Brod Bagert (born 1947) is a children's poet from New Orleans. He has written 19 books of poetry for children, young-adults, and adults. His work has received numerous awards including the International Reading Association's prestigious Young Adults Choices award, the Association of Educational Publishers Distinguished Achievement Award, the Independent Publisher Gold Book Award, and Mom's Choices Gold Medal. He lives in New Orleans with his wife Debby; they have four children.
History Bagert was born and raised in New Orleans. In high school, he studied classical literature in the original Latin and Greek, wrestled and boxed. Bagert attended Loyola University in New Orleans for both undergraduate and law school, from which, in 1971, he received his Juris Doctor.
Bagert practiced as a trial attorney in Louisiana from 1971 to 1992, and served as an elected official from 1976 to 1980. In the summer of 1992, Bagert decided to leave his law practice to become a full-time, professional poet.
Pre-poetry career Bagert was elected to the New Orleans City Council in 1976 for a partial term representing District D, and was subsequently re-elected to a full term in 1977. While serving as Councilman, Bagert introduced legislation to designate Esplanade Avenue and a large portion of the New Orleans area referred to as the Treme as a historic district.Montaigne, Fen. ”Esplanade is Designated Historic District.” The Times Picayune. New Orleans, LA 2 Feb 1979. pA-3. As Councilman, Bagert helped create the New Orleans Home Mortgage Authority and shepherded the issuance of $85-million in single-family mortgage revenue bonds to fund loans for low to moderate income, first-time home owners.Massa, Joe. “Mr. Bagert Goes to Washington.” The Times Picayune. New Orleans, LA. 20 May 1979.
In October 1980, Bagert left the City Council to accept an appointment to the Louisiana Public Service Commission.Lynch, Bill and DuBos, Clancy. “Bagert Appointed to PSC; Hellmers Eyed for Council.” The Times Picayune. New Orleans, LA. 27 Oct 1980.
After leaving political office, Bagert remained active in utility-related consumer issues. He pursued litigation against Louisiana Power & Light (LP&L) for the return of $1.9 billion in fuel cost adjustment overpayments.Boyd, Richard. “Suit Asks $1.9 Billion for LP&L Customers.” The Times Picayune. New Orleans, LA. 14 Jan 1981. He also became one of the lead proponents for the acquisition by the City of New Orleans Public Service Inc. (NOPSI), in a long dispute over the introduction of the cost of the Grand Gulf Nuclear Station into the rate structure applicable to New Orleans ratepayers.”Where Consumers Want Their Own Electric Companies”. BusinessWeek. New York, New York. 23 May 1983.
Poetry career Bagert's life as a children's author began when his eight-year-old daughter asked him to write a poem for her to perform in her school elocution program.Perry, James A. “Paternal Love in Poetry”. The Times Picayune. New Orleans, LA. 13 Sept 1981. To make the poem more performance friendly he wrote it in his daughter's voice, the voice of an eight-year-old girl. That was the beginning of what would eventually become one of the identifying characteristics of Bagert's poetry: poems are written in the voice of the audience for whom the poetry is intended. In a poem for kindergartners, he writes in the voice of a kindergartner. In a poem for sixth-graders, he writes in the voice of a sixth-grader. The result is a body of performance-friendly poetry in which children hear their own voices, engage their own thoughts, and discover their own innermost feelings.
Books Title Year Published ISBN Publisher If Only I Could Fly: Poems for Kids to Read Out Loud 1984 Juliahouse Publishing Company Alaska: Twenty Poems and a Journal 1988 Juliahouse Publishing Company Chicken Socks: And Other Contagious Poems 1993 Boyds Mill Press Helping Your Child Learn to Read: With Activities for Children from Infancy Through Age 10 1993 U.S. Department of Education, Office of Education Research and Improvement Let Me Be... The Boss 1995 Boyds Mills Press Poetry for Young People: Edgar Allan Poe 1995 Sterling Publishing Throw Me Somethin’ Mistuh! 1995 Juliahouse Publishing Company Rainbows, Head Lice, and Pea-Green Tile: Poems in the Voice of the Classroom Teacher 1999 Maupin House Publishing Elephant Games: And Other Playful Poems to Perform 1995 Boyds Mill Press The Gooch Machine: Poems for Children to Perform 2004 Boyds Mill Press Giant Children 2005 Puffin Books Hormone Jungle: Coming of Age in Middle School 2006 Maupin House Publishing Shout! Little Poems That Roar 2007 12359887978-0803729728 Dial Books for Young Readers School Fever 2008 Dial Books for Young Readers Steel Cables 2008 Maupin House Publishing A Bullfrog at Cafe Du Monde 2008 Maupin House Publishing The Poet and the Professor: Poems for Building Reading Skills, Grade Level 4 2010 Shell Educational Publishing The Poet and the Professor: Poems for Building Reading Skills, Grade Level 5 2010 Shell Educational Publishing The Poet and the Professor: Poems for Building Reading Skills, Grade Levels 6-8 2010 Shell Educational Publishing
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