Tag Archives: poetry

Woke Poetry

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Before Buttons & Figs heads back into the school year with more wacky wordplay…we have an extra! episode about social justice. On this episode you’ll hear three amazing poems read by Mahogany Browne from the new poetry picture book titled, “Woke: A Young Poet’s Call to Justice.” You’ll also get to hear from some Buttons & Figs kids sharing their thoughts about justice. We hope hearing these poems and conversations will prompt you to talk about social justice with your family.

The poems in “Woke” also feature poets Elizabeth Acevedo and Olivia Gatwood, with a forward by Jason Reynolds. This picture book is filled with hope and joy and the poems will help grownups open up conversations with kids about justice. The book is illustrated by Theodore Taylor III and published by Roaring Brook Press.

We’ll be back to our regularly scheduled wacky wordplay next time. Till then, may your head turn green and your hands turn blue. Thanks for listening to me and you and you and me.

audio sound by Blaise Collins
sound FX from Zapsplat
produced by Buttons & Figs

Buttons & Figs · extra! – Woke – poems about justice with poet Mahogany Browne

#46 – Alphabet Nonsense

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Sail in a sieve to the land of Alphabet Nonsense with Edward Lear’s Nonsense Alphabet! On this episode you’ll learn a bit about Edward Lear and you’ll hear Buttons & Figs kids share nonsense letter poems of their own, inspired by Lear. The kids also tell you how they wrote their poems, so you can write them too. And, if you need a little help remembering the letters of the English alphabet, then we got you covered with A BETTER Alphabet song than the one everyone seems to like so much! Jonathon Roberts from Composer Dad podcast and I teamed up with some Buttons & Figs kids to write what we think is a WAY better tune…but you can decide. Be sure to check out “His Shoes Were Far Too Tight” (public library)a collection of Edward Lear poems, compiled by Daniel Pinkwater, illustrated by Calef Brown. Now go play with letters…no words…no letters…no words….just go play.