BBC Poetry Archive - Listen to the voices of contemporary (and the recent past) English Language poets

The Poetry Archive is an easy to navigate website that offers an impressive repository of English Language poets reading their work.  Poets can be found by clicking on the alphabet to the bottom right of the web page.  If you click on 'A' for example, then choose 'Margaret Atwood', the following page (second image) will open giving you access to Atwood's biography, links to her personal website as well as podcasts of five featured poems.


Once you have opened a poet's page you are given access to a variety of very useful options including:

• Browse all poets by name
• Browse all poets by title
• Glossary of poetic terms
• Browse all poems by theme
• Browse all poems by form

You can also create lists of your favourite poems and poets and official portraits and share them with friends when you sign up to create your own 'My Archive'.

Across the top of the page are a range of other options.  'The Children's Archive is incredibly cute and colourful and worth exploring for Year 7 activities. 

The 'For Students' section is excellent for researching poems, poetry and related topics.  The list of links are valuable for teachers as well, especially those interested in exploring online content for their students.

The 'For Teachers' section includes:

• Classroom Materials: Lesson plans and activities for all key stages, built around Poetry Archive recordings and offering lively, engaging ways of working with poetry at all Key Stages.                        
• Poet in Residence: Each term a different poet is in residence here, talking about poetry with anyone who wants to join in the conversation. You are welcome to explore our archive of past residencies and read some of the lively and varied discussions you'll find there.                                                               
• Poetry, creativity, Multimodality (film): In this film, four teachers share their ideas for using the Archive to enrich and enliven poetry lessons.
  

National Young Writers' Month

This month is National Young Writers’ Month. NYWM is a new national initiative created by Express Media, an organisation helping young writers. NYWM is open to anyone under the age of 25. It involves logging onto the website http://www.expressmedia.org.au/nywm/ to register and setting a writing goal.

Each state has an ambassador who will be running workshops and writing activities to help young writers stay motivated. The Victorian ambassador is Thomas Banks. The website also features forums, so that everyone can bounce ideas off each other, as well as other authors who will share their views on writing and why they write. More information can be found at the website above.

Express Media has also opened the John Marsden Prize for 2011, which is a short story or poetry competition for everyone under 25 years of age. The deadline for submissions is on the 31st of August.

Voiceworks is Express Media’s quarterly magazine featuring exciting new writing by Australian young writers. It is a unique opportunity for young writers and artists (under 25) to publish their poetry, short stories, articles and comics, illustrations, drawings and photos; as well as receiving feedback on their submission. It is produced entirely by young people and relies totally on the contributions from the readers to make up the content. Voiceworks is currently taking submissions for its next issue, with the deadline of the 3rd of July.

For more information on Voiceworks and how your students can be a part of it, please visit: http://www.expressmedia.org.au/voiceworks/index.php/about-voiceworks/

Inside a Dog

Inside a Dog has a whole new look and a series of additional features.

Book Clubs:

The biggest new feature on the site is the addition of member-run book clubs. If you are a fan of a particular author, genre, or series, you can now start your own Inside a Dog book club and find other like-minded readers to share ideas, post reviews, or show off your fan art. Book clubs can be either open membership, allowing any of the site’s users from around the world to join and contribute, or closed, requiring permission from the clubs’ creator to join.
Each site member will have their own page, listing reviews they have written, their favourite and recommended books, and the book clubs they are members of. “Star reviewers” will earn privileges, ranging from recognition on the site itself to copies of books to review.

You'll find the 'Book Clubs' link at the very top of the Inside a Dog homepage, just above where you might expect a dog's eye to be :)

Reviews:
In addition to individual pages for members, each book reviewed on the site will have its own page. Book pages will list all reviews of the book, along with any additional content supplied by publishers, including first chapters, book trailers, and audiobook snippets, and a list of recommendations and related titles.

Click on the Books link (next to 'Book Clubs') and you'll be taken to the latest books that have been added. Most require a review. You can still add a review to older books by going back through the pages or choosing a genre and finding books you've read.

Teacher Resources:

There are some fabulous links under the link titled: 'Teachers' at the top of the homepage.

Take a look at the 'Book Trailers' link which supplies excellent links that will help your students create book trailers in a number of formats including PowerPoint and Movie Maker.