Hello.
I write books, present radio programmes - (if you come from America, you'd call that hosting radio shows), appear occasionally on TV, visit schools and colleges where I do a one-man show and I lecture and teach in universities on children's literature, reading and writing. I usually call myself a writer and broadcaster, though some people call me a poet and performer. I wrote my first book in 1969, it was a play called Backbone, my first children's book in 1974, a book of poems called Mind Your Own Business and I've been bringing out books pretty well every year since then.
I've posted a new video of me performing 'Boogy Woogy Buggy'.
Here's the poem I wrote for the National Year of Reading:
Words Are Ours
In the beginning was the word
and the word is ours:
the names of places,
the names of flowers,
the names of names,
words are ours.
Page-turners
for early-learners
How to boil an egg
or mend a leg
Words are ours
Wall-charts
Love hearts
Sports reports
Short retorts
Jam-jar labels
Timetables
Words are ours
Following the instructions
for furniture constructions
Ancient mythologies
Online anthologies
Who she wrote for
Who to vote for
Joke collections
Results of elections
Words are ours
The tale's got you gripped
Have you learned your script?
The method of an Experiment
Ingredients for merriment
W8n 4ur txt
Re: whts nxt
Print media
Wikipedia
Words are ours
Sub-titles on TV
Details on your cv
Book of great speeches
Guide to the best beaches
Looking for chapters
on velociraptors
Words are ours
The mystery of history
The history of mystery
The views of news
The news of views
Words to explain
the words for pain.
doing geography
Autobiography
What to do in pay-phones
Goodbyes on gravestones
Words are ours.
Here's another new poem:
Hand on the bridge,
Feel the rhythm of the train.
Hand on the window
Feel the rhythm of the rain.
Hand on your throat
Feel the rhythm of your talk
Hand on your leg
Feel the rhythm of your walk
Hand in the sea
Feel the rhythm of the tide
Hand on your heart
Feel the rhythm inside
Hand on the rhythm
Feel the rhythm of the rhyme
Hand on your life
Feel the rhythm of time
Hand on your life
Feel the rhythm of time
Hand on you life
Feel the rhythm of time.
This is my Dad a few years ago at Margaret Meek Spencer's Birthday.
All of my recent, various writings on poetry have been gathered together into one article. It's a long read and can be found here. Thanks to Sasha for compiling the material.
I have posted a couple of Q and As about me and my writing that you might find useful.
The first is from Purbrook Infants School.
Then one from the Institute of Education Magazine.
This is me performing 'Macavity' by T.S.Eliot for the series 'Off By Heart' coming up soon on BBC television.
Here's an article about the Roald Dahl prize in the Scotsman.
These are the full details of my literary agent:
United Agents
12-26 Lexington Street
London W1F 0LE
England
Tel: +44 (0)20 3214 0800
Fax: +44 (0)20 3214 0801
E-mail: info@unitedagents.co.uk
www.unitedagents.co.uk
Here's an article by me on reading for pleasure for the Comment is Free section in the Guardian.
Here's a video of me performing a poem for the Guardian website.
Here are some photos of me from the Scottish tour.
Heres an article I wrote for 'Socialist Worker' about the banning of Caron Ann Duffy's poem from the GCSE Anthology.
Here's a clip from Dan Morelle's blog on children's own book award.
Here's an article I wrote on Writing for Children. It was for the Guardian booklet that came free with the paper
Here's Boyd Tomkin from the Independent calling me a 'stalwart radical'!
Here's a blog entry that was written in response to my talk at the Institute of Psychoanalysis.
Here are the details of a production of a play for voices that I wrote last year. It's called 'Hackney Streets' and it'll be running at the Rosemary Branch Theatre from October 29-November 2. Please come.
This is the interview/talk that I gave at the Institute of Psychoanalysis in their series 'Connecting Conversations'
Here are some photos of me launching Children's Book Week, 2008:
Course for teachers, please come. I am running a year long course for teachers at the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education. It's about poetry in the classroom. If you're interested, can you please contact Sharon or Jenny:
Sharon Kilgannon
sharon@clpe.co.uk
0207 401 3382
Jenny Vernon
0207 902 2282
jenny@clpe.co.uk
www.clpe.co.uk
Finally, my version of 'Pinocchio' will be running at the Polka Theatre, Wimbledon, from November through to February. Please come!
All school, library, festival and college bookings where you have no arrangements as yet for selling books should be arranged through Jan or Kate at: jan@speakingofbooks.co.uk
All other bookings should go through the laureate office and Sasha at: Sasha.Hoare@booktrust.org.uk
All press should also go through the laureate office and Nicky Potter at: nicpot@dircon.co.uk
October 15
York, children's performance poetry event.
October 16
American School
October 17
Barbican schools event
October 18
Cheltenham Literature festival, public event
October 21
Canterbury
October 23
First day of CLPE teachers and poetry in the classroom course. If you're interested in enrolling please hurry.
Contact: Jenny Vernon
0207 902 2282
jenny@clpe.co.uk
www.clpe.co.uk
October 25
Nonsense and Jazz, Guildford. Me reading from my Books of Nonsense to the exquisite specially composed music of the Homemade Orchestra.
October 29-November 2
'Hackney Streets' a play for voices by me, showing at the Rosemary Branch Theatre, Islington. Please come.
November 3
Letterbox library event at Hoxton Hall to celebrate 25 years.
November 4
Brighton SPACE. Evening interview with me. Public.
November 5
University College, Worcester to receive Honorary Doctorate
November 6, 7, 10, 11
Barbican schools workshops
November 12
Swindon, theatre event for schools
November 13
Announcement and event for the winners of the first ever Roald Dahl Funny Prize, Unicorn Theatre
November 18
I am to be made 'Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres'to be presented to me at the French Embassy.
November 19
Upminster, a school
November 22
Opening night of my version of 'Pinocchio' at the Polka Theatre, Wimbledon. This will run till February. Please come.
November 23
Nonsense and Jazz, Queen Elizabeth Hall, London Jazz Festival, me performing with the wonderful Homemade Orchestra. Please come.
November 24
Sheffield
November 25
Prime Conference, London on creative reading and writing for teachers
Open to all
November 28
Winchester book fair
November 29
Polka Theatre continues with production of 'Pinocchio'with a question and answer session with me after the show.
December 2
Isle of Wight, schools
December 7
Bookmarks Bookshop, Christmas signing of books. Please come.
December 9
Seven Stories museum, Newcastle
December 10
Sefton, Southport, schools
December 13
Special fundraising benefits for the Little Angel Theatre, Islington. They've lost £50,000 Arts Council grant, so I'm doing two shows, one for the youngest audience - 'We're Going on a Bear Hunt'and one for older ones 'Michael Rosen's Big Book of Bad Things'. Please come and help the theatre survive.
December 14
A showing of the great French film 'The Red Balloon' at the London Socialist Film Festival, followed by a short talk from me plus discussion. Please come.
December 17
St Albans, a school
2009
January 6
First night of Birkbeck seminars for the MA option on Children's Literature - and most subsequent Tuesday evenings till the end of March.
January 23
Event in Derry
February 5
Nonsense and Jazz, Denmark Hill, London. Please come.
February 10
Spalding
February 12, 13
Barbican schools workshops
February 27
Edinburgh books conference on the enjoyment of books
March 3
Booktrust conference
March 8
Nonsense and Jazz at The Stables. Please come.
March 10
LINCCS event at Haverstock School, London and awarding of the Eddie Rosen Poetry Prize.
March 12
Association of Pediatric Anaesthetists, Brighton
March 27
UKLA conference, Birmingham
April 3
Federation of Children's Book Groups Conference
April-July
'Twinkle Twinkle Little Bat'
An exhibition, conference, performances and films on Poetry for Children at the British Library
April 20 and 21
for the conferences
May 14
Winchester University
June 2
Wiltshire schools
June 10
THE NEW CHILDREN'S LAUREATE IS ANNOUNCED!!!
I've put myself about a bit in this period! I've done shows at the Brighton Festival and on tour in Scotland taking in Edinburgh, Glasgow, Dundee, Aberdeen and Inverness. I met the wonderful Jack Prelutsky, the US's Children's Poet Laureate for a joint show at the American School in Thorpe and contributed to Write Away's conference on non-fiction at the Institute of Education. Then, it was on to the Hay Festival followed by a week of performances for schools at the Barbican with Francesca Beard and a wonderful four-piece Jazz group. I visited Liverpool to do two sessions, one for children (A- Z of poetry tour), the other for teachers and joined in the biggest ever collection of poets for children at the Bethnal Green Museum in London for the forthcoming Oxfam CD of children's poetry. Then it was on to Southampton for their Book Fair, a school near Wellingborough, the Artsmark Award ceremony at London's South Bank, Holland Park Comprehensive, Camden teachers, a conference for the Centre for Literacy in Primary Education, an in-conversation session with Jackie Kay as part of her receiving the CLPE Poetry Award for the best poetry book for children this year, then on to a secondary school in Nottingham, the Ledbury Poetry Festival with Jackie Kay and Francesca Beard for an A-Z show, a school in Shrewsbury, a day out in Oxford with the finalists of the Kids' Literature Quiz, a big read-in at Coram's Fields in Camden to celebrate the National Year of Reading, finishing up with the launch of the Summer Reading Challenge at the House of Commons and a conference at Tate Britain on play. In between, it was good to work at, Brooke Six, a local sixth form college to help the students write, rehearse and perform a poetry show and also at my daughter's primary school to tell ghost stories at their sleepover and work with the children on writing poetry.
I was invited to meet the DCSF Early Years people along with people involved with the National Year of Reading. They suggested ways in which I could support the NYR and the new Talk project they're launching. I repeated what is fast becoming my mantra: why can't the government be as committed to the reading of books as it is to the teaching of reading? Or, put another way: why is learning how to read compulsory but reading books optional? Is this a political, cultural or educational matter - or all three? I also joined in a big meeting at the DCMS, chaired by Andrew Motion, on the 'literature offer' element for what will be the five hours a week of cultural entitlement in schools. Perhaps this is how the reading of books will sneak back on to the curriculum.
I've popped up on Channel 5's 'The Wright Stuff' talking to people who phone-in with questions about their children's reading, I've written some more poems - I think a new book is gestating - and I've been to production meetings with a new picture book I'm doing with Joel Stewart and the Polka Theatre for my version of 'Pinocchio' coming on in November for their Christmas run.
The books for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize are piled up in my office - judgement day is September 1, award ceremony November 13. That's my holiday reading sorted. The A-Z of poetry tour is rolling on (Edinburgh at the end of August). The Poetry Friendly Classroom page on Booktrust's Children's Laureate pages is there for anyone reading this to contribute to and my longstanding pipe-dream of an interactive schools' poetry YouTube-type site is still possible...
My dear Dad, Harold, died in the summer after a yearlong struggle. I cannot imagine what my work, my mind or my life would have been like without all the many ways he affected me. With my mother Connie, the pair of them introduced me to hundreds of books, poems and plays; they told stories about their lives; spoke languages and savoured words, phrases, sayings, jokes, quotations, slips of the tongue and accents and filled my head as a boy with voices, ideas and expressions. They were both teachers and then teacher-trainers and authors of books about language and literature in schools. I was still talking about such things with my father days before he died. He was endlessly curious, endlessly generous, endlessly encyclopaedic - or as his step-son, Ian, put it at the funeral, 'Harold was a human Google.'
I've been writing plenty of new poems which will appear in a book, provisionally called, 'Michael's Big Book of Bad Things', which in a way, will be a tribute to my father's way of remembering childhood misdemeanours! I've also got straight back into doing visits, so I was up at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, chairing an event about picture books with Polly Dunbar, David Lucas and Catherine Rayner (three of the Big Picture Campaign's 10 Best New Illustrators), followed by an A-Z of Poetry event with Carol Ann Duffy, her musician John Sampson and poet Tom Pow. I've done a couple of local events, first at Hackney Library as part of Team Read, and then at Stratford Circus for the utterly wonderful Newham Bookshop. It was nice to be invited to tell the Society of Authors conference what the Laureateship is all about as well as hear from Alan Gibbons and his great Campaign for the Book. What Alan is highlighting is that under our eyes libraries, library staff and book budgets are being slashed. One point from the conference that really rang a bell with me was when someone said that being able to browse and Google usefully when you're online depends on the experience of having read widely and often in the first place.
Another big leap in the life of one of my Laureate projects: the shortlist for the Roald Dahl Funny Prize has been announced. As you can imagine, the judges, Kaye Umansky, Sophie Dahl, Dara O' Briain, Chris Riddell and myself had plenty of giggles on the way to choosing the books. We noticed that the main humour motifs this year were pirates, dinosaurs and underpants, though we didn't find a book about a crew of pirate dinosaurs looking for their underpants. Perhaps next year. Anyway, the shortlist got into the press as did two crass acts of censorship: a word from a Jacqueline Wilson book and a Carol Ann Duffy poem. Apart from the fact that I think both censorings were unnecessary, I notice that they were done on the say-so of very, very few people. Are we about to enter a phase where all it takes to ban a book is a hostile comment from one person? I can feel a new Puritanism digging in. I feel like Toby Belch talking to Malvolio: 'Dost thou think, because thou art virtuous, there shall be no more cakes and ale?'
Finally, the British Library exhibition on the history of children's poetry is developing nicely. Morag Styles and I are still wading through wonderful old volumes, including Robert Burns' first edition of 'To a Mouse'. Please note the dates of the Poetry and Childhood Conference (20 & 21 April 2009) at the British Library as part of the exhibition, with seminars, lectures and readings by Jackie Kay, Carol Ann Duffy and yours truly. Enrol now! Contact Hannah Drake on hvd21@cam.ac.uk or 01223 767 735.
Here's an interview in the Irish magazine 'Verbal.
This is a clip of me on BBC Breakfast TV from some time ago.
Here are a few thoughts on poetry.
Here's an interview with me from the BBC 'Student Life' webpage.
Here's a clip of me from the BBC's 'Daily Politics Show' talking about reading and arguing with Hazel Blears in the studio afterwards.
This is an article about picture books for 'Nursery World'. You'll have to sign in to read it.
This is a blog from the 'Guardian' about the famous cutting of the word from Jacqueline Wilson's book.
This is a blog from the Guardian about SATs.
This is a blog from the Guardian that I contribute to concerning Carol Ann Duffy's poem that was removed from the GSCE anthology.
'Give children books, not SATs' from the Independent.
Why we need better arts provision for children - message to the Action For Children's Arts Conference.
Article in the Telegraph about the Roald Dahl Funny Prize.
Email
