Found poetry is a literary term for "rearrangement of words, phrases and sometimes whole passages that are taken from other sources and reframed as poetry by changes in spacing and/or lines (and consequently meaning), or by altering the text by additions and/or deletions. The resulting poem can be defined as "treated" (changed in a profound and systematic manner) or "untreated" (conserving virtually the same order, syntax and meaning as in the original)."

In other words, taking the mundane and making it art. Finding bits of beauty in the commonplace. Turning a palm pilot manual into a work of poetry.

It is also the name of a series of posts that I'll put up from time to time when I find interesting things related to infertility, adoption, donor gametes, child-free, and loss. Sometimes others have passed along the information, others I found on my own. Whenever I have a critical mass, I'll post them. By interesting I mean that it's just to put it out there and pass along information. It's up to you to form your own opinions and do your own research.

Who am I kidding? I just wanted a more formal space to discuss the Brothers & Sisters IVF-and-now-suddenly-adoption storyline...

And I am totally grooving on Show and Tell. I love that we're going to do this every week. So look around the house or your town this week and think about something you want to show the class...

Books

Perspectives Press, which is solely a publisher of infertility and adoption books, put out a new version of their popular book, Adopting after Infertility. The new book is called Adopting: Sound Choices, Strong Families. It is a long book--509 pages including resources--and definitely worth the read if you're considering adoption or already well-ensconced in the process.

The book talks about the logistics of adoption, but it also addresses the emotional side of the process--from thinking about whether adoption is the right path for you to years down the road after you've built your family. I like that the author, Patricia Johnston, comes from a space of understanding that adoption isn't right for every person and helps you to work through your emotions to know if it is right for you. I think once you begin from a space of openness like that all that follows is equally helpful and respectful.

This book is perfect if you're seeking answers and if you're open-minded to hearing about different ideas in adoption. Personally, I am seeking answers and am open to gleaning advice anywhere I can take it, therefore, I thought this book was extremely helpful. I'd recommend it to anyone starting the process or anyone who is emotionally bumping into walls in the process. It is a strong, solid book--well-written and very thorough. You may not agree with every bit of advice, but for me, the mark of a good book is one where I walk away having underlined a few things. And my handwriting dots the margins throughout the whole book.

Websites

Last year, during a Peggy Orenstein reading, I met a woman while I was waiting to get my book signed. She contacted me recently and told me about a project she is doing through work which spoke so enormously to one aspect of the IF blogosphere--the idea of being an e-patient. The tagline of the site is "because health professionals can't do it alone" and that is sort of a huge reason for blogs--we share information, pass along what we're doing or how we were diagnosed, weigh in with our own opinions on someone's question. It becomes one more aspect of treatment and it enables a person to feel more in control of the process.

Part of our email conversation is up on the website but I think one of the most interesting questions she posed was "The term 'e-patient' describes individuals who are equipped, enabled, empowered and engaged in their health and health care decisions. And naturally the e also stands for electronic. Would you identify as an e-patient?"

How would you answer?