National Poetry Day 2021 occurred on the 7th of October. This annual celebration of poetry has been happening since 1994. According to the National Poetry Day’s own website, this is a day “all about enjoying, discovering and sharing poems.” In 2021, the theme was Choice. The following words were inspired by a previous theme a […]
You can only ever do your best, You can only ever try. If some is dark, shine your light on the rest, And with luck you’ll just get by. Don’t let the skittles in your head Be toppled by a strike; And if fear creeps in, send it off to bed With other thoughts you don’t like. […]
Enid Blyton is best known for her classic adventure stories. I have only recently discovered that she also published poetry for children. For this knowledge I am indebted to The Lady magazine’s 11th August 2017 issue which included a feature on Enid Blyton, informing us that her first published book was poetry. Child Whispers came out […]
Some years ago, I had an idea to put together a collection of poems with an historical theme. I’m just as interested in history as I am in poetry! But my idea was not unique. Brian Moses and Roger Stevens have published 1066 and Before That (published by Macmillan 2016) which brings together over 60 of […]
American poet Ken Nesbitt, author of several volumes of light-hearted verse for children, has a very intriguing website. As well as being able to read his poems online you can also vote for your favourite classic poems from his selection. There are also word games and poetry “lessons” with tips, descriptions of poetical forms and […]
I was reminded the other day how much my children loved Shirley Hughes’ books when they were little. We all retain a great affection for Alfie and her other characters. 2017 was the 40th anniversary of the publication of her well-known picture book, Dogger, for which a special edition of the book was published. Alongside Dogger on […]
www.poetryzone.co.uk is a colourful and fun website publishing poems by children. It also runs competitions and has a section for teachers, plus features on published writers. Young Writers is also an online resource for teachers and young poets which will publish an anthology in August 2017 entitled, Busta Rhymes Anthology: poet of the future 2017. […]
If you’re interested in the origins of nursery rhymes, Karen Dolby’s Oranges and Lemons: Rhymes from Past Times is a fascinating and affordable book that won’t take you too long to read but that you’ll probably want to keep for years. It contains many of our most well-known traditional rhymes, and some which were new […]
The Poetry Society website includes a section especially for young poets. It runs the annual Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award for writers aged 11-17 and entries are received from all over the world. The deadline for entries to each year’s competition is in the Summer. The winners of the 2020 competition will be […]
Poetry Screen is also on YouTube. Hopefully you will find the extraordinarily amateurish production amusing rather than annoying. I must say I am quite disappointed not to have yet been lampooned by one of those “worst YouTube videos ever” sites. Or maybe I have been….
