Frequently Asked Questions for Father Goose

• What tips do you have for aspiring writers?

Have  fun playing with words. Their possibilities are endless. Let them  create new worlds for you, worlds real and imaginary. Put down your  phone and go outside. Look around. Look up. Listen. When you come back  inside, find yourself a little notebook and a cozy quiet little writing  space. Read a new poem every day. Write a new poem every day. Don't  worry about spelling or punctuation. Writing is talking on paper. If  you can talk, you can write. Everyone sees the world in their own way.  You already have tons of poem ideas inside you waiting to burst out into  words. Start by writing just a few sentences each night before you go  to sleep. Write as though you’re whispering a big secret to a best  friend. Write every night for two weeks — then stop — if you can. If you  can't, you're a writer! And no one no matter how hard they may try will  ever be able to stop you from following your writing dreams. Your  dreams are your magic power. You can create new worlds and new dreams with your powerful imagination! Enjoy those dreams. Follow them. Make new  ones. Share them. Write of your passions, your loves, your fears, your  joys. Make up new stories and poems whenever you are and wherever you go. Find your writer's voice by listening deep inside. It's that little  voice that says in a low, soft whisper, "Listen to this..."

For more tips on writing poetry, click here: "How To Write A Poem."  

• Where do you get your ideas?

I'm inspired by little things, quiet moments. I listen and observe. I  celebrate life. I practice gratitude. I take long walks. My inspiration and new ideas come from Nature, children, pets, animals, family, friends,  and from the real and imagined visions I see along my daily walks. Much  of my inspiration comes from my beloved grandchildren, Charlotte Rose  and Christopher. Their names are proudly displayed on the dedication pages of many of my books. My son's art also inspires me. You can  see samples of his paintings at ChipGhigna.com

• Where do poems come from? 

Click here to see the answer! "Where Do Poems Come From?"

• Where were you born?

I was born August 25, 1946, in Bayside, Long Island, Queens, New  York. When I was five, my family moved to Fort Myers, Florida. I lived  in Florida until 1974 when I received a grant from the National  Endowment for the Arts and moved to Alabama and took up residency as  poet-in-residence at the Alabama School of Fine Arts at Birmingham-Southern College. I've now lived in Alabama for more than 50  years in a cottage that was built a hundred years ago! It's my beloved  home. Alabama is where I met my wife and fell in love. It's where my son  was born. I enjoy traveling and spreading the joy of poetry with people  all over the world. During my travels, I'm often asked, "Where do you  live?" When I say "Alabama," people sometimes look confused and say, "Alabama? But you're an author. You can live anywhere you want." I  always smile and say, "Yes, I know. That's why I live in Alabama."

• Where did you go to collge?

I received my B.A. in English (1967) and my Master in English  Education (1970) from Florida Atlantic University. I did my postgraduate  studies in literature and creative writing at Florida State University (1973).

• Where did you teach?

I taught English and creative writing for six years at Cypress Lake High School, Fort Myers, FL (1967-1973), creative writing for one year at Edison College (now called Florida SouthWestern State College), Fort Myers, FL (1973), creative writing for eighteen years at Alabama School of Fine Arts, Birmingham, AL (1974-1993), and creative writing for one year at Samford University, Homewood, AL (1985).

My classes at ASFA were held in a hodgepodge of different rooms  during my first few years there as poet-in-residence. Later as chairman  of the ASFA writing department, the administration invited me to submit a  design for the new writing lab for the new school. I created cubicle  designs for each student located around the perimeter of the room with a  large table in the center for critiques. The next year that dream came  true. Each cubicle came equipped with a new typewriter for each student,  along with these five books waiting on their shelves: Dictionary,  Thesaurus, Handbook to Literary Terms, The Norton Anthology of Modern  Poetry, and The Norton Anthology of Modern Fiction. We met every  morning at 10 am to write, then reconvened in the afternoons at 2 pm for our critique sessions. In 1993 I took two of my students from ASFA to  New York to receive their writing awards at the National Scholastic  Writing Awards Banquet held at the Waldorf Astoria. Brad Armstrong won the 1st Place Award for Poetry and Heather Brinson won for the 1st Place  Award for Fiction. Past recipients of that prestigious writing awards  include: Truman Capote, Stephen King, Joyce Carol Oates, Sylvia Plath,  and John Updike. The director of the awards ceremony told us that they had never had two students from the same state in the same year, not to  mention two students from the same school! The next year I signed a  four-book contract with the Walt Disney Publishing Company and left ASFA  to write full time. I figured it was a good time to try my own writing  wings and see if I could reach even more students with my books than I  could from the classroom. So far, so good!

• How did you become a children's author?

I began writing poems and keeping a journal when I was a kid. Some of  my poems began appearing in literary magazines when I was in college. My first books of poems were published by university presses. I began writing poems for children when my son was born in the  mid-1980s. Some of those poems began appearing in children's magazines  such as Cricket, Highlights for Children, Ranger Rick, Spider, Ladybug, Humpty Dumpty, Jack and Jill, Children's Digest and other magazines. I signed a four-book contract with Walt Disney Publishing Company in 1992 and left teaching the next year to write  full-time.

• Do you visit schools?

Yes! I love visiting schools and libraries!  It's always fun sharing the wonder, excitement, and joy of poetry with  children. I've traveled around the world sharing poems with children,  from Florida to Alaska, from New York to California, from South America  to France and beyond. I always arrive back home more inspired than ever  ready to write more poems and books to share.

• How did you get the name "Father Goose?"

Students and teachers began calling me "Father Goose" during my school visits. My editors at the Walt Disney Publishing Company suggested I use that moniker for one of my first books, TICKLE DAY: POEMS FROM FATHER GOOSE. Illustrator, Cyd Moore, created the first image of Father Goose. Other  illustrators have continued the tradition, often including a goose or  two in my new books. One of my latest books, THE FATHER GOOSE TREASURY OF POETRY is illustrated by Italian artist Sara Brezzi. She illustrated a beautiful abstract image of Father Goose flying off the last page of the book with a young goose following close behind.

• How many poems have you written?

I have been writing poems all my life. Besides my books for children and adults, I also wrote a nationally syndicated poetry feature that appeared daily in newspapers for many years. I have written more than 5,000 poems. That number continues to grow each week.

• How many books have you written?
I have written more than 100 books and 150 anthologies. People sometimes ask me, "Which one is your favorite? My books are like my children. They're ALL my favorites! You can see a list of all the books here at my Complete List of Books.

• Do you have a list of your poems that are published in magazines?

Yes, thank you for asking! You can see a complete listing of my magazine publications at my Complete List of Magazines.  You can also see a list of some of my letters to editors and friends at The de Grummond Children's Literature Archive.

• What awards have you won?

It's been fun seeing my books and poems receive honors and awards over the years. I am always grateful for that kind of special attention that helps get more of my books and poems into the hands of eager readers. You can find a list of my awards at Honors & Awards.

•What are your hobbies?

My favorite hobby is writing! Writing is my vocation — and my  avocation! I also love reading, hiking, exploring, playing rummy,  solving crossword puzzles, and collecting old books. I also have a  growing gaggle of geese collectibles (figurines, statues, and  miniatures) here in my Treehouse that children, teachers, librarians,  friends and family have given me as gifts. I have geese all over place! — on  my desk, shelves, filing cabinets, and on the top of my old Victrola. At  night when I turn out the lights and go downstairs, my little geese sneak around  the room and visit each other. Sometimes I find them in different places other than where I left them. Sometimes I find more than I had the day  before! Most of the time they are well-behaved.

• Tell us something most people don't know about you.

Here's a little secret for you. I'm probably the only person on the planet over the age of twelve who doesn't own a cell phone! I know. You must think I'm a dinosaur. I am. I  still use a landline and a desktop computer. That's all I need. I'm here at my desk in the treehouse writing every day, often late into the  night. When I'm away from my desk traveling to schools and conferences,  I'm completely unplugged. Completely disconnected. And free. And it's  wonderful. It's heaven. When I'm out on my hikes, I see people looking  down at their phones. We miss a lot when we look down at those little  screens. We miss the smiling faces of friends passing by. We miss the  hawks circling above. We miss the endless parade of performing clouds. We miss the whisper of the trees. We miss the glorious sunrises and sunsets  that mark the beginning and end of each and every glorious day.