Becoming a Poet

Sue Dymoke (1962-2023) led the PhD programme at the Institute of Education at Nottingham Trent University, UK. She was editor (with Anthony Wilson, Andrew Lambirth, and Myra Barrs) of Making Poetry Happen (Bloomsbury, 2015) and Making Poetry Matter (Bloomsbury, 2015) and was author of Drafting and Assessing Poetry: a guide for teachers (2003) and Teaching English Texts 11-18 (Bloomsbury, 2009). She was the author of four collections of poems, the last of which was What To Do Next (2023). She was external evaluator for the Paul Hamlyn First Story Student Ambassadors scheme, a member of NAWE Higher Education committee and Nottingham UNESCO City of Literature wider board. As a poet, educator and academic, her impact on poetry teaching was internationally recognised. Anthony Wilson is a poet, writing tutor and Senior Lecturer in Primary English at the University of Exeter, UK, where he works in teacher and medical education. He has published six collections of poetry, the most recent of which is The Wind and the Rain (Blue Diode Press, 2023). His new pamphlet of poems, Plymbridge, was published in 2026. Alongside his books with Sue Dymoke, he has edited Creativity in Primary Education (2015) and co-edited The Poetry Book for Primary Schools (1998). He has tutored for Arvon, the Poetry School and the Poetry Business. He blogs at anthonywilsonpoetry.com.Aisling Walters was a secondary English teacher for nearly twenty years before becoming a Senior Lecturer in the Nottingham Institute of Education at Nottingham Trent University, UK. Aisling leads the Secondary English PGCE. Her research focuses on the writing identities of preservice secondary English teachers (2025) and arts-based pedagogies in Higher Education.

• List of Figures and Tables1. Introduction - Sue Dymoke (Nottingham Trent University, UK) and Anthony Wilson (University of Exeter, UK)Part 1: Talking about my poem2. A J Pettigrew3. Annie Fan4. Ginny Darke5. Lydia Wei6. Molly Groake7. Kajol Marathe8. Jacob Keenan9. Laura Potts10. Poppy Tully11. Nadia Lines12. Sarah Adegbite13. Matthew Birch14. Ella Stanton14. Samyukta SainathSection 2: Key Topics15. Rowan Jessop16. Bryony Dawson17. Hermione Marshall18. Georgie Brooke19. Ziqi Yan20. Alix Green21. Cyrus Larcombe-Moore22. Julia Pearson23. Claudia Taylor24. Emily Breeds 25. Sophie Russell26. Elijah Quinto27. Commentary28. Practical Guidance for Poets - Sue Dymoke and Anthony Wilson29. ConclusionsReferencesIndex