Image copyright Bernard YoungI hope everyone out there is looking forward to Christmas and hoping it will be a white one. Some folk have already seen the first snow fall. When I think of Christmas, I think of mistletoe.
Snow and Mistletoe
My heart is beating
fast, not slow,
as I stand beneath
the mistletoe.
My face is red.
My ears aglow.
I’ve just been snogged
by Rachel Snow*.
It was GREAT!
Not so-so.
She’s a terrific kisser.
Now you know.
* This is made up. Miss Snow is no-one I know.
Bernard Young is an experienced performance poet who is available for workshops, in schools particularly primary age. He’s based in Manchester, but happy to travel further afield. Over the years he’s also worked successfully in partnership with Road Safety officers combining the road safety message with creative writing. To book Bernard for a workshop in your school, see Contact page.
I was very fortunate to be one of 120 people in the intimate audience at Hunmanby Community Centre last night for a poetry evening. Carol Ann Duffy, one of the most significant names in contemporary British poetry, read a selection of her older and more recent work, accompanied in a couple by the very entertaining woodwind musician, John Sampson, who also performed in her breaks on an abundant array of older and more recent woodwind instruments.
As I’d had the tickets for some time, in preparation, I had been rereading my Carol Ann Duffy collection, and was pleased to hear her perform some that were already familiar to me. I was enlightened by her introductions, explaining where she drew her inspiration and what references and nuances there were in the words. I particularly like her use of list-like poems and admire her word craft, how she places rhymes in less formal spaces… and her comic timing. I hadn’t realised that “The Counties” (in “The Bees”) was a protest inspired by the Post Office’s campaign to lose the county from postal addresses, because of its distraction from the post code.
But I want to write to the National Poet of Wales at Ceredigion
in celebration
and I want to write to the Dorset Giant
in admiration
and I want to write to a widow in Rutland
in commiseration
and to the Inland Revenue in Yorkshire
in desperation
I’m sure I’ve drunk in a lot of the traditional pubs listed so fluidly in “John Barleycorn”. Carol Ann read quite a few others from her last published anthology (“The Bees” 2011), which has a thread running through of the environmental concerns of the loss of bees. “The Human Bee” (in the title of this post) refers to people in China who have the job of pollinating fruit trees by hand because they have no bees to do it any more.
I became a human bee at twelve,
when they gave me my small wand,
my flask of pollen,
and I walked with the other bees
out to the orchards.
Image Copyright Karen CropperSince the season of cold weather is upon us, here’s a poem for you to rap as you go about your business. Might warm you up. Particularly if you perform a little dance at the same time.
Wrap Up Rap
When the wind is blowing
And snow is on the way
Get your woolly hat on
Wrap up warm today
And sing the wrap up
Sing the wrap up
Sing the wrap up rap
Find a scarf and good thick gloves
Don’t forget your coat
Be prepared for the attack
When Jack Frost grabs your throat
And sing the wrap up
Sing the wrap up
Sing the wrap up rap
Here comes thunder
Here comes hail
Hear the thunder
Dodge the hail
And sing the wrap up
Sing the wrap up
Sing the wrap up rap
Hat for head
Socks for toes
In your scarf
Bury your nose
And sing the wrap up
Sing the wrap up
Sing that wrap up rap
Bernard Young is an experienced performance poet who is available for workshops in schools, particularly primary age. He is based in Manchester, but will travel further afield. Over the years he has also worked successfully in partnership with Road Safety officers, combining the road safety message with creative writing. For more info, see the Contact page.
I’ve seen some posts on facebook about the fact that cold weather in winter is no surprise, it happens every year. It reminded me to share a poem about it.
A Cold Spell
Take a misty morning
A foggy night
A snuffly nose
A snowball fight
An icy road
Warm woolly tights
Add chilblain pain
A wind that bites
Then summon sleet
Think thoughts of white
Now look outside
It’s winter. Right?
Image copyright Bernard Young Bernard Young is an experienced performance poet who is available for workshops in schools, particularly primary age. He is based in Manchester, but will travel further afield. Over the years he has also worked successfully in partnership with Road Safety officers, combining the road safety message with creative writing. For more information, see the Contact page.
All the fireworks popping in the sky where I live makes me think what a stimulating time to be creating poems. So I’ve written a new poem for children for bonfire night that doesn’t appear in any of my books (since I wrote it today).
Choosing Fireworks
I bet
you’d like
a Confetti Canon
and a Crackling Comet.
I’m sure
you’d go for
a Jumping Jack
and a Flying Saucer.
I guess
you could handle a Sparkler
and get a thrill
from a Roman Candle.
And you’d feel
fine watching a Catherine Wheel
go round and round and round
wouldn’t you?
But what you don’t want,
you really don’t want,
because it’s definitely no good,
is a…
“Brilliant!”, one of my popular children’s poetry books, first published in 2000, is now available as an ebook for those of you lucky enough to have an ereader. Buy now from Lulu (button below) and now available on iTunes.
I was very happy to be invited to talk to a captive audience of teachers attending a NATE conference at Savile Park Primary School today. The teachers from both primary and secondary schools were gathered together for a series of workshops about different aspects of teaching literacy. I gave part performance, part talking through the kind of things that I do when I go into schools. It seemed to go down well and I hope that I’ll see some of the people I met there in their own schools very soon. I think it was the first time that the school had hosted such an event and they were very positive and welcoming, so hopefully it will be the first of many.
Bringing a writer, poet, illustrator or storyteller into your school is a great way to inspire children and bring reading to life. The Book Trust, who organise Children’s Book Week, which is this week, have some tips on their website with simple steps for planning your event http://www.booktrust.org.uk/programmes/arranging-an-author-visit/
Children’s book week 7-11 October
But reading is for every day not just special weeks so the same principles apply for any time of year. Bringing in a guest writer/performer, who can give the kids and teachers a boost of energy and enthusiasm for reading and writing, is well worth the price.
Here’s the sort of day I have when I do a day workshop in a school. Before a workshop I usually perform some of my poems (some with guitar and participation) and then give writing ideas based on what they’ve heard me do. This can result in poems for the page and/or performance.
Some are very simple – I read one, for example, (When To Cut Your Hair) which uses each day of the week and show how that can be used for any subject. For example, using football:
When To Play Football
Play football on Monday Score a goal
Play football on Tuesday Fall down a hole
and so on.
Another I read (they join in with this) is Brilliant, which begins
Today Mum called me brilliant and that’s just how I feel
I’ll run a race I’m bound to win I’ll take up golf Get a hole in one
Because today Mum called me brilliant so that’s what I must be
I give ideas and examples of how they can use this structure, like this:
Today I’m feeling noisy So that’s what I will be
I’ll run up the stairs And stamp on the floor I’ll run back down And slam the door
Because today I’m feeling noisy So that’s what I will be
I use simple choruses and repetition during the performance and show how these can easily be incorporated in their own poems, if they want to write something that is for performance.
I do find, that having heard me, they pick up the ideas very quickly, and those who need less help can use my ideas if they want to, but also have the opportunity to go their own way. And there’s scope for writing funny and serious poems.
If there are any classes where the teacher would prefer to have a go at a class poem, we can do that too. I often use guitar on the class ones and we can usually come up with a finished poem in about 30 minutes.
Usually teachers jot down my examples based on 3 or 4 of my poems and then discuss them back in the classroom.
I hope the advice on the Book Trust website and the ideas I have given here will encourage some schools to book a writer. If you are interested in booking me, please do get in touch.
Now that I have a base in Manchester, it was great to be able to spend 2 days in Vale View Primary School in Stockport, just up the road, for National Poetry Day. This is a large school and on the first day I worked with the older children (KS2) and on National Poetry day the younger children (KS1).
Both days started with a performance and then I visited every class in turn doing class poems set to music with the youngest, and assisting the older children to work on individual poems. The entire school was writing poetry, and at the end of each day we got together again and children performed their poems for each other. It was also a thrill to go into one class that was already watching my ‘Puddles in the Playground‘ video on YouTube that they had found themselves.
Thanks to Louise Pearson, who co-ordinated my visit, and was very kind to email after to say that she’d had loads of great feedback from staff and children, and her class loved having me in.
Bernard Young Poet 