Writing Stories and Celebrating Poetry

Hi my fellow bookworms,

Happy Spring!

This month I spent much time writing. It has been a while since I pushed myself to do so (with school over and whatnot), and though while the writing was instructive, it was the most creative writing I have accomplished in a while. I am prepping to host a memoir workshop this upcoming month, based upon the Story Circle Network's Older Women's Legacies initiative. I made a complete revision of the workbook that was used previously. It was hard, since I have a couple returning members, but I wanted this experience to be special and new for them. After much research, thinking, writing, and rewriting, I am happy with this new workbook. I hope this next month will be full of heartfelt writing and memories.

March honors many holidays and celebrations, but one I wanted to bring a focus to is Women's History Month. One of the blogs I read promoted this calendar featuring different books for each day in March, celebrating different women in history, written by women. I have not yet read these titles, but the one I want to is the book titled Let's Call Her Barbie by Renee Rosen. Find out more information about the books on Janis Robinson Daly's blog here. 

(c) Janis Robinson Daly, 2026

You can always use this opportunity to check off the squares on your bingo card (featured in my January blog post), or to check off your Read Harder list from Book Riot. :) 

Goodreads also has finally unveiled their DNF option, or "Did Not Finish" option. I just categorized a book on my Goodreads shelf as DNF and tagged it, so I will hopefully read it again when I have a moment! I feel like I started and stopped quite a few books this past winter, but haven't updated my public profile. I am aiming to read for fun for at least 20 minutes a day and will hopefully bring you some lovely new reviews soon! 

Speaking of books to read, there is a list of free fantasy novels for your Kindle! Check out the blog, Stuff With Fantasy, for your ecopies today. I believe you will have until the end of the day on Monday to download your chosen novels.

Continuing with my earlier conversation about celebrations...

(c) Once Upon A Book Blog(ger) 2026

April honors many different celebrations, including Deaf History Month, Earth Day, April Fool's Day, Arab American Heritage Month, National Poetry Month, National Scrabble Day, International Dance Day, and of course, religious observances, such as Easter and Passover. One of my coworkers is creating a display for our library observing National Poetry Month. She will be displaying artwork titled "blackout poetry." Blackout poetry is a form of poetry in which you take a page from a printed book (we are using discarded books that are now going to be upcycled), black out most of the page using a permanent marker, and create a poem based on the text present. Some who are more artistically inclined can draw pictures to help further the poem's meaning, others create more profound messages, but it is aimed to help overcome writer's block and unleash your creative spirit. I created my own! :) ^ See here ^

Last year I did my own display for April and National Poetry Month using "Pocket Poems," or poems you can fit into your pocket for on-the-go reading and inspiration. I also had a section were visitors could submit their own poems for display. While I am not a great poet, I love the elegance and rhythmic language and the imagery each poem evokes. 

Would you write a blackout poem? If you do, or just want to write a regular one, or even share a poem already in existence, please do so here! 

Until next month...Happy Reading! :)

Cali's Fun Bilingual Tales by Jorja Colley & Illustrated by Vicky Lommatzsch

Hello my fellow bookworms,

(c) Penguin Random House LLC, 2024

Today, I would like to share my review of the book Cali's Fun Bilingual Tales by Jorja Colley and illustrated by Vicky Lommatzsch! I received a free copy courtesy of Zeitgeist's Insider Club. This paperback bound copy boasts a durable cover with colorful illustrations that will be sure to appeal to both bilingual children and those learning English and/or Spanish! This book is perfect for those between the ages of 5 - 10 years old, as the reading is of a higher level than your learning basics. These bilingual tales are formatted as short stories in chapter form, fun reading for bedtime or learning time.

Each short story takes about as the title states, about 5 minutes to read through. Colley begins each chapter with a keyword dictionary, highlighting key terms both you and your child will learn and look out for within the following story. The stories are written in both English and Spanish, so you can follow along either side, or try to read in the language you are learning for an added challenge. Lommatzsch's illustrations are cute, child-friendly, and colorful. I would love to see this book animated with this art style at some point! The pictures help bring each story to life, with each story covering some sort of language basics, such as people and places. 

As one who is a beginner in Spanish, an audiobook version of this book would be perfect for me to learn even more! Luckily, Colley has graciously uploaded a video on YouTube of her reading her book for us. Win-win! 

If you are looking for more materials to encourage bilingual learning, check out Colley's website Jorja's Dual Language Classroom, where she features freebies, such as teacher survival kits, classroom activities, holiday activities, and more. She also has a Teachers Pay Teachers website, so you can view more tools here, as well. 

I highly recommend Cali's Fun Bilingual Tales. Both Colley and Lommatzsch have created a fun book for those learning English and Spanish, and for those who speak more than one language to just read in whichever language they choose. I had fun reading, and I hope you and your family does, too!

(c) Jorja Colley

About the Author: Jorja Colley

Jorja Colley, with a strong-willed heart for education and passion for being bilingual, has set her mind to do whatever is in her hands to help the bilingual community. She has created Jorja's Dual Language Classroom to share bilingual learning materials with educators, fueled by the dream that all children may one day have access to quality bilingual programs and resources. Jorja lives in the city of El Paso with her husband and daughter, enjoying the richness of a bilingual environment, nurtured by a bicultural life. You can find her on Instagram @jorjasduallanguageclassroom.

(c) Vicky Lommatzsch

About the Illustrator: Vicky Lommatzsch

At the age of 5, Vicky watched her older brother draw Jolly Jumper. She was so fascinated by seeing a character come to life on paper, she realized there was a magical world other than the one she lived in, where anything is possible. She has been drawing and playing in that parallel universe ever since. You can find her on Instagram @vickylomm.