Author Archives: Natalie Charles

Life & Rhymes

The UK’s first ever spoken word TV show for a major broadcaster aired last night, but for its associate producer and co-creator Isaac Nartey, an Information Systems graduate that ultimately chose a direction far outside his field of study, this has been a long time coming, his relationship with poetry having been sparked, like many…

Poetry of the Everyday

Poet Rhian Edwards discusses using the seemingly mundane ‘everyday’ aspects of life and relationships to create poems that resonate on a deeper level.   It was never my intention to write about the ‘everyday’, but I’ve always tried to write ‘what I know’. And sadly I’m the only subject where I wield any authority. I…

BBC Local Radio for NPD 2020

BBC Local Radio stations celebrate five years of #BBCLocalPoets by inspiring listeners to create their own poems for National Poetry Day – and uploading them via BBC Upload.   Kate Clanchy, poet, teacher, and author of How to Grow Your Own Poem will be providing creative inspiration today for anyone who’s ever wanted to put pen…

To celebrate National Poetry Day, BT presents a poem by Simon Armitage.

BT and Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage unveil “Something Clicked” a reflection of life in 2020 to mark National Poetry Day Read the full poem text here. – In a special collaboration, BT partners with Poet Laureate, Simon Armitage to create “Something Clicked”, a poem reflecting on life in the UK in 2020 – BT to…

NATION CALLED TO VERSE ON NATIONAL POETRY DAY

Read the press release here. Read coverage in the Bookseller here. * HRH Prince of Wales shares favourite Wordsworth lines New Margaret Atwood poem launches nationwide competition Benjamin Zephaniah says: ‘Poetry saved my life’ English Heritage turns to poetry to tell the Untold Stories of its 400 sites BBC Local Radio stations invite nation to…

Why National Poetry Day matters

Benjamin Zephaniah has been a supporter of and advocate for National Poetry Day since it began in 1994. But his relationship with poetry goes back far further than that. Between filming commitments for a new poetry-based TV show (more to be announced on that shortly) and work surrounding the publication of his latest novel, Windrush…

Untold Stories: Poetry at English Heritage

Untold Stories: Poetry at English Heritage was a programme for autumn 2020, curated in collaboration with Jacob Sam-La Rose, English Heritage’s Poet in Residence. Launching on National Poetry Day (1 October), Untold Stories helped to explore the hidden histories and contemporary resonances of English Heritage sites. The programme included some of England’s best poets, both…

From our Founder

William Sieghart CBE, the founder of National Poetry Day and the charity behind it, the Forward Arts Foundation, tells how his initiative has grown and how poetry’s reception has changed since 1994.   Nearly 30 years ago, I started National Poetry Day with the dream of championing our nation’s love for poetry and highlighting its…

The 24 Hour Poetry Lock In

Based on her well-loved #LeenasLockIn, poet and book vlogger Leena Norms hosted 24 hours of live poetry write-alongs, readings and poetry chat on Instagram Live @leenanorms. The epic online festival featured talks from favourite poets, prompts, workshops, a Young Poet’s Showcase introduced by Raymond Antrobus (part of the Poetry Possibility series) and even a midnight…

Does Humour Belong In Poetry?

Poet A. F. Harrold enters our blog this week to discuss using humour in poetry.   I have a theory. If you’re ever stuck for a way to end a poem or a story or a blog post or a conversation, simply mention the duck that’s just walked in and no one will worry that…

Poetry Day Live Draw

With Chris Riddell & poets Brian Bilston & Khushi Daryani in partnership with Macmillan Children’s Books. For National Poetry Day, former Children’s Laureate, Observer political cartoonist, poetry lover, award-winning writer and illustrator, Chris Riddell OBE, took viewers on a visual journey by live-illustrating a selection of his favourite poems from his new poetry anthology, Poems To Save…

Poetry Bubbles

Susannah Herbert is the Executive Director of Forward Arts Foundation, the charity that promotes knowledge and enjoyment of poetry through National Poetry Day and the Forward Prizes for Poetry. She stepped into the Children’s Poetry Summit blog recently to offer helpful tips on how to overcome that initial fear of what to do for National…

How Poetry (and Semi-Rural South Wales) Saved Me

Poet and teacher Marvin Thompson was born in north London to Jamaican parents and now teaches English in mountainous south Wales. Here he describes coming to terms with this transition and the inevitable feelings of isolation and otherness, explaining how poetry helped him to explore the intersectionality of these experiences and his pride in his…

Why I love libraries

The screenwriter, comedian and poet Henry Normal, co-creator of Mrs Merton and The Royle Family, reckons BAFTAs, Oscar nominations and celebrity are all very well, but it’s libraries that changed his life. He names them here, with love.   I have a vivid memory of going into a public library in the early sixties. I…

National Poetry Day announces new book trade promotion for 2020

Our list of recommended reads for National Poetry Day is its biggest ever this year: 40 gorgeous new poetry books for all ages and stages to read, listen to and share. More than 20 publishers feature in the selection, which celebrates the diversity of poetry publishing with gorgeously illustrated new anthologies for children and adults,…

LOCKDOWN LAWYERS – a Pandemic of Poetry

Jon Whitfield QC tells the story behind the poetry collection written by legal-aid lawyers struggling to deliver justice for all.   Imprisoned by Skype Half-dressed jocularity Invoicing dwindles As a lawyer specialising in cases of homicide, terrorism, fraud, corruption and mental health, I’m used to the kind of emails that set the mind whirring. But…

Sparking A Poetry Fire In Your School

Six great reasons for teachers to heed the NPD call to Share A Poem   Around eighteen months ago, inspired by the work of Kate Clanchy and Leeds Young Authors, I shared two versions of a poem called ‘I come from…’ with my year 8 students. We didn’t analyse them or write any PEEL paragraphs,…

LIGHTING THE SPARK: Three Childrens’ Poets Share Their Secrets

Children love poetry, when they get a chance to hear it and make it. Three National Poetry Day ambassadors with years of classroom experience tell us what works for them – and what to do when inspiration fails.   HOW TO MOTIVATE STUDENTS: READ A POEM ALOUD DAILY Matt Goodfellow   It’s my belief that…

Verse novels – a gateway drug?

When teacher Louisa Reid turned to verse to tell the story of a bullied teenage girl saved through her love of boxing, she was fuelled by memories of her own childhood addiction. She writes here about the background to her new YA novel, Gloves Off (Guppy Books, £9.99).   I’ve always been a fan of…

Side by side with our selves

Poet Julia Copus was asked to find 100 poems written in English throughout the ages that would somehow comfort their readers. Here’s what she discovered about herself, about others and the “little things around” in the process of creating her great anthology Life Support: 100 Poems to Reach for on Dark Nights (Head of Zeus,…

#haiflu

Mapping the lockdown – in crowd-sourced haiku Project Haiflu is a spectacular collective act of poetry, photograph, music and film involving more than 8,000 crowd-sourced haiku, more than 500 “citizen artists”, 13 films and a newly-minted hybrid artform uniquely adapted to the nation’s creative needs during pandemic: it’s been featured on BBC Radio 4’s Today…

#Haiflu – the next steps

Liv Torc, #BBCLocalPoet 2019 for BBC Radio Somerset, asked her friends to tell her how they were feeling, in the form of a haiku. Her invention, the Haiflu, has inspired thousands of witty, moving takes on the lockdown experience – and now you can join in too: just tag your creations #haiflu so we can…

Poetry Summit 2020

Laura Mucha, the former lawyer turned poet and author, kindly steps into our blog with a review of The Poetry-Digital Connection: what can poetry and digital do better together? a joint Forward Arts Foundation & Inpress Poetry Summit, which was held on Wednesday 11th March 2020 at the CLPE library.   It never ceases to…

Forward Prizes for Poetry 2019

The winners of the 2019 Forward Prizes for Poetry have been announced. Read the press release here. You can also read the announcement in the Guardian and the Bookseller.

The Prince of Wales reads Bernard Levin’s ‘Quoting Shakespeare’ for National Poetry Day

The Prince of Wales marked the 25th anniversary of National Poetry Day by recording a reading of Bernard Levin’s ‘Quoting Shakespeare’. The composition explores the everyday use of Shakespeare’s phrases. The reading was broadcast on the BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show on 3rd October, National Poetry Day 2019. Introducing the piece, The Prince said: I would like…

Celebrating Rhyming Picture Books

A blog from Keilly Swift, Managing Editor of First News, an award-winning national UK newspaper for children, on the importance of picture books in children’s introduction to poetry and rhyming. Bonus poem kindly written just for us!   Writing and reading text in rhyme brings me such a lot of joy. From a little girl…

The power of making poetry together

Almost four years ago I was invited to join illustrator Jane Ray at Islington Centre for Refugees and Migrants in the art and writing class.  We needed to work across language, history, religion, culture, conflict, trauma and uprootedness and it was my instinct to open the communal listening ear, to build word-hoards and make poetry…

Her 100 Cerdd 2019

Literature Wales is proud to announce that Her 100 Cerdd will return this October for the seventh year in a row. Four poets have been challenged to compose a total of 100 original poems in just 24 hours as part of the National Poetry Day celebrations. For more information, read the press release here and…

Rudyard Kipling, Truth & Fiction

A blog by Andrew Lycett, literary biographer and contributor to new TV documentary Rudyard Kipling: A Secret Life   As a trained journalist with a powerful imagination, Kipling was much exercised by the nature of truth. Having reported from India and observed the machinations of British politics, he was fully aware that truth was an…

Shakespeare and Truth

Allie Esiri, Editor of Shakespeare for Every Day of the Year, explores moments of truth throughout Shakespeare’s work.   Following my anthologies A Poem for Every Night of the Year and A Poem for Every Day of the Year, I have spent the last three years (and a lifetime) researching our greatest poet for my…

Let’s share poetry with the very young

This little poem they can’t take away, No one can tell me a poem can’t play Celia Warren Rhiannon Findlay, Editor of Poems Out Loud, explains why sharing poetry with the very young is good for everyone. Whether it’s wild, wacky and whimsical or thought provoking and beautiful, poetry can play a huge yet sometimes…

Why learning Poetry Together is good for us

In this blog, author and broadcaster Gyles Brandreth explains how his new Poetry Together initiative is connecting young and old and the benefits for both age groups.   Can the so-called Generation Z that is typically immersed in computer games and gadgets find a way to communicate with their grandparents’ and great-grandparents’ generation? And can…

Truth-telling in Primary Schools

In this blog poet, storyteller and teacher Pie Corbett suggests ways to encourage key stage 2 children to start sharing their own poetry on the theme of Truth.   We could start by playing with the truth in order to confess. Use a repeating phrase like a coat-hanger for playful ideas: The truth is, no…

When children and teachers retreat into poetry

Jonny Walker runs Otherwise Education, a creative learning organisation that works with schools on collaborative writing, poetry and oracy projects. The OtherWise Poetry Retreats this year, led by Jonny and Adisa the Verbaliser, are embracing the 2019 National Poetry Day theme of Truth.   “I have my own ways of doing stuff and I don’t…

Places of Poetry

Your places, your poems, our national story Places of Poetry, supported in 2019 by National Poetry Day, was the success-story of the summer within the poetry world in England and Wales. The project invited writers to pin poems of place, heritage and identity to a distinctive digital map, which attracted more than 6500 poems by…

Lancashire #HomeTruths for BBC Radio Local Poets

Think it’s grim up North? #BBCLocalPoet Jane Routh and the listeners to BBC Radio Lancashire would beg to differ… A tempting preview of the poem Jane is writing for our #HomeTruths.   I’m delighted to be a #BBCLocalPoet, commemorating my home county of Lancashire in response to listener comments and recommendations, and I’ve just checked…

I Never Thought I Was Going to Write a Novel

Dean Atta’s verse novel The Black Flamingo is one of our National Poetry Day books recommendations. Learn how he came to write the book below.   It’s 7.32pm on Thursday 1st August 2019. It’s one week before the book launch for my debut novel, The Black Flamingo. This time next week I’ll be welcoming family…

Poetry and Kids Arm In Arm In Arm In Arm In….

In this blog, author Zaro Weil, discusses children’s connection with poetry and how we can continue to encourage and engage their creativity. Zaro’s latest poetry collection, Cherry Moon, features as part of our 2019 recommended poetry reading lists.   I think there are several key ways in which poetry and children not just walk arm…

Speaking the Unspeakable through Poetry

  In this blog, writer and poet, Seni Seneviratne, reflects on how poetry can be used to express emotion and traumas, that may otherwise be difficult to communicate. Seni’s latest poetry collection, Unknown Soldier, features as part of our 2019 recommended poetry reading lists.   In 2009 I was funded by a Winston Churchill Travel…

The Children’s Poetry Archive has launched!

‘ A treasure trove of wonderful poems for children available all round the clock for anyone and everyone.‘ Michael Rosen Our friends at the Poetry Archive have just launched this fantastic new resource The Children’s Poetry Archive featuring our very own National Poetry Day ambassador Micheal Rosen as Patron! Find out more from the press…

#MyNPDPoem poetry writing challenge with CLPE and ALCS

The #MyNPDPoem poetry writing challenge is now open, having been launched by Forward Arts Foundation at the CLiPPA ceremony. In association with CLPE and with the support of ALCS, #MyNPDPoem encourages schools everywhere to create poems, performances, displays and even special poetry books as part of the 25th anniversary celebrations for National Poetry Day. Find out more here and…

Spike Milligan and me

Poet A.F. Harrold remembers his first encounter with poetry, and Spike Milligan’s Silly Verse for Kids.   I still have the copy of Silly Verse for Kids I had forty years ago, and it was second hand and tatty even then (the price on the back, 2/6). Now it is like sheets of dust, pressed…

Copyright: Do You Know The Basics?

Copyright is crucial. Huge thanks therefore to our friends at ALCS (Authors’ Licensing and Collecting Agency) who have created this useful guide for poets. COPYRIGHT: DO YOU KNOW THE BASICS? Baffled by copyright? Want to know where you can find more information about your rights as a writer? Copyright should be a simple concept –…

Hidden Voices Competition 2019 with Bespoke Verse

According to the government’s Taking Part survey, 3.8% of the population write poetry – that’s two million people. Are you one of them? For the 25th anniversary of National Poetry Day on 3rd October, Bespoke Verse is running a competition celebrating the UK’s hidden poets, those writing poetry just for themselves, or who may have created just…

Learning from Ledbury

How to set up a poetry festival? Ledbury is a lively and picturesque market town, close to the Malvern Hills.  With its black and white architecture, gorgeous setting, pubs and cafes it’s a lovely place to visit. But what makes Ledbury famous is its poetry festival. Each July Ledbury hosts a 10 day poetry festival,…

How to set up your own poetry group

  Staffordshire is one of the most poetry friendly counties in the UK and their library service has put poetry at the heart of its offer to users. Catherine Mann, Staffordshire Libraries and Arts Manager, has now put together a tip sheet on founding your own library poetry group.   1. Target membership at around…

National Poetry Day: In Poetry, Truth

National Poetry Day marks its 25th anniversary this year with a mass participation campaign highlighting poetry’s power to forge community – whether intimate or on the grand scale – by celebrating words that touch on truth. The campaign – which culminates on Thursday October 3rd with thousands of poetry events across the UK – is…

Doctor Wha – Film Poem

What’s a better example of change and stability than Doctor Who? The Doctor is over 2000 years old and still counting birthdays, and yet they’re capable of changing their face, personality, fashion sense, gender… As we know, the Doctor’s TARDIS affects the brains of its passengers so they can speak and understand all the languages and dialects…

The Impact of Poetry

“A thing that makes me happy” Young people turn to poetry in new ways A fresh report from the National Literary Trust, commissioned by Forward Arts Foundation, shows how – and to what extent – young people are turning to poetry in their free time. Almost half of those 8-18 year olds surveyed engage with poetry in…