Biography

I was born and grew up (after a fashion) in Scunthorpe, and moved to Tyneside in the 1980s, and I'm now based in Whitley Bay - from where I'm happy to travel to pretty much anywhere to do a gig. I write and perform poetry and prose for both adults and children. 2022: poems published by Poetry Scotland, Dreich, Public Sector Poetry, Sidekick Books, Culture Matters, Alchemy Spoon. Children's poems published by Tyger Tyger, The Dirigible Ballon, The Toy Press, Charles Causley Maker blog, Chasing Clouds anthology. 2021: This Poem Here collection (Arachne Press) 2017: poems in This Is Not Your Final Form (Emma Press, February), The Emma Press Anthology of Aunts (April), Rude Kid Catullus (Sidekick Books, Autumn), The Interpreter's House (Autumn), Celebrating Change (September), The Pitman Poet of Percy Main (September), children’s poems in Indra's Net (Book Bus/Bennison Books anthology), flash fiction in Ink, Sweat & Tears (April) and non-fiction in issues 1 and 2 of DNA. Also in 2017 I was a runner-up in the Write Out Loud Milestones competition and my poem, The Piano Verses, appears on a poster in a shop window for the Marsden Jazz Festival. At other times other poems have found their way into Butcher's Dog, The Emma Press, Worktown, IRON Press, Deseeded, three Northern Voices local history publications, Firewords Quarterly, Appletree Press and the 2016 National Poetry Day website. Short stories published by IRON Press, Arachne, Confingo, Shelter, Northern Voices, Number Eleven and others. Flash fictions in National Flash Fiction Day anthologies, Flash Frontier (New Zealand), Pygmy Giant, 1000 words, Spelk and others. Children’s poetry in Let’s Play! (Frances Lincoln), Dear Tomato (US/Canada), Watcher of the Skies (The Emma Press) and others. I have also written for the education market including writing and co-writing four books for Scholastic, as well as numerous articles for Junior Education, Hull Daily Mail and Scunthorpe United Matchday magazine.

Samples

Bank Write poems on the tins you put in the foodbank Write verse about how foodbank even became a word Write about alternatives to foodbanks Write long lines about love conquering all Write about love not necessarily being a short-term solution for the starving Write that then again maybe love is the answer Write about protest and togetherness Write advice about where to get better advice Write the ingredients for a revolution on a packet of something indulgent Write about the need for treats Write about the need for levity and seriousness Write about us and them Write about whether there is ultimately only us Write about rights and responsibilities Write about ending austerity and words of plenty Write about writing a Closed sign on the last foodbank. This can also be seen at https://celebratingchange.blog/2017/09/18/bank-by-rob-walton/ Sometimes Sometimes the shepherd wished for a smaller flock but he wasn’t losing any sheep over it.

Latitude Festival

Performed with Public Sector Poetry in the Spoken Word tent at Latitude, July 2022.

All poems are copyright of the originating author. Permission must be obtained before using or performing others' poems.

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Amy Wragg