Otter-Barry Books to publish official National Poetry Day anthology

Independent publisher Otter-Barry Books will this autumn publish Poetry For a Change, the official children’s anthology for National Poetry Day on 4th October.

The theme for this year’s National Poetry Day is ‘change’ and the anthology will feature poems by Deborah Alma, Joseph Coelho, Marjorie Lofti Gill , Remi Graves  and Rachel Rooney, amongst others. Each poet will also choose a favourite poem to share, providing readers to discover works by Shakespeare, Lola Ridge, Christina Rossetti and W B Yeats.

The book will be illustrated by Chie Hosaka, the official illustrator of National Poetry Day 2018.

National Poetry Day is organised by Forward Arts Foundation and its executive director, Susannah Herbert, said: “We are delighted to be publishing Poetry For a Change with Otter-Barry Books. Each year hundreds of thousands of children and young people participate in National Poetry Day and this new anthology contains poems that will inspire, intrigue and entertain them.  It will be a big part of our celebrations but will continue to resonate with readers in the aftermath to National Poetry Day too and, we hope, will spark off new poems in the fizzing brains of young readers,writers and performers.”

Poetry for a Change will be published on 6th September (p/b, £6.99) and free copies, donated by CLPE,  will be given to everyone who attends the 2018 CLiPPA (Centre of Literacy in Primary Poetry Award) at The National Theatre,  London on 22nd June.