Issue 392 19th June 2015

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THEME:

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pages

per poet.

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Full ...

2

FLASH FICTION: Random Words: watch, code, scatter, opinion,

humidity, direction, tremor, part, singing

Assignment: Clichés or plotline for sci-fi story

A warm welcome awaits. COME to WORKSHOP ... Every Monday 1.30 start Rising Brook Library

FOOTBALL

A beautiful game ...

For corrupt old men ...

Whatever happened to that

useful little three-letter word

„yes‟?

It has been almost

completely supplanted by

„absolutely‟, yet this doesn‟t

always mean quite the same

thing. And the American

expression „I‟m loving it‟ has

sadly replaced our own home-

grown „I love it‟.

www.issuu.com/risingbrookwriters

LOVE (III)

by George Herbert

Love bade me welcome, yet my soul drew back,

Guilty of dust and sin.

But quick-ey'd Love, observing me grow slack

From my first entrance in,

Drew nearer to me, sweetly questioning

If I lack'd anything.

"A guest," I answer'd, "worthy to be here";

Love said, "You shall be he."

"I, the unkind, the ungrateful? ah my dear,

I cannot look on thee."

Love took my hand and smiling did reply,

"Who made the eyes but I?"

"Truth, Lord, but I have marr'd them; let my shame

Go where it doth deserve."

"And know you not," says Love, "who bore the blame?"

"My dear, then I will serve."

"You must sit down," says Love, "and taste my meat."

So I did sit and eat.

Written 1633

George Herbert (3 April 1593 – 1 March 1633) was a Welsh-born

English poet, orator and Anglican rector.

Herbert's poetry is associated with the metaphysical

poets and he is recognized as a pivotal figure in the

English canon: deeply influential and arguably the

most important British devotional lyricist.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Herbert

5

Gardening Tips for June ... Frances Hartley

For my Birthday treat one year my sons took me to the “Dorothy Clive Gardens”

on the Nantwich road from Stone. The gardens are built in a quarry and are fairly

steep, but the paths are gravelled and the few steps there are have rails at the side.

The main attraction is the huge variety of Rhododendrons and Azaleas. Unfortu-

nately they don‟t last for long, but are very colourful during their peak time in May.

There are banks of white, yellow, orange, red, pink and mauve everywhere. A few

Bluebells were still out as were the white and red Brooms and the lovely yellow

cup shaped flowers of the Freemontedendron. We also saw a wooden pavilion

tucked away with a white Wisteria trained along the front of it. Then we came

across a long arch of covered in laburnum with it‟s racemes of yellow flowers

hanging down. One of my sons had to duck once or twice to negotiate the path be-

tween the mass of hanging flowers, but it looked really good. There is a restaurant

and there are various grassy places with benches where one could have a rest or

picnic. It was a beautiful day out and made a memorable birthday.

Well back to gardening and getting those tubs and baskets filled. The weather is so change-

able, but it should be safe to put all those bedding plants out now and also Runner Bean plants.

With Runner Beans I like to make a trench and spread a few sheets of newspaper in the bottom,

not a thick layer though, or it won‟t rot very well. If your vacuum cleaner bag needs to be emp-

tied spread the contents of that along as well, then fill in with some good soil. I like to add some

water retaining crystals and some slow release fertilizer mixed with soil before completely top-

ping up. I also add some of the crystals and slow release fertilizer to baskets and tubs.

Late Chrysanthemums should be ready for their last potting soon. If you have Tomatoes

flowering in the greenhouse and haven‟t seen any bees to pollinate them, you can do it yourself.

When watering the Tomatoes in the morning, give the canes supporting them, a gentle shake and

this will make the pollen fly about and aid pollination.

We have, recently, had such a long dry windy spell the soil was so hard I couldn‟t put a

fork in my garden, but it is gradually improving now with the addition of lots of home made com-

post. My water tubs were all empty so I was glad to see some rain. The only problem is that the

rain brings out the slugs and if you have trouble with slugs and snails crawling up planted tubs

there is now something to stop them; it is called “Slug barrier copper tape” and is easy to stick

round tubs and troughs. I tried it last year with success and have put fresh on again this year. The

tape can be bought from most garden centres and probably from all sorts of other garden shops. It

comes in 4 metre rolls, (roughly 12 ½ foot) priced at £4.99. The Rowan or Mountain Ash trees

have been smothered in flowers this year so there should be plenty of berries for the birds later on

in the Autumn and Winter. The trees are suitable for a small garden and the flowers are highly

scented. Everybody knows of the red-berried variety, but I also have a yellow berried and white-

berried one that has pale pink flowers. We have about a dozen Rowans growing down the length

of our short road that I have grown from the berries since we moved in 14 years ago. The differ-

ent coloured berries look attractive on the trees in the Autumn, but they are not only good for the

birds to eat, because if they are boiled with apple they make a tasty jelly.

It should be all right to put hanging baskets out now and you can also get your tubs planted

up because the danger of frost should have passed. Runner Beans, Lettuce, Courgettes and any

other vegetables will be all right to plant out as well. I am trying Squash outside this year and

have also put out some Golden Berry plants. In case they are not very well known the fruit is sold

in small packets in supermarkets just labelled as Physallis. This is a bit misleading as the Chinese

Lanterns are also called Physallis. They are all the same family but different varieties, with the

ones you can eat called Physallis Edula. Some restaurants now put a few of the berries in with

things like fruit salads and round the plates as a garnish with things like sliced melon. My family

have been eating Physallis berries for years and they can be eaten fresh as a fruit but they can also

be cooked and used in pies.

Well that's all for now .... Frances Hartley.

I

Random Words: butter, hat, whinge, generation, lieutenant, jitter, Gray, chuckle, coy “That Lieutenant Gray, he‟s something else!” Private Jones told his mate, Sykes, with

a chuckle. “As a new recruit, that first day on parade was ghastly.” “He comes from that generation when folk believed in authority and blind obedi-

ence,” Sykes told him. “I had the jitters when he stopped in front of me and pointed to my hat with his

swagger stick. I thought I would be put on a charge!” Jones confessed. “What happened?” his pal asked. “I just blushed and muttered, „Sorry, sir.‟” “Don‟t be coy with me, boy!” he barked. “Were you on jankers?” Sykes enquired. “No. Amazingly, he just muttered and went on by.” “As I thought. He just likes to whinge. Bit of a teddy bear really. I had a similar

experience. Butter wouldn‟t melt…” Sykes informed his friend.

Assignment :- I can’t resist At Christmas time, lots of the shops and

supermarkets have battery-operated Santas

and snowmen figures and other such seasonal

characters in their toy departments. I find

them totally irresistible, and have to go

along the rows of shelves pressing every sin-

gle one of them in turn, and setting them

bobbing, twisting and singing in unison. My

husband used to tell friends that he always

knew where to find me in the shop from the

cacophony of sound I caused! Buttons in general hold a huge appeal

for me. Why, I‟m not sure. I simply have to

press them! I rationalize it as follows to oth-

ers, who don‟t share my addiction: What

good is a button if no-one ever presses it? Its

whole purpose in life is gone. I‟m just doing

it a favour. And I‟m doing a huge service to

those people who put the buttons there in the

first place. Oh yes, chocolate I can resist;

buttons, I can‟t. And I‟m not speaking about

the confectionaries made by Cadbury and

called Chocolate Buttons! Likewise, ridiculous signs hold an irre-

sistible appeal for me. Signs which, in my

opinion are just begging to be edited. I have been in several buildings, such as

my old workplace, the college in Stafford,

which have had doors bearing a notice read-

ing „This door must be kept closed at all

times‟, and I‟ve been forced, nay compelled

to add a comment of my own, along the

lines of „Why the door? Wouldn‟t a

wall be better?‟ To walk away without

effecting an alteration would be un-

thinkable. I enjoy adding commas, judi-

ciously placed here and there, to change

meanings, along the lines of Lynne

Truss‟s entertaining book, „Eats, shoots

and leaves‟. And e‟s on greengrocers‟ no-

tices reading „Jersey Royal Potatos‟. Mis-

placed apostrophes are a great source of en-

tertainment to me. The above notice might

have read „Jersey Royal Potatoe‟s. Or maybe

the T-shirt, which proclaims the following

message. „Do misplaced apostrophe‟s annoy

you?‟ Or how about a sign writer‟s howler,

reading „Professional sign‟s and lettering‟? The English teacher in me springs into ac-

tion, and I just have to get out my biro and

correct it when I spy „Open Sunday‟s‟.

Sometimes, commas need to be re-

moved, rather than added, and I‟m the one

for the job. You can have fun at other people‟s

expense with a cunningly placed bit of

punctuation. Several years ago, I had a

run-in with a local house builder, who

failed to respond to my legitimate con-

cerns. Their huge advertising bill-board

read „Builder of the year‟. That is, until I

got round it, and added a question mark!

Adrian Blackledge - Birmingham Poet Laureate 2014-15

Adrian Blackledge is the recipient of an Eric Gregory

Award, and has won prizes in the National Poetry

Competition, The Blackwell Poetry Competition,

Café Writers Poetry Competition, and The Poetry

Business Competition. His poems have been published

in a wide range of journals, including The Spectator,

London Magazine, Encounter, Orbis, and The Reader.

A volume of his poems, Green Eyes, was published by

Pikestaff Press.

He has lived in Birmingham for most of his life. He is

a Professor in the School of Education at University of

Birmingham.

The press release (National Poetry Day 2014) said: “In the role of Birmingham Poet Laureate Adrian will raise the profile of poetry

across the city, and inspire experienced and new poets to engage in writing and reading poetry, and to participate in poetry events.”

He certainly has fulfilled his role this month. The BBC have filmed Adrian outside the much troubled and sliced through by cutbacks

Birmingham‟s newest centrepiece, the Birmingham Library building, reading his poem “Ode to Library of Birmingham”. The video

clip has been shared all over Facebook and it‟s well worth a listen.

https://www.facebook.com/midlandstoday/videos/10153380917594761/

A word from the Editor: SO YOU WANNABE A WRITER ... and you‟ve heard there‟s an easy way to do it ... Yeah right!!

Hemingway said writing was easy ... “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit at a typewriter and bleed.” Most successful writers would agree. But let‟s have a look at the so called “easy way”. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lester_Dent

According to Wikipedia, Dent's "Master Fiction Plot", often referred to as the "Lester Dent Formula" is a method for writing a 6,000-word pulp fiction story. It has been summarized thus: "split your six-thousand-word story up into four fifteen hun-dred word parts. Part one, hit your hero with a heap of trouble. Part two, double it. Part three, put him in so much trouble there's no way he could ever possibly get out of it. All your main characters have to be in the first third. All your main themes and everything else has to be established in the first third, developed in the second third, and resolved in the last third."

Or, to put it another way: I was once told that Hollywood script writers of the 1930s often used the formula: trouble for man and girl – girl leaves, man has to climb tree – man in tree has rocks thrown at him – man climbs down from tree, girl comes back – man wiser and with the girl, ends. Or, also works if girl and man roles

are reversed, as today they would be, wouldn‟t they? So, how easy does that sound? So to end dear wannabe-novelists here‟s a bit more advice from Hemingway:

“When writing a novel a writer should create living people; people not characters. A character is a caricature.”

Happy writing ...

THE CRYING SHAME ACW

Millionaire MPs say they will donate their £7,000 pay rise this year, on the taxpayer, to charity. http://www.standard.co.uk/news/politics/mps-pay-rise-aides-refuse-to-say-if-pm-will-

join-others-and-pledge-his-to-charity-10297240.html

Women denied state pension payout since 2013 until at least 2019 onwards, lose around that amount of money every year.

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/pensions/article-1679780/New-state-pension-age-

retire.html

Whether they remain in work or not, when most get very little money in part time low paid jobs.

http://www.theguardian.com/public-leaders-network/2015/mar/27/women-uk-

employment-rise-gender-pay-gap

Why? Because they probably have someone to look after, their elderly parents and/or

their grandkids. Then along comes the flat rate pension next year which gives everyone differing

amounts of money, even if worked the same, more or less amount of years.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/personalfinance/pensions/11608210/The-new-flat-rate-pension-where-everybody-gets-different-amounts.html

And the wife, her indoors, who worked in the home to raise kids and now grandkids,

gets absolutely nothing.

http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/experts/article-2899593/My-wife-never-paid-National-Insurance-contributions-retire-nothing.html

PETITION: IF YOU WANT TO FIGHT TO GET BACK YOUR STATE PENSION AND PEN-

SION CREDIT (SAVINGS):

https://you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/state-pension-at-60-now

It's a crying shame, ain't it?

Control : Alt : Delete

The road to oblivion is milestoned by selective memory. The knack of targeting negative recollection hard to acquire. The gift of non-recall a boon on the slide of decline. If only transgression and trespass could be wiped from conscious thought.

If only error and omission could be erased from the personal data store by control : alt : delete . . .

SMS June 2009

I CAN'T RESIST ... I CAN'T RESIST trying new foods when abroad. I should explain that bananas and tripe are my idea of hell on earth ... Working in a Swiss clinic in 1968, I was provided with three sit-down meals a day, the same food as the pensionnaires – whose fees were £100 pw plus ... Every-thing was so very new and delicious to me:- Rosti; Lamb's Tongue in Caper Sauce; Quenelles de Veau; Bircher meusli (long before it was available here); tartes aux abricots; oranges stuffed with sorbet, sat upon vine leaves ... I had gone out 8 stone, went on regular Spartan diets of eggs, grapefruit & yoghurt (to the great amusement of my colleagues) but was usually back at the table within days. After giving away most of my clothes, I left a year later weighing just 10 stone. In 1972 I spent Christmas in Jamaica and the food ... oh, the food! A whole month of Soursop icecream; baked Breadfruit; Custard Apples; fried bacon and plantain (ignore the resemblance to bananas); drinking Sorrel made by Mrs. Mac, my friend's Mum; oranges picked from the garden on Christmas morning; Roast Suckling Pig that was ex-quisite (despite disturbingly resembling a baby); chewing raw cane (I had stronger teeth in those days); a Malt Milkshake by the pint at the local drugstore ... mmm ... But … there were always, always bananas. Every single day, in one form or another. That's when the rum habit started. Fortunately that too was on the cards every single day! After umpteen previous visits to friends in France, I was nearly undone by a rash ‘Mais oui!’ to snails at a dinner party. (Eat at the same pace as the others and try not to guzzle the wine.) Everyone ate quite quickly though … so we were offered a second platter. Another dozen. They tasted a little less enjoyable than very chewy sand. Af-ter that followed a mound of fried frogs’ legs (delish! – I was well into the Merlot by then) and some Very Welcome cheeses. To finish we were served Bananes Flambees. The Merlot said ‘Mais OUI!’ – I was so very proud of me! Soon I'll be in Florence. I've already boned up about the speci-ality called Lampredotto. It's brown tripe. That'll be a ‘No, grazie’ then ...

WHY BOTHER? Most of my bags have been bought to accommodate macs, files, picnics, a tablet, a change of shoes and the odd bit of shopping, but recently I decided I also needed

something to hold just purse, keys and phone. The sort that straight shouldered folk use. So I hied me to my favourite bag shop i.e. one that offers the pre-loved. I spent a pleasant five minutes searching and found something seemingly ade-quate for £2.50 and the assistant, as she did the business, said, „A nice little Suzy Smith bag,‟ as if that meant something. The medallion on the front did indeed say „Suzy Smith‟, and when I got home I looked up the make. Suddenly I am an Elegant Lady. „Suzy Smith is an established brand in the world of fashion,‟ said the internet. „From luxurious leather purses to sumptuous fashion-able bags, Suzy Smith highlights the latest trends, practicality and the glitz and glamour in every collection. Suzy Smith will add the finishing touch to any style.‟ Fancy! But most incredible were the prices of tiny bags like mine - over £100! Well, I suppose you have to pay for glitz and glamour. I regarded the bag in a new light, slung it nonchalantly over my shoulder. I felt my spirits rise. I remembered a TV pro-gramme where those who regularly spent £30,000+ on bags were interviewed and the interviewer, having borrowed one to saunter through Regent Street said it defi-nitely made her feel she‟d gone up in the world. I‟d thought at the time she was crazy, but I began to wonder… The next Choir day I sallied airily forth to meet my friend, bag cool, logo side showing. She didn‟t notice, either the bag or the new me. „Like my bag?‟ I was forced to ask. „Very nice,‟ she said. „It‟s Suzy Smith.‟ „Who‟s Suzy Smith?‟ „A top designer.‟

My friend convulsed. „I knew you wouldn‟t appreciate it,‟ I said. „I don‟t suppose you know how much these things cost?‟ „How much?‟ „Over £100,‟ I said. „What!!‟ Her screech caused visible jumping of several drivers on the Wolver-hampton Road, seriously risking an accident. She stared at me as if I‟d lost all my marbles at once. „You paid £100 for that?‟ „No, I paid £2.50. They cost over £100 new.‟ „It‟ll be last year‟s model then,‟ she said. „Oh what‟s the use?‟ I said. „What‟s the use of me having posh things when all my friends are like you? Where‟ the envy? Where‟s the gain? What‟s the point?‟

My friend, whom I have always considered a True Friend, attempted to comfort me. „That‟s why I never buy designer things,‟ she said. „I can‟t stand the idiocy of the people you need to go with them.‟

I don‟t know what to write about,

I haven‟t got a clue.

I‟ve nothing of much interest,

That I can say to you.

Michael‟s gone to practise

With his noisy band,

SO I am here alone,

With time left on each hand.

The dog, well, he is sulking,

Because his master‟s gone

And he knows that I am useless

Another walk‟s not on!

I could wash the dirty pots

Piled up in the sink,

Or open that glass bottle

And have a welcome drink.

Will you come and join me?

In a glass or two?

Sorry, there‟s no chocolate left

For me to share with you.

That was eaten long ago

There‟s nothing left to chew.

I ought to do some gardening

Dig out a load of weeds,

Or water all the baskets

In accordance with their needs.

It rained so much yesterday

The grass is nine miles high

But I couldn‟t push the mower

However hard I try.

So how are you today?

Are you counting time like me?

I have nothing to write about

I‟m absolutely poem free!

Latest Competitions: Canterbury Festival Poet of the Year 2015 | Closing Date: 19-Jun-15 http://www.poetrylibrary.org.uk/competitions/?id=1765 SaveAs Writers International Poetry and Short Story Competition, 'Writing the City' | Closing Date: 31-Aug-15 http://www.poetrylibrary.org.uk/competitions/?id=1763 The Flambard Poetry Prize 2015 | Closing Date: 01-Sep-15 http://www.poetrylibrary.org.uk/competitions/?id=1764 The Manchester Poetry Prize 2015 | Closing Date: 25-Sep-15 http://www.poetrylibrary.org.uk/competitions/?id=1769

Latest News: Poetry Magazines Received in May 2015 | 11-Jun-15 http://www.poetrylibrary.org.uk/news/library/?id=1344 US appoints first Latino Poet Laureate | 11-Jun-15 http://www.poetrylibrary.org.uk/news/poetryscene/?id=1343

BBC Radio's season on Yeats | 10-Jun-15 http://www.poetrylibrary.org.uk/news/poetryscene/?id=1342

Special Edition event reviewed on TLS Blog | 09-Jun-15 http://www.poetrylibrary.org.uk/news/library/?id=1341

Wales Book of the Year 2015 | 09-Jun-15 http://www.poetrylibrary.org.uk/news/poetryscene/?id=1340

Winners of the Roehampton Poetry Prize announced | 09-Jun-15 http://www.poetrylibrary.org.uk/news/poetryscene/?id=1339

Forward Prizes 2015 | 08-Jun-15 http://www.poetrylibrary.org.uk/news/poetryscene/?id=1338

Can Google be taught poetry? | 08-Jun-15 http://www.poetrylibrary.org.uk/news/poetryscene/?id=1337

VOICED project open call for poets and songwriters | 04-Jun-15 http://www.poetrylibrary.org.uk/news/poetryscene/?id=1336

#Afterhours Blog 12 | 04-Jun-15 http://www.poetrylibrary.org.uk/news/library/?id=1335

Hedgerows

Wonderful wild flowers

We go past everyday

Passing by many hours

Some die by forms of decay

From beautiful blue bells

To deadly poisonous fox glove

Adjacent to those snail shells

Some weeds a pain to rid of

Common spotted orchids

Plus dandelion and its seeds

Eaten by those Aphid‟s

Plus many other weeds

There‟s one thing however

Humans must get rid of

Take time to endeavour

Into bins our litter shove

Vlog link: https://youtu.be/_zazz7y4dGs

House of Bread Community Garden Opening

SATURDAY 20TH JUNE

4pm Rising Brook Methodist Church, Burton Square, Stafford, ST17 9DH

Fun Folk Evening FRIDAY 26TH JUNE 8pm British Legion Club, Eastgate Street, Stafford, ST16 2NG

Fundraiser raffle for House of Bread!

Contact Andy Clapham: andy@aclapham.co.uk

HoB @ Trinity Cafe SATURDAY 27TH JUNE

9.30am-12.30pm Trinity church, Mount Street, Stafford, ST16 2BZ

DAN BROWN AWARD

You might remember Dan Brown from the amazing documentary he

filmed and produced for House of Bread.

We would love you to support his bid for an award.

Click here to view the film and vote: http://www.rode.com/myrodereel/watch/entry/514

Thank you. Lisa Pryce General Manager

House of Bread, Stafford

http://localgiving.com/charity/hob

Friday 12th June

Family Day Out: Wightwick Bank, Codsall

This was the first time I had ever visited this National Trust property:

it has something for everyone and was a treat for the eyes

inside and out.

I especially liked the William Morris and William de Morgan

interiors. Most importantly

the disabled parking and disabled access were greatly

appreciated.

Adult admission £11, or the gardens can be visited for £5.50.

Full details on their website.

www.nationaltrust.org.uk/wightwickmanor

Background:

1937 Geoffrey Mander MP (Mander‟s Paints) donated the house to the

National Trust. This was unusual as the building (built by Theodore Man-

der) was only 50 years old at the time.

However, as the house was styled in the Victorian Aesthetic Movement, the National Trust accepted the donation.

It is a treasure trove of Kempe Glass, William Morris furnishings and William

de Morgan tiles. There is also a collection of Pre-Raphaelite paintings

The Nothe Fort. You could be forgiven - I won‟t, but somebody else may – for thinking that it is a mis-spelling for “Not the Fort” but The Nothe Fort is a genuine, Victorian, big gun, fort on a headland at Weymouth. Naturally, it‟s now run as a charity by the Weymouth Civic Society and is staffed by volunteers (www.nothefort.org.uk). Built on three levels – there are lifts and LOTS of stairs – this is a solid stone structure, partly buried into a bank, with what seems to be miles of tunnels on two lev-els. That‟s not true as there‟s only one tunnel (I think) but it looks like a labyrinth of them.

A well-lit labyrinth without a single Minotaur in sight! (I felt a bit let down by that, but

you can’t have everything for £6.00 a head, and anyway the old feller would be knocking on a bit by now. You know!? Not up to the old roaring and raging bit, and decidedly short on the sacrificial front. Probably needs some dental work as well.)

The leaflet says, „The Fort is filled with Displays, Mammoth guns, and Cinema areas,‟ which is certainly true. It also has a very good café and a „Ghost Passage‟ – the ghost wasn‟t at home when I visited though – as well as lots of models of various ships/boats/galley‟s etc., making it a marine enthusiast‟s dream. If you‟re down in the Weymouth area, and you‟ve over half a day to spare, I‟d recommend a visit.

Image Wikipedia

UK media are reporting the illustrator and author Chris Riddell

wants to encourage "drawing every day" in his new role as children's laureate. The ninth children‟s laureate, Chris Riddell, creator of the

Goth Girl series, has taken over from Malorie Blackman as the 2015 holder of the prestigious post.

"I'm interested in illustration in all its forms," he is quoted as saying. "Not only in books for children but in posters, prints

and performance, as a way of drawing people into books and stories." Riddell, 53, was officially appointed on Tuesday 9th June 2015 at a ceremony at the British

Academy of Film and Television Arts (Bafta). He added he planned to put "visual literacy" at the

heart of his term of office, which runs until 2017. He said he intends to keep an online diary of his time in the role, the “Laureate's Log”.

"There comes a point where children decide that they can't draw. I want to say, don't stop drawing - carry on, and do a sketch a day. I think stories can grow out of the visual. It can be an en-

gine for literacy." Riddell, who lives in Brighton, praised the brilliant heritage of children's books such as Alice in

Wonderland. "It is the first truly modern children's book - the illustrations are extraordinary and have

entered the public imagination."

Background : Chris Riddell is the author and illustrator of the Goth Girl novels, the first of which won the 2013 Costa Children's Book Award; twice winner of the Kate Greenaway Medal for illustration in

children's books (Pirate Diary, 2002, and Jonathan Swift's Gulliver, 2004); illustrated Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book, The Sleeper and the Spindle, and Fortunately the Milk. Works with collaborator

Paul Stewart include Muddle Earth, Edge Chronicles and Wyrmeweald series; political cartoonist for the Observer.

The new laureate also highlighted the importance of school libraries. "There's a danger we can become complacent and we don't need to worry about them. School librarians play such an enormous role in bringing children to books they are going to enjoy. It's a magic alchemy when that

works." The laureate role, Waterstones is its lead sponsor, comes with a bursary of £15,000, is

awarded every two years. In his speech, Riddell is reported as saying: "I am humbled to take on this role after the giants

that have come before me. I want to put the joy of creativity, of drawing every day, of having a go and being surprised at what one can achieve with just a pencil and an idea at the heart of my term as laureate. I want to make sure people have fun whilst addressing fundamental issues I care about

passionately."

Previous Children's Laureates: Malorie Blackman (2013-15); Julia Donaldson (2011-13); Anthony Browne (2009-11); Michael

Rosen (2007-09); Jacqueline Wilson (2005-07); Michael Morpurgo (2003-05); Anne Fine (2001-03);

Quentin Blake (1999-2001) Photo image source Wikipedia.

NATIONAL LITERACY TRUST POETRY PRIZE

Hi Rising Brook Writers,

I‟m thrilled to tell you that the National Literacy Trust has just launched our first Poetry Prize in partnership with Blooms-

bury Publishing. We are asking people to write a poem of up to 16 lines, on the themes of reading and/or literature.

As we have seen from our recent fantastic research, poetry is particularly popular among more disadvantaged young people who are

more likely to read poems outside class than their peers (21.0% vs. 15.4%) – and this has been true for the past five years. The poem

that wins this competition will ultimately be used to inspire children through a poster campaign across the country. This prestigious

prize also includes an iPad and £250 worth of Bloomsbury books.

It would be fantastic to get your support for this competition, as you were so helpful last year. I have taken the liberty of including

some tweets below, and some info that you could use on Facebook or in any newsletters you send out, but if you can think of any

other way you might like to support this, that would be great.

Twitter

New #poetryprize from @bloomsburybooks and @literacy_trust - you could win an iPad and have your poem feature in a poster

campaign www.literacytrust.org.uk/poetryprize

Pen a poem on why you love reading, and it could be used to inspire children across the country www.literacytrust.org.uk/

poetryprize

Poets @tbradman and @sarahcrossan are joining the panel for @literacy_trust‟s

new #poetryprize with @bloomsburybooks www.literacytrust.org.uk/poetryprize

Facebook/newsletters

The National Literacy Trust has just launched an exciting new Poetry Prize with Bloomsbury Publishing! Enter your poems and one

of them could feature in a poster campaign across the country. There‟s also an iPad and £250 of books up for grabs. All proceeds go

to the work of the National Literacy Trust.

www.literacytrust.org.uk/poetryprize

I look forward to hearing from you

Anna

Anna Jones

Development Manager www.literacytrust.org.uk

Mia has no books at home or stories at bedtime. No child should grow up unable to read. You can help

/NationalLiteracyTrust @Literacy_Trust Email updates The National Literacy Trust is a registered charity, no. 1116260, and a company limited by guarantee, no. 5836486, registered in England and

Wales, and a registered charity in Scotland, no. SC042944. Registered address: 68 South Lambeth Road, London SW8 1RL. Tel: 020 7587 1842.

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A QUESTION FROM THE CHAIR .... Trevor needs help ...

I have never read Bridget Jones...

"If only Jude and Shazzer had been there it would have been all right, since they would have explained that Labour stands for shar-

ing, kindness, gays, single mothers and Nelson Mandela, as opposed to having bossy men having affairs with everyone, shag shag

shag left right and centre, and going to the Ritz in Paris, then telling all the presenters off on the Today programme."

I would love to find out where this quotation came from, and a date for it: can anyone help?

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