Poetry with very young writers - the best fun.

Two schools today, to work with year 1 and 2 children, as part of the outreach for the Cardiff Children's Literature Festival. We were writing poetry, and using the great animal cartoons of Huw Aaron as a starting point.

 First, in Roath Park Primary, where we wrote about a pelican balancing a book on its beak, and other things too. A lot of alliteration followed.

I liked the above example because the pelican has a bendy boomerang, a slithering snake and a kicking kangaroo on its beak, and when the pelican sneezes, they slide off into the stars. I also like it because somewhere in the creative process the young poet obviously needed an energy boost and so took a big bite out of the top of the page!

Here are the children all holding their poems triumphantly aloft,

 This afternoon, to Herbert Thompson Infants, to write about a monkey eating lots of fruit and vegetables to help him with his reading,

This poem is great as it includes two languages! The monkey has a big green lettuce to help him read, and a juicy coch strawberry to help him be strong.

I asked the children to think what book the monkey might be reading, and they made up some titles, and put some illustrations on the pages of the book. The poem above had the monkey reading The Banana Book. In the picture below, the young writer had put some text, which I really liked.

 It is wonderful to see the very young writing poetry, putting their own imaginations and ideas into the frame I provide to produce very individual work. There really is nothing better! A selection of the poems produced today are going to be in an exhibition in Cardiff Central Library in April, and I am going to enjoy seeing the children's work again.

Many thanks to Louise Richards of Literature Wales who arranged the day and came to help with the poetry writing, and to the staff at both schools, who joined in with such enthusiasm and helped the young writers to produce great work.

The festival website is here http://www.cardiff.gov.uk/content.asp?nav=2,2869,6584
and Huw Aaron's website is here www.huwaaron.com

A poet and a storyteller in the correct outfits

It is not often that I meet up with another poet or storyteller in a school, so today was a real treat. My visit to Gwenfo Primary School co-incided with that of a storyteller called Cath Little. As soon as we met, I realised we were actually dressed as a storyteller and a poet, and asked a member of staff to take a photo of us on my phone.

I hope you agree. I am so pleased about meeting Cath that I am not at all worried about my head looking too big in the photo, which is the thing I am usually concerned about.

A visit always causes some disruption to the school timtetable, and with two of us I think it did present a few challenges, but we were made very welcome.  I had a rampaging time writing poetry with two classes, and then in the afternoon went to Dinas Powis Library, where a lovely class of children and I enlivened the scholarly calm by singing my song The Very Sad Song of the Villainous Sharp-toothed Shark, and other literary delights.

Here's Cath's website.  www.cathlittle.co.uk

Cardiff Children's Literature Festival event

I am delighted to be part of the Cardiff Children's Literature Festival 2013. LOTS of events, all over Cardiff. Here's the link to the Festival website
www.cardiffchildrenslitfest.com

and here's my event - it's going to be fun!

 Poems, Rhymes and Songs with Francesca Kay

Date Fri 22 March
Location Cardiff Central Library
Time 11.30 am
Age Early years
Language English
Tickets FREE
Poet Francesca Kay presents poems, rhymes and songs to listen to, join with and enjoy. Children and adults alike enjoy Francesca's enthusiasm and sense of fun as she spins words and tunes for their delight. Francesca has performed and written poetry with children in schools, libraries, gardens, woodlands, museums and art galleries.
 
www.francescakay.co.uk

Santa's Stressful Day

  I am Mrs Santa Claus, tellling the story  
 Santa's Stressful Day, helped by the elves of the Brass Ensemble of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama.

I wrote the story, and Gareth Wood wrote the music, and the work had its premiere on 28th November. 

Five performances, before the toughest audiences of all - small children!

Here I am with the Head of Elves, Kevin Price, who
conducted the  piece.

And here's the full ensemble.

A Forest of Elf Hats

I made 18 elf hats. I realised if I stood them all up, and then lay down to photograph them, they would look like a winter forest.

This photo is the forest from the air

Exotic Creatures in Wales

Madame Butterfly drifts through the crowds at the Royal Welsh show in Builth Wells,

and a flamingo has a chat with two friends in the street in
Abergavenny.

dressage test

It's as cold as a cathedral as well
this huge sacred space

where hooves whisper
on the raked sandy floor
and spectators have taken a vow of silence,

rituals of movement and control
absorb each pair of supplicants,
shining, neat,
anonymous and uniform,

the life of stable and field
has no place here

partnerships offered for
a stranger's approval

Tulip mania

It's the time when my tulip mania begins.

If I was very wealthy I would have millions of them.

Here are the first two types in my garden.

Some fantastic parrot tulips are not far behind.

Parsifal Knitted Fingerpuppet Greetings Card

 I liked the idea of a fingerpuppet Parsifal.
It seemed logical to put him
on a greetings card, and
collage the meadow round him.

Originally I had a horse planned as well, but then
discovered that he was on foot!

early flowering cherry

Here is kojo-no-mai, the early flowering cherry. It's a blizzard of blossom.

This afternoon it's full of bees.

It lights up the garden, and is all more precious for lasting only a short time.

reflections

There is something magical about a
mirror in the garden.








Like Alice, I want to step through the looking glass into a strange yet familiar world.

Early Spring Flowers

 

The first flowers of Spring in my tiny garden   

looking at trees

the sun broke though
heavy grey clouds
and then
winter branches were
alive against the sky,

the ivy wrapped round them
glowed green and vital,

it was a beautiful day
to sit on a wall
and wait

winter mountains

Driving over the mountain road to
Ebbw Vale took me through a
wonderful white landscape.
I liked the little tufts of grass peeping through the snow.

waiting for the bus

I was amazed to see how many leaves are still holding on in the hedgerow. If they don't fall off soon, the new ones will grow beside them.

Once on the bus I didn't see a thing, as my eyes were closed. It seemed to be travelling terrifyingly fast, and I just couldn't look. None of the other passengers seemed to mind.

Dressing Up

Just a normal day at the office...
Here's Kevin and I after the latest performance of SEA DOGS, both dressed as pirates, and wildly over excited.

 We were at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, performing with the College Brass Ensemble to an audience of children. Audience and performers were all dressed as pirates.

The picture of the empty theatre and the full score is my idea of Heaven - my words, Gareth Wood's wonderful music - waiting
on the stage for the audience to arrive...
You can find previous Sea Dogs posts in September and October last year. Argh!

Merry Christmas!

Rehearsing for a World Premiere! Yo ho

The Jolly Roger will be flying over St Asaph Cathedral at 11am on 27th and 28th September 2011 for the first performances of Sea Dogs - a Pirate Tale, as part of the North Wales International Music Festival.

It's a piece for narrator, symphonic brass and timpani. It was commissioned by Ty Cerdd. I wrote the words and am going to narrate, and Gareth Wood wrote the music.

 The Cathedral will be filled with children, I think they're all going to be dressed as pirates, along with the musicians and myself. It's going to be noisy, shipmates, and huge fun. 

I can't think of anything better as a writer than to perform my words to wonderful music before a large audience of over excited children!

I am going to a rehearsal on Sunday, but have been rehearsing at home, and also making myself a costume, and a pirate tote bag to carry my score.

International Talk Like A Pirate Day

Ahoy shipmates - Tis International Talk Like a Pirate Day. I will be celebrating by wearing a banana round my neck, as I don't have a bandana. It's a little early to have a tot of rum, so I thought I'd have a bagel and some fruit instead. Anchors aweigh.