Get to know the Alex Wharton, Children’s Laureate Wales
Alex Wharton is an award-winning writer and performer of poetry for adults and children. His First Book of poetry for children, Daydreams and Jellybeans, was shortlisted for the Wales Book of The Year Award 2022, The North Somerset Teacher’s Book Awards, The Laugh Out Loud Book Awards and was named as a National Poetry Day Recommended Read. Alex won the Rising Stars Wales Award in 2020, held by Literature Wales and Firefly Press. He has collaborated with key national organisations such as Cadw, National Dance Company Wales, Welsh Government, British Council of Literature and Welsh Libraries, and has also appeared in festivals such as Hay Festival and Edinburgh International Book Festival. Alex’s second and third collections of poetry Poems for Brilliant Brains and Red Sky at Night: A Poet’s Delight will be published with Firefly Press in 2023 and 2024.
As Children’s Laureate Wales, Alex will invite children and young people to explore the magic and playfulness of language, learning how this artistic and creative expression can enhance how we live, feel, imagine, create, and communicate; making them feel understood and inspired by the joy and freedom of writing. He is also interested in combining poetry with other artistic disciplines; collaborate with and share the work of other Welsh writers; and illuminate the wonders of our natural world.
Alex Wharton, Children’s Laureate Wales 2023-2025 said: “To be awarded the role of a laureate is an incredibly special and honorary tradition. I am here to share the deep and wonderful power of poetry with the children and young people of Wales. It’s a special language, the art of words. And it is there for us to use. To enrich our lives and the way that we explore our emotions, experiences, our earthly and spiritual connections and imagination.”
Books by Alex Wharton:
Alex has published two poetry collections with Firefly Press. His First Book of poetry for children, Daydreams and Jellybeans, was shortlisted for the Wales Book of The Year Award 2022, The North Somerset Teacher’s Book Awards, The Laugh Out Loud Book Awards and was named as a National Poetry Day Recommended Read.
Alex’s second and third collection of poetry Doughnuts, Thieves and Chimpanzees will be published in October 2023, and Red Sky at Night: A Poet’s Delight will be published in 2024 with Firefly Press.
Visit the Firefly Press website to buy the books.