In this edition I'll be commenting on several of the poems. As is most often the case in the COG, the submissions will be presented in the order I received them. The poems I've selected to comment on were chosen not because they are "better" than the rest but because there's something about them I want to call your attention to. Maybe they were especially well researched, maybe they made me laugh, maybe they are a good example of story-telling, maybe they taught me something I didn't already know, etc. Just think of it as me pointing out some of the various rides offered at a carnival ;-)
The featured poem, which appears at the end of the COG, is one that stands out from the crowd. It's a shining example of putting all the ingredients together and coming up with a 5 course dinner. It covers the topic thoroughly, in an engaging way, and leaves you fully satisfied at the end.
I invite you to come along on our poetic journey across foreign lands as well as those familiar to us, sailing oceans, planting fields, having babies, changing our surnames, and leaving memories... many and few. So hang out the "do not disturb" sign on your office door, pour yourself a glass or mug of green tea (for a good dose of antioxidants), and take in some truly creative writing. The carnival's back in town!
Bill West presents ODE TO MY FAMILY HISTORY posted at West in New England, saying, "This was a toughie for me this time. I am prone to second guessing myself and editing things right into the wastebasket. I even agonized over writing this intro!"
Cyndi Beane Henry presents Ode To The Family McBean posted at Mountain Genealogists, saying, "This is a small poem regarding the angst of trying to locate an ancestor who just will not be found!"
Greta Koehl presents Ode to My Family’s History: Through the Lens of Gilbert and Sullivan posted at Greta's Genealogy Bog, saying, "I can only write poetry as alternate lyrics to the songs of Gilbert and Sullivan, which just might be the only way I can get my own family interested in our family history!" Greta has a unique way of writing poetry with amazing results. Her poetry, which in her mind is set to Gilbert and Sullivan songs, is thoughtful and well done... appreciated even by those of us who are Gil and Sully challenged! Be sure to stop by Greta's blog and read her wonderful poetry. You just may find yourself whistling a tune as you leave...
Caroline Pointer presents An Ode To Family posted at Family Stories, saying, "I can't help it. I love them all -the good, the bad, and the ugly. They are all my family, and it is my honor to tell their family story."
Leah Kleylein presents Ode to My Family's History - 89th COG posted at Random Notes, saying, "a poem bewailing and yet having a good time with my brick walls!"
Smallest Leaf presents Crossing: A poetic remembrance, 1909 posted at 100 Years in America, saying, "Thanks for throwing out this poetry challenge, Jasia. It is my favorite form of expression! I love reading and writing poetry and look forward to seeing how you and other family historians express their stories within poetic form. Lots of fun!" I knew our Smallest Leaf would rise to this edition's challenge. She's quite experienced and talented at penning verse you see. This time she writes of one woman's journey across the ocean and pulls at our hearts with images of a mother and child suffering, separated, and finally reunited as a family again. Great insight and emotion here. Don't miss it!
Linda Hughes Hiser presents Carnival of Genealogy, 89th Edition--Ode to Hughes posted at Flipside, saying, "Hartlepool, England to Pittsburgh, PA--over 100 years of Hughes history."
Dorene Paul presents Ode to Daniel Larkins posted at Graveyard Rabbit of Sandusky Bay, saying, "In this homespun ode, Dorene from Ohio pays tribute to her Irish heritage."
Jasia presents Polish and Proud, an Ode to My Family History posted at Creative Gene. Sometimes words come easily to me and that was the case with this ode to my family history. If I tried it again I'd probably struggle with every word. When it flows, it flows! (And sometimes it's hard to ebb the flow, LOL! ;-)
Vickie Everhart presents An Ode to My Family History posted at .: BeNotForgot :: begotten & ne'er forgotten :., saying, "This poem was composed as an introduction to an imaginary book about the entire community of kith 'n kin that is buried in a certain little country cemetery in Central Texas ... many are connected to a particular group who were known as "Us Mississippians" during the latter part of the 19th century ... written as if talking to the descendants of my nieces & nephews, et al ..." Vickie takes us on a stroll through the cemetery her family has chosen for their final resting place. One by one she introduces us to them. Clever, touching, thought provoking. Take Vickie's hand and walk beside her on this journey through time and family...
Nancy Fermazin presents FERMAZIN POEM posted at Fermazin Family Genealogy and Others. Nancy writes a playful ode to her family which begins and ends with the morphing of her surname. This will make you giggle and I'm sure you'll be able to relate to it too! Her family roots were in Prussia and it's there her tale begins. But it doesn't end until the tree has branched out to many points here in the USA. Interesting and moving. It's a story of immigration and migration many will relate to.
Terri presents The COG - 89th Edition - "Ode To My Family History" posted at The Ties That Bind, saying, "I don't really fancy myself as much of a poet. When I was working on my Habben family history and produced my first book, "Searching" I did make an attempt at it. The poem is entiteld - "The Immigrant 1868" - and is my thoughts of what my ancestors may have been feeling as they left everything they knew for the unknown." Terri's poem gets to the heart of what many of us try to imagine, the difficulty our immigrant ancestors experienced in saying goodbye to the only life they'd ever known and casting their fate to the winds that blew upon the shores of this land of opportunity. Uncertainty, fear, sadness, excitement, and conviction... she captures all these emotions and more. You can almost feel the waves rocking the ship...
Pam Taylor presents Ode to My Family History posted at Genealogy. Pam's poem is simply lovely. I really enjoyed the ending and how she engages you and challenges you to take that first step towards learning about her family history. I can so imagine this as the intro to her published family history. It makes me want to turn the page and learn more. Terrific!
John Newmark presents Ode to Sarah Hartley Denyer Foster (1836-1898) posted at Transylvanian Dutch, saying, "I composed an ode for the family of my mother's mother's mother's mother, and all her descendants." And so much more! (Check out the links to more of John's poetry too.) John is an accomplished poet and he manages to engage us in just a few words, "Let's see if we too can tree a few rabbits" pulls us right in wanting to know more about dear Sarah who lived during tumultuous times. How did she manage? How did she fare? Take us on that journey John, tell us her tale!
Msteri presents Introducing: My Family History! posted at Heritage Happens, saying, "I enjoyed putting together this little poem. Just maybe it will intrigue you a bit regarding my ancestry. Enjoy!" I'd say Msteri has mastered the art of writing a teaser! She tells just enough of her heritage to interest us but only eludes to the details she's uncovered. She tempts us and taunts us to read her family history. Very effective and very well done!
Sherry Stocking Kline presents Carnival of Genealogy ? My Poem to My Ancestors posted at Family Tree Writer, saying, "Thank you, Jasia, for selecting my article last month. It was such an honor for me, and I was so surprised. I submitted it just hoping to be chosen to be included, never hoping or dreaming for more than that. So once again, thank you for the honor. Sherry" Sherry, the pleasure was all mine! And thanks for participating again :-) Sherry's poem very craftily asks the questions she asks herself in the course of her research and by so doing plants these same questions in the mind of the reader making them curious to know more. You're a sly one to engage us this way Sherry! And then, to pique our curiousity even more, she doesn't name-drop but career-drops, "There are plane builders, engineers, and more than one preacher, There are programmers, a writer, and an NASA astronaut once a teacher". Who are these people? I want to meet them! Great job, Sherry!
footnoteMaven presents Just Shoot Me! posted at footnoteMaven, saying, "Yes, just shoot me. This was the result of a Twitter challenge. So do I have egg on my face, looking like a fool?" Leave it to fM to take us out in style! More than a giggle, this one will make you belly laugh! I have no idea what the Twitter challenge was all about but I don't need to to appreciate the humor in her poem. And you won't either. Although if you haven't seen the American Idol/YouTube video you won't be able to fully appreciate her verse. We love your foolishness fM! Thanks for your poetic humor!
~*~*~*Feature Poem *~*~*~
Please join me in congratulating Joan for being the Featured Author for this 89th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy!
That concludes this edition of the Carnival of Genealogy. I hope you enjoyed and were inspired by all the creativity presented here! We have great talent in our midst!
And now it's time for the Call for Submissions! The topic for the next edition (#90!) of the COG will be: The Third Annual iGene Awards, The Best of The Best! It's Academy awards time... time for the Academy of Genealogy and Family History, aka AGFH, to honor their best blog posts of 2009 in the following 5 categories:
- Best Picture - Best old family photo that appeared on your blog in 2009. Tell us which you liked best and why.
- Best Screen Play - Which family story that you shared in 2009 would make the best movie? Who would you cast as your family members?
- Best Documentary - Which was the best informational article you wrote about a place, thing, or event involving your family's history in 2009?
- Best Biography - Which was the best biographical article you wrote in 2009?
- Best Comedy - Which was the best funny story, poem, joke, photo, or video that you shared on your blog in 2009?
Please feel free to use this graphic on your post.Start digging back into your archives and choose which of your blog posts deserve to be recognized for outstanding achievement. This is not a competition between bloggers but a chance for you to spotlight your own shining efforts at recording your genealogy and family history in 2009.
There is no nomination process. You just need to announce your winning blog posts for the 5 categories mentioned above in an article on your blog and submit it to the Carnival of Genealogy. Please act as your own "award presenter" by writing an introduction and include it in the "Remarks" box on the BlogCarnival submission form. The deadline for submissions is February 15th, 30 submissions will be accepted.
Submit your blog article to the next edition of the Carnival of Genealogy using our carnival submission form. Please use a descriptive phrase in the title of any articles you plan to submit and/or write a brief description/introduction to your articles in the "comment" box of the blog carnival submission form. This will give readers an idea of what you've written about and hopefully interest them in clicking on your link. Past posts and future hosts can be found on our blog carnival index page.
Thanks for the poster, fM!
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