Desperately Seeking Poetry

I love walking into bookshops and asking staff to direct me to the children’s poetry section. I rarely get an immediate or accurate response; they have to think for some time before replying, ask a colleague or simply fess up and say that they have no idea.

Children’s poets will know that chains such as Waterstones (well, there really aren’t any others) and many smaller stores hide their poetry books by/in the ‘fairy tales’ or ‘jokes’ sections. And that's no joke at all.

I realise the popularity of poetry is never going to overtake that of the 'chapter book'/children's novel, but if its hidden from sight the chances of its fanbase increasing will be extremely limited.

I was recently speaking to a librarian colleague from a well-known London public library who said that poetry books are not usually that sought after by her customers BUT if she makes a highly visible display of one or a number of poetry books they are speedily snapped up. I sadly can’t recall the last time I saw such a display in any bookshop.

Of course I have a vested interest in championing poetry but I’ve no doubt that if bookshops understood the huge impact poetry can have on developing literacy and a love of reading in children they’d promote poetry much more. Teachers who have introduced poetry into their classes will be very aware of its positive effect, especially on those children who find reading and writing more challenging (see my other blogs).

And it’s not just a question of where poetry books are placed on the shelves but also the mix of books they have. Too many shops stock only the more predictable large, unwieldy and expensive hardback mixed anthologies or classic poetry rather than a diverse range of new and older poetry books by well and lesser-known poets covering a wide range of topics.

But how do we get this message across to bookshops? I’m asking all poets and poetry enthusiasts to talk to bookshop staff when visiting stores and explain to them the power of poetry. Independent bookshops are often especially receptive although chains can be too: Both Foyles (their flagship store in Charing X Road) and Islington Waterstones have rearranged, relabelled and revamped their poetry collections following my conversations with them, and other indie bookshops have listened too.

So please - start your conversation with bookshops today!

Thank you for reading this page and if you have any comments on the topic please post them here.


Life, Love, Death...and Peter

I always thought my childhood was a fairly normal one and that I was a fairly normal child. However, as I became a teenager life became more complicated and difficult but, largely thanks to reading, I got through those years, coming out the other side in good shape.


Of course reading can be a great distraction and escape from the problems of every day life and I definitely found that to be true for me. But, more importantly, as my favourite story characters experienced similar situations and emotions to me, we 'held hands' to tackle them; if I couldn't find answers around me then I observed how my in-print heroes solved similar problems in their lives. And my biggest hero was Peter Parker, AKA The Amazing Spider-Man*.


When I was 11 my Grandad suddenly died of a heart attack in the street before my eyes. Although he was elderly it was a massive shock and my first raw experience of death. Worse still, as he was only 17, two years later, my brother Gary died of cancer. I also lost my Nan between those times, although not in such a shocking way.


My parents – who I loved dearly and was always very close to - were utterly shattered by these events and had no script for dealing with their own emotions let alone mine. And in the early 70s therapy and counselling were not discussed or not even on offer.


But as an 11 and then 12 year old I took 'comfort' in knowing that Peter Parker was going through similar tragedies as death claimed his uncle, his girlfriend's father and his girlfriend too during his adventures as his alter ego. Like me, he experienced a multitude of feelings: anger, guilt, regret, sorrow, alienation, loss and heartbreak. Importantly though he DID come to terms with these awful tragedies and became stronger and wiser as a result. And I'd like to think I have done the same thanks to our friendship.


On a lighter note, like most teenagers, both Peter and I realised that romance was hard to find so I was reassured that not getting the girl wasn't something that happened to just me!


I also learnt from how Peter reconciled the combined pressures of his college, family, friendship, work and superhero obligations to cope with life with generally positive outcomes. (I didn't need to worry about the latter category though!)


Fifty odd years later I am still friends with Peter, along with many other book characters, past and present, real and fictional. They reassure me, educate me and inspire me and it's always going to be that way. I hope reading can do the same for you!

(*When you've read this blog check out one of my previous ones: 'What's Wrong with Reading Comics?')

It's All in the Editing!

Editing is time-consuming, a brainache and I frequently swallow my pride when doing it, but it will always improve what could already pass as a finished piece of writing. It takes up around 75% of the time I spend on any poem and is the most important part of the writing process - there’s no doubt about it. In fact, if you don’t get your head around it you will never be a great writer. Here’s my six-point editing checklist:

The Title. This could sum up the poem in a few words, be a word, phrase or line from it, a clever pun or ask a question to make the reader stop and think. Put simply, it must be ATTENTION-GRABBING!

The Words. I try hard to use words my audience will understand (and I don’t necessarily mean simple words) and to convey them in the way that gets my ideas across to them. It’s a writer’s job to paint a picture in the head of their readers by using powerful descriptive language. So adjectives, verbs and adverbs are key along with the ‘tools of the trade’, like personification, alliteration, similes, metaphors, onomatopoeia etc. Repeating the same words, unless done for effect, is boring and unimaginative so I’ll use synonyms as a variety of words is much more likely to hold the reader.

The Length. Editing usually shortens and sharpens the poem making it clearer and easier to read and nothing stands in my way when doing this even if I have an hilarious line - if doesn’t fit perfectly I'll cut it out. At this stage I also look at the number, layout and order of the verses to ensure the poem has a balance that helps to bring out the meaning. And it doesn’t matter how long or short a poem is, so long as it does the job and makes its point/s.

The Ending. Like the title, and possibly using the techniques I mention above, the finale must be POWERFUL enough to leave a lasting impression. I might also end a rhyming poem with a non-rhyme or vice versa, make the last line longer or shorter than what the reader would expect or finish with a cliffhanger…

The Sound. I will read the poem aloud to myself once it‘s finished to check that the rhythm is as I intended, the rhymes work with each other (assuming it’s a rhyming poem) and it flows logically so it gets my ideas across and makes complete sense.

The Acid Test. Although I have completed the above stage and improved the poem as a result, there is nothing like the real thing; when I finally perform it to an audience I might find it still needs tweaking to become a perfect piece. And I am always willing to make such changes and put aside any preciousness about what I felt was a finished poem to do this.

And this repetition is for effect: Editing is the most important part of the writing process. There's no doubt about it!

Whether you’re a writer or a teacher please tell me if this is helpful for you and/or if there are any other editing techniques you use to improve your or your students’ poems.

What Was THE Book of Your Childhood?

If you asked me now to choose my favourite book I'd be like a kid in a sweetshop, unable to decide from a huge selection of the ones I have read. As a young lad though it was far easier with many less to pick from having only been on this planet for a few years. And without doubt my choice would have been the poem book 'The Cat in The Hat' by Dr Seuss (aka Theodor Geisel). Here's why I loved it so much, and still do:

1. The poem format. The simple rhythm and the crazy rhymes stuck in my head and hooked me like a roller coaster ride I didn't want to end.

2. It filled a whole book. Wow! Reading it end-to-end was like having the biggest bar of my favourite chocolate. And, for a second helping, the follow up, 'The Cat in the Hat Comes Back', did the same.

3. Fantastic characters. A giant cat that could talk and wore amazing headgear and the mischievous Thing 1 and Thing 2. I'd not met anyone like them before. Plus the kids looked and thought like I did!

4. It was great fun. It was a heartwarming, enjoyable tale that I laughed along with as it totally resonated with my wacky sense of humour, which I still possess.

5. It could be read aloud. It was a wonderful poem to read in my head but it worked even better when Dad read it to me at bedtimes. It was my first experience of a performance poem, so it's no coincidence that I am now a performance poet.

6. The words. I could understand all the words (only 236 different ones in all while Seuss' 'Green Eggs and Ham' had only 50). But it wasn't 'dumbed down' - there was complexity in its simplicity as these words combined with all the other aspects listed above to stimulate my imagination no end.

When I work in schools children and staff frequently ask me what my favourite children's book is and I reply “It's the Cat In...” and virtually everyone is able to complete that title even though the book was first published in 1957. Need I say more?

What was THE book of your childhood and why? Let me know in the comments below.

What's Wrong With Reading Comics?

What's wrong with children (or anyone) reading comics? Nothing! Just because reading material includes pictures as well as words that does not make it inferior. In fact I wouldn't be a successful author/poet if I had not immersed myself in comics even before I was able to read (then I just used to 'look at the pictures' in my big brother's comics).

As a child 'chapter books' didn’t appeal to my very visual imagination with their page upon page of solid text, so I enjoyed British comics instead like the 'Beano' and 'Dandy'. But it was the American superhero/Marvel comics (and to a lesser extent those by DC) that really hooked me. Why?:

  • They had long 20-page continuing stories giving much more space for plot, sub-plot and character development. Consequently these heroes and their very real human alter egos were my friends - I knew them so well!

  • The many thrilling cliffhanger endings left me in a state of extreme suspense until I bought the next month’s issues.

  • Unlike their UK counterparts, ‘Marvels’ were all in full-colour with glossy covers and the wonderfully worded stories developed my vocabulary and stretched my imagination.

  • They taught me about the world around me in the 60s and 70s covering topics such as the Vietnam and Cold Wars, space travel and the universe, Norse and Greek Mythology, the awful impact of drug-taking and alcohol abuse on individuals and society, the scourge of racism, civil rights and even how to cope with relationships and death.

  • I was able to recognise the writers, pencillers, inkers etc by their unique styles (their names were always shown on p1).

Now you can understand why I resented the derogatory remarks made by many of my elders about comics. Here are some powerful words from one of the first comics I bought (and still own) when in primary school, 'The Mighty Thor’ no. 185: Infinity, Hallowed, Befallen, Dreaded, Unchecked, Invulnerable, Asgard, Fabled Scabbard, Hoards, Ragnarok, Valour, Cosmos, Unsheathed, Eternal, Immortal, Breach, Odin, Chasm, Swirling, Guardian. And all of these are found without going past the first four pages!

My parents never banned comics in our house but clearly stated that books were the currency needed to get on in life. But I disagreed and stuck with Marvel (and some DC), so much so that I unashamedly still read them today along with those wordy chapter books, which I now love too.

On the 'My Books' page of this website you'll find my own homage to comics: 'Here Come the Superheroes' and 'Invasion of the Supervillains' both contain around 30 poems about super characters I have created or about wider aspects of the superhero/villain genre (such as secret ID, sidekicks, cliffhanger endings, sound effects etc).

So if children you work with or those in your family are less willing or able to read ‘chapter books’, please show them a comic (age-suitable of course) as it might be the start of their reading journey that could eventually include books too. And who knows where that will lead them?

Finally, here's this blog as a poem: 'Comic Book Boy (A True Story)', from a special section at the back of 'Invasion of the Supervillains'. Enjoy!

NZ, June 2020