Alphabet Soup Books

28/11/2024

Rebecca M. Newman on the inspiration for her poem 'Cricket' in Right Way Down and Other Poems, illustrated by Briony Stewart:
"Playing with poetic forms is fun - the build up to a ball being bowled felt perfect for a Fibonacci poem!"

26/11/2024

Sharron Hough on the writing of her poem 'Tick-Tock' in Right Way Down and Other Poems, illustrated by Briony Stewart:
"The inspiration for my poem came from my job working with cardiologists. They fix hearts every day and do everything to keep them ticking."

24/11/2024

Teena Raffa-Mulligan on the inspiration for her poem 'Peacock Patrol' in Right Way Down and Other Poems, illustrated by Briony Stewart:
"I was outside one of the lecture rooms at UWA watching a crow and a peacock while waiting for a writers' festival session to start and a poem began to form."

21/11/2024

Raewyn Caisley on the writing of her poem 'Whale Shark' in Right Way Down and Other Poems, illustrated by Briony Stewart:
" I like to know what I'm dealing with! (I had a whale of a time writing this.)"

19/11/2024

We asked Cindy Lane about the inspiration for her poem 'Come on In!' in Right Way Down and Other Poems, illustrated by Briony Stewart:

" I watched my friend go straight into the chilly water, diving and splashing like a fish. She was so joyous in the sea!"

17/11/2024

We asked Christabel Seneque about the inspiration for her poem 'Bioluminescence' in Right Way Down and Other Poems, illustrated by Briony Stewart:

"Glow-in-the-dark things are cool. My poem was inspired by all the amazing living things that glow in the dark: from bugs to mushrooms to sea creatures!

14/11/2024

Michael Buckingham Gray on the development of his poem from idea to final draft:

"I first wrote my poem as a haiku. It then took root and grew from there!"

12/11/2024

We asked Cristy Burne about the inspiration for her wacky science-themed poems in Right Way Down and Other Poems, illustrated by Briony Stewart 🧪

The Boy with the Dynamite Idea:
"I wanted to share the true and inspiring life story of scientist Alfred Nobel, who started the Nobel Prizes. "

Richard Axel and Linda B. Buck Make Sense of Smell:
"I just love limericks! I wanted to write a funny limerick inspired by Nobel Prize-winning chemistry."

10/11/2024

Kaz Campbell on the inspiration for her space-themed poem '7am' in Right Way Down and Other Poems, illustrated by Briony Stewart:
"I found myself staring into space one morning, then realised I was actually staring into Space! The magic of the cosmos moves above, around and throughout our everyday routines."

07/11/2024

S.E. Dennis on the inspiration for her poem 'Bibra Lake' in Right Way Down and Other Poems, illustrated by Briony Stewart:
"The inspiration came from a workshop. The class went for a walk from Bibra Lake Wetlands Centre and used our senses to create a poem from the beautiful views."

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 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