Welcome to the Teaching, Writing and Poetry Website.

Poetry - Always a Winner

For children especially poetry is always a winner. Less bulky than prose it provides more scope. Its hands-on appeal is not stifled by the absolute need for grammar, punctuation or spelling. Though these are ultimately essential poetry allows for and assists progress through mistakes. Poetry allows for improvisation, experimentation and adventure.

The adventure begins with a chosen word, a line maybe, and concludes, sooner or later, with a piece of work that you’re proud of and want to keep. That makes it an art form. It can be a spiritual experience, a journey of discovery when one realises the ability to compose using imagination and words and phrases heard or read but thought forgotten. It can be realised on a laptop or on pieces of old envelope, in a study, a classroom or on a train. It can become a hobby that will entertain, and it’s one way to begin to understand, artistically and poetically, thoughts and feelings about any given thing at any given time. It’s reflective, cathartic and therapeutic, and especially good for children whose learning time can be taken up by prescriptive curricula.

Always carry a pen or pencil. A notebook is good too. Read poetry. Read anything. Read everything! Write, compose, enjoy your words. That’s poetry, and you’re the winner: always.

Poetry Book

I have always loved writing poetry as it is personal and individual. So much so that after 30 years in the teaching profession, I collated and published an anthology entitled ‘With Love, As Always’.

Poetry Workshops

Now retired from teaching, I deliver poetry workshops in schools. I still enjoy teaching and ..... To find out more about my poetry workshops click here.