It’s National Poetry Writing Month. (Seems like a good excuse for a blog post!) I was having a bad night. I thought about Plath (luckily I can conjure up some of her lines, in my head) and wrote a poem about living with Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD). PMDD is an endocrine disorder affecting about 5%Continue reading “NaPoWriMo 2022”
Tag Archives: creative writing
Dreaming of fast cars and barbecues …
We can virtually taste summer! And here’s a sample taste, in the form of the final 2 poems of the school year, from St Birinus School Poet Laureates, Ianto Cater (year 7) and Elliott World (year 8), who I’ve been mentoring this year. My thanks to both of them, for their inventive and colourful work,Continue reading “Dreaming of fast cars and barbecues …”
‘We whisper to the dawn’
It’s arrived! The brand new anthology from the talented young poets at Didcot Girls’ School is finally here… “We go out for cold air, hoping there will be some/ we wait for the tiny tune of the ice cream van.” From ‘Today’ by Claire Hague This anthology brings together new poems and flash fiction, writtenContinue reading “‘We whisper to the dawn’”
Starting point for a poem
Our Didcot Girls’ School Poet Laureate, Larika Jones, has been writing away, behind the scenes, working on her latest poem. Each term, I give the Poet Laureates I work with in schools, a new commission. Typically a single word, it becomes the point from which they grow a poem. I always encourage them to startContinue reading “Starting point for a poem”
Welcome back!
It’s a bit of a sigh of relief, to know that schools are OPEN after such a long, difficult period for so many families. I can’t wait to get back into some classrooms at Didcot Girls’ School really soon, to get all of year 9 writing poetry. It’s always a highlight of my Patron ofContinue reading “Welcome back!”
I’m a writer. Do I feel inspired?
We’re now on week 3 of our Young Writers’ Mentoring programme 2018/19, which I run as part of my Patron of Writing role at Didcot Girls’ School, so it’s high time I posted an update, methinks! I guess what impressed me most at first about my new cohort of 23 year 9 and 10 students,Continue reading “I’m a writer. Do I feel inspired?”
Patron of Writing: Looking forwards. Looking back.
Photo by Rakicevic Nenad from Pexels I have the best job in the world. I spent three weeks in November feeling right at home at DGS – huge thanks to the English team, who made me feel so welcome, and a special INCREDIBLY BIG thank you to the Year 9 students (all 270 of them),Continue reading “Patron of Writing: Looking forwards. Looking back.”
‘those so-called/ exams’
This blog is a platform for sharing many things, one of the most vital of these things being: excellent writing created by some of the talented students I work with in my role as Patron of Writing at Didcot Girls’ School. And here’s a poem by one of those talented students, Seth Gay (Year 9).Continue reading “‘those so-called/ exams’”
Poems to remember, by the DGS Poets Laureate
I’m delighted to be able to publish two poems, specially commissioned for the 100 years of Remembrance, written by the Didcot Girls’ Poets Laureate: Kat Richards and Nina Winstone. Please take a moment to read. Reflect. Remember. *** Poems are copyright of Nina Winstone & Kat Richards ©
#LetsDoThisKids 11: Proof
I can’t believe I’m nearly at the end of my 20 week mentoring journey with the wonderful young writers at Didcot Girls’ School! But it ain’t over till it’s over, and today’s session may be one of our best …why? …because today the writers will hold in their hands and feast their eyes on theirContinue reading “#LetsDoThisKids 11: Proof”
Elaine Baker - Poet 