Publisher's Synopsis
William Butler Yeats (Irish poet, dramatist, writer, and one of the most notable figures of 20th-century literature) once said, "Education is not the filling of a pot but the lighting of a fire." At Ernest Bevin Academy, it is the goal of the English Department to create a love of learning English language and literature and celebrating this love of learning to master the art of poetry and creative writing. At Ernest Bevin Academy, students learn about themselves and the world through self-expression in the form of poetry.
From the moment students enter Ernest Bevin Academy, our English teachers set to work at dispelling and dismantling all the damaging preconceptions that tragically so many students pick up when they first look at a daunting poem. Our students spend a term studying poetry every year, and what is more, they courageously try their hands at forming what at first seems so difficult. Here is a collection of that toil and endeavour. It is something that will be held for them for the rest of their lives and we hope it might enrich yours.
This book is the fourth anthology of poems written by students at Ernest Bevin Academy. We are proud of our students and their hard work and to celebrate their success we share their poems with you. This book is a compilation of the winners from the whole school creative writing Phoenix Competition and a combination of the works of students from the weekly Poetry Club and creative writing workshops run by the English Department. It is through their poetry that they share their voice and from their voice that they are empowered to make a stand and speak out for all that they believe in.
They have considered the many challenges that we can face and like our school motto and logo, no matter what happens, we will rise like the phoenix. We hope that you will enjoy reading these poems as much as the staff and wider community of family and friends of Ernest Bevin Academy. A huge well done and many congratulations to the students at Ernest Bevin Academy.
