Michelle A Taylor – August 2 2020

Dying to Know Day – August 8

Day of action dedicated to bringing to life conversations and community actions around death, dying and bereavement.

Michelle has been writing and publishing poems for children for over 20 years. She particularly enjoys taking poetry to young audiences and is a popular choice as a performer and workshop leader in schools and at literary festivals. Michelle holds a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy with over 20 years’ experience as an occupational therapist in the fields of mental health and addictions. She is currently Director of Mudanca, a specialist service providing support to people with mental and emotional health problems. Michelle also holds a Master of Arts in which she researched the role of monsters in stories to empower children and manage fears, the results of this research now published as The Monster Chronicles by Queensland University Press. Michelle’s other poetry books include Renovating, Bloom, First Language and If Bees Rode Shiny Bicycles. She has also written an inspirational workbook for writers and teachers of writing titled Word for Word.

The Angel of Barbican High [Verse novel]
University of Queensland Press, 2001; ISBN 9780702232510
Young Adult
Jez felt her luck had finally changed the year she left Melbourne to start Year 11 at Barbican High in Brisbane. That was the year she met Nick and when everything fell into place. By the following summer it all changed. That’s when Tommy and the angel became part of Jez’s life, and her struggle to stop a terrible secret from taking over begins.
“… a poignant young adult novel that confronts many issues that plague today’s young people, such as depression and youth suicide. Powerful and intense, The Angel of Barbican High weaves beautiful language into an intriguing story line, reaching to the heart of pressing youth problems with skill and emotion.” – From YARR-A review by Celia, age 15, Canberra

If the World Belonged to Dogs
University of Queensland Press, 2007; ISBN 9780702236099
Pre-school – Primary
Many poems have a recognisable Australian sense of humour and a larrikin tone which young readers will no doubt enjoy. A variety of poetic styles and forms are used including traditional rhyming, free verse, haiku, list poem, ode, lullaby, anagram, fantastical nonsense poems, landscape poems, lyrical poems, narrative poems. This book would be an invaluable resource for teachers introducing students to the diversity of poetry, while at the same time bringing poems which are fun and accessible to children. As well as being an excellent introduction to the amazing world of poetry, teenagers, adults and children, will enjoy many of these poems for their humour and playfulness.