Poetry isn’t just “beautiful prose” — it’s a doorway into critical thinking, voice, and perspective.
In this episode, I sit down with Jewellyn Forrest, national writing consultant and co-founder of Autonomy Learning, to explore how poetry — and especially figurative language — can:
✔️ Help students “read between the lines”
✔️ Unlock reluctant writers
✔️ Build community and celebrate student voice
✔️ Offer an equity lens by honoring culture and personal experience
Jewellyn also shares her powerful Figurative Language Stretch strategy which she wrote about on the ASCD blog — a simple, playful way to help students move from identifying similes and metaphors to confidently weaving them into their own poems.
Give it a listen if you’ve ever wondered: How do we get students not only to understand poetry, but to love creating it?
Jewellyn Forrest LinkedIn Page
ASCD Blog Post - The Figurative Language Stretch
Music by Aylex
Popular Podcasts
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
Are You A Charlotte?
In 1997, actress Kristin Davis’ life was forever changed when she took on the role of Charlotte York in Sex and the City. As we watched Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte navigate relationships in NYC, the show helped push once unacceptable conversation topics out of the shadows and altered the narrative around women and sex. We all saw ourselves in them as they searched for fulfillment in life, sex and friendships. Now, Kristin Davis wants to connect with you, the fans, and share untold stories and all the behind the scenes. Together, with Kristin and special guests, what will begin with Sex and the City will evolve into talks about themes that are still so relevant today. "Are you a Charlotte?" is much more than just rewatching this beloved show, it brings the past and the present together as we talk with heart, humor and of course some optimism.
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.