Janet Wong

Janet Wong's poetry is accessible and grounded in the real lives of kids. TWIST is her newest poetry collection celebrating yoga!  She's speaking in Toronto in May on the topic of Poetry and the Reluctant Reader. This is a sneak peak of her talk!

Why do you think poetry is particularly good at reaching reluctant readers?

Most poems for children and teens are short, with a lot of empty white space on a page. One glance, and a reluctant reader tells himself: I can read that. Also, many poems have high-level content, deep feelings and serious thoughts, presented in a simple way, in simple words. I’ve written short poems about death, illness, being teased, feeling small. An eighth-grader with a second-grade reading level might not be able to read a novel touching on those subjects, but he will be able to read my poems.

Explain a bit about your process for writing a poem or poetry collection.

Usually I start a book with a list of childhood memories and other personal experiences that I want to write about. When I sat down to write Night Garden: Poems from the World of Dreams, I knew that I wanted to write about some of my recurring dreams: swimming like a fish, running/falling, talking in French, and eating food more delicious than anything I’ve ever had in real life. With Twist: Yoga Poems, I wanted to write about “pose envy”—the feeling of hopelessness that comes over me in yoga class when I glance at the “super yogi” types who can touch their toes to their noses! Once I’ve made a list of some memories and experiences, I launch into the writing—and write and rewrite and rewrite—and hope that I can write a poem I like about everything on the list. Sometimes I’ll do research to help build my list of topics. I did book research, Internet research, and anecdotal research (talking to old people from different countries) to help build my list of topics for Knock on Wood: Poems about Superstitions. Sometimes I fail to follow my list. For instance, I really wanted to write a poem for Behind the Wheel: Poems about Driving on the topic of red and yellow lights. My father once told me, during a “driving lesson,” to look at the WALK or hand sign when approaching an intersection. If it’s blinking, speed up! I wrote many poems on that subject, but nothing seemed quite right for my book.

 What poetry has most influenced your own work? What advice do you have for young poets?

I would not be a poet but for Myra Cohn Livingston. I would encourage young poets to read her book Poem-Making and try the different poetry forms and techniques she explains in that book. Myra was very strict with me: often she would frown at one of my drafts and say, “Can’t you put a little more music in it?” She taught me how to use rhyme, off-rhyme, assonance and consonance, repetition, and rhythm. My favorite books of hers, which you can find at a library, are There Was A Place and No Way of Knowing: Dallas Poems.  

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