Wednesday, February 26, 2014

Godzilla Movie Marathon... Now With Haiku!

Well.  I did it, guys.  I faced the inevitable reality that Summer Reading is coming close and the thought that I should probably start planning events yesterday.  I looked at a chapter from the CSLP manual yesterday, that has to count for something, right?  Right.

I'm in charge of bringing the Chapter Six: Science Fiction & Fun into life for the annual Summer Reading Program workshop hosted by the Ramapo Central Catskills Library System on Monday, so the next few posts are going to either be directly related or additional ideas building on the science fiction theme.  How on earth did the manual contributors miss a chance for a Godzilla movie marathon?!  First of all, the new Godzilla movie is scheduled to debut in May 2014, just before Summer Reading kicks off.  Second of all, have they seen Godzilla Haiku?  Have you?  No?  Check these guys out:




If you have a creative writing group I would like to first inform you that I'm super jealous because I've tried to start one at my library more frequently than Gretchen Wieners tried to make "fetch" happen and it still won't stick. BUT if you have alchemical processes working in your favor and have a successful writing group (or would like to start one) might I recommend making your own Godzilla haikus?   You can find stills of the old Godzilla movies and have the teens write their own.  There are many ways you could execute this and as it has been a while since I've had the opportunity to profess my love for bulleted lists, I will do so now to demonstrate the possibilities: 
  • Passive Program: Create a bulletin board of 3-5 Godzilla still frames asking for Godzilla haikus.  Provide smaller examples from the tumblr so teens have an idea what you are looking for. Create a haiku printable (doesn't have to be too fancy) and provide a submission box so no one can read the poems already entered.  Label each Godzilla screenshot with a number or letter so that teens can easily communicate which picture corresponds with their poem, fully knowing at least one teen will mess up and yet another will ask you relentless questions no matter how easy you attempt to make it.  Once you have enough submissions, slap those haikus over the appropriate image with meme font, also known as Impact in white with a black outline.  If you do not have Photoshop, might I recommend using Ribbet?  
  • During the Movie Marathon: This one is less exciting, but you are more likely to get a bunch of results. You can print out the Godzilla screenshots with lines underneath them so the teens can write them in as they watch the movies.  While you are almost guaranteed more haikus this route, you will miss out on the opportunity to use the completed product as a marketing tool for the movie marathon. 
  • Teens as Content Creators: The ideal situation involves using Web 2.0 apps, like Ribbet, to allow the teens to create the content themselves.  You can either offer them some sort of SRP club credit for creating it online and emailing it to you or you can have a program using library computers that allows them to do it in a group all together.  The latter suggestion would not work in my library, so I am aware that it might not work for you.  I'm talking in ideals here people! 
  • Contest: Using any of the above ideas or combination thereof, you can make a contest for the best Godzilla haiku.  Teens are competitive. Having a prize at the end of the haiku tunnel might help some reluctant poets enter the mix. 

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