Reaching the Stars up with the Stars at the RSC
Last weekend I was with some poet friends in Stratford Upon Avon. On Saturday evening we went to see Taming of the Shrew, with women in all the men’s roles. Not my favourite Shakespeare play, but transformed into THE best Shakespeare I’ve seen at the RSC or anywhere, do go and see it if you can! Revelatory, nuanced, hilarious.
Which made it all the more wonderful that Bernard Young spotted Reaching the Stars, Poems about Extraordinary Women and Girls, by me, Jan Dean and Michaela Morgan, in the RSC shop.
We are all thrilled.
Bristol Hand Made Book Fair
We went to the Hand Made Book Fair in Bristol at the Arnolfini and found Ed Boxall there. So we had a photo opportunity. Ed seemed really pleased to see me but I think you can tell by the picture he was actually really pleased to see Lola.
National Poetry Day Ambassador Badges Have Arrived!
I’m thrilled to be a National Poetry Ambassador, I love thinking up ways to promote children’s poetry, it being so important in so many ways.
National Poetry Day this year, on October 3rd, has the theme of TRUTH.
Now I have to think up ways to use these wonderful badges – the blue ones have a white cat on, the green ones have a red bird, and the yellow ones have a blue and white dog.
Give me your IDEAS in the comments!
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Other content from Liz:
Children’s Poets’ Climate Change Blog: Be the Change
Everything to do with Children’s Poetry – Poetry Roundabout Blog
Liz’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/Lizpoet
KidsPoets4Climate Twitter: https://twitter.com/poets4climate
Children’s Poetry Summit Twitter: https://twitter.com/kidspoetsummit
AtoZ Challenge; Y is for Bernard Young
Bernard Young is an experienced professional poet and performer who leads writing workshops for children and adults. Bernard’s poems have been broadcast on local and national radio and feature in numerous anthologies of poetry for young readers. His speciality is primary school age. Here is a link to his new book, What are you Like? And here is a link to his website.
And here is lovely poem Bernard sent for the Poetry Feast:
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Best Friends
Would a best friend
Eat your last sweet
Talk about you behind your back
Have a party and not ask you?
Mine did.
Would a best friend
Borrow your bike without telling you
Deliberately forget your birthday
Avoid you whenever possible?
Mine did.
Would a best friend
Turn up on your bike
Give you a whole packet of your favourite sweets
Look you in the eye?
Mine did.
Would a best friend say
Sorry I talked about you behind your back
Sorry I had a party and didn’t invite you
Sorry I deliberately forgot your birthday
– I thought you’d fallen out with me?
Mine did.
And would a best friend say, simply,
Never mind
That’s OK?
I did
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© Bernard Young
If you would like to blog hop to the next AtoZ Challenge, please follow this link.
Children’s Poets’ Climate Change Blog: Be the Change
Liz’s Blog: Liz Brownlee Poet
Liz’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/Lizpoet
KidsPoets4Climate Twitter: https://twitter.com/poets4climate
Children’s Poetry Summit Twitter: https://twitter.com/kidspoetsummit
AtoZ Challenge; X is for XXX by Colin West
Colin West studied Graphic Design and Illustration at various art colleges. His first book, a slim volume of nonsense verse, Out of the Blue from Nowhere, was published by Dennis Dobson in 1976 – I am the proud owner of one of these! He went on to write and illustrate some sixty children’s books, some of which were favourites with my children, and now lives in Sussex and writes and draws for his own amusement, mainly.
However, he has published two rather wonderful recent collections The Funniest Stuff and Bonkers Ballads, both of which are stuffed with Colin’s delightfully witty poems and charming, colour illustrations.
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Here is the fun poem and wonderful illustration Colin sent for the poetry feast:
XXX
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© Colin West
If you’d like to blog hop to another A-Z Challenge, then follow this link.
Children’s Poets’ Climate Change Blog: Be the Change
Liz’s Blog: Liz Brownlee Poet
Liz’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/Lizpoet
KidsPoets4Climate Twitter: https://twitter.com/poets4climate
Children’s Poetry Summit Twitter: https://twitter.com/kidspoetsummit
#AtoZ Challenge; W is for Celia Warren
Celia Warren has been writing poetry ever since she learned to read, and has been published in hundreds of children’s anthologies. Her collections are all for young children and many of her poems and stories form infant readers in mainstream school reading programmes all over the world. She has compiled two anthologies: The RSPB Anthology of Wildlife Poems illustrated by a range of fabulous artists, (Bloomsbury) and A Time to Speak and a Time to Listen (Schofield and Sims). Celia loves reading and performing her poems to anyone who’ll listen! Her latest book, Don’t Poke a Worm till it Wriggles, illustrated by Sean Longcroft, A&C Black, is all about worms! Celia’s website is here.
Celia has sent two of her wonderful illustrations to go with her lovely poem!
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If you would like to blog hop to the next AtoZ Challenge, please follow this link.
Children’s Poets’ Climate Change Blog: Be the Change
Liz’s Blog: Liz Brownlee Poet
Liz’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/Lizpoet
KidsPoets4Climate Twitter: https://twitter.com/poets4climate
Children’s Poetry Summit Twitter: https://twitter.com/kidspoetsummit
#AtoZ Challenge; V is for Vexing Rex by Joshua Seigal
Joshua Seigal is a London-based poet, performer and educator. He has three published books and has performed all over the world. He has held residencies at numerous schools, is an official National Poetry Day Ambassador, and was shortlisted for a National Literacy Trust Award and the Laugh Out Loud Award. Joshua works with children of all ages and abilities, as well as running training days for teachers and doing comedy and spoken word performances for grown ups. His website is here and his book, I don’t Like Poetry, illustrated by Chris Piascik, here. His latest book is I Bet I Can Make You Laugh, published by Bloomsbury and illustrated by Tim Wesson.
The poem Joshua has sent appears in I Bet I Can Make You Laugh (I bet he can!):
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Vexing Rex
If you want to annoy my dog
(and I mean really, really annoy him),
don’t bother taking his dinner.
He’ll look bemused, maybe let out
a whine, but he can handle it.
Nor is it any use to snatch his toy,
or to cut short his walk –
he’ll get confused, maybe sulk
for a time, but he’ll face it with patience.
No, if you want to really, really annoy my dog
just blow
very softly
on his head.
He’ll bristle and yelp
and bat the breeze with his paws…
He’ll snuffle and yap
and snap the gust with his jaws…
If you want to really, really annoy my dog,
a tiny little puff or air
will get him as growly
as a grizzly bear.
And it isn’t just my dog:
if you want to really, really annoy my dad
just do what I do
and climb in bed with him,
on a Sunday morning,
and blow
very gently
in his face…
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© Joshua Seigal
If you would like to blog hop to the next AtoZ Challenge post then follow this link.
Children’s Poets’ Climate Change Blog: Be the Change
Liz’s Blog: Liz Brownlee Poet
Liz’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/Lizpoet
KidsPoets4Climate Twitter: https://twitter.com/poets4climate
Children’s Poetry Summit Twitter: https://twitter.com/kidspoetsummit
AtoZ Challenge; U is for Useless by A. F. Harrold
A.F. Harrold is a children’s author and children’s poet who writes and performs for both grown ups and children. He can often be found in school halls pointing at children and sharing his poems, and even more often in the bath, thinking them up… His latest wonderful poetry book is Things You Find in a Poet’s Beard, illustrated by Chris Riddell in my favourite colour. A. F.’s Website is here and Twitter here.
Here is the brilliant poem beginning with ‘U’ that A. F. has sent for the Poetry Feast:
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Useless
I feel as useful as a kipper that’s been kept in a kettle,
as useful as a conker in your socks,
as useful as a top hat that’s been stuffed with orange jelly
and then balanced on the head of a fox.
I feel as useful as an ostrich on the number eighteen bus,
as useful as a desert in a pool,
as useful as a sausage that you’ve asked for assistance
with the homework that you’ve brought home from school.
I feel as useful as a cabbage that’s learnt to play cricket,
as useful as a llama on the moon,
as useful as a trifle that is sitting on the sideboard
saying ‘Eat me’ out of sight of a spoon.
But enough about me,
let’s talk about you…
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© A.F. Harrold
If you would like to blog hop to the next AtoZ Challenge post, please follow this link.
Children’s Poets’ Climate Change blog: Be the Change
Liz’s Blog: Liz Brownlee Poet
Liz’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/Lizpoet
KidsPoets4Climate Twitter: https://twitter.com/poets4climate
Children’s Poetry Summit Twitter: https://twitter.com/kidspoetsummit
AtoZ Challenge; T is for Nick Toczek
Nick Toczek is a British writer and performer who has had more than forty books and dozens of recording published. As well as being a poet, he’s a rock journalist (for the magazine RnR), a radio broadcaster with his own week show (on BCB Radio), a professional magician and puppeteer, and an authority on the activities of racist groups in the UK and in America. His Authors Abroad page is here, and his brand new website is here.
Here is the lovely poem Nick has sent for the Poetry Feast:
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GROWING
A branch begins as a twig.
A piglet becomes a pig.
When I’m older, I’ll be big,
Biggerty, biggerty, big.
An elephant starts off small,
And little bricks build a wall.
When I’m older, I’ll be tall,
Tiggerty, tiggerty, tall.
Maybe a baby just cries
Yet learns with its ears and eyes.
When I’m older, I’ll be wise,
Wiggerty, wiggerty, wise.
Our legs and our arms get long,
Grow muscles where they belong.
When I’m older, I’ll be strong,
Striggerty, striggerty, strong.
And anyone can be cruel,
A bully, a beast, a fool.
When I’m older, I’ll be cool,
Kiggerty, kiggerty, cool.
© Nick Toczek
If you would like to blog hop to the next AtoZ Challenge poet then follow this link.
Children’s Poets’ Climate Change Blog: Be the Change
Liz’s Blog: Liz Brownlee Poet
Liz’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/Lizpoet
KidsPoets4Climate Twitter: https://twitter.com/poets4climate
Children’s Poetry Summit Twitter: https://twitter.com/kidspoetsummit
