Lemony Snicket Chooses Poetry for Poetry Magazine

The Poetry Foundation has asked Lemony Snicket to choose a few poems for this month’s edition of Poetry Magazine. The results are as wonderfully odd as you might expect. The portfolio is titled: “All Good Slides are Slippery” and Snicket specifically chooses poems that were not written specifically for children. As he explains:

The poems contained in this children’s poetry portfolio are not made for children. Poetry is like a curvy slide in a playground–an odd object, available to the public–and, as I keep explaining to my local police force, everyone should be able to use it, not just those of a certain age.

What follows are 19 poems with illustrations by Chris Raschka and running commentary from Snicket, all in his unique voice. Example:

Starting to read something, such as a portfolio, is like opening a door, so I thought it would be interesting to start with two poems about doors written by two very different poets. Maram al-Massri is a Syrian woman who now lives in the city of Paris, France. Carl Sandburg is an American man who doesn’t live anywhere, due to death.

This could be an excellent resource for kids moving beyond the world of Dr. Seuss and Shel Silverstein, who may get a bit discouraged (as I was) by the way poetry is sometimes taught in schools.

Thanks to SFSignal.com for the link.