Karen Hood’s first collection of poetry, Frost of Spring Green, is a masterful collection of poems in a wide range of topics that will delight serious readers of poetry and those new to the genre alike. The poems deal with a wide range of topics including nature, everyday life, social and environmental issues, and the deepest, most profound emotions experienced by all of us.

Hood’s poetry is clear and confident, elegant in its simplicity. She is adept at crafting layers of meaning and impact that work on the heart over time, providing powerful insight into the wonders of the natural world and the human condition. At first glance, her poems appear straightforward and can be easily read and grasped by those inexperienced in the nuances of poetry. A deeper reading, however, will prove that there is much for a more experienced reader to discover beneath the surface.

Frost of Spring Green‘s imagery is powerfully visual, painting vivid pictures that are poignant and breathtaking whether the subject is a beautiful flower or mountain vista, or the cardboard box an orphaned, homeless child has used to construct a home for herself. Hood’s metaphors are equally strong, and with them she is able to bring the reader to a deeper understanding of her themes. Her knowledge of the craft is excellent, and she demonstrates an innate skill with rhyme and meter that enhances the impact of her poetry–although she also knows when to withhold them. Alliteration is used to create greater emphasis on particular phrases that will linger hauntingly long after the book has been set aside. One of Hood’s favorite devices is the use of stark contrasts, comparing and sometimes even equating opposites in such powerful ways that the poem creates a lasting effect on the reader. Personally, I have never encountered a poet who crafts more potent contrasts than Karen Hood.

Frost of Spring Green is a compelling read for anyone who enjoys poetry. It provides the opportunity to slow down and consider the world we live in, in all its beauty and heartbreak–a rare thing in this hectic modern lifestyle. I will close my review with one of my favorite poems from this collection, one that demonstrates the depth and power in Karen Hood’s writing.

~

Night Whistle

Do you remember that
Hot August night?

Iowa humidity so dense
You could backstroke in the breeze.

Mom and Dad, we came home with
You, back to our tiny apartment.

The brassy train whistle
Pierced our silence.

One quiet night with you, now
Dead within my body.

My beautiful dark-haired
First baby boy, still.

The last long night
I shared together with you.

Karen Jean Matsko Hood © 2010

~

Order your copy of Frost of Spring Green today!

Frost of Spring Green ©2010 & 2011

Copyright Year and Binding

2010 Paperback $ 19.95 2011 Paperback $ 19.95 2011 Paperback Large Print $ 22.95

Frost of Spring Green ©2004 & 2005

Copyright Year and Binding

2004 Spiral Bound $ 8.95 2004 Comb Bound $ 8.95 2005 Spiral Bound $ 9.95 2005 Comb Bound $ 9.95

March is National Novel Editing Month! If you have an unfinished or completed but unpolished manuscript lying around, this is your chance to dust it off and bring it back to life! Consider signing up for NaNoEdMo to get yourself motivated.

NaNoEdMo makes novel editing, usually a laborious task, into something fun and challenging. It is free to sign up and simple to participate. Log 50 hours of editing for the month of March (less than 2 hours a day) and you will receive a certificate of completion–not to mention how much work you will have achieved on your manuscript. Just think: 50 hours of novel editing could very well bring your book to a point where it is finally ready to be sent to an agent or publisher! And what better way to do it than NaNoEdMo, when you can be part of a writing community that is striving to reach the same goal? The site’s forums offer advice and motivation, and each year there are articles and podcasts by published authors. There are even Red Pen Luminaries, people who organize NaNoEdMo events on a regional and local scale. Kick off parties, pep talks, gatherings to work on and discuss your manuscript, wrap up parties–all these and more are possibilities if there is a RPL in your area. NaNoEdMo is all about support and giving you the best tools and opportunity to edit your novel. You can even look at it as a friendly competition to spur you on. You only need 5o hours of editing to receive the certificate, but can you beat last year’s top editor, who logged an astounding 332.77 hours of editing for March 2010?

Even if you fall short of the 50 hour achievement, it’s hard to pass up the opportunity to connect with a community of writers who will encourage and support you with such a wide array of resources. Give NaNoEdMo your best shot!

Good morning. Today is January 18, 2011, and I am busy planning for the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators conference. This conference takes place in New York City later this month, which I will be attending.

The Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) was founded 1971 by a group of Los Angeles-based children’s writers. It is an international organization based in Los Angeles, California, representing professionals in the field of children’s literature. It is the world’s largest children’s writing organization and the only international organization for people who write, illustrate, or have a professional interest in children’s literature. There are currently more than 22,000 members worldwide, in over 70 regional chapters, writing and illustrating in all genres for young readers from board books to young adult (YA) novels. The SCBWI facilitates communication between writers, illustrators, editors, publishers, agents, librarians, educators, booksellers, and others involved in the field.

Membership in this society provides many benefits for writers, including information and support, access to awards and grants, networking, local workshops and get-togethers, inside publications, online resources, manuscript and illustration exchange, member discounts, and more.

The SCBWI sponsors two annual conferences, on the west and east coasts of the United States, usually in Los Angeles and New York City, as well as many regional conferences and events throughout the world. It publishes a bi-monthly newsletter, has an interactive website, and gives out a number of awards and grants. Among these are the annual Golden Kite Award for the best fiction and nonfiction books and the Sid Fleischman Humor Award.

At this year’s winter conference there will be a panel discussion on Creating and Recreating the Picture Book: Three Views. There are also three workshops about What Makes Your Work Publishable: Today’s Market in Children’s Books.

I am looking forward to all the other authors I will meet at this conference, as well as all I will learn from the speakers and workshops.

Tweet This