
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 sixth-grader) and I (his great aunt) collaborate. I write a poem which he illustrates. We started this collaboration in the fall of 2014 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 share a creative collaboration from . . .
Laura Shovan and Niece, Madeline, Age 8
Madeline’s Art
Note: Madeline’s class was studying the artist Keith Haring.

Laura’s Poem
A photo of the collaborators. The crown that Laura is wearing was made by Madeline. What a creative young lady! 🙂

Many thanks to Madeline and Laura for sharing such an energetic and sunny collaboration with us today.
Meet Laura: Laura Shovan is former editor for Little Patuxent Review and editor of two poetry anthologies. Her chapbook, Mountain, Log, Salt and Stone, won the inaugural Harriss Poetry Prize. Laura works with children as a poet-in-the-schools and is a Poetry Friday blogger. The Last Fifth Grade of Emerson Elementary, her novel-in-verse for children, will be published in 2016 (Wendy Lamb Books/Random House). Laura blogs at www.laurashovan.com.
Thanks to Donna for hosting the Poetry Friday Roundup at Mainely Write. If you’d like to know more about Poetry Friday, click HERE for an explanation by Renee LaTulippe.
Aw! Sweet post and poem and picture and tiara! Everyone deserves a tiara when they are writing!
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Oh I just loved Bark at the Park, and how wonderful Madeline is being inspired by such iconic artists!
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Thanks for coming by, Jean 🙂
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Thanks for your great comments, everyone. I know Madeline will enjoy them. Of course, Sam the Schnauzer thinks the poem was inspired by HIM.
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Oh…there’s a Sam the Schnauzer involved? Love it!
Thanks again, Laura, for collaborating with Madeline and sharing it as part of my series 🙂
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Delightful prom and charming drawing. Thanks!
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Thanks for stopping in, Rosi!
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Aww, what fun, both picture and poem! My favorite, though, is Laura’s crown (made by Madeline). 🙂
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That crown is very special. I sure would like one 🙂
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Super cool, ladies!
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Thanks, Catherine. I appreciate you coming by!
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Uber spiffy! (“Wonderful” just doesn’t cut it.) Both art and poem capture Keith Haring’s vibrant energy– Hello world, Laura and Madeline are HERE!
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Uber spiffy! I like that, Michelle.
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This cheered me right up! Hooray for Laura and Madeline!
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Glad to cheer you up, Jama. Laura and Madeline brought sunshine to my blog, didn’t they?
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Very fun to see those happenings at the park, a la Keith Haring, & Laura’s poem adds sunny voices. Laura is a busy lady this month! Thanks, Penny.
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She certainly is busy! I sure am glad she made time for this. Thanks for stopping by, Linda 🙂
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Love the dog in the art, and the voice of the poem! Thanks for the intro to Laura & Madeline, Penny 🙂
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You’re welcome, Maria. If you love poetry then Laura is a good one to follow.
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Great art that makes me long for summer and playgrounds. I love the poem, too, taking its time celebrating all the things that the art had to say. And ending on gratitude, which is a journey we all need to take to be happy.
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I agree! Ending with gratitude is awesome! Thanks for coming by, Brenda.
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I talked to my kids about your art-poetry project, and they are all interested. Should I email you something when it’s ready?
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Love the shoutout to the sun! Very fun.
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Thanks for coming by, Stacy. Glad you enjoyed Laura and Madeline’s collaboration.
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Love this collaboration! Great work, Laura and Madeline!
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Isn’t it a great collaboration. I can just see the dog trotting from one thing to another with his tail wagging and a big slobbery smile.
Thanks for stopping in, Carrie.
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The artwork is happy and fun and the captures the mood perfectly. Well done.
Sent from my iPhone
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Thanks, Larry 🙂
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Laura and Madeline, Love the poem and art. My dog, Madeleine, gives it a high four paws!
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Ah, a high four is perfect for this collaboration! Thanks for coming by, Robin!
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I love Madeline’s colorful artwork. It is such a happy piece. And, Laura’s poem really showcases her artwork. Lovely collaboration.
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This is such a happy post! It has me smiling 🙂
Thanks for coming by, Pat.
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Another fun post! This is such a great way to bring the older and younger generations together. I hope your blog inspires many families to try their hand at this fun exercise.
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That’s my hope, too! Thanks for coming by 🙂
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Love the hello to the sun! Look at this precious combination of people. Laura’s my hero this month with her ongoing poetry project. It’s inspiring so much good writing as well as building a community of writers.
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Her project is wonderful. I thought about joining in but my plate was too full too add another thing. But I’m enjoying random posts by the rest of you 🙂
Thanks for coming by, Margaret.
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Sweet story and picture! That looks just like Mom and me at the park! I also say all of those things…. till Mom says, “Quit your barking, maniac!” I love the park!!
Love and licks,
Cupcake
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Hi, Cupcake! I thought you might like this post! Glad you trotted by 😀
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