Roger Mcgough’S Work Has Appeared Regularly in Literacy Time
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Online le Roger McGough’s work has appeared regularly in Literacy Time. ‘Mafi a Cats’ from his humorous poetry collection about Bad, Bad Cats is an on-screen resource in Literacy Time Ages 7-9, July 2007, Issue 54. This © TONY HARDACRE features an audio performance of the Author Profi poem by Roger, taken from his CD ROGER Lively. MCGOUGH Born in Liverpool in 1937, Roger McGough has become a poet of his city, and of his generation. He came from a Other working-class background – his father issues worked on the Liverpool docks, and Roger’s work he was the fi rst person in his family has featured in are: to go to university. He became Literacy Time for Years a secondary school teacher, 3 and 4, Issue 46, March but his passion was writing 2006 – the poem ‘Snipers’ and performing poetry – and of about a relative returning course, he tried out his poems in from the Second World War; Literacy Time for Years his classes. 5 and 6, Issue 42 May 2006 – various poems about city-life. Also see Literacy Time for Years 5 and Liverpool in the 1960s was a vibrant 6, Issue 37, July 2005, for an interview with place for music and art. Roger fellow Mersey poet Brian Patten, and McGough performed his poetry and information on the Liverpool Poets. forward PCP Photocopy or download from scholastic.co.uk/literacytime RogerMcGough.indd 1 13/06/2007, 09:39:00 Online back le hung out with musicians, and 50 poetry books. He writes for adults also dabbled with comedy. He and children, and has won the met Paul McCartney’s brother Signal Poetry Award for children’s John, before The Beatles became poetry twice – in 1984 with Sky famous, and ended up forming a in the Pie, and in 1999, with Bad, band with him, called The Scaffold. Bad Cats. His autobiography, Roger wrote the lyrics and they Said and Done, was published in had a Number One hit with ‘Lily 2005, and poems from across his the Pink’ in 1968. The year before, Author Profi lifetime of work were published in he published The Mersey Sound Collected Poems in 2003. – an anthology of poems, with two fellow Liverpool poets, Recent poetry collections that Roger Brian Patten and Adrian Henri. has done for children include All It became the best-selling poetry the Best, featuring more than 100 anthology of all time – and has of his children’s poems, and The sold more than one million copies. Bee’s Knees, both 2003. Roger has also written fi ction for children; Roger thought about being an Moonthief (2002) is about a bear artist, an actor and a musician with a big imagination, and What before settling on poetry. His work On Earth Can It Be? (2002) is a is described as whimsical, but his picture book with rhyming text for poems are often serious, yet young children. lightened by razor-sharp humour. He is an everyman poet, capturing the sound of the Roger’s work has been recognised with street and, especially, the fast-talking and the awards of OBE and CBE, and he is quick wit that Liverpudlians are known for. the regular presenter of ‘Poetry Please’ on Radio 4. He believes that children are Roger has written plays, worked in particularly tuned into poetry because they television and radio, and written more than see the world in a unique and magical way. PCP Photocopy or download from scholastic.co.uk/literacytime RogerMcGough.indd 2 13/06/2007, 09:39:06.