Shapinsay bairns “inspired” by poet

Waterstones Children’s Laureate (2022-2024), Joseph Coelho, visited Orkney Library & Archive this week - as part of his nationwide ‘Library Marathon’ tour from May to August.

On Monday, the award-winning performance poet, playwright, and children’s author met with children from Shapinsay and Stenness Schools.

The youngsters from Shapinsay said:

• "It inspired me to start writing different types of poetry."
• "It has inspired me to write one word poems."
• "I liked when Joseph Coelho made a poem with us about cats."
• "It was awesome. It inspired me to write poems."
• "I like that he was really funny."

The ‘Library Marathon’ is one of three major initiatives announced by the current Waterstones Children’s Laureate, which is managed by Book Trust, the UK’s largest children’s reading charity, as part of his two-year tenure. The Scottish Book Trust is overseeing his tour of Scotland.

Joseph’s mission is to join a library in every local authority in the UK – more than 200 libraries in total – with the aim of encouraging people, young and old, to join their local library.

He said: “I am thrilled to round off the Scottish leg of my Library Marathon tour by visiting libraries in Orkney, Shetland and the Western Isles. Libraries made me a writer and make communities thrive. They have been a vital part of my life: from living on estates where I had a library next door, to my first Saturday job, to working at the British Library whilst studying at UCL, to touring theatre shows designed to be performed in libraries.

“I’m immensely grateful to libraries and the services they provide, so I want to use my platform as the Waterstones Children’s Laureate to champion these essential launchpads of learning. I want to hug every library, these miraculous institutions where new horizons line the shelves, where minds go to grow.”