Today, I discovered #BookSpinePoetry for the first time courtesy of The Conclave of Sappho…and decided to give it a try. I not only had fun perusing my bookcases and shelves, but I rediscovered old books, new books, borrowed books, books I’d forgotten about and books I can’t wait to read or re-read!
My first go gave me this:
The fearless fire-eaters looking for Alaska,
Stand a little taller across the wall…
(Emma Pass, David Almond, John Green, Gordon B. Hinckley, and Garth Nix)
What I was, impossible stardust,
How I live now, beneath the distant star,
Falling, before I die…
(Meg Rosoff, Nancy Werlin, Neil Gaiman, Meg Rosoff,
Lisa Shambrook, Sharon Dogar, Jenny Downham)
After the first death,
If I stay,
Linger, forever…
(Robert Cormier, Gayle Forman, Maggie Stiefvater, Judy Blume)
I capture the castle beneath the rainbow,
under the greenwood tree, across the wall,
through the looking glass, when no one was looking…
(Dodie Smith, Lisa Shambrook, Thomas Hardy, Garth Nix, C.S. Lewis, Rosemary Wells)
What’s on your bookshelf and what poetry can you make?
Pop over to Millie’s blog post on The Conclave of Sappho
and check out her beautiful bookspine poem
and then have a go yourself!
Feel free to share your poems in the comments below…
(I want to know what’s on your bookshelf too!)
The Last Krystallos 
Reblogged this on Chris The Story Reading Ape's Blog and commented:
This looks like fun – What can YOU come up with? 😃
Thanks for the reblog, Chris, this idea is so much fun!
It looks it Lisa, I hope you get lots of comments with other people’s results 😃
That would be so cool!
Reblogged this on gardenlilie and commented:
I found this cute little post and thought of the national poetry month. Then I found another author and her site is so put together. I’m jealous. Very nice blog you have Lisa Shambrook. I followed. Maybe now I should put some books together and do Haiku!
Thanks for the reblog, Kim, Book Spine Haiku is a great challenge! If you do some, post it here, I’d love to see!
Cleverly done Lisa.
xxx Huge Hugs xxx
Thanks, David, it was fun to find this!
What a brilliant idea, I might just have to do it!
I’m thinking you should find some Stephen King titles…could get some creepy poems!
I love the stardust poem 🙂
Couldn’t resist, so I had a go 🙂
Love yours, Sue. Especially the last one, that flows beautifully! And quite partial to the middle one as I have The Dark is Rising too!
https://scvincent.com/2016/04/15/poems-on-the-bookshelves-bookspinepoetry/
Thanks, Lisa. I could have played all day, I think 🙂
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What a wonderful idea. I think I know how I’m going to spend my Friday evening… 🙂
Thanks, Wendy, I was running about the house raiding different bookshelves! 🙂
The question is, do you compose them in the order they’re shelved? So I would have my anal Michael Moorcock titling poem: Behold the Man/Mother London/The War Among the Angels/Fabulous Harbours/Blood (Blech) Or do I cheat and throw them together to create the poem (Lost Histories/Sailing to Utopia/Sparks of Genius/Dancers at the End of Time)?
For me, Philip, definitely the second option, I love what you came up with there. My bookshelves were a mess by the time I’d got a few poems put together! Play with your books! 😉
I have a stack waiting to read. Will see what comes from that. A fab idea I’ll be taking to school with me for those who say, ‘I can’t do poetry,’ when this opens up so much creativity and discussion. Xxx
Definitely get the kids to try it! It’s very inspiring, Lizzie!
Of I start delving into my bookshelves, the redt of today won’t happen. So, in the order they are piled beside my bed, one section reads:
Fascination, the solitaire mystery,
A place of hiding, book of fairytales.
The changeover.
😊
Yep, I lost my Friday to it last week! But I like your bedside books!
Bluest Eye / Their Eyes Were Watching God / the Awakening
Love this, Marian x
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