Reflect and Write:
300 Poems and Photographs to Inspire Writing
Authors: Elizabeth Guy and Hank Kellner
Editor: Sean Redmond
Publisher: Prufrock Press
Publication Date: February 1, 2013
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It has been a while since I taught poetry, but when I did I often made use of art, photography and quotations to act as writing prompts. So I appreciate the compilation of poetry, photography, quotations and questions in this book.
The photos are well-chosen, helping to elucidate the themes of the accompanying poem and spark students’ imaginations. (The image of three nuns watching a “Spirit Cruises” ship next to a poem about longing to travel made me smile.) Each poem also includes key words that students can discuss as well as questions about the theme, or ideas for writing assignments. I particularly like the quotations from famous people on each page because they often offer a wryly dissenting opinion from the poem. (A particularly peppy poem entitled “I Love a Parade” is followed by the Ulysses S. Grant quote, “The one thing I never want to see again is a military parade.”)
There were, however, some things I wish the authors had included but didn’t. There are no author bios for any of the authors of the poems (except Elizabeth Guy and Hank Kellner). There is a symbol indicating if the poem was written by a student or not, but that is the only information we are given. As a reader, I like to have at least basic information about a poet that may help me understand the context in which they write. And as a teacher I like to have that information to share with the class or as a prompt for further research.
