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Poetry
• Books • Events • Giveaways
2 × poetry books (and 2 × giveaways) for an international phonics company
The client:
Leader in synthetic phonics provision and training
The brief:
Sounds-Write deliver a systematic synthetic phonics programme to 10,000 schools worldwide. They train teachers across the Anglosphere, as well as in European international schools, in empowering children to read according to a scientific approach, which the company has been innovating for over 2 decades.
It was a career high when Sounds-Write asked me to write a major asset for them: a collection of 47 poems for their Initial Code, whose readership is 4–5-year-olds.
I wasn't familiar with phonics—it's far removed from Annie Apple and her mates over in Letterland, who taught me to read in the late 90s—but I was delighted to be given total artistic freedom over the poems' content. I was even privileged to liaise with the illustrator, develop recurring characters, and decide the title of the book.
Fun with lots of pals! remains the standout asset of my career. I'm immensely proud to know my poems are being read by thousands of tots across the globe.
These made me laugh out loud. It's like Songs of Innocence and Experience had a baby with Old MacDonald Had a Farm!
Laura Walker
Content Development Manager
Sounds-Write's lesson plan for I trek the land (from Fun with lots of pals!)
And to wrap up the year with a bow, Sounds-Write asked me to write 2 special festive poems as part of their 12 Days of Christmas giveaway.
So clever to write these poems for us. They pack a punch, and work beautifully when time is limited. Thank you!
Wendy Savaris
Multisensory Structured Language Practitioner
Illustrations from my first book Fun with lots of pals! are by Leanne Hearnden
My favourites are My gran is a snob! and Fred the frog and Sid the slug. I love that there are several poems per unit, and the 'Children may need help with the following words' bit at the end of each text. Students are going to love these... and I'll love using them, too!
In 2023 Sounds-Write greenlit my second book, this time for their Extended Code, whose readership is 6–7-year-olds. Creatures, Rhymes and Crazy Times! is due for publication sometime in 2025.
Three Green Sheep, from my upcoming second book, Creatures, Rhymes and Crazy Times!
For aesthetic and readability, the poem (and book) titles for the Initial Code (whose readership is 4–5-year-olds) are in sentence case, whereas those for the Extended Code (for 6–7-year-olds) are in title case.
The brief was to write a poem that would constitute the invite to the Christmas do, so needed to include logistics—but this idea was later dumped and the poem was instead read out at the party itself.
Creative Director Gary's oration was superb—but while he did need to edit out some of the original logistics, he also cut out some of the finest bits from the original. The horror of this incident still keeps me up at night.
Events poetry for a global marketing agency
The client:
Integrated creative agency for B2B tech brands
The brief:
Over the course of our working relationship, MOI Global have called on me to write 3 seasonal and events poems: for their first Covid Valentine's Day, for the work hen do of the Global SVP, and to constitute the invite to their Christmas party.
David Haward
Director and Chief People Officer
Your ability to write such intelligent, engaging and emotionally inspiring work is incredible, and has had a massive impact on the whole team at MOI.
Caroline Clark
Global SVP
Joseph's poem took me totally by surprise at my company hen do—it really was the icing on the cake! I couldn't believe the amount of detail he'd got from various colleagues and turned into something so warm and funny. Certainly brought a tear to my eye—thank you Joseph!
JB's Christmas poem was a thing of joy. A classic no-time-to-turn-it-around brief that he smashed out of the park with a heartfelt piece of writing that hit all the right notes. There wasn't a dry eye in the place.
Homemade baby book for new parents
The client:
Schoolfriends
The brief:
I worked with an artist friend for our mutual friends who had just become first-time parents.
She handmade a gorgeous popout book to house my poem Jen's hens, specially written for their daughter.
Waaah!
Jen
Baby
With the artist and my good friend Sorcha Tucker
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