Poetry and Literacy Invitations!

While reading about poetry this week, I was thinking back to my knowledge about poetry and what I had learned about it as a  young child.  I felt as though I could relate to Sadie, the girl quoted at the beginning of the chapter.  I feel as though it was always a topic that was brought to light for a few days or a few weeks and then pushed aside.  I know I am unable to name many poets.  I had never really thought about my lack of poetry knowledge until today.  I love all the ways Allen suggests introducing it to the children.  I really like the I am poems and the list maker poems because I feel as though they are very accessible to all students, and I feel as though anyone could feel confident writing in these styles. 
I also read about literacy invitations this week.  I had previously read, viewed, and constructed my own literacy invitation for a class this past summer.  I find them to be very neat, mind opening, projects for children.  They allow for a lot of critical thinking skills to develop and for children to almost direct their own learning.  I feel as though if literacy invitations were used when I was a child, I would have loved them.  I feel as though everyone enjoys learning about what interest them.  I am curious to know how long the idea of these invitations as been around.  I have worked in a couple of schools and sadly, I have never seen an invitation in action.  I have only seen what one looks like on paper, not in action.  I wonder if many teachers use them or if many teachers are informed about them.