforcing the sound being taught. Mary Jo provided clever and highly useful follow-up activities. I think the series is unique in the field. Recently I spoke at a Head Start family night. The room was full of kids 3-5 years old. The books are labeled for children PreK-1 or 2 but even the little ones were laughing at the poems. The teachers in the room were nodding their heads and smiling.
Julie: While at ILA, Jennifer and I also have attended and eagerly participated in the Poetry Olio events. Give our readers a little glimpse into the crazy fun of this night.
David: In 2014 about 400 teachers attended the event and laughed and clapped for two and a half hours after a long day at the conference. Lately the program has begun with a revamp of an old poem of mine: “Don’t Hate Us Because We’re Poets.” The whole cast joins in to recite it with a straight face. The evening usually features eight or ten poets who read for seven minutes or so. After that the mic is open for audience members to present their work or favorites by someone else. Time permitting, the poets conclude with an encore or two. It’s surprising how quickly the time passes.
Julie: What are some of your plans for the future, and how can our readers keep up with what you are doing?
David: Julie, there are always plans in the works. As I write this I have, in various stages from proposals to books with upcoming pub dates, four fiction picture books, one nonfiction picture book, six poetry books (including one co-written with Jane Yolen), one book in verse (co-written with Sandy Asher), one YA chapter book, three professional books, and one online writing course.
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David believes there are four parts to writing: 1) Get ready to write! 2) Write your draft. 3) Revise by whacking. 4) Polish it till you can see your face in it!