From: Lindsay, Nina <nlindsay>
Date: Mon, 7 Apr 2003 14:50:10 -0700

Wait a minute.... I think we're all talking about "free verse" here, meaning no rhyme, no meter. "Blank verse" is metered verse with no rhyme.
  I think the field is very mixed. I certainly see a lot of verse out there for young reader's that's frankly mediocre. I'm going to weigh in though with a loud hurrah for Woodson's LOCOMOTION--not only is each poem a worthy individual poem, but there's a strong narrative as well. This is truly POETRY and NOVEL. I also find the voice completely convincing.
  As to whether or not to call it "poetry,"...I don't think there's a clear cut answer. I think a lot does have to do with what it's called on the cover. The distinction I use for myself that's helpful: I think of LOCOMOTION and OUT OF THE DUST as "poetry novels," that is, novels comprised of poems. I think of Virginia Euwer Wolff's MAKE LEMONADE and TRUE BELIEVER as "novels in verse," meaning that she's used a verse form for her narrative, but there are no individual "poems" here.
  Nina Lindsay Oakland Public Library, CA
Received on Mon 07 Apr 2003 04:50:10 PM CDT