Winter is on its way, and if you are on the East Coast, baby, it's cold outside! Today's Thoughtful Thursday ushers in December with a group of great winter poems. First up is "Winter Trees", by William Carlos Williams (1883-1963), an ode to the beauty of a winter forest. In "Those Winter Sundays" Robert Hayden (1913-1980) reminds us that [...]
Today's Thoughtful Thursday features the poetry of Martin Espada (b. 1957), an award-winning Latino poet, essayist and author who has written extensively about the pursuit of social justice. Espada was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY and is of Puerto Rican descent. His father Frank Espada was a community organizer and civil rights activist who was a strong role [...]
November is Native American Heritage Month, and today's Thoughtful Thursday brings you three poems from Native American poets. "Autumn" is by Alexander Posey (1873-1908). Posey was a Muskogee Creek poet, journalist, politician and humorist. He founded the Eufaula Indian Journal in 1901, the first Native American daily newspaper. "Remember" is by Joy Harjo (b.1951). Harjo, also a member of [...]
It's Thoughtful Thursday, time to turn away from all the worries of the world and let a bit of poetry soothe the soul. As the first full week of November comes to an end, and the trees here in Central Park are putting on a colorful autumnal display, let's celebrate the fall season with a couple of poems. First [...]
Halloween is less than a week away, so today's Thoughtful Thursday features some Halloween poems for you to share with your sons and daughters. This assortment includes the celebrated African-American poet Paul Laurence Dunbar's scary tale of a hanging from the tree's perspective, the classic witches chant from Shakespeare's Macbeth, and a silly poem about a Halloween party by [...]
In "The Hate U Give", a movie that opened in wide release this past weekend, Starr Carter, a young black girl who walks the fine line between her poor black neighborhood and her wealthy prep school, witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend by a police officer. She gets pressure from all sides to be quiet about [...]
Monday is Columbus Day. While many of us were taught in elementary school that "Columbus discovered America" in 1492, we now know that Christopher Columbus never set foot on what we know as the United States. Moreover, when he and his Spanish army got to the Caribbean islands in 1492 they found settlers already there-- indigenous people from the [...]
As we watch the Kavanaugh hearings today, and we watch the incredible political developments these days in general, we must find ways to talk with our sons and daughters about the concept of truth. How to tell it, how to determine it, the importance of standing up for it. (We must also find ways to talk with our sons [...]
Today's Thoughtful Thursday pays tribute to Arthur Mitchell, the founding director of the wonderful Dance Theater of Harlem, who died yesterday at the age of 84. Mitchell, born and raised in Harlem, was the first black ballet dancer to achieve international stardom when he was a principal dancer with The New York City Ballet, where he danced from 1956 [...]
Today's Thoughtful Thursday features poems to share with middle school (or younger) children as they settle back into the school rhythm. We start with "Who Has Seen The Wind", a classic that introduces youngsters to the mysteries of science. We continue with the fun nonsense poem "Eletelephony", and end with "Sick", a Shel Silverstein classic which is sure to [...]