A Great Nephew and a Great Aunt Guests-Sylvia Liu and Her Daughter, Sarah

Posted on by Penny Parker Klostermann

poetry friday button
Thanks to Karen at Karen Edmisten* for hosting Poetry Friday today. If you’d like to know more about Poetry Friday, click HERE for an explanation by Renee LaTulippe.

Ants may rule the hill, but they don’t rule here! Art by Landon
Ants may rule the hill, but they don’t rule here! Art by Landon

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 seventh-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 one 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’s my pleasure to share a creative collaboration from . . .

Sylvia and Liu and Her Daughter, Sarah

From Sylvia: This collaboration is one that bends the space-time continuum, because it’s between my almost-13 year old daughter and my 13-year old self. Sarah wrote the poem as part of an English assignment, which was to write about something the student would like to do but is not old enough to do, in the style of Langston Hughes’ I, Too. My drawing of an eagle seems like an appropriate illustration of this poem.

Sarah’s Poemslide1

Sylvia’s Arteagle-sketch-s-liu-1-copy

Sarah and Sylvia visiting an art installation in Norfolk, VA, called Stickwork, by the artist Patrick Dougherty.sarahjacobs-stickwork-1-copy-2sylvialiu-stickwork-1-copy-2

I absolutley love that Sylvia created her art when she was similar to Sarah’s age. That makes this episode extra special in my mind. Thanks to both of them for sharing their talents.

© K Woodard Photography
© K Woodard Photography

 

 

Meet Sylvia: Sylvia Liu is a children’s author and illustrator. Her debut picture book as an author, A MORNING WITH GRANDPA, illustrated by Christina Forshay (Lee & Low Books 2016) won the Lee & Low New Voices Award. She is inspired by her family, the ocean, aliens, kraken, and cephalopods. Sylvia’s website is www.enjoyingplanetearth.com, and she co-runs the kid lit resource website, www.kidlit411.com.

64 thoughts on “A Great Nephew and a Great Aunt Guests-Sylvia Liu and Her Daughter, Sarah”

  3. What a beautiful and heartfelt contribution. Thank you for the beautiful words and the beautiful birds. I’m really struck by the pure earnestness of the poem. My favorite line, “my future left in others hands”. It’s so true that we cannot always participate in what/who governs us. Thank you for being the young person that you are. I trust you with my future. God job, Mom too!

    Liked by 1 person

  11. What a cool idea to combine Sarah’s words with Sylvia’s art from when she was the same age! Congratulations to Sarah for writing such a thoughtful poem–sentiments that we can all remember, and words that especially speak to us now.

    Liked by 1 person

  12. I taught this age for a long time, and know how impatient they are, and disappointed not to be taken more seriously. The words will be loved by all those middle-schoolers, wonderful. And the connection with that beautiful eagle (drawn at 13) is lovely. Love that stickwork installation!

    Liked by 1 person

  17. I love this pairing from a talented duo! And I love Dougherty’s work as well – the power of plants – and his use of local volunteers to build Stickworks installations.

    Liked by 1 person

      1. Just up the road in Salem MA! And I believe now in nearby Boylston too. He must have some New England ties to work here so often.

        Liked by 1 person

Comments are closed.