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These mask poems are written in the voices of all the elements of the theater, so you’ll get to hear firsthand how the costumes, stage, lights, curtain, dressing room mirror, piano, and other characters actually feel as a bunch of school kids put on a show! Presented in graphic novel format with striking illustrations by Chuck Gonzales.
I wrote Limelight over a few months in 2015 under the mentorship of my dear friend Lee Bennett Hopkins. He pushed, pushed, PUSHED me to write the best poems I possibly could, always sending them back with direct but gentle suggestions, or simply with a note: “Not yet. Almost.” It was always a great day when I finally got the note that said, “This is it.”
I “wrote” many of the poems first in my head as I walked back and forth with my friend Gloria, waist-deep in the Mediterranean Sea. We’d talk over my idea, consider different angles, or go off on ridiculous tangents that left us laughing and splashing about. The summer of 2015 remains one of my favorite writing memories.
The manuscript sold in December 2017. Yes, you read that right — 2017! Sometimes books take a very long time to come out, and that’s okay. I was lucky to work with editor extraordinaire Yolanda Scott at Charlesbridge, a true theater lover and talented actress. I could not be more pleased with her vision for this collection, or with the bold and engaging illustrations by Chuck Gonzales!
Believe me … the wait was totally worth it. You’ll see.
I wrote “Opening Night” circa 2012, long before the idea of a theater collection was born. It was later published in The Poetry Friday Anthology for Middle School (Pomelo Books) and is now part of Limelight.
I did this poetry video in 2013 for my blog, No Water River. I was acting in a show at the time, so I snuck in a little early before a performance and used the set as my background. Other actors were wandering around and had no idea what I was doing, so they just looked at me askance and then ignored me.
The theater is Teatro dei Concordi in Campiglia Marittima, close to my home in Tuscany, Italy. Isn’t it a jewel?
A graceful homage to theater as both a space and an art form, lovingly broken down to its individual parts to give each its moment in the spotlight.
In a book with an incredibly specific subject matter from LaTulippe, it would be easy to think this collection of poems would lose readers who are not deeply interested in the world of the stage. However, this is not the case.
At its core, this is a series of love letters to an art form. There are so many pieces to making a theatrical production a reality, and each one is treated with dedication in these pages. Even the casual audience member will be captivated by the descriptions of each piece of the puzzle. From the writing of a script to the flypersons, the pit orchestra to the marquee outside— every aspect both scene and unseen (pun intended) is appreciated.
Those less acquainted with theatrical terminology have nothing to fear; a glossary of theater terms is part of the back matter. For readers for whom poetry is a fascination in itself, the author explains each form presented, as well.
Gonzales’s limited color palette helps guide the eye across panels. The characters are illustrated with diverse skin tones and hair textures.
Read online: SLJ Reviews
A sparkling show, stuffed with theatrical tributes.
Poems on thespian themes presented both straight up and in comics format.
Instructional purpose plays a strong second fiddle to artistic expression in this book. LaTulippe opens with 23 verses embedded into expressive scenes of theatrical production, from first auditions and rehearsals to curtain calls. She then repeats the same poems on plain backgrounds before closing with analytical notes on each one’s mostly varying poetic forms and rhyme schemes, followed by a glossary of theater terms. The author even color-codes each of the six “Acts,” or sections, to differentiate them and adds a bit of history with visual references to period scenery and costumes. Writing with an easy fluidity in a variety of forms, from pantoum to roundel, tercets to couplets, she lets the anthropomorphized theater building, stage, piano, and costumes present their own experiences while capturing the potential of theater to engage actors and audiences emotionally: “Costume ripped / can’t find a pin. / Makeup’s dripping / down my chin. / Who took my wig? / Is that my prop? / What if we’re / a giant flop?” In Gonzales’ equally fluid art, a multiracial cast and crew work hard together, from sign-ups to final bows.
A sparkling show, stuffed with theatrical tributes.
Read online: Kirkus Reviews
“Doors swing open. Step inside
where dreams and fantasies reside,”
LaTulippe (The Crab Ballet) writes in this fond graphic novel homage to community theater and the myriad merging components necessary to produce a show.
Utilizing mask poems told from the POVs of the bookʼs numerous subjects, the author gives voice to the different processes, objects, and individuals that make up a full production, including the audition (“To get the part—/ first get through me./ Iʼm your nightmare./ Iʼm your dream”), a pair of tap shoes (“Toppity tuppity tippity TAP!”), the crew in blackout (“Like panthers we slink,/ completely in sync”), the yearning understudy (“if only sheʼd sneeze”), and the applause itself (“I surge./ I rise./ I roar”).
Each separate piece combines to form a cohesive, enthusiastic narrative thatʼs centered on a musical revue of the 1960s, ʼ70s, ʼ80s, and ʼ90s, which Gonzales (the Carlos Gomez series) depicts in buoyant full-color illustrations and lively, movement-filled paneling. Child actors and crew are shown with various skin tones as they fret, work, and emote. Concludes with transcriptions of the poems sans artwork, descriptions of the poetic forms used, and a glossary of theater terms. Ages 9–12.
Read online: Publishers Weekly
Click on the link, image, or video to read or listen.
Jilanne Hoffman @ PERFECT (LOTS OF) PICTURE(S) BOOK FRIDAY
• Info for parents and teachers
Tracey Kiff-Judson @ TANGLES AND TAILS
• Extensive info about writing process to publication
Sylvia & Elaine @ KIDLIT411 GIVEAWAY
Monica Acker @ WRITERS RUMPUS
• Theater background and choosing poetic forms
Maria Marshall @ THE PICTURE BOOK BUZZ
• Inspiration behind and the writing of LIMELIGHT
Maria Marshall @ PERFECT PICTURE BOOK FRIDAY
• Info for teachers and parents
Rebecca Gardyn Levington @ PICTURE BOOK BUILDERS
• Writing process and acquisitions
Joyce Uglow @ uGROnews SUBSTACK
• Fun personal interview
Sarah Miller @ Can We Read? SUBSTACK
• Review
