A Great Nephew and a Great Aunt-Guests Julie Rowan-Zoch and son, Aaron Zoch

Posted on by Penny Parker Klostermann
Ants may rule the hill, but they don’t rule here! Art by Landon (Click to Enlarge)
Ants may rule the hill, but they don’t rule here! Art by Landon (Click to Enlarge)

Hello, Great Readers of our series! Just in case you haven’t visited before, let me tell you a little about A Great Nephew and A Great Aunt. My great nephew, Landon (a fifth-grader) and I (his great aunt) collaborate. I write a poem which he illustrates. We started this collaboration last fall and have had so much fun with it that we decided to invite others along. Landon and I will continue to have a new episode on the second Friday of each month. The other Fridays are filling up quickly with guests. I have created a page on my website to view all the episodes of A Great Nephew and a Great Aunt. Click HERE to visit the page and enjoy past episodes.

Today it is my pleasure to welcome the collaborative team of . . .

Julie Rowan-Zoch and her son, Aaron Zoch

About their collaboration: Julie said-Oh, there was nagging was involved! He is still a teen – which is why I was surprised he agreed in the first place, and was surprised by the final art, as he is more of a stick figure kinda guy! He even tried to call me the procrastinator! Ha!
I believe Julie is referring to the fact that Aaron worked on his art right up to the last minute…and maybe at the last minute-I’m not sure 😉

The PoemSlide1

 Aaron’s Art

Aaron's art
Art by Aaron Zoch 2015

The attached photo is one of Julie and both of her kids goofing at the Denver Botanical Gardens. Aaron is on the left, Julie is on the right.

photo of Julie and Aaron

Personally, I’m thrilled that there was nagging involved because the collaboration was totally worth it! Many thanks to Julie and Aaron for being our guests today.

julie photo

Meet Julie: Julie Rowan-Zoch grew up collecting freckles and chasing hermit crabs on Long Island, NY, and spent years slicing rich, dark breads in northern Germany before she found that waking up 300 days out of the year to blue Colorado skies is rather nice! If she doesn’t answer the door, she’s in the garden fighting off aphids, squirrels, and her arch-nemesis: Campanula ranunculus (do not be fooled by sweet purple bells!). She studied Ad/Graphic Design at FIT in NYC and the HBK in Braunschweig.  Her illustration work has been featured in three board books for Bailiwick Press, YOU’RE HERE!, YOU’RE ONE!, and YOU’RE TWO.
Learn more about Julie on her website.

Matt Forrest Esenwine has the Poetry Friday Roundup over at Radio, Rhyme, and Rhythm. What exactly is Poetry Friday? Click HERE for a full explanation by the awesome Renée LaTulippe.poetry friday button

 

67 thoughts on “A Great Nephew and a Great Aunt-Guests Julie Rowan-Zoch and son, Aaron Zoch”

  2. Funtastic limerick, Julie! You may see a similar theme in my poem when it appears here, but yours is very different! Love all the deliciously vivid words and imagery: “killed the night,” “murderous bite,” “passion and mirth…” so much packed in those five lines! Bravo! Aaron’s “bird’s eye view” is both funny and terrifying, quite a feat!

    Like

  5. This is just the trailer, right? I’m ready for the full length movie! Julie definitely got my heart beating with that poem. And Aaron, despite his procrastination– well, let’s face it. That worm didn’t stand a chance.

    Liked by 2 people

  6. I love that the worm “sprang from the earth”! The sweat off a worm’s brow is priceless…yes, I’d love to see the worried look on a worm’s face! There faces have such expressive eyes.

    Liked by 2 people

  7. Ah the circle of life! Here there are large flocks of shiny small black birds joyously slurping up the fat green caterpillar larva of the winter moths. Our maple trees, lush and full last week, have been reduced to sad, lacy tatters by the wriggly little pests, and their black peppery speckle poo has coated the streets and sidewalks. Munch on birds, munch on!

    Bravo Julie and Aaron!

    Liked by 1 person

  14. I wish I lived close to Julie! She and her family have so much fun, it seems, and I want to partake. 🙂 I guess this fun poem + art is the closest I can come to sharing their sense of fun with them for now!

    Liked by 2 people

  21. Everyone always blames the Bird! Poor Robin! Terrific poem (although calling it murder seems a tad harsh for an evening snack …. What if he had found the worm in the freezer section of aisle 1 at the supermarket? If you ask me, that Robin was framed! 😀) and great art! Julie and Aaron you make an awesome team! Happy Friday! 😀💜😀

    Liked by 3 people

  22. I love the perspective in the artwork and the poem was ‘killer’! (sorry, couldn’t resist) Great work and a fun family photo too!

    Liked by 2 people

Comments are closed.