The Queen Consort and Coelho discuss their 'mutual love of poetry' to celebrate World Poetry Day

To celebrate World Poetry Day today (Tuesday 21st March) BookTrust has brought together The Queen Consort and Children’s Laureate Joseph Coelho to talk about their “mutual love of poetry”.  

The Queen Consort said during the conversation that “to get children writing poetry early is wonderful because to get them to be able to get the rhyming, getting the rhythm of poetry, it also gets some thinking in a different way”. Her Majesty and Coelho discussed Coelho’s aim to get all children reading and writing poetry through his Poetry Prompts weekly videos, as well as the joy of reading poems out loud.

Her Majesty added: “I love reading poetry, but if you read it out loud, it takes on a different dimension. I love the rhythm of poetry. I love feeling you’re being taken along by a poem, that you’re almost in it. And I think as a child, you learn so much from poetry because such lines that go together, they sort of sink into your brain.”

Poetry Prompts is part of Coelho’s tenure as the Waterstones Children’s Laureate. It’s an epic celebration of the power of poetry in all its forms. Through the campaign, Coelho aims to break down the fear around reading and writing. The aim is to “show why poems are for everyone, alongside the joy that writing, reading and performing poetry can bring to our lives”.

Coelho commented: “Poetry Prompts is my invitation to the nation, young and old, to become poets. We turn to poetry at weddings, funerals and births because it goes beyond mere words and translates the soul. But there is baggage associated with poetry that I want everyone to put down – to allow everyone to reclaim the birth right of poet. 

“So often I’ve met children and adults scared to put pen to paper, terrified of ‘getting it wrong’ – this has repercussions in all aspects of life. I want to show everyone that poetry is for them, that we can enjoy the rules and break the rules.”