FAO: English Literature Students!

Have you come across the Poetry Station: http://www.poetrystation.org.uk/

What a fantastic resource! :)

Foyle Young Poets Award

Are you a budding poet? If so, why not enter the Foyle Young Poets Award:
http://www.poetrysociety.org.uk/content/competitions/fyp/

You have until the 31st July 2014 to enter so let that creativity go wild! :)

Book Review: Seamus Heaney, The Making of the Poet

Book Title: Seamus Heaney, The Making of the Poet
Author: Michael Parker

This is a very useful  book, both for GCSE & A-Level students, where Heaney comes up in parts of the specification. A detailed insight is given into Heaney's life, and the book looks at the inspiration behind much of his poetry. Analysis of some poems is also given.

Particularly usefully, the book is split up into time periods, such as 'Affinities 1961-66' and 'Quickenings 1975-84'.

I'd give it: 10/10
Review by: James Kearney

Happy National Poetry Day!

Home by Anne Bronte

How brightly glistening in the sun
The woodland ivy plays!
While yonder beeches from their barks
Reflect his silver rays.
That sun surveys a lovely scene
From softly smiling skies;
And wildly through unnumbered trees
The wind of winter sighs:

Now loud, it thunders o'er my head,
And now in distance dies.
But give me back my barren hills
Where colder breezes rise;

Where scarce the scattered, stunted trees
Can yield an answering swell,
But where a wilderness of heath
Returns the sound as well.

For yonder garden, fair and wide,
With groves of evergreen,
Long winding walks, and borders trim,
And velvet lawns between;

Restore to me that little spot,
With grey walls compassed round,
Where knotted grass neglected lies,
And weeds usurp the ground.

Though all around this mansion high
Invites the foot to roam,
And though its halls are fair within --
Oh, give me back my HOME!

National Poetry Day

This Thursday is National Poetry Day which aims to celebrate poetry across the UK. The theme this year is HOME and we are inviting form groups in Years 7, 8 and 9 to take part in a poetry competition. We would like your form to work together as a group to create a poem entitled “Home”. You can create a tag poem in which each member of the form adds a line to the poem or you can work together as a group.

We would like representatives of each form to read their poem in the Library at 1pm on Thursday 7 October. We are hoping to be joined by the Head and members of the English Department who will decide which poem will win the box of chocolates!

What does 'home' mean to you - the building you live in, the place you came from, or a taste of home cooking?

Please encourage your form to take part and let Mrs Dawes know by morning break on Thursday if you have prepared a poem.