Craig Bradley - "That Poetry Bloke"

Listen to Craig's thoughts about Poetry

I did my first day for Todmorden Touchwood on Wednesday the 16th of January. After driving round Portsmouth for while I finally found Cornholme Primary tucked away behind some houses. It looked like it was hiding from someone or something. There are some major hills in Todmorden and they always looks asleep to me. I reckon on a quiet day if you listen really hard you can hear them snoring. Try it and see. 

I went in to school, met Mr Sapey, the headteacher and his class in Year 3. I got my bongos out and Scott - who I called Bongo Bob, helped me get some rhythms going. Everyone in the class got into it. Then we got shouting words out, messing about with poems and having a real beano!!! I looked through the classroom windows at the big hills. I think we had woken them up.

Then the class then started writing some fantastic poems about Todmorden things. We had poems about Grandmas (Daisy), old paintings (Poppy), rusty signs from World War One ( Oliver) and some great poems about teddy bears ( Edwards was ace!!)  I'll put some of these poems on the blog when i get them. I really enjoyed speaking to everyone at Cornholme. Thanks for a great rhymetime!!! Opolop to everyone ( private joke, you had to be there).

Then I had to get to Todmorden High. I spoke to year 6 , Miss Cottams class. We wrote more great poems/ songs about Todmorden including one about Granddads butcher shop, cycling to Studley Pike and Tod itself. The atmosphere was electric and chaotic and creative with poems surprising everyone -even the person writing them - and coming out of the blue.. Some girls even did a bit of dancing!! Roll on the next Touchwood adventure. Anything could happen...

Cheers
Craig, "That Poetry Bloke"

Day 2 - Thursday 24 January 2008

I've been thinking ( yeah yeah, alright..) I reckon Todmorden means Mini Mountain. I mean look right,Tod, sounds like Toddler meaning small or mini and Morden sounds a bit like mountain. Well it does if you say it with a mouthful of crisps anyway. So Mini Mountain it is then. I went along to Mini Mountain C of E school and had a great time with Mr Wightman's class. There were some ace ideas flying around and some great poems.

Mini Mountain C of E is wedged in between a cricket field and a graveyard. I used to play cricket and I used to be a gravedigger so I felt right at home. Actually, when we had finished word juggling in the classroom I went for a wander around the graveyard. I saw names on stones like Rosa Lello, who sounds a bit like a fortune teller to me. I saw Grace Bell and Desdemona Scrimshaw. All great names with great stories behind them I bet.

I spent the afternoon at St Joseph's school, across the road from Mini Mountain Primary.
St Joseph's brought some great stuff from the war in to have a look at. Pictures of soldiers and medals, old photos of Burnley football ground and even some old pennies.

I remember one poem by Jake, which talked about how Todmorden has changed which was ace. It went something like...
Before the bank it was a Kwiksave, before Kwiksave it was a Netto, before Netto it was a cinema...
and it carried on like that. I'll get some poems on the blog as soons as i can. I also found a place in Mini Mountain called Andreas Chippy who do great Pies and Peas. I'll be there for my diinner again next week!! Can't wait.

Cheers
Craig, "That Poetry Bloke"

Day 3 In the Big Brother House

Start with a joke...What's the worst vegetable to have in a boat? A leek. Alright...suit yourself.
Today I went to Walsden Juniors and Walsden Infants. I think Walsden is a great word, it sounds a bit like Whales Den which is a place where baby whales could hide from Mum and Dad. What's a baby whale called?? I'll find out and tell you later. These two schools are next to each other. You can wave at each other through the windows. I know cos I tried. When I waved I even made that noise that my Grandma used to make when she waved at people. It goes like this... Coooooooeeeee. Sounds like an hen laying a square egg.
First I was in the Infants where I met a girl called Sky. We wrote poems and messed about with the sounds of words. In the classroom next door was a man on a unicycle, which is bike with only one wheel. I don't think it was the headteacher but you never know. After pie and peas (Mmmm) I took my poems next door to the infants. I met a boy called Bradley which is my name, infact he looked like my granddad!!! We used our pens and pencils like magic wands and created poems from thin air. It was great. While everyone was writing I had a look in a couple of books and found out something. A baby whale is called a calf. Told you I'd tell you later. Aren't books ace.
This blog thing is quite theraputic, like listening to hoovers.

Cheers
Craig, "That Poetry Bloke"

Here is DAY 4

It's not dark, for the first time in ages and ages I can see the sky, the trees and the road. I set off from Huddersfield at half seven in the morning, after two bowls of Power Flakes, and it was light. The spring is on its way, the flowers will all be out soon and we'll all be dancing like crazy fools in the streets. Well, if we're not then we should be. Ferney Lee or Furry Flea as some call it, was the first school today, got a cup of tea and sneaked some biscuits out of the staffroom. Staffrooms are weird places when they're empty ( pretty weird when they're full actually) they're a bit like an empty room after a party - you can feel that something has just finished, told you they were weird. Met Miss Wilson's class who got to work on writing some poems. Had a great bongo player, HELLO!! and a fantastic Gasping Girl HELLO!!. I had a bowl of tommy soup dinner at my mate Tom's - he's a writer like me but not as witty or good looking - and went off to Castle Hill Primary. I asked where the castle was but no one seemed to know. It was Family day at school so there were lots of mums and dads walking around looking lost. A lot of them came into listen to some poems. Had a great time. Met Molly who told me that her clouds look like brocolli, imagine that. You could eat the sky.

cheerydoodle
Craig, "That Poetry Bloke"

Here is DAY 5

Here I am in Shade, interesting name for a place, interesting word, you'll find it in the dictionary between Shadock - which is like a big lemon- and Shadow. Imagine that, Shade the place where the big orange shadows live. Actually the poetry police say that there are no rhyming words for Orange in English. They also say that no words rhyme with Silver or Purple. but what about Gilver, that famous little lizard or Burple which is like a burp but smaller. MAKE WORDS UP, that what I do. I like words a lot, try saying Spigot, which is like a little peg, I think it's my favourite word today. The next time you see your friend just say hello Spigot and see what they say!!!!! ....anyway I went to Spigot Primary, oops I mean Shade Primary and had a FANTASTIC time. Everyone brought some brilliant stuff in to write about, probably the best things I have seen in Todmorden. Brass bomb cases, gas masks, old pictures, old books with footballing uncles in, plates and old tin helmets from ages and ages ago. Miss Mason - I'm actually quite an accomplished musician don't you know!!- made some good coffee and danced like she was packing boxes. It was a hoot and thankyou to everyone for a crazy rhyming time!!!! I've been to all nine Touchwood schools now and just want to say Ta very much for the great times and rhymes. I hope to pop back and do some more and then I'll see you at the POETRY SLAM in May. YYYEEHAW

See Yuz
Spigot Boy

Here is DAY 6

Todmorden Touchwood is now getting a bit exciting. Its like the second half of the FA cup final!! I've started going back into schools , That Poetry Bloke is back!!!! I've been working on some poems for the BIG MEGA POETRY SLAM on May 22 at Ferny Lee. I've also been changing some of the ace stories that you lot have been working on into ace poems.
Blimy O Riley!!!

The first schooI I went into was Walsden Infant school, where we worked on changing a story called The Legend Of Langfield into a poems called The Weird Leg End Of Walsden. That was a big wheelbarrow load of wordy fun. Words are like putty, you can stretch them and stretch them but they will not keep your windows in!!!

I know, I've tried.

The second school I visited was Ferney Lee. The class wrote a great poem about about aliens up on Stoodley Pike. The Mr Reading even got involved and came up with an ace rhyme - Alien and Mammalien!!!! I think he deserves a gold sticker for that one!!!
Then I whizzed down the road in my versewagon to Castle Hill and Mrs Leggetts Band Of Poets. We turned Churn Milk Joan into a poem - easypeasylemonsqueezy - and everybody got into it!! I liked the view out of the windowfrom the classroom. There is a church right on top of the hill. It looks like a spaceship to me. Too many years watching Star Trek!!!!
Today I went into Walsden Juniors. A girl called Skye has told me to write a poem called Spider Casserole!! Maybe she is trying to tell me something about the school dinners there!!! We wrote a poem called Who Let The Stones Out, based on a story about the Dobroyd stones. I'm really enjoying all this crazy poetry stuff, its like crazy dude!!!!
Also I think Grandma Pollards is the best fish and chip shop in the world!!!

You go Grandma!!!!!!

Craig Bradley is a professional poet, writer and performer who tours the country sharing his passion and infectious enthusiasm for words. He performs in schools, libraries, museums, art galleries, hospitals and literary festivals.He has a BA (Hons) in English Language and a MA in Contemporary Literature. He has lectured in Creative Writing at the Universities of Huddersfield and Leeds.He has held many writing residencies in libraries, schools, prisons, youth offending teams, hospitals and literary festivals. In 2003 he was Calderdale Libraries first ever Reader In Residence. He has read his work on radio and TV.

"Absolutely brilliant."
BBC Look North

"Always a treat, fantastic."
BBC Radio York

Amongst other things, Craig has been a stand up comedian, roadie, heavy metal drummer, window cleaner, humbug boiler, nightclub bouncer, Butlins breakfast cook and gravedigger.Craig has published poetry, fiction, non-fiction and children’s poetry. He has written 5 books. He is currently the BBC RaW Football Stories Co-Ordinator working alongside the National Literacy Trust setting up literacy events at football clubs. He has worked with Liverpool, Manchester United, Arsenal, Manchester City, Nottingham Forest and Everton. Craig supports Halifax Town.

"This man plays with words and throws them around like half-bricks, with fine aim and great effect."
Halifax Evening Courier

Read more about CRAIG BRADLEY " That Poetry Bloke" at www.craigbradley.com