– Wikipedia, John has written for both adults and children. Country Of Birth: British Guiana The following year, the syllabus had changed to a modern one. But by 16 he was getting itchy feet - he found learning Shakespeare,Wordsworth and the prologue to Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales a chore. There are many ways of looking at the same enigma. "So it seemed only natural that, when he received the Queen's award, the medal was accidentally presented upside down with the sexy, nude figure of `Wisdom' uppermost. He wrote poems throughout this time and was involved in a theatrical group.In 1977, he and Nichols, author of I is a Long Memoried Woman, moved to Britain to pursue their work as writers. Several YouTube clips show Agard reading at Poetry Live! Wikipedia "As young people, they are getting feedback into what is possible and it is very important for them to feel that words are deserving of a sense of awe and delight, not just sport.

And the same type of tea, let’s say it’s a green tea, can be distinguished by its place of origin, including the terrain, soil chemistry, climate and variations in the processing. • Agard was a Roman Catholic.

But if I tell you the lot my fingers will fall off. the kettle sings. If the report is true, it was a doubly golden moment illustrating both Agard's remarkable `Anancy' spirit and a beloved monarch's warmth and lively sense of humour. "He had a compact, Anancy-like presence in the class, and ironic but accurate observations and sharp wit," Gilkes says.The teacher had a word with the school's principal. -Poetry Jump up These were not so secret but I’m sure no one knew he used to work for BBC! He is both, but dismisses the descriptions: "Poet is enough. Perhaps the words are not as important as listening to the vessel heating up the water. Once finding out his love for language he soon studied French,English and Latino at an A level. I like very much the English expression ‘I’ll put the kettle on.’ It has a frisson of anticipation and surprise, an opportunity to pause from our busyness, a summons to find calm and clarity. rises to put the kettle on, watches a cowboy’s killing, reads the local Births and Deaths, and falls asleep at ‘Growing stock-piles of war-heads’.

He wrote his first poem in sixth-form and studied English, French and Latin at A-levels. He ate the priest and all the people! "I did my O levels and A levels in the Caribbean," he says to the audience. Born on 21 June 1949 It's a strategy that encourages and insists on tolerance. "But learning poetry has multiple benefits because you have the sound of language, because their heartbeat would be involved and their body rhythms would be responding to the language and it would benefit their memory, just the mere act of doing it. He grew up in Georgetown, Guyana (then British Guiana), where he attended a Jesuit school. Now for some new facts, he was raised in Georgetown. "John sees life as an enigma to be lived and enjoyed with all of one's faculties. So here we go. For example, British Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy often writes for children, without fear that this will diminish her reputation or restrict her ability to write for adults. It has been studied by thousands of students in the UK for the AQA English literature GCSE, making it perhaps Agard's most famous poem. Put the Kettle On. He hadn't really read any of the texts, so scribbled away on the back of his test paper. He was John Agard's sixth-form teacherWatch a webchatJohn Agard visited TES last month to take part in a webchat with our readers.To watch the highlights, visit www.tesconnect.comagard, 1982: Casa de las Americas Prize1995: Nestle Smarties Book Prize1997: Paul Hamlyn Award for Poetry2004: Cholmondeley Award2012: Queen's Gold Medal for PoetrySelected works1974: Shoot Me With Flowers1982: Man to Pan1985: Mangoes and Bullets1996: We Animals Would Like a Word With You2005: Half-Caste and Other Poems2006: We Brits2008: The Young Inferno2009: Alternative Anthem: Selected Poems2011: Goldilocks on CCTV`He sees life as an enigma'"Guyanese and Caribbeans in general are, of course, delighted that John Agard's work has received such an accolade (the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry), and their educational systems are beginning to see the need to welcome the osmosis of his poetry in their schools. His poetry takes simple as well as complex ideas and images and turns them, almost magically, and with gentle humour, into their opposites, composites and surrogates with alarming ease. © Poems are the property of their respective owners. Name: John Agard

John Agard has achieved many awards, “in 2012 he was selected for the Queens gold medal for poetry.”He has also revived the British book award,in 2007.”the also has been awarded nestle smarties book prize in 1987.” My favriout poem by John Agard is put the kettle on. He is very genuine, sympathetic and a great believer in teachers and teaching. Now it arrives at lightning pace across international borders and you can keep track of the tea’s whereabouts on your iPhone.