We have poetry on our minds all through the month of March as part of our year long celebration of all things books and reading for The National Year of Reading 2026.
Poetry is a fantastic medium to read, write and perform and with World Poetry Day falling on the 21st of March we want to share lots of wonderful poets, their published words and their generously shared thoughts and insight into the value of poetry, how it can work in classrooms and why they love it so much.
Since 1st April 2025 I have tried to write a poem every day (April is National Poetry Writing Month in America; the hashtag #NaPoWriMo does the rounds and poets rise to the challenge of writing a poem a day throughout April…I just kept going!). I keep a notebook by the bed and write before I go to sleep. There have been mixed results! Some evenings I immediately know that the poem will end up in a collection; other nights I only jot down a few lines. My dream is a writing shed at the end of the garden, with peace and quiet to write, night or day!
I loved writing it and joined a lunchtime creative writing club at secondary school. I enjoyed some of the poetry we studied in lessons — at least, it appealed more than the fiction and playscripts. On the whole I’d say it helped, but it was always the sounds and feelings that did it for me, not the deconstructing and analysing…
My poem The Picture has been published as a children’s poem and as an adult poem — perhaps because it shows the emotions from various angles. It is included in my new children’s collection coming this autumn.
That is has to be ‘high-brow’ and full of long words to be good.
Where do I start?! I love it for its bite-sized nature, its lack of rules, its music and rhythm, its adaptability, its openness, its magic, its deceptive simplicity, its accessibility, its beauty, its emotion, its humour, its ability to do BIG things with a small number of words, and for the way it tastes on my tongue. And more!
Try out lots of different poems and books – what someone else loves might not be what you love. Do some poetry snacking until you find something that you find delicious! Try listening to poetry and watching a poet perform to really bring the words to life! And don’t worry if you think you don’t understand a poem; it’s okay to just enjoy the sounds and the rhythm.
There are loads of online resources to help, but I’d advise finding a poem or collection that YOU love. If you start by sharing poems that you enjoy, with real enthusiasm, then that’s the beginning of spreading the poetry joy. Children are natural poets; let them enjoy a poem together then write their own version. I would also say keep it simple — often the most pared down ideas work best, and can be built on.
Limitless!
Many thanks to Attie for generously sharing her poetry insight. You can see more about her children’s poetry collections using the links below and find out about her poetry or having her visit your school by visiting her website here.
