· the training team

Elizabeth Barrett, Valerie Bloom, Phil Bowen, Liz Cashdan, Debjani Chatterjee, Mandy Coe, Eleanor Cooke, Andy Croft, Roshan Doug, Jane Draycott, Sue Dymoke, Chrissie Gittins, Roz Goddard, Paul Hyland, Stephen Knight, Pat Leighton, Anjun Malik, Cheryl Martin, Brian Morse, Graham Mort, Andrew Fusek Peters, Mario Petrucci, Dave Reeves, Coral Rumble, Eva Salzman, Fiona Sampson, Ann Sansom, Peter Sansom, John Siddique, Dorothea Smartt, Mahendra Solanki, Jean Sprackland, Roger Stevens, Gavin Stewart, Pauline Stewart, Matthew Sweeney, Anthony Wilson and Cliff Yates.

For more information please contact project manager Andrew Bailey
Tel: 020 7420 9880 or by email: poetryclass@poetrysociety.org.uk

Elizabeth Barrett is an Associate Lecturer at Sheffield Hallam University where she teaches on a range of continuing professional development programmes for teachers. Her collection Walking on Tiptoe was published by Staple in 1998 and in 2000 she received an Arts Council of England Writers' Award to support the completion of her next collection, The Bat Detector. 

POETRY WORKSHOP for poetryclass

Valerie Bloom was born in Jamaica and came to England in 1972. She has performed her poetry extensively throughout Britain and the Caribbean, and run courses and workshops for adults and children. Her books include Touch Mi, Tell Mi (Bogle L'Ouverture 1983), Duppy Jamboree (Cambridge University Press 1992) and Fruits (Macmillan 1997). Her poems are included in over a hundred adults' and children's anthologies, and in the 1998/99 GCSE English/English Literature Anthology.

Phil Bowen is a poet, performer and playwright who has worked in over 300 schools. He was a teacher for many years in Liverpool (Head of Drama), Devon and Cornwall. His poetry has appeared in The Forward Book of Poetry 1998 and he has two collections, Variety's Hammer and Starfly, both published by Stride. He has also written books on poetry and Bob Dylan and poetry and The Beatles. He was Poet on the Buses of North Devon in 1999.

POETRY WORKSHOP for poetryclass

Liz Cashdan, poet, teaches creative writing at Sheffield Division of Continuing Education. In 2000-2001 she is job-sharing writer-in-residence in Wakefield schools. She has taught English in secondary schools and is a Professional Tutor on the BAQTS at Bretton Hall. She edits Writing in Education for NAWE. Her most recent collection of poetry is Laughing All the Way (1995 Five Leaves Publications).

POETRY WORKSHOP for poetryclass

Debjani Chatterjee is an award-winning poet and children's author with over 35 publications and an international profile. Her poetry collections include I Was That Woman (also available in a bilingual edition, Cette Femme La...) Albino Gecko and Animal Antics. She has edited the "groundbreaking" The Redbeck Anthology of British South Asian Poetry, and co-edited Rainbow World: Poems from Many Cultures.  She chairs the National Association of Writers in Education and is a founder member of Bengali Women's Support Group and Mini Mushaira.  For more see http://mysite.freeserve.com/DebjaniChatterjee. 

POETRY WORKSHOP for poetryclass

A poet and artist, Mandy Coe is extensively employed through residencies and workshops in libraries, museums and hospitals. Her poetry is widely published and has been broadcast on regional and national BBC radio. Her poetry for children appears in anthologies and her collection for adults, Pinning the Tail on the Donkey, is published in October 2000 by Spike.

POETRY WORKSHOP for poetryclass

Eleanor Cooke has published three collections of poetry: A Kind of Memory, Who Killed Prees Heath? and Secret Files. She has lectured in creative writing and contemporary literature in Cheshire, tutored on residential and day courses for Cheshire teachers on developing creative abilities, and worked as a writer in schools.

POETRY WORKSHOP for poetryclass

Andy Croft

Andy Croft lives in Middlesbrough, where he makes a living teaching poetry in local schools. He has written nineteen books for teenagers about football, and has published widely on the literary history of the British Labour Movement. He has published four books of poetry, Nowhere Special, Gaps Between Hills (with Mark Robinson and photographer Dermot Blackburn), Headland (with Dermot Blackburn) and Just as Blue.

POETRY WORKSHOP for poetryclass

Roshan Doug

Roshan Doug is currently Birmingham's Poet Laureate. He is Poet in Residence at Dudley College, a visiting lecturer at the University of Wolverhampton and a tutor in poetry at the University of Wolverhampton. He is currently editing an anthology of Anglo-Asian poets in Britain, having previously published two collections of poetry, Delusions (1995) and The English-Knowing Men (1999).

POETRY WORKSHOP for poetryclass

Jane Draycott's first full collection Prince Rupert's Drop (Carcanet/OUP, 1999) was shortlisted for the 1999 Forward Prize. In 1998 she co-wrote Christina the Astonishing (Two Rivers Press) with poet Lesley Saunders and artist Peter Hay, and has made several broadcast commissions with Elizabeth James. A previous pamphlet No Theatre (Smith/Doorstop), was shortlisted for the 1997 Forward Prize.

POETRY WORKSHOP for poetryclass

Sue Dymoke worked as an English teacher in 11 - 18 schools for fifteen years. She is now a PGCE tutor at the University of Nottingham where she is completing research on poetry teaching in secondary schools. She regularly leads poetry INSET sessions on planning the poetry curriculum from K52 to Post 16 level. Her publications include Lifting the Language (Shoestring Press 1997) and she writes for Secondary English Magazine.

POETRY WORKSHOP for poetryclass

Chrissie Gittins was born in Lancashire and studied at Newcastle University and St Martin’s School of Art. Her first adult collection is Armature (Arc Publications, 2003), and her children’s poetry collection Now You See Me, Now You... (Rabbit Hole Publications, 2003) was shortlisted for the first 2003 CLPE Poetry Award. Her radio duologue Poles Apart, was a Radio Times Radio Choice, and her short stories have won competitions, been published in magazines and anthologies, and have appeared on BBC R4. Chrissie has worked with children and young people in residencies including prisons, a hospice, and an international school in Bangkok. She was awarded a fellowship at Hawthornden Castle in 2001 and has received awards from the Society of Authors and the Royal Literary Fund.  www.chrissiegittins.co.uk

POETRY WORKSHOP for poetryclass

Roz Goddard is a poet, editor and teacher. Roz has worked as a writer-in-education since 1992. Her recent work includes a residency with Sandwell College and the Ledbury poetry festival, and schools work with both the New Walsall Art Gallery and the Ikon Gallery, Birmingham. She has edited and compiled a book of poetry written by children, The Sun Shines on it, and is assistant editor of Raw Edge, the magazine of new writing in the West Midlands.

POETRY WORKSHOP for poetryclass

Paul Hyland is a poet and travel writer whose books include Kicking Sawdust (Bloodaxe), Getting into Poetry (Bloodaxe) and Backwards Out of the Big World (HarperCollins). He has worked school courses for the Arvon Foundation among others and provides INSET training for primary and secondary teachers. He has run many workshops in schools and universities.

POETRY WORKSHOP for poetryclass

Stephen Knight's books of poetry include Flowering Limbs and Dream City Cinema (published by Bloodaxe and both shortlisted for the T. S. Eliot prize), as well as a novel, Mr Schnitzel (Viking/Penguin, 2000). Awards include first prize in the 1992 National Poetry Competition. He has worked extensively in schools and is also a creative-writing tutor for adults in colleges and as part of the University of Glamorgan's MPhil in Writing.

POETRY WORKSHOP for poetryclass

Pat Leighton lives in North Worcestershire. She has poems published in a variety of current mainstream children's anthologies and in National Curriculum collections. An ex-primary/middle school teacher, she has also worked on a recently published reluctant/fresh start reader scheme.

POETRY WORKSHOP for poetryclass

Anjum Malik has written extensively for theatre and TV as well as publishing a collection of poetry, Before the Rains (Huddersfield University Press). She has worked for poets in education at Apples & Snakes in London, and has held residencies at HTV, Bristol and with the Bristol Literature Development Project. Her screenplay 'Escape to Sunset' was broadcast by HTV in 1998. 

POETRY WORKSHOP for poetryclass

Born in Washington, D.C., and educated at Cambridge, Cheryl Martin's poetry is published in Buffalo Dreams (Spout Publications), and the anthologies The Fire People (Payback Press) and The Sun Rises in the North (Smith/Doorstop Press). She wrote the poetry documentary 'Lush Life' (John Akomfrah, dir.) which was screened by Granada and Manchester's Cornerhouse Cinema, and the Granada television drama 'Blue Irises'.

POETRY WORKSHOP for poetryclass

Brian Morse was an infant and junior teacher for twenty years. He has had more than twenty books for children published, including two books of poems, Picnic on the Moon and Plenty of Time, and a Signal booklet guide, Poetry Books for Children. He is widely anthologised and has written and contributed to BBC Radio poetry programmes for juniors and teenagers. He has run poetry workshops in many primary schools over the last four years and is the founder of Dagger Press.  He also runs poetryworkshops.co.uk.

POETRY WORKSHOP for poetryclass

Graham Mort has published six books of poetry and works as a freelance writer and creative writing tutor. A former teacher and director of studies for the Open College of the Arts, he has run many schools-based poetry workshops and has designed numerous combined arts projects and INSET writing courses.

POETRY WORKSHOP for poetryclass
INTERVIEW for poetryclass

Andrew Fusek Peters is a writer and editor of over 30 books with 14 years of working in education as a performer and workshop leader. Books include: Poems With Attitude with Polly Peters; Sheep Don't go to School (Bloodaxe); Sadderday and Funday and 4 Teenage Plays With Attitude come out with Hodder in 2001. He is editing the teenage anthology Out Of Order for Evans. He was a presenter for BBC 1's 'Wham Barn Strawberry Jam'.

POETRY WORKSHOP for poetryclass

Mario Petrucci is physicist, ecologist, teacher and literacy consultant as well as an acclaimed poet. His collection Shrapnel and Sheets (Headland) was a Poetry Book Society Recommendation. His areas of expertise include English in the National Curriculum, War Poetry and creative writing outside English (eg science).

POETRY WORKSHOP for poetryclass

A full time writer since 1980, Dave Reeves regularly works in community settings. Publications from school residencies include Wordbreak (Birmingham's Catholic Partnership 1992); The Write Mixture (Abbey Junior School 1998); SmokeScreen - writing on smoking and health (Sandwell Education 1999). The latest collection of his own writing is Being John Ruskin (Stride 2000).

POETRY WORKSHOP for poetryclass

Coral has been widely published, her work appearing in various places including the subway walls of her hometown! She specializes in writing for children and her new collection, Creatures, Teachers and Family Features was published in 1999. Coral spends much of her time working in schools with teachers and pupils.

POETRY WORKSHOP for poetryclass

Eva Salzman's teaching experience includes a residency at Springhill Prison, Bromley by Bow Community Centre, and extensive work in the East End of London, including the Poetry Society's Poet in the City project. She has also worked on librettos for English National Opera. Her books include The English Earthquake (Bloodaxe) and Bargain with the Watchman (Oxford).

POETRY WORKSHOP for poetryclass

Fiona Sampson has received writer's awards from the Society of Authors, Oppenheimer-John Downes, the Arts Council of Wales and Southern Arts; as well as a residency at the Millay Colony, New York, and the Newdigate Prize. Seren will publish Folding the Real next Spring. Picasso's Men was published in 1994 and her other books are The Healing Word (Poetry Society, 1999) and The Self on the Page (Jessica Kingsley, 1998). She has pioneered writing in health care in the UK through a series of long-term residencies.

POETRY WORKSHOP for poetryclass

Ann Sansom is a Writing Tutor at Doncaster Women's Centre. Her book of poetry, Romance, is published by Bloodaxe. She has previously published three small press collections and has written and directed two plays for Yorkshire Women's Theatre. She has been writing tutor for the Arvon Foundation, the WEA, Lindholme Prison and Kirklees Community Writing Programme.

POETRY WORKSHOP for poetryclass

Peter Sansom is Director of the Poetry Business and editor of The North and Smith/Doorstop Books. His own publications include Writing Poems (Bloodaxe), January and Point of Sale (both from Carcanet). He was poet-in-residence for Marks and Spencer during 1999.

POETRY WORKSHOP for poetryclass

John Siddique is currently the writer in residence at The Lowry and at Wetherby prison. He was the poetry team leader for the BT/Poetry society Futuretalk workshops, which went into hundreds of schools in 1999 and 2000. His own work is widely anthologised and is also in his own chapbooks. He is currently fulfilling a year of the artist commission dealing with patient's lives in a psychiatric hospital. 

POETRY WORKSHOP for poetryclass

Dorothea Smartt, born & raised in London, is of Barbadian heritage. She was Brixton Market's first Poet-in-Residence, a former Attached Live Artist at London's Institute of Contemporary Arts, and most recently Guest writer at Florida International University and Oberlin College, U.S.A. Her poetry appears in several journals and ground-breaking anthologies, including c.

POETRY WORKSHOP for poetryclass

Mahendra Solanki was born in Nairobi in 1956 of Indian parents. His first collection of poems, Shadows of My Making was published in 1986. Since then his work has appeared in various magazines and journals in Britain and abroad, including The Observer and Poetry Review. What you Leave Behind and Exercises in Trust were both published in 1996. A selection of new poems appear in The Rat's Mirror (1999). He is currently course Leader of the MA in Writing degree at the Nottingham Trent University.

POETRY WORKSHOP for poetryclass

Jean Sprackland, poetryclass project manager, is a poet who has worked as a writer in education since 1995. Jean's first collection Tattoos for Mothers Day (published by Spike) was shortlisted for the Forward Prize 1999. Before joining the Poetry Society Jean held a part-time post with the Windows Project, a Liverpool-based charity which sets up writing projects in formal and informal educational settings. She managed the work of a large pool of writers in schools, and ran an apprenticeship-style training scheme offering writers an introduction to work in schools and the community.

INTRODUCTION to poetryclass

Roger's poems for children appear in more than 100 anthologies. His books include two solo collections, The Monster That Ate The Universe (Macmillan) and I Did Not Eat The Goldfish (Macmillan), a collection of poems by well-known poets’ pets, Taking My Human For a Walk (Macmillan) and a verse-novel for teenagers, The Journal of Danny Chaucer (Poet) (Orion) – which was broadcast on BBC Radio 4.

As well as performing at festivals, in schools and libraries, Roger is currently running a creative writing course for Sussex University in Battle and playing keyboards in a blues band. For a taste of his work visit Roger’s award-winning children’s website www.poetryzone.co.uk.  His blog (for grown-ups) can be found at http://rogerstevens.blogspot.com/ 

POETRY WORKSHOP for poetryclass

Gavin Stewart is a poet, a former City trader and a self-confessed maverick who once walked 2,000 miles for charity. He runs poetry workshops for adults, leads INSET activities for teachers and has recently been a poet-in-residence at a lower school. His poetry collection, Biology Lessons, won the 1999 Poetry Monthly competition.

POETRY WORKSHOP for poetryclass

Pauline Stewart has extensive experience running poetry workshops in schools and theatres. Her publications include Singing Down the Breadfruit and Sunshine Showers and Four O'Clock Flowers (both Random House). Her adaptation of The Pied Piper is touring schools with Openwide Theatre. She has judged poetry for the Roald Dahl Foundation and this year was a key poetry workshop leader at the English Speaking Union.

POETRY WORKSHOP for poetryclass

Matthew Sweeney's most recent publication is Up on the Roof, New and Selected poems for children (Faber 2001). Author of two other poetry books for children, The Flying Spring Onion (1992) and Fatso in the Red Suit (1995), he is editor of The New Faber Book of Children's Verse and a recipient of a 1999 Arts Council of England Writers' Award. He has published seven adult collections, the latest being A Smell of Fish (Cape, 2000)

POETRY WORKSHOP for poetryclass

Anthony Wilson

Anthony Wilson is involved in developing the poetryclass project and leading Planning Days with the team of poets. He has worked regularly as a poet in schools since 1991. In 1995 he was an Apples and Snakes writer in residence at the Brilliant Lives Festival, a project later televised by LWT's Opening Shot programme. From 1995-1998 he was a Director of Apples and Snakes Poets. In 1998 he was awarded 'Poet in Residence for Primary Education' at the Poetry Society and co-edited The Poetry Book for Primary Schools ('an inspirational compilation' according to the Times Educational Supplement). That same year he was awarded an ESRC Studentship for his Mphil/PhD study on the impact of poetry reading and writing on literacy at KS2. Currently he is researching and teaching at the University of Exeter, and is a lecturer for the Tate Gallery's Speaking Pictures and Visual Paths programmes.
POETRY PUBLICATIONS
How Far From Here is Home? (Stride, 1997);The Difference (Aldeburgh Poetry Trust, 1999)
EDUCATION PUBLICATIONS
'Better than Double English': How Useful are Poets in Schools?', Writing in Education (No. 14) 5-9. (1998); 'Carnival Week: 'Where we can Talk Freely'', in E. Bearne Making Progress in English. London: Routledge. (1998); The Poetry Book for Primary Schools, with S. Hughes (eds.). London: The Poetry Society. (1998); 'Poetry in Motion', TES Primary, 14-16. (19 March 1999) January-April, 1999, TES Friday, Guest Poet

POETRY WORKSHOP for poetryclass

Cliff Yates

Cliff Yates is involved in developing the poetryclass project and leading Planning Days with the team of poets. Cliff is a full-time English teacher whose students are extraordinarily successful at winning awards  for their writing. He is the author of Jumpstart Poetry in the Secondary School, "The best aid to the teaching of poetry writing since Sandy Brownjohn's work of the 1980s" (Gordon Wilson in The Teacher) which he wrote during his time as Poetry Society poet-in-residence.  His collection of poems Henry's Clock won the Aldeburgh poetry prize and he is the recipient of an Arts Council Writer's Award for a forthcoming collection. He has run courses and workshops for schools, colleges, universities, the Arvon Foundation, NATE, Writing Together conferences, LEAs and the British Council. He has published and broadcast widely on writing poetry and his work has featured in education articles, including 'Transcendental Dedication' by Kate Clanchy (TES 12/12/97) and 'My Best Teacher' by Joe Broughton (TES 18/6/99).

POETRY WORKSHOP for poetryclass

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