MOSTLY KATE'S POETRY NEWSLETTER FEBRUARY 4TH 2021

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Unmute


The author of Unmute is Linnet Drury, aged 17 in 2020. Her poetry teacher is Kate Clanchy, poet, teacher, writer and occasional broadcaster. I thought it would be best to let Linnet and Kate speak in their own words as far as possible.

Poetry

Linnet was one of the 15 top poets of the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award in 2020. Poets have to be aged between 11-17 years old. In 2020 nearly 16,000 poems were submitted by 6,791 poets from 118 different countries. Top poets receive a special mentoring programme over the next year to help them develop their writing.

Linnet won her award with her poem Julia. I nearly chose this poem once before - I thought it had something about it, and the judges obviously thought so too. Here is a link to Linnet reading her poem, together with the text:  https://poems.poetrysociety.org.uk/poems/julia/

I don't know who Julia was - her Nan perhaps?

Another of her poems has been very popular on Twitter: here is the text:

https://www.facebook.com/isthistooyoungforme/photos/pcb.103559588394347/103559501727689/

And here is Linnet talking in the Evening Standard about the role of poetry in her life and in lockdown:    

https://www.standard.co.uk/comment/school-lockdown-poetry-isolation-mental-health-a4470561.html 

At the end of the article is a link to a piece written by her poetry teacher, Kate Clanchy, on teaching poetry in lockdown. She includes a number of poems written by her students - the first one is by Linnet. Kate can also be heard here on Radio 4's Front Row talking about teaching poetry to teenagers: The item starts 35 seconds in and lasts for 9 minutes.

    https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m000m4qs 

(You may need to be signed into BBC Sounds to access this link.)

Climate change activism

Linnet has been very active in promoting awareness on climate change. She has taken part in an Oxford City Council citizens' assembly on climate change and in school "strikes".  In the link here she is addressing the citizens' assembly, aged 16 (6 minutes):

   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yDN62ujcLfk&ab_channel=OxfordCityCouncil  

Academic record

Linnet attends Oxford Spires Academy which is in a disadvantaged neighbourhood of Oxford with a very diverse intake. She achieved 11 grade 9s at GCSE and has been offered a place at Oxford to read Maths and Philosophy.

Kate

EXTRA POEM
I try and keep in sporadic touch with Amanda who I know misses the poetry reading group (and I know we miss her).
I had an e mail from her in which she said that she  was thinking of the Poetry Group after Pick of the Week last Sunday when there was a recording of Murray Lachlan Young reading his poem Negative Thoughts and that if she was still able to be an active participant in the group she would have chosen it as it summed up what she- and she felt sure many other people-  have been thinking and feeling over the past few months. So I asked her permission to use it as this week's  Extra Poem.


Negative thoughts

Oh, they come and they go

And sometimes they come

A lot more than they go



For thoughts create feelings

And feelings then feel

And that’s why it's easy

To feel that they're real



Because when they arrive

They suggest they’re you

And you should do just

What they say you should do



Then slowly the negative

Thoughts can begin

To widen that door

And let themselves in



Then do what they like

And say what they please

To stifle your life

With their negative squeeze



So why not breathe in

And exercise choice

Why not breathe out

and say "No" to the voice



And say “I’m worth more

much, much, more than all that

And that negative voices

Are uncool and old hat”



And get used to calling

The negative out

And slowly it turns

From a scream to a shout



To a murmur, a whisper

And then best of all

The voice will one day

Become nothing at all



Unless it speaks nicely

And says let’s have fun

Or suggests quite warm-heartedly

What might be done



For why would-you-possibly

Talk to yourself

In a way that you’d not

Talk to anyone else?



So why not decide

That it’s time to get free

And stand up to the (deeply uncool) voice

Of Negativity.


Murray Lachlan Young





Below is a link to the poet reading the poem.

https://www.murraylachlanyoung.co.uk/poems/negative-thoughts


Many thanks, Amanda.

FINALLY
Many thanks to Kate for her hard work and for introducing us to Linnet. It will be fascinating to follow her career.
Angie is reading the poem on Wednesday, and Mary the week after. And here is a link to the splendid public library in Kansas which made me laugh aloud in delight.


https://www.reddit.com/r/woahdude/comments/34ypgi/the_kansas_city_public_library_central_branch_in/




Best wishes,
Elizabeth







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