Joseph Coelho, award-winning performance poet and writer, will visit Renfrewshire primary schools as part of the Scottish Friendly Children’s Book Tour. From 16 – 17 May, Joseph will visit over 780 pupils from four schools including Lochwinnoch Primary School and Kilbarchan Primary School.
The Children’s Book Tour is supported by Scottish Friendly and organised by Scottish Book Trust, the national charity transforming lives through reading and writing. Scottish Friendly Children’s Book Tours visit both primary and secondary schools, and have enthralled more than 100,000 children with visits from over 100 individual authors since they began in 1998.
Born and raised in London, it never occurred to Joseph growing up, that one day he would become a writer. But no matter where his career took him, he was always writing in the background. After discovering a performance poetry course at Battersea Arts Centre, Joseph began to write poems and share them on stage before being asked to take his work into schools.
In 2015, Joseph won the Centre for Literacy in Primary Poetry Award (CLiPPA) for his poetry collectionWerewolf Club Rules. Joseph’s poetry explores areas from family life and childhood experiences to loneliness and bullying, using his work to prove that poetry is not “boring”. Luna Loves Library Day, illustrated by Fiona Lumbers, was chosen as one of the Top 25 Books to Share for World Book Day. It was also longlisted for the 2019 UKLA Book Awards and nominated for the Kate Greenway Medal.
During the Scottish Friendly Children’s Book Tour, Joseph will work with both lower and upper primary school classes, focusing on Overheard in a Tower Block, poems which explore how he grew up. He will also discussLuna Loves Library Day and his latest picture book, If All the World Were (illustrated by Allison Colpoys), which deals with the loss of a family member.
Joseph will perform dramatic readings of his work, along with crafting sessions and opportunities for the pupils to create poems drawing on poetic devices. He will also discuss where his ideas come from, as well as inspiring the students to create poems through various activities.
The Scottish Friendly Children’s Book Tour will also hold a special Bookbug Week event with the poet on Wednesday, 15 May. Hosted by the Hidden Gardens in Glasgow, Joseph will read picnic-related poetry to parents and their children. Scottish Friendly will also gift free books to those attending the Bookbug session.
Marc Lambert, CEO of Scottish Book Trust, said:
“It’s a pleasure to host Joseph Coelho on the Scottish Friendly Children’s Book Tour for the very first time. As a performance poet, Joseph is skilled at captivating his audience, and he is sure to inspire young people with the power of spoken word.”
Joseph Coelho said:
“I am delighted to be touring Scotland and I am hugely excited to see what fantastic poetic ideas will be formed as we explore poetry, different worlds, thoughts and feelings. I’m always left awed by the imaginations demonstrated in schools by both pupils and teachers and can’t wait to discover what poetic delights Scotland has in store for me.”
Touring Dates
Monday 13 May
09:30AM – Eastertoun Primary School, West Lothian
13:30PM – Peel Primary School, West Lothian
Tuesday 14 May
09:30AM – Eaglesham Primary School, East Renfrewshire
13:30PM – St Thomas’ Primary School, East Renfrewshire
Wednesday 15 May
13:30PM – Braidbar Primary School, East Renfrewshire
Thursday 16 May
09:30AM – Lochwinnoch Primary School, Renfrewshire
13:30PM – Brediland Primary School, Renfrewshire
Friday 17 May
09:30AM – Williamsburgh Primary School, Renfrewshire
13:30PM – Kilbarchan Primary School, Renfrewshire