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.
Brian Moses had dreams, growing up, of becoming a musician. But it was Bob Dylan’s lyrics that fired his teenage imagination. Then he encountered the ‘Mersey Sound’ poets and he was hooked. Starting out as a teacher, he wrote poems for his pupils and their response encouraged him to become a full-blown, published poet. Now, more than 200 books later – either as author or anthologist – he has sold over one million copies and has been labelled ‘one of Britain’s favourite children’s poets’ by the National Poetry Archive. Music, with its rhythm and repetition, informs much of his work and he performs poetry and percussion shows across the UK and abroad. Brian lives in a small Sussex village with his wife, Anne, and their black Labrador, Jess. He says that his best ideas come to him when he is ‘out walking the dog’.
He very kindly answered some questions for us about his journey into writing and loving poetry…
After I’ve come down in the morning, let the dog out and fed her, I then make a cup of tea and go back to bed for thirty minutes. This is when I find that the ideas really flow. Maybe something to do with the mind not being cluttered yet with the happenings of the day. I wrote much of my new verse novel in these thirty minute slots.
The poetry I was offered in school made little impression on me at the time. Generally it was inappropriate poetry at an inappropriate age delivered by teachers who themselves had little enthusiasm for the subject. It wasn’t until I picked up a book of poems by the Liverpool Poets – Adrian Henri, Roger McGough & Brian Patten – that I realised that poetry could be fun, that it could speak to me in a language that I understood and that it had relevance to my life as a teenager.
My poem ‘Space Dog’ is about Laika, the dog that the Russians sent into space. When I perform it in school sessions I sometimes see teachers brushing away a tear. For me it would be ‘When You Are Old’ by W.B. Yeats as I’m feeling much affinity with it these days!
That it has no relevance in people’s lives but then often they turn to it in times of sadness or bereavement.
It’s an addiction. Poetry touches every emotion. It can make you smile, laugh, shiver, think, wonder. It can make you sad and it can comfort you. It can say a lot in little, but what it does say can be so powerful that it remains with you through your life.
I’m not sure that there’s anything I can say to encourage children to enjoy poetry, but I do know that many teachers have told me that reluctant children have changed their minds when they have seen a performance of my poetry and percussion show. Actually demonstrating that poetry can be enjoyable, either via YouTube or a live performance can bring results.
Check out my blog here – there are over 700 pages with fun ideas for both writing and performing poetry.
Poetry for children nurtures imagination and a love of language through rhythm, rhyme, and meaning. It helps develop emotional expression, listening skills, and memory in a playful, accessible way. Poetry also invites children to see the world creatively, building empathy, confidence, and joy in reading and self-expression.
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Many thanks to Brian for sharing his poetry insight. You can find out more about some of his poetry collections for primary and secondary students below and get details on how he can visit your school by visiting his site here.
