This giveaway is now closed. Stay tuned for the winner announcement. Thank you all so much for entering!

Note: I'm cross-posting this giveaway on HoboMama.com, but it's the same entry form at each. Thanks!

I am happy to be giving away three books of poetry in honor of National Poetry Month to two winners.

Both winners will receive a copy of my own book, Poetry of a Hobo Mama, by Lauren Wayne, which focuses on the realities of attachment parenting, and the grand prize winner will also receive Mother Love, a collection of poems on the mother-daughter relationship, by Rita Dove.

The Big Poetry Giveaway 2011 is hosted by Kelli Russell Agodon of Book of Kells, and I am happy to be participating! The idea is to give away at least one book of your own poetry and one book from a favorite poet.

Read more about each of my selections below, and then enter to win by leaving a simple comment in a Google form! (See the Win It! section for details.)

(By the way, I have a sister giveaway happening at Natural Parents Network, featuring Poetry of a Hobo Mama and Rose, by Li-Young Lee, and you can enter at both sites to increase your chance of winning some fabulous poetry.)

Poetry of a Hobo Mama, by Lauren Wayne

Poetry of a Hobo Mama is a collection of parenting poems I wrote from the time we were preparing for Mikko through watching him grow to three years old. I consciously included poems that spoke of our natural parenting journey — breastfeeding, the family bed, and natural birth among them.

And, yes, that is a picture of newborn Mikko and me nursing in public on the front cover!

It would be odd if I reviewed my own book of poetry, so fortunately Lucy of Dreaming Aloud did that for me:

"Divided into sections: Prepare, Emerge, Hope, Trust, Enjoy, this collection of poems follows the personal journey of one mother, through her first three years of motherhood. Poignant and real, told with honesty and a wonderfully wry sense of humour she shares: the rawness and longing of miscarriage; the practicality of planned conception; the desolation of death; a celebration of pregnant voluptuousness; the claustrophobia of new motherhood. As well as natural parenting topics which may never have been poemified in the whole of human history: elimination communication, sling-wearing and co-sleeping! …

"Some of the shortest poems are the most touching, and will stay with me a long time. The images and words from others now frame my own experiences. She has a compelling poetic voice. Mothers, all mothers will recognise their lives, their hopes, fears, longing, frustrations and deepest love writ large in these poems."

You can read selected poems at Lucy's post ("Mothers are never alone") and at my blogs:

• "Birth poetry"
• "Hobo Baby"
• "Poem on elimination communication"
• "Parenting poetry"
• "April Poem-a-Day Challenge so far"
• "Losing a baby, in poems"

And here's a writing-themed one for your poetic pleasure:

A mother writes while the world sleeps

You write your poetry at night,
clicking keys in the dark,
red glow of numbers
slipping past bedtime,
dwindling till morning,
eyes burned by contrast of screen with room,
ears tuned to the clack of fingers on keys
— too loud? — he stirs.

One-handed now, lap filled,
breast claimed, you furtively search for
the letters, the keys,
the strain to capture your thoughts in the dark.

Mother Love, by Rita Dove

Does anyone else like how poetically that rhymes?

Rita Dove was named Poet Laureate in 1993 and has received the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry. Mother Love uses the ancient Greek myth of Demeter and Persephone to explore the connection between mother and daughter — the beauties and turmoil of that relationship — in a skilled and unsentimental handling.

I wanted to share one of my favorite Rita Dove poems, even though it's not from that book. Hope that's allowed!

Flirtation

After all, there’s no need
to say anything

at first. An orange, peeled
and quartered, flares

like a tulip on a wedgewood plate
Anything can happen.

Outside the sun
has rolled up her rugs

and night strewn salt
across the sky. My heart

is humming a tune
I haven’t heard in years!

Quiet’s cool flesh—
let’s sniff and eat it.

There are ways
to make of the moment

a topiary
so the pleasure’s in

walking through.

— From Museum.
Copyright © 1983 by Rita Dove.

BUY IT!

You can purchase Poetry of a Hobo Mama, by Lauren Wayne, at Amazon for the base price of $11.99 and eligible for Free Super Saver Shipping (also available on international Amazon sites and for $9.99 on Kindle), Barnes & Noble (currently $8.63 and eligible for free shipping), and CreateSpace, where you can use this coupon for 20% off:

Save 20% off the cover price at CreateSpace
with coupon code SAP84AYJ
(limited time only)

You can purchase Mother Love, by Rita Dove, at Amazon ($10.04 right now and eligible for free Super Saver Shipping) and Barnes & Noble (currently $11.92 and eligible for free shipping).

WIN IT!

For your own chance to win up to two poetry books, enter in this simple Google form below! Contest is open worldwide.

The grand prize winner will win BOTH Poetry of a Hobo Mama, by Lauren Wayne, and Mother Love, by Rita Dove.

The second-place winner will receive Poetry of a Hobo Mama.

MAIN ENTRY: Simply leave a comment in the Google form! Yes, it's that easy.

Leave a valid email address in the form so we can contact you if you win. Email addresses are not made publicly visible.

I am trying out offering a Google form in place of requiring comments for giveaway entries. I'm cross-posting this giveaway on Hobo Mama, and you may enter at either place (it's the same form), but no duplicating entries, please. The Google form is available at this link or embedded into the post below. (You can update with Tweets/status updates by simply resubmitting the form as needed.)

There are plenty of BONUS ENTRIES in the Google form. Find the relevant links and preparation you might need below:

• Tell us one of your favorite poets.
• Link to a poem you love online — your own or someone else's — so we can all enjoy it.
• Join me in the April Poem a Day Challenge. Yes, it's all right if you're starting partway through the month!
• Tell me whether you prefer the Google form or comment entry system and why.
• Follow www.HoboMama.com through Google Friend Connect, or subscribe to the Hobo Mama RSS feed in a reader or by email (1 entry for each).
• Follow www.HoboMamaReviews.com through Google Friend Connect, or subscribe to the Hobo Mama Reviews RSS feed in a reader or by email (1 entry for each).
• Follow @Hobo_Mama on Twitter.
• Tweet about this giveaway (up to 5 times total, at least 24 hours apart). You can tweet this text: #Win a book of #poems for National #Poetry Month in a @Hobo_Mama #giveaway! http://bit.ly/dOq39h {4.30, Worldwide}
• Like Hobo Mama on Facebook.
• Post this giveaway on your Facebook page or wall and leave the link (up to 5 times total, at least 24 hours apart). You can use this status update: Let's celebrate National Poetry Month! Win up to 2 parenting-related poetry books from @Hobo Mama. Contest ends April 30 and is open WORLDWIDE.
  Be sure to attach the contest URL to your update! (This is not part of the update text!)
  http://www.hobomamareviews.com/2011/04/giveaway-3-parenting-poetry-books-2.html
• Enter another of Hobo Mama's current giveaways (1 extra entry per giveaway — check back for more).
• Put the Hobo Mama button on your website or add http://www.HoboMama.com to your text blogroll for 2 extra entries each. The HTML code is in the sidebar of HoboMama.com.

RULES:

• Contest open worldwide.
• You may resubmit the Google form for additional entries like Tweeting and updating on Facebook as needed.
• For actions like following and subscribing, if you already follow or subscribe, that's fine — just check it off.
• You don't have to do any of the bonus entries, and since the mandatory one is so simple, any comment will count as your first entry.
• Since I'm trying out the Google form for the first time, I will allow comments still on the post — either entries or just general chatting! If you do enter in the comments, please don't duplicate entries in the form, and make sure to leave an email address.
• I will pick the winner through Random.org after the contest closes and send an email notification. Leave a valid email address in the form so I can contact you if you win. If I can't reach a winner or don't hear back within a couple days, I'll draw a new name.
• Any questions, let me know: mail {at} HoboMama.com