Michelle Kraft
@mnkraft
I spent 25 years teaching high school English and am currently an ELA Instructional Coach. Violist, Cellist, Coffee Drinker, Crocheter, Reader Writings & Reflections: #iteachEnglish #NCTE
#sealeychallenge 11/31 I’m very familiar with the poem “Diving into the Wreck” because it’s important to the main character in I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter, a novel I loved to teach, but I hadn’t read this collection. A lot of it resonated, and I found it very moving.
#sealeychallenge 10/31: You Are Here: Poetry in the Natural World edited by Ada Limón This was so beautiful.
#sealeychallenge Day 9/31: The Natural Order of Things by Donika Kelly This will be my reading spot for the rest of the week (weather permitting). It was the perfect place to read and reflect on Kelly’s poems about family, love, and connection.
#sealeychallenge 8/31: In Mad Love and War by Joy Harjo We leave for vacation today, so I wanted to read something I knew I’d enjoy. Harjo’s writing is always musical and thought-provoking, and I love spending time with her words. This collection was excellent.
#sealeychallenge Day 7/31 What struck me most about these poems was how vividly Soliman is able to capture the tension that arises as humanity interacts with the natural world. They are also meditations on what home means to various people who inhabit the land.
#sealeychallenge 6/31 I would love to use these poems as mentor texts and have students choose their own lines as starting points. I’m sure today’s teenagers would come up with clever poetry of their own while developing a deeper appreciation for poetry and Shakespeare’s language.
#sealeychallenge Day 5/31: Poems of Akhmatova I have always been drawn to Russian history and literature, and I loved that the introduction and notes on the poems provided context for Akhmatova’s writing. She captured so much of the fear, anger, and uncertainty of her time in her poetry.
#sealeychallenge Day 4/31 Young captures the tension between losing his father and becoming a father in such a raw and powerful way. This is a reminder of how fleeting life can be and that no matter how much pain we experience, there are still reasons to hold on and find hope for the future.
#sealeychallenge Day 3/31: Bellyache: Poems for Sensitive Souls by Brianna Pastor I’ve been told so many times that I’m too sensitive, but I’ve never understood why that’s a bad thing. Pastor addresses this brilliantly, and I highly recommend this collection.
#SealeyChallenge Day 2/31: Night Owl by @nezhukumatathil.bsky.social I love immersing myself in the beauty of Nezhukumatathil's writing. I’m starting to see a theme emerging in the poems I flag as favorites. My favorites are “Firefly Ars Poetica,” “Solar Eclipse,” and “Why I Hate Deadlines.”
#sealeychallenge Day 1/31 I started with one of my favorite poets, @maggiesmithpoet.bsky.social, because her poetry makes me feel seen and brings me comfort. I loved every poem in this collection, and my favorites were “Time-Stamped,” “For years I lived,” and “The Before Picture.”
The Sealey Challenge begins today! I’ve been working on building this stack as I’ve traveled and visited indie bookstores over the past year, and I’m looking forward to setting aside time every day for poetry in what is always a hectic month. #SealeyChallenge
Q2: I'm also going to quote Banquo (Scene 3, lines 120-124). He's warning Macbeth about the potential evil of the witches, which contributes to the questions surrounding their role. Why did they plant this seed in Macbeth's mind? #SundayMacbethChat
Time to start reading Macbeth (which I haven't read since high school)! I'm flashing back to the two Shakespeare courses I took in college. Carrying this around campus was a workout. #SundayMacbethChat
My Banned Books Week plan is to make sure I've read all of these. As an ELA Instructional Coach, I'm seeing that I'm in a position to speak out against challenges if they occur in my district. We haven't had any major challenges, but teachers have concerns.
#TheSealeyChallenge Day 31/31: Clouds Before Fire and Smoke Before Rain by Winde! Washington-Nnochirionye This was good. REALLY good. It gave me so much to think about and was an excellent collection to end the challenge.
#TheSealeyChallenge Day 30/31: Florida Water by aja monet From "for freedoms" "art is a way through / a vote and a choice / how we shape and shift the culture / how we get free"
#TheSealeyChallenge Day 29/31: The Dead Emcee Scrolls: The Lost Teachings of Hip-Hop by Saul Williams I assumed I had read this, but I was wrong. Now I'm remembering why I spent so much time listening to Saul Williams and made questionable decisions in order to see him live.
#TheSealeyChallenge 28/31: All Souls by Saskia Hamilton This was really good. Definitely one to read slowly in order to contemplate the complexities.
#TheSealeyChallenge Day 27/31: A Thousand Mornings by Mary Oliver "The Morning Paper" is extremely relevant today.
#TheSealeyChallenge Day 26/31: The Princess Saves Herself in This One by Amanda Lovelace Today I decided to go into the Libby app and read the first collection that looked interesting. Some of my students wrote essays on Amanda Lovelace's poetry, so I decided to read this.
#thesealeychallenge Day 25/31: Sonnets for a Missing Key by Percival Everett From "F# Major" I hold as if for both of us, waiting, too old for what is too young, too young for what has yet to be. We, quiet the minutes, the day, At last the branch and bough, the sweet wind pushing us, as time.
#TheSealeyChallenge Day 24/31: Be Holding: A Poem by Ross Gay This was so beautiful. I need to listen to Ross Gay reading it.
#TheSealeyChallenge Day 23/31: Primordial by Mai Der Vang This was an education. From "Origin" "Some say [extinction] is inevitable, some/things are required [to] die and never return. Redwood, may you/ever root. Hmong, may you [live]. Saola, may you go and go."
#TheSealeyChallenge Day 22/31: Some Other Stupid Fruit: A Problematic Feminist Narrative by Margaret Bashaar Today was extremely busy, so I searched for free chapbooks, and this one looked interesting. The poet is from Pittsburgh, so I took it as a sign that I needed to read it.
#TheSealeyChallenge Day 21/31: How About Now by Kate Baer I was quite angsty today, and when I saw that my request for this collection on NetGalley was approved, it seemed like a sign. I just finished it, and I feel much better now. I'll post a more detailed and extremely positive review soon.
#TheSealeyChallenge Day 20/31: Learning to Fly by Stefano Fonseca This was recommended by the owner of one of my favorite indie bookstores. It was beautiful! Read her interview with Fonseca: heartandsoulbooks.org/blogs/news/i...