Stockport Children’s Poetry Festival with Michael Rosen
As part of Stockport’s Town of Culture programme, renowned children’s poet, author and broadcaster Michael Rosen visited Stockport Children’s Poetry Festival to celebrate the achievements of the area’s children who put pen or pencil to paper.
Mr Rosen read some of his own poetry and gave encouragement to the primary school children who had written poems for the Festival, celebrating Stockport’s tenure as Greater Manchester Town of Culture.
Michael Rosen was sent a long list of 67 poems to select a shortlist of the very best. He was joined by Linda Cosgriff, a Stockport poet and founder member and former chair of Stockport Writers, a not-for-profit group that encourages new writers.
Councillor Mark Hunter, Leader of Stockport Council, said: “Listening to the poems which were shortlisted, it is clear that we have an extremely talented group of young creative writers in Stockport. Thanks so much to Mr Rosen for coming to Stockport and helping to inspire the next generation of poets.”
Councillor Frankie Singleton, Cabinet Member for Communities, Culture & Sport at Stockport Council, said: “It is fantastic to welcome Michael Rosen to Stockport. His works have given so much joy to children in the borough and around the world. It was an inspiring event for the budding young poets of Stockport and really encouraged them to keep going with their creative writing.”
This year’s theme for the poems was the environment, and the young people could interpret this any way they chose —simply by describing the environment of their nearest playground or park, or exploring the wider world.
The festival, organised by Seven Arches Publishing, took place on Wednesday, 20 March 2024, at Stockport Guildhall. Children joined Mr Rosen on stage to read their poems, either alone or with friends.
The challenge was set last September and the festival received 300 entries from eight schools including Dial Park Primary, Hursthead Junior, and Woodley Primary schools, with 10 entries sent in by families and three from children sent in by PIE (Pursuing Individuals Excellence). The organisers were overwhelmed by the high quality of the children’s work and their imagination.
Stockport’s children have been learning the craft of writing poetry by using ‘Poetry Prompts’ by Joseph Coelho, Waterstones Children’s Laureate, and Michael Rosen’s fun YouTube channel. They also listened to news and watched television programmes about global warming and biodiversity loss, including the ‘Planet’ series by David Attenborough.
Jane Schaffer, Founder of Seven Arches Publishing, said, “It was a dream come true when we at Seven Arches Publishing won a creative commission to organise a children’s poetry competition for the 2023/24 Town of Culture. We have had more than 300 entries, and the quality has been outstanding.”
Following the festival a video of the event will be shared with all Stockport schools to give them a lasting memory of the day. There will also be a Stockport Children’s Festival of Poetry display folder in libraries containing all the poems sent in from local children. Seven Arches Publishing will also produce a beautiful book that can be purchased from bookshops, online booksellers and the Seven Arches Publishing website.
