Alphabet Soup Books

05/11/2024

We asked AJ Betts about the inspiration for her poem 'Rapunzel's Daughter' in Right Way Down and Other Poems, illustrated by Briony Stewart:
"I've always been curious as to what happens to fairy-tale characters after the story is ended. Is it really 'happily ever after', as promised?

03/11/2024

We asked Louise Burlinson about the inspiration for her poem 'Moments at the Ocean' in Right Way Down and Other Poems, illustrated by Briony Stewart:
"I've always loved to be in, on or near the ocean, where even the smallest details are a source of joy. I wanted to capture this, to share my wonder."

31/10/2024

Renae Hayward on the inspiration for her spider poem 'Flight' in Right Way Down and Other Poems, illustrated by Briony Stewart:
"When I wrote 'Flight' I had in mind both the first pages of Eric Carle's The Very Busy Spider and the final pages of Charlotte's Web by E.B. White.

29/10/2024

Alison A. Ferguson on the inspiration behind her poem 'Cooking Up a Storm' in Right Way Down and Other Poems, illustrated by Briony Stewart:
"Browsing through old photos of our state's South West, I was inspired to capture the moments when my children fully immersed themselves in the rich sensory experience of nature."

27/10/2024

Carol Millner on the inspiration for her poem 'Cockatoos' in Right Way Down and Other Poems, illustrated by Briony Stewart:

"When the children were small we used to dash for cover while the cockatoos literally bombed us with pine cones as we left school. We all loved the wild and piratical energy of the birds up above. I wanted to celebrate something of that moment in a poem."

24/10/2024

Rebecca Grant on the inspiration behind her poem 'Cooking Up a Storm' in Right Way Down and Other Poems, illustrated by Briony Stewart:

"I believe language can be playful and something to have fun with, hence the idiom in my poem!"

22/10/2024

We asked Jake Dennis about the inspiration for his poems in Right Way Down and Other Poems, illustrated by Briony Stewart.

Here:
"Memories showcase how you and everything you love changes over time. Find inspiration from your childhood, family and environment to create poetry that preserves the precious moments and emotions from your life."

Haiku:
"Animal encounters excite, challenge and transform us. Nature teaches us about ourselves, offering new worlds to discover and feelings to understand. Write haiku to reveal the extraordinary in the ordinary."

22/10/2024

Young writers in WA—don’t miss this workshop with Sally Murphy!

I'll be at Scribblers Festival this week. Still places available in my poetry workshop for young writers on Saturday:
https://events.humanitix.com/workshop-or-poetry-in-pieces-with-sally-murphy-wa

21/10/2024

Julie Watts shares the inspiration behind her animal poems in Right Way Down and Other Poems, illustrated by Briony Stewart.

The Sleeping Cat:
"The cat was sleeping beside her uneaten pellets. The crows in the tree above chatted as if uninterested. When they fell silent she waved the end of her tail, knowingly."

May Magpie:
"One morning I saw the mirrored image of the winter sky in a roadside puddle being shattered by a bird each time it dipped its beak to drink."

17/10/2024

We asked Suzanne Gratwick about the inspiration for her poem about the Pilbara region, in Right Way Down and Other Poems.

"I was inspired by the startling beauty of the Pilbara region of WA and contrasting colours throughout the day. The wildlife, surviving in such rugged conditions, left me in awe."

15/10/2024

We asked Meg McKinlay about the inspiration for her poems in Right Way Down and Other Poems, illustrated by Briony Stewart.

Fremantle Harbour:
"Anyone who's been near Fremantle Harbour knows its iconic container cranes. They're on T-shirts and tea towels and mugs. They're in paintings and photos and now they're in a poem!"

A Gardener's Guide to Poetry:
"My brain is a strange place and loves to misinterpret things. One day, I heard 'poetry' as 'poet-tree' and just took off from there. I do love an extended metaphor."

13/10/2024

Monty Edwards shares the inspiration behind his poem 'The Wright Song' in Right Way Down and Other Poems, illustrated by Briony Stewart.

"I expose varied uses of the letter W and its vocalisation as in 'wrote' (silent), 'once' (absent visually), 'were' (common), 'when' (silent H follows). Tongue twisters encourage repetition."

10/10/2024

Sally Murphy shares the inspiration behind her poem 'Right Way Down' in Right Way Down and Other Poems, illustrated by Briony Stewart.

"I was playing with layout and wondered if I could write a whole poem that was upside down on the page. So I did!"

08/10/2024

Jake Bamford shares the inspiration behind his poem 'To Be a Jellyfish' in Right Way Down and Other Poems, illustrated by Briony Stewart:

"I like to write from the perspective of animals. For this poem I chose the jellyfish so I could explore the mindless motivation of a creature without a brain, but just as much will to live."

06/10/2024

Nadia L. King shares the inspiration behind her poem 'Misty, the Rock Hunter' in Right Way Down and Other Poems, illustrated by Briony Stewart:

"I love swimming at the dog beach. Once, I met a remarkable diving dog with an obsession for rocks. Her infectious enthusiasm was so inspiring that I wrote a poem."

09/08/2024

"Each poem tells a little story that makes you think. Some even make you laugh out loud."
Thanks to Class 4K at Great Southern Grammar for their review of Right Way Down!
You can read their full book review here:
https://alphabetsoup.net.au/2024/08/09/book-review-right-way-down-and-other-poems/

26/06/2024

Reviews are still coming in for Right Way Down. This one from New Zealand!

09/06/2024

18/04/2024

Poetry in classrooms, Fibonacci poems, cricket, body surfing, dragon eggs … Michael Barker from the Fremantle Shipping News podcast chats to one of our co-editors .

Listen at FremantleShippingNews.com.au:
https://fremantleshippingnews.com.au/2024/04/17/right-way-down-interview-with-rebecca-m-newman/

Image description:
A mobile phone with the screen showing the masthead of Fremantle Shipping News, and a sound wave in the background.

Rebecca M Newman Sally Murphy Briony Stewart Fremantle Press Fremantle Shipping News

05/04/2024

30/03/2024

Celebrate the incredible children's poetry anthology 'Right Way Down' with a fun Saturday celebration.

07/03/2024

Join Rebecca M. Newman & Sally Murphy for the launch of a new children's poetry book.

27/02/2024

Quokkas love Right Way Down - and why wouldn't they?

27/02/2024

Right Way Down is in bookstores already! These poems will have you laughing, thinking and playing with words — whichever way up you read them …

26/02/2024

The first review is in! Laurie Steed, a wonderful author himself, has said some lovely things about the anthology. You can read the full to review on Love to Read Local site.