As well as writing books, I am a poet. I love crafting poetry on all kinds of topics, and in a range of forms, both rhyming and unrhyming. In fact, I love poetry so much that I am a Doctor of Poetry (well, technically I am a PhD, Doctor of Philosophy – but my thesis was, in fact, about children’s poetry). And, in 2021, PETAA (the primary English Teacher’s Association of Australia) asked me to put my knowledge of poetry to good use in the from a resource for teachers.

Teaching Poetry for Pleasure and Purpose  was sent out to all PETAA members in August, 2021, and is available for sale from PETAA, too. The goal of the book is to help educators teach the writing, reading and savouring of poetry in ways that are pleasurable (for teachers AND students) and meet literacy and other learning goals.  There are activities which teachers can build into lessons, lots of resources and, importantly, poems that can be used in the classroom.  You can find out more about the book here.

In 2023 I teamed with Rebecca M. Newman, publisher of Alphabet Soup Publishing, to compile an anthology of poetry for children, with poems from new and established Western Australian poets. Now published by Fremantle Press, with brilliant illustrations by Briony Stewart, Right Way Down is in bookshops and available to order online.

You can also find some of my poetry here on my site, mostly in my Poetry Friday posts – you can see past posts here.

My poems have also been published in magazines, most regularly in the School Magazine.   I am really proud to have had many of my poems published here over the years, and each time they have been illustrated by some of Australia’s best known illustrators, including Matt Ottley and Sarah Davis. If you love poems, stories, plays and more, you will enjoy this magazine – and support Australia’s longest running periodical for children.

One of my School Magazine poems was recorded, read by Geoffrey McSkimming:

And, in 2024, a student at Texas Women’s University used my poem At the Park to create a poem video:

Others of my poems have appeared in collections, including:

 

 

 

 

 

‘Paraphernalia’ in Our Home is Dirt by Sea, edited by Dianne Bates and published by Walker Books Australia.

‘Gran’s Visit’ included in One Minute Till Bedtime , edited by Kenn Nesbitt, and published by Hachette.  Then, more recently, the same poem was republished in A  World Full of Poems, edited by Sylvia Vardell.

‘Time Bomb’ (which you can read here) was included in Imperfect, edited by Tabatha Yeatts, published by History House.

‘Jellyfish’, ‘Half Awake’ and ‘Noisy Guests’ appear in Picture Perfect Poetry, edited by Carol J. Labuzetta.

Where else can you see my poems? Right here – read by me!

‘The Jetty’ is about the amazing Busselton Jetty, which is a mile long (and which I swim around, annually, in an organised swim event)

‘Trash and treasure’ is about the beach, and what the ocean leaves behind

‘Milkbar’ is also about the beach. You might start to tell that I love writing poetry about my daily visits to the beach:

And, finally, yet another beach poem, ‘Happy Toes’:

And if all of that is not enough poetry, I have written five verse novels which are stories told using Free Verse poetry. You can read more about each by clicking on the cover:

 

Want to see still still more of my poetry? Check back here, or on my blog regularly for Poetry Friday posts.

If you are a teacher or librarian and want me to share poetry with your class, or in a professional development session, contact me.

And if you are a publisher wanting to publish one or more of my poems, or wanting me to write something brand new, let me know.