Roger McGough: Publishers should 'take a chance on poetry'

Roger McGough hosts BBC Radio 4's long-running poetry request show Poetry Please

Roger McGough has called on publishers to "take a chance" on poetry aimed at children, as National Poetry Day celebrates its 21st birthday.

The day will be marked by Andrew Marr, Dominic West and some of Britain's most-loved writers weaving poetry into Radio 4's schedule.

While the station has also announced Daljit Nagra as its first poet in residence for a period of two years.

The winners of the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award will also be announced.

Elsewhere, members of the public are being encouraged to share their poems on social media using #nationalpoetryday and #thinkofapoem.

Some of the best efforts will be selected by leading graphic artist Anthony Burrill to appear in the Blackpool Illuminations.

A poet and president of the Poetry Society, McGough admits his form of literature is "never going to be the new rock and roll".

But he thinks the UK should be proud of its enthusiasm for poetic prose, telling the BBC: "People in other countries get very jealous that there is so much interest in poetry in this country. We should pat ourselves on the backs."

'Suspicions and fears'

McGough, who was one of the Mersey Sound poets in the 1960s and found chart success with The Scaffold, believes it has become more popular over the years, saying: "In my day, poetry was seen as intellectual or dull."

He says in the past, "if people wrote poetry, they generally kept it to themselves. But these days, the profile of poetry is bigger.

"It's performed at festivals like Glastonbury and Latitude," he adds. "It's seen as important and fun."

McGough was one of the Mersey Sound poets in the 1960s, and found chart success with The Scaffold

McGough has written dozens of books for children, including his latest, Poetry Pie - which contains 50 poems with themes ranging from food and animals to school and ghouls.

Earlier this year, he criticised the lack of poetry books "being published for children and young people".

So what advice does McGough have for Britain's next generation of aspiring bards?

"Young people are highly motivated and bright," he says. "You can tackle the world through using your gift."

"The more you write, the easier it becomes," says McGough, who was awarded an OBE for services to poetry in 1997 and a CBE in 2004.

He says he continues to find inspiration by drawing on his "memories, suspicions and fears".

Having read through this year's selection of entries for the Foyle Young Poets of the Year Award, aimed at writers aged between 11 and 17, he says: "You wouldn't be able to tell they are young."

Daljit Nagra is best known for his reworks of the epic Dover Beach and the Sanskrit Ramayana

"So many young poets would sit among the ranks of adult poetry," he adds. "Some of these poets will go on to be household names."

Radio 4's new poet in residence, Daljit Nagra, is best-known for his remaking of the epic Dover Beach by Matthew Arnold and the Sanskrit work Ramayana.

His BBC role will see him curate a weekly programme looking back at some favourite works of 20th Century poetry. He will also be a guest on programmes across the station and feature on social media platforms.

He described his appointment as an "honour and privilege".

"I regard my position as an opportunity to enthuse people of all backgrounds to the wonders of poetry," he said.

Throughout the day on Radio 4, poetry will be incorporated into the schedule.

Highlights include Andrew Marr presenting a series of readings, archive material, interviews and conversations.

Radio 4 listeners will hear the works of poets such as William Shakespeare, William Wordsworth, Christina Rossetti and Ted Hughes as well as less familiar poems from the likes of Anne Askew and Anne Bradstreet as well as anonymous medieval ballads.

There will be debates around the significance of poetry and how it has shaped and reflected British society.

The Radio 4 website is also presenting readings from young poets and the chance to test your poetry knowledge with a quiz.