Josie Whitehead's Page

Nancy - Thank you for your note.  I do indeed have lots of ingredients which I put into my poetry that can add "flair and colour" and if you go to my website, you will see many poems that have alliteration and assonance, many with similes, metaphors but above all, if you go to the web index, you will see that I have written many articles that teach you a little bit about adding rhyme and rhythm to poetry, but it isn't something you can read once and that is that.  As with being able to play the piano or other instrument, or knowing a waltz from a quickstep, you need to understand the structure of metre (which is very easy) and need a little practice on a regular basis to get into writing using it.  The other thing which is important is using poetry as a performance art:  getting children to get away from reading poetry and learning it and reciting it, throwing the voice without shouting, putting expression into it and linking poetry to the other arts to make a sparkling performance.  I've written a lot on my website about this.  I don't know it I should mention this on this website to others involved with poetry.