Tag Archives: poetry

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”

Witnessing the Magic: Patron of Writing, December 2020 Update

As you’ll know if you’ve been following my blog, I’ve been busy since September 2020, searching for new Poet Laureates in the schools, as part of my Patron of Writing role, then finding new ways to work with them online. I’ve also been leading poetry workshops with year 9 and I’ve been lucky enough toContinue reading “Witnessing the Magic: Patron of Writing, December 2020 Update”

How to sum up the summer term…? Patron of Writing Update

‘Expect the unexpected.’ That’s been proven to be so true for me, this year! Covid-19 has brought extreme challenges for many of us but I can definitely see how my work has grown, through it. As I was no longer able to meet face-to-face with our DGS Young Writers group after March this year, weContinue reading “How to sum up the summer term…? Patron of Writing Update”

A Platform for Poets: meet the Poet Laureates!

Following on from yesterday’s post about the stunning poetry being written at Didcot Girls’ School by their two young Poet Laureates, I’m chuffed to tell you that, this school year, St Birinus School has two official poets of their own to shout about!  At the risk of sounding like a cracked record,  I’m very muchContinue reading “A Platform for Poets: meet the Poet Laureates!”

Introducing [drum-roll]… our Poet Laureates

So today and tomorrow, I’ll be showcasing the latest work by the incredibly talented young poets, who earned the title ‘Poet Laureate’ earlier this year, in their schools. It’s a genuine privilege to be able to work closely with these writers, as part of my role as Patron of Writing at Didcot Girls’ School andContinue reading “Introducing [drum-roll]… our Poet Laureates”

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?”

‘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’”