Writer Joseph Coelho named children's laureate and vows to reinvent poetry's image
Writer Joseph Coelho, known for his Luna Loves picture books and Fairy Tales Gone Bad, has said he wants to "reclaim the term poet" after being named the new children's laureate.
He said he wants to break down the fear often associated with poetry and "get the nation writing and performing" it.Coelho is the 12th holder of the post, which is designed to promote and champion reading and children's books.
He said: "Poetry is powerful, it is the medium we turn to at weddings, funerals and new births because it goes beyond mere words, poetry translates the soul. "I want to use the prestigious platform of the Waterstones Children's Laureate to highlight and celebrate the power of poetry. To invite the nation, young and old, to write poems, to become poets."
He also pledged to highlight new writing talent in the UK, and champion local libraries, including by completing a "library marathon" to join a library in every local authority in the UK, which he started before the pandemic.
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