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Chesterton's Fence and Our Nation's Economy
It's March, 2025, and I've been thinking a lot about Chesterton's Fence lately. You might remember the story. Two people come upon a...
Eric
Mar 172 min read
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The Journey Will Reveal the Destination
The oh-so-generous children's author and poet David L. Harrison has launched a series of newspaper articles on poetry. Most of these...
Eric
Feb 4, 20241 min read
31 views
2 comments


Gull-Lover's Travels
It’s one mile and some change from the beaches to our house. As the crow flies. As the seagull flies, too, I suppose. Our house sits on a...
Eric
Jan 17, 20242 min read
30 views
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Stop That Poem! Writing Activity
Here's a fun, easily implemented, success nearly guaranteed but my boss won't let me put it in writing, creative writing activity for...
Eric
Dec 16, 20221 min read
195 views
0 comments


Astro Van quick bed conversion
Full disclosure: This post has absolutely nothing to do with children's poetry or literature or music. But I thought it might be helpful...
Eric
Sep 26, 20225 min read
171 views
1 comment


Thoughts from a Fraud
Imposter syndrome and I have a long, mostly friction-filled relationship. I’ve been writing non-fiction pieces for a classroom magazine...
Eric
Jul 11, 20222 min read
125 views
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When the Story Inspires You. And then Conquers You.
I was sharing a short bio of author and poet Jimmy Santiago Baca with my high school students the other day. To give the abbreviated...
Eric
Jun 10, 20211 min read
50 views
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A Poem from 12-Year Old Me
First, let me apologize for the photo of the anorexic cheerleader. (Somebody needs to bring that girl a taco plate. Grande!) I only...
Eric
May 11, 20213 min read
239 views
0 comments


A Christmas Letter (song)
This isn't the song I thought I was going to write, but it's the song that wanted to be written. A gift to family and friends. Please...
Eric
Dec 16, 20191 min read
245 views
0 comments


The Letter I Never Got to Send
The morning I realized I was going to quit teaching was not a morning of difficult students. There was no run-in with a grouchy building pri
Eric
Dec 9, 20192 min read
103 views
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Permission Granted
“This is one of the main reasons I believe that adolescence can be so fraught for so many. Just as we start to catch the barest glimpses...
Eric
Jun 15, 20192 min read
100 views
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Arranged Marriage (poem)
I often tell students that, once I have completed a story or a poetry collection and have rather miraculously gotten it onto the desk of...
Eric
Mar 16, 20192 min read
731 views
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Counting Down 2018 - Successes and Missteps from 8 to 1
8 = Number of picture book rejection letters and non-replies in 2018 An embarrassingly low number! I vow to get a lot more writing done...
Eric
Jan 1, 20192 min read
55 views
0 comments


Lemon, Apple, and...Creamy Maple Pies?
Thanksgiving is tomorrow, and for many, that means friends, family, and…pie! Lots and lots of pie! I’m a big fan of pie. Fruit pies...
Eric
Nov 21, 20182 min read
38 views
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Pizza Man - New music video
I had the pleasure of providing a number of outdoor community concerts this past summer, sometimes playing back-to-back shows with other...
Eric
Nov 2, 20181 min read
35 views
0 comments


Or There's a Nice Thai Restaurant on the Corner...
I’ve mentioned it before, but it’s worth repeating. I love clearly-defined poem requests. I love requests that, when you open the front...
Eric
Oct 5, 20182 min read
90 views
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Nobody's Dog (poem)
There are a handful of questions that turn up over and over again from students when I’m visiting schools. How many books have you...
Eric
Sep 23, 20182 min read
249 views
1 comment


On the Hunt for Poetry in Guatemala
I’m here in San Pedro La Laguna, Guatemala - my first visit to this wonderful, noisy, disparate, and warmly welcoming country. San Pedro...
Eric
Sep 11, 20182 min read
90 views
0 comments


There's More Where That Came From
There’s a gem of an anecdote tucked away in Michael Feinstein’s book Nice Work If You Can Get It. George Gershwin had accidentally left a...
Eric
Jul 10, 20182 min read
81 views
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