I edit poetry anthologies for both children and adults and often give talks in bookshops, libraries, schools and at literary festivals about poetry, women’s writing and publishing (with my other hat on, I am a book publicist).
My collections - some of them bestsellers - have covered subjects including myths and legends, women’s poetry, the collections of the Natural History Museum, motherhood, cats, dogs and the countryside.
Poets are my rock stars. Choosing work I love and sharing it with readers is the best job in the world. And I believe that if you think you don’t like poetry, you just haven’t met the right poem yet…
Poetry Anthologies
Heroes and Villains: Poems about Legends
I travelled in antique lands to find poems about legends — stories that were thought to contain a grain of truth — for this collection, aimed at an audience of around 9+. There are poems old and new about knights and dragons, kings and queens, witches and monsters, highwaymen and shipwrecks, pirates and places of power. The collection includes work by a wide variety of poets including Ian McMillan, Shakespeare, Brian Moses, Robert Browning, Caroline Bird, Carol Ann Duffy, Philip Larkin, Robert MacFarlane, A F Harrold, Kathleen Jamie, Joshua Seigal and many more. The amazing Chris Riddell brings the poems to life with his wonderful illustrations throughout.
Spend some time with Joan of Arc, the Pied Piper, Elvis, Sir Galahad, King Alfred, Boudicca, Morgan le Fay, Spring-Heeled Jack, Robin Hood, Mulan, Houdini and St Margaret… Encounter dragons, firebirds and yetis, the Beast of Bodmin and the Loch Ness Monster… Sail to Eldorado on the Mary Celeste, or dance among the standing stones… and ask yourself: are all these tales true?
Gods and Monsters: Mythological Poems
I loved gathering poems about mythology — both classic and brand new — for this book, aimed at an audience of around 10+. There are stories from Roman, Greek, Egyptian, Norse, Celtic, Aztec, Japanese and Inuit mythology brought to vivid life by poets including Nikita Gill, Shakespeare, Neil Gaiman, Homer, Carol Ann Duffy, Lewis Carroll, Seigfried Sassoon, Joseph Coelho and many more. It’s gloriously illustrated by the amazing Chris Riddell, and introduced by classicist Natalie Haynes.
You will meet gods, monsters, tricksters, heroes, magical creatures and objects, magicians and spirits including Medusa, Icarus, Loki, Aphrodite, the Minotaur, Pegasus, the Bunyip, the Morrigan, Odysseus, Blodeuwedd, Cerberus, Beowulf and Wayland.
“Kids of ten-plus will enjoy this elegant collection of poems old and new, featuring tricksters, deities and magical heroes from around the world”
“This varied and wonderfully illustrated collection of old and original mythological poetry is a treasure chest”
Wonder: The Natural History Museum Poetry Book
What a gorgeous job it has been to choose poems inspired by The Natural History Museum’s collections! From dodos to diamonds, from mammals to meteorites, from Archie the giant squid to Sophie the Stegosaurus, these poems help us explore the rainforests, the oceans, the prehistoric past and even the outer reaches of the universe. This anthology is suitable for ages 8+ (but lots of adult readers have loved the collection, too!)
“awe-inspiring and thoughtful”
“A top read for budding bookworms”
“a wonderful, varied collection for all ages.”
Night Feeds and Morning Songs
These moving and poignant poems about motherhood - by poets including Sylvia Plath, Eavan Boland, Jackie Kay, Kathleen Jamie and more - move from pregnancy and birth to the empty nest, with love, mess, madness and mayhem between. I was thrilled to have the chance to include a little writing about my own experiences of motherhood too, so it’s a deeply personal project.
“A collection to buy and treasure for the generations”
“poems which capture the madness, mess, joy and wonder of motherhood’ ”
She Will Soar: Bright, Brave Poems of Freedom by Women
A collection of poems about wanderlust, travel, flights of fancy, escaping into books, tranquillity, courage, hope and resilience by writers including Emily Dickinson, Charlotte Mew, Vanessa Kisuule, Stevie Smith, Pascale Petit, Liz Berry and many more. From frustrated housewives to passionate activists, from the ancient world to today, here is a chorus of voices demanding and celebrating freedom.
“This glorious, exhilarating anthology makes the perfect choice for any woman you know, of any age”
“A handsome poetry collection featuring a wonderfully wide range of poems by female poets”
She Is Fierce: Brave, Bold and Beautiful Poems by Women
A powerful collection of poems written by women. From suffragettes to school girls, spoken word superstars to civil rights activists, artistocratic ladies to kitchen maids, these are voices that deserve to be heard. The poets include Maya Angelou, Christina Rossetti, Nikita Gill, Emily Brontë, Dorothy Parker and Hera Lindsay Bird.
“A collection to stir the blood and resonate in the bones”
“A book to treasure and revisit often”
The Book of Bird Poems
This was a wonderful collection to edit, searching for poems about birds. With verses from writers including Yeats, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, Charlotte Mew, Oscar Wilde, Walt Whitman, Thomas Hardy, William Blake and many less well known poets, I hope these poems will give readers wings.
The Book of Tree Poems
It was a gorgeous job to gather favourite poems about trees for this volume, beautifully illustrated by Sarah Maycock’s paintings. Here are celebrations of all kinds of trees by Walt Whitman, A E Housman, Charles Causley, Carol Ann Duffy, Liz Berry, Jericho Brown, Ted Hughes, Edith Nesbitt, Pascale Petit, William Wordsworth, Moniza Alvi and many others.
You can read a blog about tree poems here.
The Book of Cat Poems
Curious, enigmatic and playful, cats have often inspired the literary imagination. I loved editing this collection about my favourite animals, which is beautifully illustrated throughout by the very talented Sarah Maycock.
You can read the introduction here.
“a beautiful tribute to feline friends”
The Book of Dog Poems
The relationship with our dogs has inspired many of the world's greatest poets. Sometimes funny, sometimes moving, the poems in this beautifully illustrated anthology are a true celebration of the faithful, affectionate, delightful dog.
You can read the introduction here.
“Warm, affectionate and enchanting”
Poems to Learn by Heart
This collection of enduring and beautiful verse captures the lost art of learning poems by heart, with a range designed to delight and challenge.
Ten Poems for Breakfast
It’s never too early for a poem. These tender and beguiling poems - in a beautiful pamphlet designed to be posted instead of a greetings card - remind you that there’s something precious about the start of a new day.
Best-Loved Poems: A Treasury of Verse
Whether in search of escape, inspiration or comfort, this beautiful treasury of celebrated verse brings together half a millennium of familiar and much-loved poetry to cherish.
I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud… and Other Poems you Half-Remember from School
A collection that revisits all the old favourites you almost remember from school, with lively biographies of each of the poets.
Tyger Tyger Burning Bright: Much-Loved Poems You Half-Remember
A further collection of the most memorable verses in the English language, with entertaining short biographies of each of the poets featured.
Green and Pleasant Land: Best-Loved Poems of the British Countryside
A volume of poetry that celebrates the beauty of the countryside, in each season and at every time of day, as well as verses dedicated to birds and beasts, rivers, trees, the seaside and even the British weather.
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In the Media
You can read and listen to reviews, features and interviews about my books here.