Poet Bernard Young Classroom ideas, School visit

Lesson Planning For Next Term? Inviting A Performance Poet To Your School?

Bernard Young in a school arms in air

A poet in your school? Why not? The right poet (I mean me! but there are lots of us) can offer an exciting start to your school day (I include guitar and just enough joining in during my morning assembly performances). The children head off to classes with loads of writing ideas already in their heads and I then work with all ages throughout the day.

Bernard_8707use

Teachers tell me that having an enthusiastic practitioner of the art in the classroom has a tremendous effect on them and the children. Together (teachers, children, poet) we produce fantastic new poems and usually share them before home time. After that we all go home (apart from the teachers who have yet another after-school meeting to attend).

For some ideas for bringing poetry in to the class room see my collection of blog posts on the subject – classroom ideas. Another way is to have a look at some of my videos on YouTube. They can be used for a sing along break during the day, or as a springboard for other poems using the same patterns. If you want to discuss what I could do in your school and what it will cost, please contact me.

Karen Performance

A place for the creative and enquiring mind, St Johns Hall Gallery, Barmouth

Playing guitar as part of St Johns Hall Gallery Open Day
My performance as part of St Johns Hall Gallery Open Day on 20th August

Well I know I have been featuring things that have been planned in Barmouth quite heavily, but I have to report that we’ve had a very stimulating and enjoyable 3 days now that they have all happened. Thanks must be made to Bernard Barnes, whose creative vision made it all happen.

On Monday 18th August the two poetry workshops at St Johns Hall Gallery, kindly funded by National Theatre Wales TEAM, went well and produced good work from some experienced writers and others that had never had a go at poetry before. That was followed by a very warm cosy ‘cakey’ evening in the Aber House cafe, which has relatively recently opened and is a very civilised place to have a refreshment break. Mary Howell read so well and put life into the dialogue with her different accents, from her novel Murielle’s Angel. My selection of poems seemed to go down well and even though an adult audience, I was pleased to get the audience participation to Ref Rap.

Parade along Barmouth Harbour
The procession made it’s way along the harbour, Barmouth

Tuesday was going to be a day of rest, but we ended up going up to the Gallery again to offer assistance with last minute preparations for the Open Day on the Wednesday and I found myself ironing on stage (fabric to make the clothes for giant puppets) and helping out with the tidy up. Followed in the evening by Music Night at the Last Inn, hosted so effectively by the talented Barry Lim (who also danced the Chinese Lion the following day).

Then Wednesday saw us tour through the town, in a magical procession and I got to take lots of photos of it.

Giant puppet in front of Last Inn Barmouth
One of the giant puppets passing the Last Inn, Barmouth

That was followed by a very varied programme of entertainment, of which I was a part, at the Gallery from 1-6pm (first image) and then a musical evening. All in all a very enjoyable and stimulating few days.

Karen Performance

A Literary Evening on 18th August in Barmouth (with Cake!)

Literary Evening advert Aber House Cafe

Barmouth is turning into quite the cultural hotspot, that I’m happy to be a part of. Not only am I on the bill at the Open Day of St Johns Hall Gallery on 20th August, and running two poetry workshops there on 18th August, but now I’m also performing in the evening of 18th August at the Aber House Café.

The event at Aber House Café will start at 7pm on Monday 18th August and is free, with the option of buying the usual café fare of drinks and cakes. I’ll be joining another Barmouth-based writer, Mary Howell, who will read extracts from her book Murielle’s Angel  – a novel set on the Way of St James, the Camino de Santiago de Compostela.

I’m compiling a ‘set list’ mix of old and new poems to perform, some humorous, others thought provoking, and I’m looking forward to meeting a new audience.

I’m reliably informed that there will be Viennese Delights and the very special Tarta Santiago to tempt you (if the literary delights alone are not enough!). So if you’re in the vicinity of Barmouth on 18th August, I do hope you’ll join us.

Address: Aber House, Barmouth, Gwynedd LL42 1DS Map

Pavlova
A cake from the Aber House website
Karen Performance, Video

A quick promo video for 18 August filmed at St Johns Hall Gallery

For anyone who may be in the vicinity of Barmouth on Monday 18th August and wants to come along to either the Family Fun poetry workshop at 11am or the one just for adults at 2pm (for more info see earlier post), here is a video of me talking about what we will be doing.

Karen Music, Performance

Over-sized lions, puppets, bubbles and things that go bang in the day

If you’re in Barmouth on Wednesday 20th August you may see a dancing Chinese lion, giant puppet, bubbles and exploding custard, amongst other things. There’ll be a carnival feel when St Johns Hall Gallery will be holding an Open Day event and procession to celebrate the launch of the Gallery as a not-for-profit Community Interest Company.

Programme for the day:

  • 1-6pm there will be a variety of live music and entertainment, poetry and puppetry, films and performance.
  • 7:30-10pm a free entry evening of eclectic music and poetry.

“I want the Gallery to be a dynamic centre connected with Art in its widest sense, a place that draws the enormous pool of creative and intellectual talent in Barmouth and the surrounding area. A place where all kinds of people can come to be inspired, create, discuss, perform, display and share their ideas.” says Bernard Barnes, artist and curator of the Gallery.

Bernard Barnes on a scooter
A lighter moment with Bernard Barnes in the Gallery

I will be part of this extravaganza, reading and performing a few of my poems for a family audience in the afternoon and for adults in the evening. Barry Lim will be dancing the lion and hosting/performing the music evening. Ian “The Bubbleman” Russell will be making his huge bubbles and exploding custard. Bernard Barnes will be giving a talk in the afternoon about the ideas and themes behind his huge wall painting “The Captives of the Cosmic Web”, 24 paintings on the North wall of the Gallery measuring 20′ high by 28′ wide .

Bubbles
Ian “The Bubbleman” Russell http://www.interactives.co.uk/

 

Karen Poem

Don’t forget your sun block

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Blessed

Do you remember
when summers were longer
and ice creams were bigger
and creamier
and the sun rose like a messiah
and cast his love over the land
and all his worshippers turned pink
to show that they had been blessed
(for who, all that time ago,
although they knew not to look directly at him,
would want to shield themselves from him or think
to use sun block – which probably hadn’t been invented –
for who, I say unto you, would have imagined
that such a mighty being
would ever do them any harm)?
Thus his faithful followers
lay down before him
day after day
again and again
for ever and ever, Amen.

This poem previously appeared on blipfoto.

bernard copyright6

Karen Performance

Join me and write poetry in Barmouth on Monday 18th August

Barmouth Workshops w Logo FREEI’m running two poetry workshops on Monday 18th August 2014 at St Johns Hall Gallery, Barmouth, Wales. If you’re in the area I hope you will come along.

Family Fun Poetry Writing 11am to 1pm

FileySchoolWebThis is a session where children and grown-ups can have some fun writing together. I’ll start the session off with a short performance (including guitar) to break the ice and stimulate writing ideas. I’ll then give you ideas, themes and structures based on what you have heard me perform, and then help individual pairs and groups to polish these into poems or songs. To finish off we’ll have a performance of the new poems.

If you’d like to hear some examples of my poems, I have a selection on YouTube, which are on my website here.

The event is FREE thanks to support by National Theatre Wales TEAM. Sorry we cannot have unaccompanied children.

Adult Poetry Writing Workshop 2pm to 4pm

I’ll start this session with a few short writing exercises as a warm up, and then we’ll use photographs and the pictures in the gallery as a stimulus for writing new poems. I regularly write poems to accompany a photograph and will illustrate how to do this and then let you all work on your own with assistance if you get stuck. The group can then read out your poems to each other for the experience of performing and also for feedback (but this is not obligatory).

The event is FREE thanks to support by National Theatre Wales TEAM. Sorry no children for this workshop.

How to book

To help us know how many people to expect, please book a place by sending an email to bookings@bernardyoung.co.uk with your name, which session you want to book and how many people will be with you. But if you don’t have chance to book, please do turn up on the day anyway.

What to bring

Just yourselves. We will provide pens and paper. A jumper or cardigan is a good idea if you feel the cold as the hall can be a bit chilly if you are sitting still writing.

How to find the venue

The address is Art on the Hill Gallery, St Johns Hall, St Johns Hill, Barmouth, Gwynedd LL42 1AF.

The gallery is in the centre of Barmouth. There’s a turn off the main road (A496 King Edward Street) opposite the station, up a short hill. You should see a sign at the junction saying “Gallery”. Some parking is available on site. The map below should also help.

Karen Classroom ideas, Poem, School visit

Remember UK National Poetry Day is Thurs 2 October 2014

NPD_logo_colour_landscapeUK National Poetry Day is a nationwide celebration of poetry that has been held on the first Thursday in October since 1994. The next National Poetry Day is Thursday 2nd October 2014. Every year the organisers suggest a theme to inspire events and contributions, and this year’s is Remember. Share your poems for the event via Twitter and Facebook with the hashtag #nationalpoetryday or post them on the National Poetry Day Facebook page and follow the Twitter account to see what other people are doing. For more information about the day see the National Poetry Day Website.

Naturally this is a busy day for performance poets who work in schools, so it is worth booking early to avoid disappointment, and also having some flexibility around the day, perhaps having a poetry inspired week. If you would like me to visit your school, please contact me. This post will give you an idea of what a day in your school could be like.

Here’s one of mine on the Remember theme:

School Report

We never could remember
how to spell diarrhoea.
It was easier to invoke
a chill or an upset stomach
than to search for a dictionary.
But it didn’t matter
what my mother wrote
as long as her note
excused me from football
or rugby or cross-country.

Finally I openly rebelled
and raised a two-finger V
in time to be recorded for posterity
on the annual school photograph:
a brief yet permanent moment
of glory and defiance;
it went unnoticed for months
and prints were sold.
When parents eventually complained
I was caned and, unceremoniously, expelled.

This poem has previously appeared on blipfoto.

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Karen Poem

Please make it stop!

Stop sign and England bunting copyright Bernard Young

Not wishing to alienate anyone, to balance my previous post, here is an anti-football poem.

Stop

Please make it stop
(Yes, I’m in a huff!)
It’s hardly got started
And I’ve had enough.

People are driving around
With flags on their cars.
It’s all over the TV
And blasting out from bars.

Someone has just told me
That it lasts for a month.
That’s bad news.
Grrr! Snarl!  Humpf!

Bernard copyright1

 

Karen Poem

World Cup everywhere – everyone’s got football fever

Football fever copyright Bernard Young

Football Fever

I’ve caught football fever
Now I’m football mad
Football’s taken over
I’ve got football bad

Yes, I’ve got football fever
I thought I was immune
But I’m not sick as a parrot
Instead I’m over the moon

So I don’t need a doctor
I don’t need a pill
I’m not feeling awful
I’m not really ill

I’ve just got football fever
I’ve just gone football mad
I’m as crazy as my sister
As barmy as my Dad

We’ve all got football fever
Each one did succumb
But if you think we’ve got it bad
Wait till you meet Mum!

copyright notice

This poem is in my book “Brilliant“. If you are looking for other football poems, there’s a collection of poems with the same title as this in my anthologies section.