I have been fortunate enough to publish two anthologies of poems. The poems I wrote were randomly included with no conscious connection to one another -apart from the fact that they were all a joy to write.  Sometimes though poets create anthologies where the poems are connected by a common theme. The anthology is created quite deliberately to explore these related ideas. Douglas Florian, an American poet, is very accomplished at establishing connections in this way. So many of his anthologies explore themes. A Douglas Florian List Poem about Winter that also uses rhyming couplets Below are some examples of these books. You will notice how Douglas brings his poems together around common themes -trees, marine creatures insects, the solar system. These books are part of my ever expanding poetry collection. Douglas Florian is not just a prolific and accomplished poet, he is always a great illustrator and painter. He remains a particularly fine exponent of list poe...

When I enter a bookstore, I am always keen to seek out possible poetry titles, awaiting discovery on the shelves. In particular, I am looking for poetry titles suitable for children. Often though, I leave the shop somewhat disconsolate. Unfortunately, there seems to be a general lack of poetry for kids on display. It may be published, but that doesn't guarantee you will encounter it in the majority of bookshops. Frequently what you are offered are the same few collections of 'classic poems for children' and little else. Very few bookshops I enter have a dedicated space for children's poetry. The few shops that do, fill me with a sense of exultation. It's akin to chancing upon rare treasure. more power to these fearless bookshop owners, I say. They deserve our custom. I find this paucity of poetry titles very sad indeed. Not just because I write poetry, but because I believe every generation of children deserve access to poetry.  At present, it remai...

Terence Alan Milligan, known as 'Spike' (1918-2002) dedicated his life to making people laugh, through his performances on radio and television, through his poems and memoirs, and often just by being himself. A BBC poll in 1999 voted Spike 'The funniest person of the last 1,000 years.' -That's some accolade. Spike was the chief creator and writer of the famous Goon Show,  a British radio comedy programme, performed from 1951 to 1960. The cast also included, Peter Sellers, Harry Secombe and Michael Bentine. Spike revelled in funny poems. He was influenced by Edward Lear and Lewis Carroll, two famous English poets of the past who also loved extravagant wordplay and nonsensical stories.  His verse was considered to be within the genre of literary nonsense. His most famous poem, On the Ning Nang Nong , was voted the UK's favourite comic poem in 1998 in a nationwide poll, ahead of other nonsense poets including Lewis Carroll and Edward Lear. It rem...

I recently had the pleasure of conducting a workshop on Wordplay and its important role in growing writers. Here are some of the messages I was able to share with participants. Trust they add to your thinking around the teaching of writing... Wordplay is such an omnipotent thing. It is unavoidable. Conversation, songs, TV shows advertisements, literature , greeting cards, brochures magazines and newspapers all employ word play abundantly. Everywhere we go, it leaps out at us. In many schools however the study of words, has over time, been shrunken down to mean little more than reading and vocabulary knowledge. And yet, I still recall my teachers encouraging me to play with malapropisms, oxymorons, listen for tautology and wonder at the mystery of invented words in Lewis Carroll's poem 'Jabberwocky.' I recall the fun we had creating rhyming couplets and discovering palindromic words. At home, my father regularly engaged me in wordplay and riddles. There were also ...

We sometimes can't avoid lines. Often, we resent having to stand in line and wait for extended periods of time. Waiting, waiting, waiting... Lines are a fact of life however. Maybe, we should put the time we spend waiting in line to more productive use. Hhm? Recently, as I stood in line at my local bank with at least twelve people ahead of me, I began to think how I could 'make' a poem based on my line experience.  In my mind I took myself to a different time and place. A place in a queue a long way from the bank. I began to rehearse my words. I could feel a poem forming in my head. It helped me pass the waiting time. Poetry can happen anywhere, anytime. We just have to be ready to receive the words that come floating in our direction. So now it's time for me to put it all on the line... Hard Lines I stand in line A line stretching forever A line for which I have no time A line for which I have no mind Not even a line in the sand Not the line of least ...

T he Chilean poet, Pablo Neruda exalted the basic things of our daily existence. He celebrated the mundane in ways that were quite extraordinary. Through his poetry he discovered beauty in everyday  moments and objects, making them appear remarkable and worthy of sharing. Check out Pablo Neruda's   Ode To My Socks . I also recommend Valerie Worth's book,  'All the Small Poems And 14 More. '  Worth celebrates a range of everyday earthly wonders. Each poem a precise tribute to ordinary things. These poets have taught me to recognize the innate value of everyday objects and events. When we sit quietly for a while, we begin to notice the beauty surrounding us. We develop a renewed appreciation for the seemingly invisible events that make up our lives. Young writers and poets need exposure to such potentially rewarding activities. Beauty exists in simple, everyday tasks and pleasures. We must show them how we engage in the celebration of the everyday, -how we ...

American Poet, Billy Collins. I am keen to share this Billy Collins poem with you, dear readers. It so precisely sums up what a poet wishes a reader will do with the words they have created. The poem reveals the poet's desire to have the essence of the poem embraced. It speaks of his regret about what so often befalls a poem. In the hands of misguided meaning seekers poems are frequently torn apart; their beauty is lost. Once more, let us revel in the words Billy Collins provides. Let them gently seep into your consciousness. Let them reach your poet's heart. Introduction To Poetry I ask them to take a poem and hold it up to the light  like a colour slide or press an ear against its hive. I say drop a mouse into a poem and watch him probe his way out, or walk inside the poem's room and feel the walls for a light switch. I want them to water-ski across the surface of a poem waving at the author's name on the shore. But all they want to do ...

Canadian Poet and educator, Carl Leggo wrote, ' writers write their worlds in words. With the resources of the alphabet we explore and express who we are in the world. The alphabet provides the building blocks for constructing knowledge of our identity.'  Carl Leggo shared this idea for growing a deeper appreciation of poetry: Carl Leggo reminds us that these 26 amazing letters hold infinite possibilities, infinite combinations. How magical is that? Sound, shape and power combine to create shades of meaning we can share with an audience of fellow readers and writers, the world over.   *Write down the 26 letters of the alphabet *Circle your five favourite letters *Write five words that begin with your five favourite letters *Use these words to reveal some poetry There exists in these 5 listed words much in the way of music. Opportunities abound for alliteration and zany connections. There is an energy in the words as well. We can begin to look at the alphabet...

The idea for this poem comes from Susan Goldsmith Wooldridge's book, Poemcrazy. The aim of this poetry making challenge is to explore your lesser known names using poetry to discover what these names might be. Using a structure provided by Susan Goldsmith Wooldridge, a poem will hopefully emerge and you can discover some of your lesser known names: My real name is Yesterday my name was Tomorrow my name will be In my dreams my name is Secretly I know my name is My friend thinks my name is The name I whisper is Your names can be as silly or serious as you wish them to be. Trot out your names and see what emerges. Feel free to improvise on the structure as well. it's perfectly okay to break the rules here. Your names and moods might change with the seasons, or across the days and years. Think about those names your friends and family call you. Inspiration might be found there. When I thought about my many names, this is what happened for me: What's In A Na...