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Andrew
Fusek Peters
Find out more about his poetry and plays. You can read some
of his poems and buy his books online.
The Poetry Society
National poetry organisation. Find out who they are and what
they do.
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The
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Read the latest submissions. Send in your poems and short stories.
Shropshire's
Literary Connections
Find out how Shropshire has inspired writers throughout history. |
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"The
poems work beautifully as performance poetry and unlike many
poetry books for teenagers, they address issues such as bullying,
drugs, stereotyping and that first kiss, as well as being
very funny. If you thought poetry wasn't for you because it
has nothing to do with your life, try reading this collection!"
Young Writer
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POEM
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OF THE MUTANT MANGOS A FRUIT SALAD BALLAD OF BADDIES
They
are totally bananas
They hang out in a bunch
Don't trifle with these fruitcakes
Una-peeling, out to lunch
They'll orange a nasty accident
And prune you down to size
With hands around your neck-tarine
You'll end up in their pies.
They're evil, they're extrawberry
And rotten to the core,
No more pudding up with them
This is no food fight, it's a war!
The
Evil Dr Mucus Spleen And Other Superbad Villains,
Macmillan
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Shropshire
based poet Andrew Fusek Peters has a knack for communicating with
people of all ages, from children to teenagers, to the workers on
a North Sea gas platform.
His
last poetry publication was aimed at teenagers. "Poems With
Attitude", published by Hodder is both funny and serious, with
themes that cover love, being dumped, chat-ups, relationships, sexual
health issues, losing virginity, peer pressure, school, bullying,
self-harm, anorexia, drink, drugs, pollution, AIDS, racism, refugees
and spots.
But he doesn't just hide between the covers of books, he is a renowned
storyteller, working in schools throughout the country, often drawing
from his own Czech culture. His family fled Prague in 1948, disguised
as ski-tourists. They skied over the mountains into war ravaged
Germany, never to return.
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| The
things he can digeridoo! |
Andrew's
mother brought with her the fantastic tales from the land beyond Grimm.
These have shaped his performances and contributed to his storybooks,
including The Barefoot Book of Strange and Spooky Stories (Guardian
Children's Book of the Week) and his collection for the Collins Pathways
series - The Goat Eared King & Other Czech Tales.
His interest in myths was fuelled by learning the didgeridoo in 1986
and subsequently working with aboriginal storytellers, singers and
dancers on the Creation Myths of the Dreamtime.
Many school projects have involved taking traditional or local tales
and developing group work and full performances incorporating choreography,
music and physical theatre.
This has included several site specific plays for English Heritage
and the National Trust. He wrote The Wild for Pentabus Theatre,
staged at Stokesay Castle in Shropshire with a cast of 100 young people
of all abilities.
His work has even taken him to a North Sea gas platform where he spent
five days on the Thames Arco installation as poet in residence. The
project was organised by the Poetry Society who hoped to encourage
the gas workers to write verse.
Before the challenge of poetry with the off-shore workers, he had
to undergo an intensive four day safety course. One of the training
exercises involved him being strapped into a mock helicopter and dumped
upside down into a swimming pool. He admits to being 'terrified',
but he now holds a safety certificate allowing him to work on any
rig in the North Sea.
"Writers should not sit in their glass towers. Writers should go
out and experience as much of life as possible," says Andrew.
His new poetry collection, "Poems With Attitude, Uncensored"
will be published by Hodder Wayland later this year. |
