POEM OF THE MONTH - Warrior King
I’m the Warrior King of the garden.
I’m a revolutionary,
with my gun and my axe and my
telescope,
and my lookout in the tree.
I’m the Warrior King of the garden.
I’m a soldier, a fighter, a winner.
I don’t take orders from anyone...
until Mum calls me in for dinner.
RANDOM FUN STUFF
Go here to see some work I did when I
was at primary school!
Challenge: there's a penguin hiding on
this website! Can you find it?
I am Joshua Seigal, a highly acclaimed, award-winning professional poet and performer who uses poetry to develop literacy skills and inspire confidence and creativity in communication. I have an MA in Writing and Education, have worked in hundreds of schools, libraries and festivals around the world, had books published by Bloomsbury, HarperCollins and other major publishers, and have written and performed for BBC television. I hope you enjoy having a look around my lovingly handmade website. (If you're viewing on a newfangled 'mobile device' the site may look a little wonky. Please contain your excitement until you reach a more traditional computer.)
"Very imaginative and wonderful"
The Sunday Times
"Your session was brilliant. Thank you so much" Mary Myatt - Ofsted Lead Inspector
"Magic" Michael Rosen
"A witty genius" Scholastic
What's News?
Poetry Books Published by Bloomsbury to Critical Acclaim
All my books have been receiving some wonderful reviews. Here is a selection of accolades:
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Who Let the Words Out? - Reading Zone FIVE STARS *****; Toppsta 'Book of the Month'
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Yapping Away: Laugh Out Loud Award (2023) - WINNER, The People's Book Prize (2022) - WINNER
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Welcome to My Crazy Life: Books For Topics 'Book of the Month'; Reading Zone FIVE STARS *****
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I Don't Like Poetry: Primary Teacher Awards (2017) - Silver; Laugh Out Loud Award (2017) - Shortlisted; Featured in Premier League Primary Stars campaign
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Little Lemur Laughing: North Somerset Teachers' Book Award (2018) - Longlisted; 2018 Book Trust 'Letterbox Club Pick'
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I Bet I Can Make You Laugh: BookTrust FIVE STARS *****; Laugh Out Loud Award (2020) - WINNER;
Children's Poetry Show Receives Rave Reviews
My children's poetry show at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe received lots of rave reviews. You can read a couple here and here. I continue regularly to tour versions of it around schools, theatres and festivals, including the prestigious Edinburgh Book Festival.
Writer and Performer for BBC Television
I was recently commissioned to write, perform and record a series of poems for BBC Bitesize, on CBBC. You can view a selection of my performances here. In addition, I recently appeared on 'Life and Rhymes' on Sky Arts, alongside Benjamin Zephaniah.
Extensive Work With National Organisations
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I was honoured to have been chosen, along with various other fabulous poets, to be an official National Poetry Day Ambassador (since 2016). This involves visiting various schools and spreading the poetry love!
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I am likewise extremely proud to be a Lead Mentor for aspiring writers on behalf of Literature Wales.
Poet In Residence
I have an MA in Writing/Education, and undertake lots of long-term work with various schools. Recent or current positions include: Spoken Word Educator at Plashet School, London (2014-17), Poet in Residence at E-ACT Academies chain (2018-19), Somerset Literary Network (2019-20) Patron of Reading at Fleetville Infant School, Herts (since 2014), St Mary's Catholic Primary, Uxbridge (since 2018), Hallsville Primary School, Newham (since 2018), John Wycliffe School, Leicestershire (since 2018), Cranleigh Prep School (2022-23)
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I am delighted to announce that Glebe Primary, West Sussex, and Tuckswood Academy, Norwich, have each named a class after me!