Reading & Singing: Touched by the Power of Word & Song

I’ve had the opportunity to do a lot of fun things this last month or so.

One thing that I’ve been doing more of the last couple of years is meeting with elementary and middle school classes to talk about poetry. Typically, they have a poetry unit and I visit around that time. Multiple classes will gather and listen to me talk and read poetry for about 20 minutes. I also field a myriad of questions about what inspires me and statements like are we done yet?! from those not really into poetry. 😁

The absolute best part of my trip is the time when the students will read their poems. There is a wide variety and I truly enjoy every poem that is read. It really makes me happy that they feel comfortable to read their poems out loud to me and their class. It’s a big deal to be vulnerable in public, particularly at that age. Sometimes I receive thank you notes from the teachers and the class. I recently got a batch of notes from Thoreau Elementary and I was overwhelmed with gratitude. Selfishly, I hope that they will remember our little visit, especially when I tell them that they should always believe in themselves and their voice deserves to be heard. I also hope they are budding poets!

Special thanks to the teachers, librarians and administrative staff that have welcomed me into their schools. I hope I can come back next year and share some new poems and my new book!

Speaking of which…Simon, my editor, and I have been working on my latest poetry book and we’re doing final edits. This is the fun part! I’m really excited to share them with you in early 2025. It has taken a while to produce this book for various reasons, but I promise, it’ll be worth the wait.

Another one of my happy places is Ladies Rock Camp! To all of the ladies out there who want to have a weekend of fun that will change your life for the better – you need to sign up for this camp! 20 campers and a team of genius coaches (who just so happen to be VERY cool) come together on a Friday to form 4 bands, write a song to perform on Sunday at the High Noon Saloon, have instrument classes, breakout sessions on important related topics (even some cool science by Dana) and produce a surge of beautiful, positive energy. Jenna Jonis was our coach and our band composed of Karisa, Kristin, Heather, Pam and me were known as “Jenna’s Babes”. Our song was called No Filter and was a true team effort. It’s challenging to come together as strangers and write a song, but it happens without fail. By the way, no musical experience is necessary – we all just want to have a good time. I do feel like once a band, always a band, on this weekend of sisterhood.

On Sunday, I got to perform a couple of side projects in addition to our stellar band song Creep by Radiohead and a song I wrote called Jenny. I have to give Jenna a special shoutout as she accompanied me on both side projects and helped me push myself and gave me the courage to sing these songs. I also want to say that everyone in the camp was impressive! There were a ton of side projects and they were all AMAZING! I’m sad for anyone that missed this show – it was something to see and hear. Thank you to Beth Kille and Beth Dorn for running this magnificent show. If you’re even thinking about doing this just a little bit – DO IT! NO EXCUSES!

I hope all of you are able to enjoy some time off from work and relax during the holiday season. It can be a real crush and difficult for some during this time – my heart goes out to you. I remember one year, after my husband passed, when the kids were younger and I was wrapping presents into the early morning hours by myself. While it can be magic for some, it can be lonely and challenging for others. 

Let’s chat soon.

With affection,

Carrie VS