Canadian Authors – National Capital Region Branch: Writing Poetry for Children, with Bowman Wilker

Via Zoom.

Why children’s poetry? While the adult poetry world is growing, the market for children’s poetry remains small. Or does it? Bowman will talk about the difficulties of publishing children’s poetry and then explain why you should do it anyways. Children’s poetry, more than any other medium, allows a writer to think loosely (be imaginative, silly, irreverent) while at the same time forcing the writer to be tightly focused on one’s craft (a whole story in 4-8 lines!). Bowman will share some practical techniques for composing poetry and then allow some time for you to give it a try. He will show you how this type of practice can stretch your author’s mind in ways that will inform your other writing. Warning – there will be some silliness, please bring your expansive child’s mind.

Bowman Wilker is a children’s poet and elementary school teacher from Ottawa, Canada. His poetic picture book, Crackerjack Jack (Wilou Filou in French) was published by OwlKids/ Bayard Press. Bowman’s poems have been regularly featured in Owlkids magazines Chirp and Chickadee as well as in Caterpillar (Ireland) and Spider (U.S.). His attempts to write poems and stories for big people have appeared in literary magazines such as Dash, Offbeat and Rush. He currently lives duck free in the always enchanting suburb of Barrhaven.

Register for this event by emailing NCRadmin@canadianauthors.org.