Girl Coming in for a Landing by April Halprin Wayland

Wayland, April Halprin. Girl Coming in for a Landing: A Novel in Poems. Illus. Elaine Clayton. New York: Knopf, 2002.

The nameless narrator takes us through a year in her life: Autumn, Winter, Spring, and Summer. She reveals all--classes and crushes. Midnight thoughts and family.

What I thought: What a brilliant book! It reads very fast. I found myself drawn to the narrator. She, a poet, reminds me of myself as a teen. All the poems are great, but I especially like the meta-poetry. My favorite poems are "Writing Poetry," "Poetry Is My Underwear," Writer: Creator," "Waiting for Waffles," "I Have to Write," "Published!" and "Reviews." Another favorite is "Pooh" though it's not meta-poetry. I also like the author's afterward where she shares her thoughts on writing poetry. She gives 8 commonsensical tips for writing and getting published.