Blue Lipstick: Concrete Poems

Blue Lipstick: Concrete Poems presents fifteen visual poems from the perspective of fifteen-year-old Jessie, a high school student navigating teenage life. The poems' typography and layout form shapes that reflect their content, with words arranged into spirals, waves, and other designs across the pages. Each poem captures moments from Jessie's daily experiences, from dealing with her annoying younger brother to expressing herself through unconventional fashion choices. The concrete poetry format transforms routine teenage scenarios into visual art that amplifies the emotional weight of each piece. Through Jessie's fresh voice and the innovative merging of text with design, the collection explores themes of identity, self-expression, and the intense feelings that accompany adolescence. The combination of accessibility and artistic experimentation makes this work relevant to both young readers and poetry enthusiasts.

Young readers connect with Jessie's witty teen perspective expressed through creative concrete poetry layouts. Reviewers note how the visual designs enhance the emotional impact, like "TV" showing frustration through a flickering television screen format. Readers appreciated: - Relatable high school experiences and family dynamics - Inventive typography and page designs - Humor that appeals to reluctant poetry readers - Short length makes it approachable Common criticisms: - Some found the poems too simple - Limited appeal beyond middle school age group - Several readers wanted more depth to the poems Ratings: Goodreads: 3.9/5 (491 ratings) Amazon: 4.5/5 (21 ratings) One teacher reviewer noted success using it to introduce poetry forms to students: "The visual element hooks them first, then they discover they actually enjoy reading poems." Multiple reviewers mentioned sharing it successfully with teenagers who typically avoid poetry.

Technically, It's Not My Fault by John Grandits A collection of concrete poems that captures a boy's experiences through creative text arrangements and visual designs.

A Maze Me: Poems for Girls by Naomi Shihab Nye Words spiral, circle, and scatter across pages to form poems about growing up female in contemporary society.

Meow Ruff by Joyce Sidman Text and typography form shapes to tell a story of a dog and cat's adventure through weather-themed concrete poetry.

Heart to Heart by Jan Greenberg Visual poems pair with artwork to present poetry that takes the shape of the emotions and subjects it describes.

A Poke in the I by Paul B. Janeczko A collection of concrete poems where words become visual art through careful placement and typography on each page.

🖋️ The book's unique visual poems are arranged to create images that reflect their meaning - such as a poem about hair styled into the shape of a wild hairdo 📚 John Grandits is also a successful graphic designer, which explains his skilled integration of typography and visual elements in his concrete poetry 🎯 Blue Lipstick is written from the perspective of a 15-year-old girl named Jessie, making it particularly relatable for teenage readers 🎨 The poems explore universal teen experiences like family dynamics, school frustrations, and self-expression through creative typography and page layouts 📖 This book is a companion to Technically, It's Not My Fault, another collection of concrete poems written from the perspective of Jessie's younger brother Robert